Rand Paul is the heir to a vast fortune of outsider money which had flowed into his father's organization for years. He is now using some of that from his own PAC to help other "outsiders" who are being pilloried in the media for statements supporting the life of an unborn child conceived during a rape.
While this approach will surely bring about some level of criticism Rand knows that the details of his support for these men will fade over time but his public image will grow larger because he stood in the firestorm. In this way he is playing a political game, much like Mitch McConnell, who picked and chose those he supported in many instances because doing so brought dividends later.
To some Rand's ability to play the game might seem like hypocrisy, but to those who want him to succeed they understand that he is playing the game better than many ever expected him to and so long as he continues to espouse the principles they stand for they are willing to accept a little politics in the punch bowl.
And though Rand's position regarding these men might be steadfastly on point with the right to life philosophy it is also an affirmation of some rather obtuse comments which opened the way for the media to spin those candidate's words into a negative. On that score most observers admit that what Akin and Mourdock did could hurt the republican party, maybe even Mitt Romney, who has tried to distance himself from them.
So Rand's embrace of men from whom the GOP and Romney are running may have another angle to it as well. Rand's plans to run for president are no secret, and he would certainly hope to have that chance sooner rather than later, a chance which will have to be placed on hold if Romney secures the White House.
Politics is a knife fight and not all cuts are to the front of the body. Rand can justify his support of Mourdock and Akin on many grounds and in the end his gamble will probably pay off since his bet is hedged so many ways, but one should not miss the more subtle point that as the party and its standard bearer are moving in one direction, Rand is moving in another.
So you've figured out that it's Rand Paul 2016, not 2020?
Posted by: Adam Love | October 25, 2012 at 11:31 AM