Topic: GOP - Rand Paul's Presidential Highlight Reel w/ his Libertarian Twist (Read 205829 times)

I guess I was thinking about it from the point of view that sometimes you want a running mate that appeals to a different set of voters.  A less abrasive running mate might appeal to those that aren't sure about Trump, or a female running mate might appeal to female voters, etc.

It is not particularly necessary for the prez and the VP to get along well since their responsibilities and roles have modest overlap.  These days the VP is chosen primarily to make elections more believable in cases where it might be close.  In the case of Kennedy/Johnson, the two could not stand one another (so I've read) and TPTB told Kennedy straight up that he was to 'choose' Johnson.  In the case of Bush/Cheney, Cheney was (self-)selected and took an unusually active role in order to get shit done because the titular president was an imbecile who suffered from brain damage from drug abuse.

Initially it was the design to have the loser of the presidential race become the VP.  That makes a certain amount of sense to me except that it produces pressure for assassinations.  Not that it always works out that way though...

Also, Chris Christie could be a running mate since he has now announced his endorsement of Trump.  They both have similar personalities so I don't know if that would work or not.

I would expect Trump/Palin possibly.  Also, I heard that there is a news guy on MSNBC that is a potential running mate.  I can't remember his name though.

A logical strategy would be to have one's vice-prez be even less desirable then oneself so as to partially mitigate the risk of meeting an untimely end.  Trump/Paul could achieve that in the most likely threat profile environment of today.  Hitlery/Weiner, not so much.

Anyway, it doesn't seem that a candidate has a lot of choice in his/her VP.  These choices are made by the candidate's sponsors so it seems.  I don't really vote in national elections except as a joke these days, but if someone came along who made a credible case for not being a puppet, I would possibly legitimately vote for him/her regardless of their politics.  Not staying up nights waiting for this however.

Yes. They will be a dream team, but the chances are near Zero. There are serious differences between the two in many of the policies. But teaming up with Paul can genuinely help Trump, as it would give him advantage over a particular demographic group, which has so far refrained from supporting him. Imagine Trump-Paul against Hitlery-Weiner! That will be epic!

Trump-Paul would be a dream team. Drive and direction.

Rand Paul: ‘If You Want to Help People, Give of Your Own Money’

Addressing the Syrian refugee crisis, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the United States should pause the program as he urged the public to remember the difference between charity and taxation.

“There’s a difference between charity and taxation and, sure, I have a great deal of sympathy and I have helped through our church with helping refugees – that’s charity and something you give voluntarily. But to say, ‘Oh, we are going to bring them here and put them on welfare,’ well, that’s not charity, that’s not humanitarian, that’s you saying, ‘Oh, it’s great to give somebody else’s money.’ Give of your own money. If you want to help people, give of your own money,” he said in response to a question from PJM before a Students for Rand rally at George Washington University.

Paul argued there are problems with the screening process of refugees that needs to be corrected and there are other issues to tackle on U.S. soil such as veteran homelessness.

...https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/2015/11/28/rand-paul-if-you-want-to-help-people-give-of-your-own-money

Rand Paul to file for presidential caucus

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul plans to file for re-election to the U.S. Senate and to enter Kentucky's Republican presidential caucus following an event Monday in Louisville.

Paul pushed for the state Republican Party to adopt the caucus so that he could run for the GOP nomination for president while at the same time seeking to hold onto his U.S. Senate seat. A law in Kentucky prohibits a candidate from appearing on the ballot for two offices, in most cases.

Paul will be the fifth candidate to pay the $15,000 fee to enter the March 5 presidential caucus. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, businessman Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have already registered to take part.

Paul, who has pushed to expand Republican reach into African-American communities, will sign his registration papers at an event at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Jefferson County Republican Party's West End Office, on Hale Avenue.

...http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/27/rand-paul-file-presidential-caucus/76458044/

Rand Paul: Polls underestimate strength of his campaign

CEDAR RAPIDS — Rand Paul’s fourth-place finish in the Iowa secretary of state’s youth caucus — a much better position than in national polling — has the Kentucky senator thinking about a new strategy.

“Yeah, we might be for that,” Paul said with a laugh Saturday when asked if would favor lowering the voting age to 16 before the Feb. 1 first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.

Paul, who tailgated with high school and college students Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, is banking on a strong turnout of younger voters at the caucuses to give him a strong start on his bid for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He believes his positions, especially on protecting individuals’ privacy, will appeal to younger voters.

He cited a poll that found 83 percent of voters 40 and younger believe the government went too far in collecting information, such as phone records, without a warrant.

...http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/politics/election/republican-presidential/rand-paul-polls-underestimate-strength-of-his-campaign-20151121

Rand Paul draws packed crowd at GW
GOP presidential candidate focuses on his libertarian views during stop at Foggy Bottom Campus.

Lukas Grund said he has seen Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a Republican presidential candidate, speak a handful of times. Mr. Grund saw Sen. Paul, notably, at the Conservative Political Action Conference and at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, not far from Mr. Grund’s suburban Philly home.

Mr. Grund, a GW sophomore and the president/founder of GW Students for Rand Paul, saw Sen. Paul speak to a crowded Grand Ballroom in the Marvin Center. Mr. Grund said the first-term senator’s message last Thursday afternoon was different.

“He definitely catered toward a crowd of students, as opposed to CPAC, where it’s catered to a crowd of conservatives,” Mr. Grund said. “His libertarian message is very versatile and resonates with a lot of people.”

Sen. Paul, who is polling at around 3 percent, spoke for nearly 22 minutes during a Foggy Bottom campaign stop in which the libertarian-minded senator stayed in his comfort zone. He spent much of his time criticizing the U.S. government’s surveillance of its citizens, as well as the war on drugs, drawing the most sustained cheers for the latter and the strategic use of a mid-level expletive a few minutes in.

“I don’t think we should be putting you and your friends in jail for marijuana,” said Sen. Paul, elected to the Senate in 2010. “It’s a dumb idea.”

Sen. Paul also talked about shrinking the government—“Government so small, you can barely see it,” he said—and, in the name of second chances, proposed expunging drug records so it is easier for those convicted of drug offenses to get jobs. Sen. Paul blamed former President Bill Clinton and, by extension, Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, for what he views as too-strict drug laws. He used Ferguson, Mo., to sell his point.

“One thing you could figure out from meeting people in the community is for every 100 black women in Ferguson, there are only 60 black men. We’ve incarcerated a whole generation of people,” Sen. Paul said. “Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, they were part of the problem. They were the ones that introduced all this war on drugs and made it worse.”

...http://gwtoday.gwu.edu/rand-paul-draws-packed-crowd-gw

Have the Paris Attacks Doomed Rand Paul’s White House Hopes?

...

Hirsh writes, "Civil liberties, which made a comeback with the Snowden revelations of 2012, will also now fade once again as an international issue," and "This new right-wing normal will also no doubt seal the fate of less hawkish candidates—in particular the already-fading Rand Paul, whom (Marco) Rubio denounced at the last debate as a 'committed isolationist' and who can no doubt hear the tolling of political oblivion even now."
...
http://www.newsweek.com/have-paris-attacks-doomed-rand-pauls-white-house-hopes-398490

Russia-Turkey Conflict May Spark Nuclear War: Rand Paul

Turkey’s downing of a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet on Tuesday could trigger a nuclear war, warned Senator Rand Paul. After shooting down the Russian plane in Syrian airspace, Turkey held an extraordinary session with NATO members. Tensions between Russia and Turkey are already on the rise as President Vladimir Putin accused Ankara of “stabbing in the back.” Putin warned that there would be serious consequences.

Turkey claims that the warplane violated Turkish airspace, and it had warned the pilots. However, the Kremlin said the plane was in the Syrian airspace during its flight. The Su-24 came down in Syria’s Latakia province. The Kremlin is also sending its Moskva missile cruiser close to the Syrian and Turkish borders. If the situation escalates further, the US and other NATO members will be dragged to fight against Russia.

....http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/11/russia-turkey-nuclear-war-rand-paul/

Rand Paul: Boston Bombers Were ‘Coddled’ But Still ‘Decided To Attack Us’

Presidential Candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
tells radio host Jeff Kuhner that we “coddled” the Boston bombers, “gave them free stuff” and they still “decided to attack us.”

“The Boston bombers came here as refugees,” Paul said. “We coddled them, we gave them free stuff, we gave them free housing, and yet, they decided to attack us.”

“The fact that we had two Iraqi refugees posing as refugees come into our country and want to attack us with stinger missiles shows that it wasn’t, and I don’t believe still is, very rigorous,” he said.

Rand said that he met with Obama administration last week to discuss the risks associated with the refugee program.

“A woman from the administration acted offended because I implied that any refugees could be terrorists,” Paul said. “There is a great risk and it’s a mistake for the Obama administration to downplay the risk.”

...http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/25/rand-paul-boston-bombers-coddled-still-decided-attack-us/

Rand Paul Proclaims Surveillance “Bullshit” In New Super PAC Ad

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul declares that calls for more surveillance in the wake of the Paris attacks are “bullshit” in a series of social media ads targeting young people being released by one of the main super PACs supporting his candidacy.

“So when they stand up on television and say, ‘The tragedy in Paris means you have to give up your liberty, we need more phone surveillance’ — bullshit!” Paul says in the 15-second clip for Facebook, which was pulled from footage of a speech he gave at George Washington University last week. The super PAC, America’s Liberty PAC, also made two shorter ads for Snapchat. All three ads were provided to BuzzFeed News in advance of the ads’ release today.

The ads emphasize Paul’s differences with the rest of the Republican field on national security during a fraught time in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. The attacks have intensified the hawkish tendencies of the other candidates and highlighted the fault lines over surveillance and privacy issues within the GOP field. Marco Rubio, for example, last week criticized rival Ted Cruz for voting for the USA Freedom Act, saying “the weakening of U.S. intelligence gathering leaves America vulnerable.”

....http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/rand-paul-proclaims-surveillance-bullshit-in-new-super-pac-a#.lbx5lpPRo

[VIDEO] Rand Paul on Intelligence Gathering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=717&v=Z7HtH6skLuA

These are the kind of interviews that Rand excels at - the more casual discussions. I think he may do better to make more mention of the failed Clinton policies and how he is the only one that is different, but that was a good job. The interviewer was also very fair and respectful, playing a reasonable devil's advocate which led Rand into answering for the concerns that primary voters may have.

[Video] Hillary Clinton's Illegal War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=dPEXV4WPwTU

Great video by Team Rand and it shows the give and take when he questions her on the Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. Rand has been strong on this all along and those that have paid attention, have known it all along.

Rand Paul super PAC launches ad buy ahead of Iowa, N.H.

A Rand Paul super PAC, hoping to give the struggling candidate a burst of momentum, is launching what it describes as its opening offensive ahead of the Iowa and New Hampshire nominating contests.

The group, America’s Liberty PAC, is purchasing $500,000 in radio airtime in order to boost the Kentucky senator. America’s Liberty PAC will run five separate flights of advertisements – each flight lasts about 10 days – with the first one beginning this weekend.

The first flight, it says, will consist of two ads. One, focusing on Paul’s faith, will air on Christian-focused stations. Religious voters are expected to play an especially central role in Iowa.

Another, which highlights Paul’s plan to combat the Islamic State, will air on news, sports, country and other stations. “In the face of deadly attacks by ISIS, who will keep us safe? While politicians in both parties push liberal immigration policies that put us at risk, Paul is looking to strengthen our security,” says the ad. (While the commercial does not explicitly mention Paul’s Republican rival Marco Rubio, Paul has accused Rubio of embracing a weak-on-immigration approach that leaves the country vulnerable.)

In total, America’s Liberty PAC plans to produce 10 radio ads to air over the five flights. The group’s strategists say the radio commercials are the “first salvo” in a final march to the Iowa and New Hampshire contests. It also plans to roll out TV ads, direct mail and a digital program in the coming weeks.

...http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/rand-paul-super-pac-ads-iowa-new-hampshire-216213#ixzz3sXCV0OKC

Rand in 5th in Iowa at 5% leading Bush

Donald Trump gets 25 percent of Iowa likely Republican Caucus participants in a too-close-to- call race with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas who is at 23 percent, double his support from four weeks ago, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Dr. Ben Carson has 18 percent, with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida at 13 percent.

This compares to the results of an October 22 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University showing Carson at 28 percent, with 20 percent for Trump, Rubio at 13 percent and Cruz at 10 percent.

One thing that hasn't changed is the poor showing for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who goes from 5 percent October 22 to 4 percent today.

Today, Sen. Rand Paul is at 5 percent, with Carly Fiorina at 3 percent. No other candidate tops 2 percent, with 2 percent undecided.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/iowa/release-detail?ReleaseID=2305

KY Governor to challenge Rand Paul for Senate seat

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear plans to announce in early January a run for the United States Senate against Rand Paul. The hope appears to be that his shameless profligacy might draw millions of dollars in leftist donations from around the country.

"Beshear gave us billions in new appropriation-supported debt, billions more in pension debt, signed us up for the Common Core fiasco and ObamaCare so he now wants to put on his diaper and a onesie and go to Washington D.C.," Kentucky Progress publisher David Adams said. "It would be a lot cheaper to let him have a pajama party at the Governor's Mansion this weekend with President Obama, Harry Reid and whoever else he wants to have over."

...http://kyprogress.blogspot.com/2015/11/steve-beshear-to-challenge-rand-paul.html