As Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) continues to move closer to a presidential campaign, the Republican senator spends quite a bit of time on the road, talking to as many possible supporters as he can. Unfortunately for Paul, his father, who ran several failed presidential races, continues to maintain a high public profile, too.

Former Republican presidential candidate and congressman Ron Paul says secession is happening and its good news. Paul later predicted the states would stop listening to federal laws.

I would like to start off by talking about the subject and the subject is secession and, uh, nullification, the breaking up of government, and the good news is its gonna happen. Its happening, Paul, the father of potential Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul, told a gathering at the libertarian Mises Institute in late January.

Of course, there are plenty of former congressmen running around saying strange things at strange conferences; the question is when (and whether) this will start to cause problems for his presidential candidate son.

I continue to believe that its generally unfair to hold candidates responsible for the views of their family members. I know I wouldnt want to be blamed for some of what my relatives say, so my general inclination is to argue that a politicians kin should be off limits.

But with Rand and Ron its not quite so simple. Much of Rand Pauls political life was spent urging people to put his father in the White House, making public appearances to espouse his fathers bizarre ideas, and often speaking on his fathers behalf as a surrogate.

In this sense, Ron Paul isnt just Rand Pauls father; hes his sons political mentor. Their familial relationship isnt even whats important in this dynamic any political figure who worked with a fringe presidential candidate who espoused ridiculous views should expect some scrutiny.

And as recently as a few weeks ago, Rand Pauls mentor insisted publicly that American secession is gonna happen and thats good news.

One assumes the senator will argue that he shouldnt be blamed for his fathers off-the-wall ideas, and that defense might even be compelling under normal circumstances. But given that Rand Paul had a leading role in Ron Pauls operation, this isnt quite so easy.

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Ron Paul: U.S. secession is already 'happening' | MSNBC