Daily Archives: April 8, 2015

Rand Paul Announces Presidential Bid for 2016 Election
Rand Paul officially announced Tuesday morning that he will be running for president in the 2016 election. The Kentucky senator #39;s site also says he #39;s running to "restore liberty and prosperity...

By: wochit News

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Rand Paul Announces Presidential Bid for 2016 Election - Video

Rand Paul and Hillary Clinton discover that their greatest assets may also be their greatest liabilities.

Rand Paul and Hillary Clinton don't have a lot in common, and what they do have, both sides might like to downplay. But the wrangling ahead of Paul's formal declaration that he's running for president shows one interesting parallel between the twothe way they're handling their respective minences grises, Bill Clinton and Ron Paul. Both men are being treated a little like crazy uncles in the atticthe type everyone knows about but doesn't acknowledgeand a little like wise gurus essential to victory.

In both cases, candidates seek to extend the reach of political dynasties. In both cases, the current candidates largely owe their prominence to earlier dynasts, and understand the fundamental political genius they bring to the table. But the current candidates (and perhaps more importantly, their advisers) also know that these founders like to talk and are liable to say something embarrassing and damaging, making managing them as essential as it is challenging.

In the case of Ron Paul, that meant that the retired U.S. representative and three-time presidential candidate was present at the Galt House Hotel for his son's big speech, but he didn't have a speaking part. That's likely to set the tone for the rest of the campaign, according to a report in The New York TimesRon Paul isn't going to do much appearing in public.

The 2016 Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet

But Rand Paul also can't completely disown him. Sure, he's his father, but he's also the fount of the political movement that has propelled the Kentucky senator into the race. Even as Rand Paul has built his own political identity and showed his own considerable political chopshe's probably a more talented politician than his fatherhe relies on the grassroots operation his father built over the course of many years. His need for the credibility his father offers with libertarians will only grow more acute as he edges toward the Republican mainstream to compete in the primary, adopts more hawkish stands on defense and foreign intervention, and risks alienating more dogmatic libertarians.

The refusal to compromise that made Ron Paul so beloved of that crew also often got him into trouble with the broader public. Paul pere says what he thinks, even when he seems to be thinking very little. He's recently embarrassed his son with off-the-reservation comments about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Ebola outbreak. Going further back, things get worselike the racist newsletter published under Ron Paul's name.

The Times' account of how Rand Paul's team is handling Ron Paul recalls another story in the Gray Lady two weeks agoabout how Hillary Clinton's team is approaching the challenge of dealing with Bill Clinton. A few caveats are in order: Clinton is a more talented and successful politician than Ron Paul, one of the most talented of the post-war era. He also can't hold a candle to Paul's fringe beliefs, and he's never published racist newsletters. But that doesn't mean he's not just as challenging for his wife's campaign to handle.

Hillary Clinton has had a long and successful career in public service on the national stage, from the Senate to the State Department, but she doesn't have the natural volubility of many politicians, and it's tough to imagine her getting to the national stage without a boost from Bill Clinton's experience. He remains shockingly popular, especially among voters who remember the late '90s. He is also widely acknowledged as one of the sharpest political minds of his generation, with an ability to pore over maps and polling data and synthesize it like few others. Those are both assets any campaign would want.

How to marshal those skills without also pulling in his downsides, though? Bill Clinton proved to be a big liability in 2008most notably when the man once hailed as "the first black president" incurred the wrath of black voters for criticizing Barack Obama and likening Obama's victory in the South Carolina primary to Jesse Jackson's wins there in the 1980s. Even his charisma and popularity can prove problematic, offering an unflattering contrast with the candidate herself. Last fall, when Hillary Clinton made her big return to Iowa, Bill won nearly as many headlines for his own speech and a gregarious gaggle with reporters.

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Ron Paul and Bill Clinton Pose Challenges for Hillary and ...

Ron Paul doesn't figure to be a major part of his son Rand's presidential campaign despite Ron's having run in the last two presidential elections. Ed Reinke/AP hide caption

Ron Paul doesn't figure to be a major part of his son Rand's presidential campaign despite Ron's having run in the last two presidential elections.

Ron Paul stood off to the side Tuesday as his son Rand announced he was running for president.

There was no speaking role for the elder Paul, 79. There was no ceremonial passing of the torch of "liberty."

There wasn't even a hearty thank you or nod to the father's raucous presidential campaigns that laid the groundwork for the son's launch.

"I never could have done any of this without the help of my parents who are here today," Rand Paul said in Louisville, Ky., in the only section of his speech that made allusion to his father. "I'd like you to join me in thanking my mom and dad for all their help and support through the years."

Help and support with politics? Not so much.

Ron Paul looks on as Rand, a Kentucky senator, arrives for the announcement of his presidential campaign. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

Ron Paul looks on as Rand, a Kentucky senator, arrives for the announcement of his presidential campaign.

"With my parents' help," he continued, "I was able to make it through long years of medical training to finally become an eye surgeon."

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Like Father, Like Son? Not Exactly When It Comes To Rand And Ron Paul

As he grew increasingly irritated with being asked about his position on abortion Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul finally told questioners: Go ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz "if she's OK with killing a 7-pound baby that's just not born yet."

Wasserman Schultz, the Weston congresswoman, is chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Paul would not say where, in his view, a pregnant woman's rights begin and those of the fetus end. The Kentucky U.S. senator wouldn't say what exceptions, if any, should be made if the procedure were to be banned.

In the past, Paul has supported legislation that would ban abortion except in cases of rape or incest or to save the mother's life. At other times, he has backed bills seeking a broader abortion ban without those exceptions.

Paul grew testy when pressed in the interview on the question of exceptions. "I gave you about a five-minute answer. Put in my five-minute answer," he said.

Later in the day, Paul was asked about the interview at a New Hampshire campaign stop. "Why don't we ask the DNC: Is it OK to kill a 7-pound baby in the uterus?" he said.

"You go back and go ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she's OK with killing a 7-pound baby that's just not born yet," Paul said. "Ask her when life begins, and ask Debbie when she's willing to protect life. When you get an answer from Debbie, come back to me."

Wasserman Schultz responded in a statement issued by the Democratic Party.

"Here's an answer: I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story. Now your turn, Senator Paul. We know you want to allow government officials like yourself to make this decision for women but do you stand by your opposition to any exceptions, even when it comes to rape, incest, or life of the mother? Or do we just have different definitions of 'personal liberty'? And I'd appreciate it if you could respond without 'shushing' me."

Her final comment is a reference to Paul's comment during a February interview with Kelly Evans of CNBC. She asked a follow up question while he was still talking, prompting him to say, "Shhh. Calm down a bit here, Kelly. Let me answer the question."

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Presidential candidate Ron Paul's response to abortion questions: Go ask Wasserman Schultz