Thoughts on Rand Paul and the 2016 Presidential Election
Just as anxious passengers abandon a sinking ship, conservatives have started to abandon seemingly promising Kentucky senator Rand Paul. Recent developments reveal that he is not too keen on the idea of the right advocating voter ID laws. “Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing,” Mr. Paul said in an interview. “I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.”
There has been a considerable amount of backlash concerning these remarks among those on the far right. For many, this has been an issue well-worth touting for the prevention of voter fraud. However, the position has been labelled as an attempt to restrict those minorities’ ability to vote; those who are less likely to have a voter ID. Paul says the position is “offending people”, and is therefore a dodgy issue.
Many have speculated that the senator’s most recent remarks on controversial issues, as well as his endorsement of Sr. Senator Mitch McConnell, show that he is becoming a pariah to the conservative movement that he once called home. Just as Florida senator Marco Rubio’s staunch support of amnesty has landed him in the hot seat among those in opposition to comprehensive immigration reform, Paul may be facing a lot of widespread disapproval. This does not bode well for his rumored presidential run in 2016.
But what are his true intentions? Surely he doesn’t seek to turn his back on his conservative supporters. No, my opinion is that he is simply trying to garner support from everyone on the right. What so many purport to be a sell-out, may be just the thing that the right needs to finally land a decent candidate in the white house. Although his usual smug expression can be deceiving, I believe this senator’s true motive can be summed up in the phrase, “can’t we all just get along?” It’s an arduous task to accomplish, and he might just be shooting himself in the foot, but it seems to be a genuinely valid course of action.
It’s a bit early to be speculating on the 2016 election, but it’s too enticing not to. (And my trajectory might be WAY off, too.) Things are shaping up to look somewhat comparable to the NC senate race. Instead of Thom Tillis, the mainstream republican being Jeb Bush, instead of Greg Brannon, the staunch conservative being Ted Cruz, and of course, the obvious choice for democratic challenger being Hillary Clinton instead of Kay Hagan. The primary goal of the right being to defeat this colossal democratic candidate.
My guess is that Ted Cruz will lose, just like Brannon, because of the fear that he won’t be able to defeat Hillary. But in this race, we also have a strong uniting force, Senator Rand Paul, which the NC senate race lacked. Republicans will now have the chance to elect a decent candidate that will not force America into choosing the lesser of two evils. Of course Ted Cruz is the most solid candidate that conservatives have seen in years, in terms of his alignment with conservative principles, he’s the clear winner. But in comparison with Rand Paul, in terms of electability, Paul comes out on top. And that’s not just my opinion. In a recent CNN/ORC international poll that came out on Tuesday, Paul leads the pack along with Jeb Bush, both winning 13% of the vote. However, despite these promising numbers, it seems that Hillary will easily win no matter the candidate running against her. She’s currently cruising comfortably ahead of the democratic pack with 64% of the vote.
So republicans are faced with a difficult decision that may as well be picking their own poison. But whatever comes of the long-awaited 2016 presidential election, remember, there is no such thing as the perfect candidate. And Rand Paul shouldn’t be counted as another republican sell out. This ship may not be sinking…yet.
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