At The Atlantic — which really does have some good writers, Megan McArdle notwithstanding — Joshua Green has a post called “Explaining the Rand Paul Disaster” that’s worth a read.
Green says that the Rand Paul we’ve been watching in national media this week has an entirely different persona than the Rand Paul who campaigned for the Kentucky primary.
What Paul spoke about on the stump was mostly the size of the deficit, his desire for a balanced budget and term limits, and his belief that a lot of what Congress does has no basis in the Constitution. Paul’s favorite example was health care, not civil rights. But the interesting thing to me, as I wrote on Monday, is that he took care to emphasize those parts of the Tea Party agenda that appeal (he claimed) to independents and moderates. There was no talk of race, civil rights, secession, birtherism and general Fox News lunacy. “The Tea Party is not about extremism,” Paul said again and again. The impression in the broader media, including the liberal blogosphere, that Paul is an angry, unlikeable nut was not borne out by my experience on the campaign trail.
The other part of the equation is that Kentucky newspapers and other news outlets have been decimated by job cuts, reducing the ability of the press corps to run the candidates through the gauntlet, as it were. So Kentucky journalists have been letting Paul slide by. I’m not sure I buy the last explanation entirely, but Kentucky media did seem to let him slide for some reason.
So he was not at all prepared to be in the glare of national media attention, which focused on him after his appearance on Rachel Maddow’s show Wednesday night. So now he’s canceled a scheduled appearance onSunday’s “Meet the Press,” which I think was cowardly — I mean, if you can’t face David Gregory, who can you face?
See also Steve Benen, “When Extremism and Ignorance Collide.”
Yeah, his “I’m tired” after campaigning shtick ain’t goin’ to go over very well…
Jesus, there are plenty of 75+ year old Senators who run campaigns AND legislated at the same time, and somehow took enough vitamins to show up. It’s not like Timmeh or Gregster were going to hold your feet to the fire if you were tired. Wanna-be KY Senator Nimrod, dude, you’re -50 years old! Suck it up!!! Ask your Daddy how he does it?
I didn’t realize this, but in the 60+ years of MTP, only 2 – TWO – dos – dva – zwei people have ever cancelled – Louis Farrakhan and Prince Bandar. TWO!!!
Nimrod Paul, we know you failed with a real reporter, Rachel, but, you’re afraid of Gregory? Jesus, the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man is made of sterner stuff! If you’re afraid of facing Gregory, how will you ever face the tough questioning of, I don’t know, Bob Schieffer? Katie Couric? Wow, thank God, Charles Gibson’s gone, huh?
As Steve M. said earlier, Nimrod Paul is taking the wrong approach. He should have taken a, “… typical Liberal Lamestream Media, I should have known better. I got sandbaggged! They don’t ask Liberals and Socialist’s these kind of tough questions. I’m going to go blah-dee-blah-blah…”
That, Nimrod, gives you street cred. The, ‘I’m tired, I just campaigned and I want to rest…” BS makes you look like a pussy. Which is probably as accurate a look at you as we’ll ever get.
You may be right there, though, Nimrod. Better to stay on FOX News, where it’s sort of safe. At least for now. Because, if you think a guppy like Gregory is Jaw’s, you may be in for a real awakening, because there’s nothing that the spineless twits of the news like more than looking like sharks when they face a jellyfish – you know, someone more spineless than them. And it looks like, “TAG! You’re it!!!”
If Conway blows this, it’s either he’s a really bad politician, or the morons in KY can only lift their right knuckles to vote for an R, and not their left to vote for a D.
My next commercial for Conway:
Show Nimrod on Maddow. Then show an empty chair on MTP, and focus on it:
(Cue music from the great Del Shannon)
As I walk along I wonder a what went wrong
With our love, a love that was so strong
And as I still walk on, I think of the things we’ve done
Together, a while our hearts were young
I’m a walkin’ in the rain
Tears are fallin’ and I feel the pain
Wishin’ you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder, I w-w-wonder
Why, why why he ran away?
And I wonder where he will stay?
My little runaway, Rand, Rand, Rand, Rand, run, runaway
Rand, Rand, Rand, Rand, run, runaway…
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsty.com/lyrics/d/del_shannon/#share
IMO Libertarians believe man & government were made to serve business. Most people believe government and business were made to serve men. It’s been my experience that libertarians think the Constitution was designed to prevent democracy (rabble rule) and preserve property rights.
Big and Little Paul can play well to their own audience or any conservative audience where they can control the questions. When they have to face real questions from an informed interviewer, bad things happen. For example – Social Security and Medicare are the two most popular federal programs out there. To a die-hard libertarian, there is no constitutional justification for either program.
Their reality is out of synch with real people. Tell a middle-class conservative he’s totally on the hook for his own retirement and medical care with NO assistance from the federal government, you will hear a whopping “Like Hell”!!! Rand Paul and Sarah Palin will either run from the MSM or demand complete contol of the questions in advance.
Rand son of Ron does appear to be imploding about as fast as Sarah P. did in 2008, beginning with the infamous Katie Couric interview.
I keep thinking back to Rand’s reference to coal-mine fatalities and his “Sometimes accidents happen” conclusion. Now, granted, his money may come from Kentucky’s coal-mine operators, but his votes will to have to come from the miners themselves and their families, friends, pastors, and the people who teach their children. I don’t see a whole lot of sympathy there for “Sometimes accidents happen.”
At the moment, the guy’s in freefall. I’m hoping Conway stays on him like stink-on-monkey, and turns the race around. (Stealing Gulag’s campaign ad ideas wouldn’t hurt, either!)
..It’s been my experience that libertarians think the Constitution was designed to prevent democracy (rabble rule) and preserve property rights.
Sadly, that’s more or less my conclusion too. The Declaration of Independence contains the soaring language of “We the People”, but it was written a year after the Revolutionary War began, and so it was kind of a rallying device, to get the entire nascent nation behind the idea of America as embodied in the young government, and against the Brits. When we think of the soul of America, we like to point to the Declaration of Independence as embodying our highest ideals.
On the other hand, the Constitution arrived over a decade later, after the old rulers were kicked out, and the new ones were left to run things. Meet the new boss…
Cundgulag, that song has the makings of a hit! As a Youtube video, I bet it would go viral — at least, as viral as you can get among thinking people. Maybe it would be more of an indie thing. How ironic.
Cundgulag, dont get so riled up. Rand just bit off more than he can chew. hahaha,heeheehee.
RAND PAUL FOR KENTUCKY SENATE.
A man of courage and integrity. Only the dumbed-down media can try to make a racist bash out of individual and states’ rights. Point being the federal government has shoved its fist down our throat — and Americans aren’t going to take it anymore.
No national heathcare, no more spending of billions of dollars that aren’t theirs to give away.
Keep your money.
VOTE RAND PAUL!
Liberty Dawn — dear, exactly what is the federal government doing that amounts to shoving a fist down your throat?
I know I may be getting tiresome to some, but…
Why didn’t MTP substitute Nimrod with Conway? Those Sunday gasbag shows are more marketing than news, so, why not bring on Rand’s opponent?
OK, I read where Sestak will take Rand’s place, and that is great.
But, why not send a message to the, what, the 3 in over 3,000 who decided NOT to appear in the last 60+ years?
Uhm, Conway, in his primary, got 20,000 MORE votes than Nimrand got in his. If Nimrand decided to take the cowards way out, why NOT give his spot to his opponent?
And this, boys and girls, is a great example of the bias of the RIGHT-WING MSM! I know if I were the host of MTP, and you decided to pull out based on some really lame excuse, the 3rd person to do so in 60+ years, I’d want to fuck you up badly. I mean REALLY FUCK YOU UP, BADLY!!!
I’d say, OK, you want to chicken out? We’ll give your spot to your opponenet. Have a nice Sunday off, Nimrand…
But, of course, for some unstated reason, MTP decides to go to Joe Sestak. I guess we should be happy that the spot wasn’t given to Newt, Rudy, Mitch, Joe Lie, Johnny Mac, or Rep. Limp Boner, to tell us how Rand’s decision NOT TO Meet the Press, is good for the Republican Party, John McCain, and the prospects for Republicans winning 5000+ seats in the House, and 250 in the Senate.
If a Democratic candidate did the same thing, do you have ANY DOUBT that the spot would have gone to his/her opponent?
It’s simple marketing. You wanted to have the X candidate, who won his party’s primary, but got 20,000 less votes than the candidate on in the primary on the other side of the aisle. Uhm, why WOULDN’T you ask the opponent on, when candidate X chickens out? Jesus, look at the numbers!!! In the business world, there’s really NOTHING simpler?
Someone needs to investigate NBC and David Gregory and ask WTF is going on here?!?! And I’m dead serious about this!!!
THIS, IS NOT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Except that it IS, Right… Wing, that is.).
I’m glad that Liberty Dawn is willing to forgo all that federal spending, since Kentucky gets something like $1.50 back for every tax dollar it sends to DC. Those of us in states that have been getting far less back than we pay are pretty tired of funding the lifestyles of ignorant ingrates. especially when they start ranting about how hard they are being oppressed.
If we’re gonna start complaining about the federal government spending money that isn’t theirs to give away, I believe Liberty Dawn owes me and my neighbors a check. I’d be glad to keep my money, if Liberty Dawn will just give it back.
Liberty Dawn, That’s a joke, right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
It’s not? Then you might actually be the dumbest troll since me, when I tried to plead with the ‘Red Stater’s’ about something rational,I think it was about 5 years ago. Ration, and ‘Red Stater’s’ get along as well as ‘Dawn’ and ‘Dusk.’ Diametric opposites, don’t you know… But, then, you probably don’t, do you?
“No national heathcare, no more spending of billions of dollars that aren’t theirs to give away.
Keep your money.”
Uhm, Bush spent plenty of yours, mine, and ours, with nothing to show for it…
So, Liberty ‘Pawned,’ here’s YOUR message, as I undedrstand it:
-Die from some disease, if you can’t afford the treatment. Sorry…
-But keep spending trillions on heating up the planet and waging endless wars.
-And you can keep your money! You know, what’s left.
Well, Liberty Pawned, that’s my $.02worth. Which, Liberty Pawned, is about what you’ll have left keeping ‘your money’ under Republicans, and their idiot offspring, Libertarians. I know this is insulting, but Libertarians are to Republicans, as Trig is to Sarah.
Good night, Liberty Pawned.
Maybe a new day will ‘dawn,’ and you’ll awaken having real thoughts and some empathy. Don’t hold your breath, though, Dear. If you don’t have health care, the EMS charges will put a real dent in ‘keeping your money…”
OK, Which one of you kid’s left the door open so any, and every, stupid troll could come in the house? WHO WAS IT?
“Those Sunday gasbag shows are more marketing than news”
I agree but how did you figure it out on satruday?
Liberty Dawn,
Please provide a list of things the government is spending your money on that you don’t agree with.
Here are the things I don’t agree with that my tax dollars go to:
Keeping military bases in over 100 countries throughout the globe
Spending over 50% of each dollar collected on “defense”.
Unconditional financial and military support of Israel.
Covert ops throughout the globe to support American business “interests”.
Supporting a failed “war on drugs” which is every bit as dumb as prohibition was.
Here is government spending I DO support:
Health care
Education
Social Security
Medicare
Research Grants
Infrastructure construction /maintenance
Economic stimulation through support of green tech.
Oversight of our food and drug production.
Prosecution of criminals.
Realistic defense spending.
We have a saying in Florida, ” subdivisions are named for what was destroyed to build them”.
Those who choose words like “liberty”, “Freedom”, or “Patriot” to represent their world view, generally support a skewed meaning of those words.Please prove me wrong.
Currently, the banks, big oil, and the health care system are getting the lions share of my money, NOT the evil gubmit.
So LibertyDawn.. btw, is your middle name Sue? That would make the initials LSD which would explain your post a lot.
LD – as I pointed out earlier, to a hard-core libertarian there is no Constitutional justification for Social Security or Medicare. Suppose we enter Rand’s world. When you are too old to work, you are on your own! There won’t be any (practical) medical insurance for seniors. That’s why Medicare was created – the insurance companies don’t want to cover a group that gets sick a lot. IT’s entirely possible after you lose your savings and home to medical costs, you will die in a hell-hole of a shelter for seniors – all to protect the ‘property rights’ of rich people who don’t want to pay taxes. That’s the reality of the libetarian nightmare – wake up and take a hard look at it.
Well, we wouldn’t want anyone shoving stuff down our throats, eh Barbara?
I’d inquire of Americaneocon if he has a point, but I’m afraid that would encourage him to think that I care.
Americaneoclown,
Oh, look, IT’S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
Son, time’s-a-wastin,’ why spend it here? There’s so much fear and hatred to ratchet up a few more notch’s, and so little time. Hurry, hurry! Keep beating the drums of war. Lord knows YOU won’t have to fight in any…
Americaneoclown, don’t hurt yourself lifting up your anti-Islam pom-pom’s from the sidelines. I don’t think they’ll give you a “Purple Heart” for that. Maybe we should come up with an award for cheerleading assholes who will be far away from the action like you. How about the ‘Crimson Anus?’
And as for your site, well, outside of the attractive blonde woman in a bikini (came with the new wallet, eh?) the rest is pretty much boilerplate neoclown BS. BOOOOOOOORING!!!
Please though, if you ever do come up with an original idea to scare us, feel free to come back. Until then, there’s another orifice, lower than you mouth – but you seem to and talk out of it as well, and I suggest you shove it there…
Bye, and have a nice Sunday!
Americaneocon – I followed the link you provided, but couldn’t figure out your point. So an extremist group is using a publicly available tool such as YouTube to communicate? What would you expect? Criminals and various other lowlifes use things like cellphones, computers and so on – like everyone else. Is this a surprise? Technology is largely neutral, with good people as well as bad adapting it to their own purposes.
I’m posting this comment well aware that it could lead to “hijacking the thread”, something I don’t desire, but the point of your comment, particularly with how it relates to shoving things down others’ throats, escapes me. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.
Clueless trolls. Wet rain. Dark night. Redundancy.
I see it’s back again:; it puts the lotion on the skin. or else it gets the hose again…..
Yeah, dude, we’re fighting them over there so we can go broke over here….
Does it occcur to Americaneoclown, America’s least favorite “Stooge” since Curly Joe, that there’s a counterpart to him in Tehran, or some other Middle Eastern country? Where, while Americaneoclown devours crescent-shaped cheese snacks like Cheeto’s (waz up wid dat?), that the Muslim blogger who’s also sitting in his mother’s basement, linking to sites in the US like this idiot’s, and showing the faces that hate Islam as a way to incite anti-American sentiments, and is eating cross-shaped cheese snacks called, “Christeeo’s?”
Americaneoclown, we know you hate Muslims and fear them. Maybe, instead of inciting them, you might look at finding something more productive to do with your free time, like knitting oil-absorbant doiley’s for the oil spill? There’s a built-in incentive for you. You can mumble, “Knit one, Richard Pearl two.” Just don’t cut off the knot in your anger.
There’s a lot of work to do, so let get’s to it, boy!
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Ow. I tried to wrap my head around whatever point Americanidiot, er, -neoclown, er, -neocon was making, and I think I dislocated my neocortex.
LD complained nonsensically about government shoving its fist down his throat, and A. responds to the criticism with a link to a post about al Qaeda YouTube videos? Wha?
I’m sorry, but I’m a lot closer to understanding last night’s finale episode of Lost than I am to what point A. was trying to make about federal government overreach. Seriously, was he supporting LD or attacking him? Black Smoke Guy and Afterlife Church Meet-ups don’t really make sense either, but at least it doesn’t physically hurt to try and figure them out.