Is Rand Paul the unifying candidate?

[YoungConserv]

I keep listening to his comments to Kerry and I keep thinking he might be able to bring together the right and left and be a great president.? I see him being anti war, pro privacy and hands off on social issues and see some great things to come. I think if he can sell people on the idea that we need a smaller a government to increase civil liberties he can do great things. Am I the only one that sees this?

 

[lizzie]

I like him. He's about as close to libertarian as a politician can get, and still have a snowball's chance.

 

[joko104]

I keep listening to his comments to Kerry and I keep thinking he might be able to bring together the right and left and be a great president.? I see him being anti war, pro privacy and hands off on social issues and see some great things to come. I think if he can sell people on the idea that we need a smaller a government to increase civil liberties he can do great things. Am I the only one that sees this?

He's not hands-off on the abortion issue.

 

[vesper]

I say this with hesitation but what I have heard from Rand Paul, I like. One of his qualities that I admire is the respect he shows for his father Ron Paul. Rand is not a clone of his father and often disagrees with him. The media knows this and are always trying to pin him against his father. Rand never steps in it and quite statesmanlike keeps his honor for his father in tact. I so much love that about him.

 

[Ray410]

Ted Cruz is the Man. Rand Paul lost it by being pro-amnesty.

 

[Fiddytree]

Not really, no. Rubio is a better ideological unifier than Paul. You don't win elections by getting the interest of the Left on a couple of issues. They will just vote for their man/woman.

 

[YoungConserv]

He's not hands-off on the abortion issue.

Really I haven't really heard him speak on that can you provide a quote ?

 

[YoungConserv]

Ted Cruz is the Man. Rand Paul lost it by being pro-amnesty.

Amnesty with the caviat of no welfare program expansion.

 

[YoungConserv]

Not really, no. Rubio is a better ideological unifier than Paul. You don't win elections by getting the interest of the Left on a couple of issues. They will just vote for their man/woman.

But Rubio isn't a conservative he's just the new generation of establishment republican.

 

[StillBallin75]

No. No he isn't.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Amnesty with the caviat of no welfare program expansion.

That is pure fantasy. That assumes that those granted amnesty will then be "semi-citizens".

 

[Fiddytree]

But Rubio isn't a conservative he's just the new generation of establishment republican.

He is a conservative, just not that flavor of conservative you may like.

Furthermore, his selection makes more sense for both the party and potential votes. Can you honestly see liberals voting for a guy, supporting a guy that wants to dismantle most of their domestic programs, only to come away with some social issues and privacy issues? Liberals would do everything in their power to kill such proposals, and that would mean tanking something they might be able to come together for. That's what I would do. Tank his platform whereever possible.

 

[Anagram]

I keep listening to his comments to Kerry and I keep thinking he might be able to bring together the right and left and be a great president.? I see him being anti war, pro privacy and hands off on social issues and see some great things to come. I think if he can sell people on the idea that we need a smaller a government to increase civil liberties he can do great things. Am I the only one that sees this?

I doubt it. I saw him underperform in Kentucky in 2010. I don't think he'll draw enough liberal votes to make up for the votes he'd lose that the average Republican would get. Especially since he's not so hands off on abortion. He could win, but he's not the perfect candidate who could unite both sides.

 

[YoungConserv]

That is pure fantasy. That assumes that those granted amnesty will then be "semi-citizens".

Actually in our current image arion system you can be denied entry if you " are a financial burden to the state" so all you would have to do is enforce current law.

 

[YoungConserv]

I doubt it. I saw him underperform in Kentucky in 2010. I don't think he'll draw enough liberal votes to make up for the votes he'd lose that the average Republican would get. Especially since he's not so hands off on abortion. He could win, but he's not the perfect candidate who could unite both sides.

But better than the other assholes that's for sure.

 

[YoungConserv]

He is a conservative, just not that flavor of conservative you may like.

Furthermore, his selection makes more sense for both the party and potential votes. Can you honestly see liberals voting for a guy, supporting a guy that wants to dismantle most of their domestic programs, only to come away with some social issues and privacy issues? Liberals would do everything in their power to kill such proposals, and that would mean tanking something they might be able to come together for. That's what I would do. Tank his platform whereever possible.

Name one conservative thing Rubio has done.

 

[YoungConserv]

No. No he isn't.

Care to elaborate more?

 

[Henrin]

I keep listening to his comments to Kerry and I keep thinking he might be able to bring together the right and left and be a great president.? I see him being anti war, pro privacy and hands off on social issues and see some great things to come. I think if he can sell people on the idea that we need a smaller a government to increase civil liberties he can do great things. Am I the only one that sees this?

It seems to me that in most elections it comes down to people wanting favors from government and someone like Rand Paul just doesn't offer much of anything in that arena. Sure he can sell the civil liberties angle, but how much do people really care about their rights? Even if Rand is not like his father people will mock him just like they did his father and they will once again pick welfare and security over rights like they always do.

If people want someone that isn't like Bush or Obama in 2016 they will need to consider what they really want from government and they aren't about to do that.

 

[StillBallin75]

Care to elaborate more?

I fail to see where exactly he appeals to the left. Maybe like his father he's pro legalization and anti-interventionist (although interventionism isn't necessarily a left-right dichotomy). But those things alone don't necessarily mean that he's capable of uniting left and right.

 

[Fiddytree]

Name one conservative thing Rubio has done.

One thing? Supported Ryan's budget.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Actually in our current image arion system you can be denied entry if you " are a financial burden to the state" so all you would have to do is enforce current law.

There seems to be no will to even attempt to enforce our current immigration law. Knowing that there are about 11 million illegal aliens in the country now yet having only about 5K ICE field agents is like having only the police departments of Boston and Baltimore assigned to cover the entire USA.

 

[Carleen]

I keep listening to his comments to Kerry and I keep thinking he might be able to bring together the right and left and be a great president.? I see him being anti war, pro privacy and hands off on social issues and see some great things to come. I think if he can sell people on the idea that we need a smaller a government to increase civil liberties he can do great things. Am I the only one that sees this?

I strongly doubt that he would win over the left. He would also not get the black voters or I doubt even hispanics even though he supports immigration reform.

 

[Fiddytree]

I fail to see where exactly he appeals to the left. Maybe like his father he's pro legalization and anti-interventionist (although interventionism isn't necessarily a left-right dichotomy). But those things alone don't necessarily mean that he's capable of uniting left and right.

Rand hasn't exactly laid out how he wants to achieve unity among the Republicans or with Democrats. His father's idea (which may not be Rand's) of governing by loose coalitions, more or less based on limited issue clusters, made absolutely no practical sense.

 

[Sherman123]

I keep listening to his comments to Kerry and I keep thinking he might be able to bring together the right and left and be a great president.? I see him being anti war, pro privacy and hands off on social issues and see some great things to come. I think if he can sell people on the idea that we need a smaller a government to increase civil liberties he can do great things. Am I the only one that sees this?

Yes he is the unifying candidate. The candidate that will unify Republicans like myself behind Hillary Clinton.

 

[YoungConserv]

One thing? Supported Ryan's budget.

I'm talking something he did himself not something he just glommed on to.