Rand Paul Mulling 2016 Presidential Run

Will he follow in his dad's footsteps when it comes to younger voters?

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul could end up carrying his father's torch by making a bid for the presidency in 2016, reports Yahoo!. It's hoped that he can win over a new generation of voters who are increasingly tilting away from the Republican party.

"I'm not going to deny that I'm interested," said the junior Paul, who has a lot of work ahead of him if capturing the "Ron Paul Youth" contingent is his goal. The elder Paul, who made his farewell address to Congress last week, was/is a big hit among the under-30 crowd.

But his son seems to have the right idea. The younger Paul's preliminary platform would allow for state-based marijuana legalization and seek to cut the nation's defense budget. The one issue that sets him apart from his father, however, could in fact bring him even closer to the latter's devoted followers. While Ron Paul took a fairly hardline approach to questions of amnesty and birthright citizenship - he supported neither - Rand Paul says that pushing the GOP in a more pro-immigrant direction is a must.

"We're getting an ever dwindling percent of the Hispanic vote," said Paul, suggesting that he'd be open to an amnesty program within his hypothetical tenure as president.

Via Yahoo!.

Would you support a Rand Paul bid for the presidency?

[Bobolinsky]

Why bother? He's pro life. That means he's an evil hater who only wants to get into office so he can force women out of the workplace, confiscate their shoes, outlaw abortion and contraception, and probably "invest" revenuepayer money in new technology that will keep women in a perpetual state of pregnancy.

[TrueAtheist]

Sarcastic much?

[Bobolinsky]

@TrueAtheist-- State the obvious much?

[kirbstomp1]

Surely would.

[MRMacrum]

Would I support Rand Paul for Prez? No.

[mimi57]

Yes!

[jessejaymes]

Well of course he is and he's starting much younger than his father. He can run at least 10 unsuccessful campaigns if he hustles. I knew Ron Paul and Rand Paul is no Ron Paul.

[TrueAtheist]

I wouldn't dismiss him so easily. The Libertarian movement is a lot stronger than you think and gaining more and more support all the time. I'm not a Libertarian, nor would I vote for Rand, but facts are facts.

[jessejaymes]

@TrueAtheist Well ya know, I used to be a Republican but I got tired of the hypocrisy and I sure can't be a liberal since I'm a white man and I'm into being a masochist and they blame white men for EVERYTHING, so I just went right down and changed my registration to Libertarian. But thanks for telling me what i was a part of, that being the most successful election in Libertarian history. I would still never vote for Rand Paul. He's a nutcase.

[jessejaymes]

@jessejaymes correction: I'm NOT into being a masochist.

[TrueAtheist]

@jessejaymes LOL! I didn't know Liberals were considered to be masochists. Interesting.

[TrueAtheist]

@jessejaymes Oy, you're caught up in the race wars. That has got to stop. No group of people are without those who are quick to find someone to blame. Whites are an easy target it's true. But, same as not all white people are racist against blacks, not all people feel that white people are to blame for all of our problems. I'm white. I don't think my black husband blames me for slavery.

[David944]

I don’t know that much about Paul, but I think he has very good ideas for the budget and entitlements. Maybe in four years people will want to face the truth about our financial situation.

[PNWest]

I think he should run just for entertainment value. His father was a hoot. But then again I want Sarah Palin to be the GOP nominee.

[jessejaymes]

I'm all for it. Both him and Palin. Bachman as well. Let's get the lunatic fringe front and center. At some point this nation will admit the GOP has become the party of the stupids. The one thing Paul can help with is garnering support for the legalization of marijuana which I would do by executive order tomorrow, designate all taxes to the deficit and dare congress to defy me.

[David944]

@jessejaymes Ya screw the constitution. You and obama think alike.

[jessejaymes]

@David944 Really? I wonder why I voted for Gary Johnson who was the only candidate supporting legalizing Marijuana? Obama is not going to allow Washington and Colorado to legalize so he says. How does that make me and Obama think alike? Or is that just more right wing rhetoric without substance?

[David944]

@jessejaymes So you would circumvent the system of checks and balances for what you think is important. Obama and his administration has done the same thing to get votes.

[jessejaymes]

@David944 GW Bush used executive order more than any other president in history. Are you opposed to Presidents using executive order or only opposed if they are not in agreement with you?

[GetAwake]

Rand needs to make some serious changes before he is worthy to carry the torch of his father.

[MRMacrum]

Seriously and no foolin, what changes should he make?

[GetAwake]

@MRMacrum Rand Paul is no Ron Paul, by any means. Rand is still buying into this mainstream 'Pub BS, and I seriously doubt we'd see much of "audit-the-fed" or "cut unnecessary-spending" out of him should he attain higher office.

[MRMacrum]

@GetAwake - I see. So he is more of a mainstream run of the mill pol in your eyes. Nothing much would change if he was Prez. Right?

I do find all the conjecture regarding who will run in 2016 somewhat amusing. But I guess running for election now days has to begin as soon as the old one is over. Being a slave to a more conventional take on politics, I just cannot see the Libertarian slant on policies as being workable. I am however trying to get my mind around them.

[mimi57]

@GetAwake Any administration will be better than what we have now... agree? Happy Thanksgiving!

[erbmrb]

I will never vote for another Republican until they come to their senses and make some changes in the Party. They have drifted so far to the right they have ended up back in the sixties and I have already been there once. Time to look ahead.

[PoliticalSpice]

Republicans are nowhere near as reasonable as they were in the sixties. Nixon created EPA, food signed the food stamp act into law...both these conservatives would be branded liberals by todays tea party standards, but then again, so would Reagan...

[PoliticalSpice]

Should read Ford signed food stamp act...

[erbmrb]

@Elliotsreport I voted for Reagan and have never regretted that choice. I can not in good conscience vote for any current day Republicans until they get together and oust the party crazies. I miss the real Conservative Party. The one that actually believed in the middle class and wasn't all about big business and special interest groups. Then again if I had my way there would be term limits in the House and not allow the "Good old boy" politics that happen there.

[PoliticalSpice]

@erbmrb
I am pleased to learn you see how crazy the republican party has become. Ronald reagan would never have survived it's most recent primary. Funny you should use that election as an example. I was considering voting third party and instead voted Carter. Every day for the nect 4 years when I picked up a newspaper I knew I had done the right thing. My problem is mot a lack of conservative policy, it is the end of liberty in vital aspects. I am not talking about environmental regulation or social programs, I am talking about living in a society where one must carry govt issued ID, where your phone calls can be listened too at will, where you can be locked up and detained without trial. I would consider voting for someone I felt might scrap such policies, not just any Republican, as I do not support any policies of that party. If I beleived the supreme court and congress were composed in a manner so he could not harn the things i care about and he ran as his dad with on policy of scrapping federal laws related to drugs, the patriot act, etc. and i beleived he could not infringe basic things like right to choose I would consider letting it to have him try and remove that which needs to be cleared out to restore vital liberties no one seems to care are gone. As to his policies on abortion, immigration, environmental regulation, as to his opposition to health care, social security. I oppose Paul, what I care for is the restoration of the fourth amendment. Much of the rest of what he says is policy I firmly oppose.

[erbmrb]

@Elliotsreport I for the most part agree with everything in your last post, and the part of us losing our rights one by one I am TOTALLY with you. It is funny that people do not seem to notice their rights being stripped away one by one, and when you point it out to them to say "oh, it's not that big a deal" or something like that. It just drives me insane. I had a friend who said he didn't care if they looked through his e-mails or listened to his phone conversations as he never wrote or said anything illegal. I tried to tell him that is not the point, but he never did get it. How can they not see it? It's nice to finally meet somebody who thinks as I do. It's a pleasure having this discussion. Thank you.

[Zoe2012]

Yes

[Hireman]

I'd need to know more about all of his platforms, not just a couple of flash-in-the-pan sound bites. On the surface, he seems pretty reasonable.

[SavageMazx]

Possible, but not probable.

[DARSB]

It would be a tough uphill slog for the Senator. He's done some amazingly dumb things in the past that woulds certainly make terrific oppo research.

[IraqWarVeteran]

Rand Paul is another hopeful GOP candidate for the presidential elections. Tea Partier and conservative Constitutionalist is what the Washington needs in this decade.

[PrettyToez]

Rand Paul: Just another Tea Party/Good Ole Boy with nothing else to do besides blow money on a campaign run for POTUS. All of these feeble minded folks are emerging from unknown cesspools all of a sudden, and many believe that because their mother/father held office of some sort, they are entitled or eligible as well. As if the world is really going to take this backwoods hick from Kentucky seriously and put him in an office that high. Didn't he see what happened to Romney??

[PoliticalSpice]

Depends, i disagree with his positions on issues like social security, health care and environmental regulation, but if congress was composed in a way i felt would protect such programs i might give him an opportunity to serve a term to eliminate things like matijuan laws, the patriot act and reduce the military control of economy and curtail imperialistic foreign policy...

[MaxPain]

The man is no where as smart as his Dad therefor hes just another bagger not worth dipping into the water.

[nuwey]

A T rue Conservative would protect the woman under the constitution.

[Denizen_Kate]

I could never support an anti-choice candidate.

[PoliticalSpice]

Agree, didn't know that he was anti-choice...

[Sonny]

Me either. But haven't we all been down this road before with these tea party types?...He is just going to waste everyone's time...and never be nominated anyway.

[Denizen_Kate]

@Sonny - Not a total waste of time . . . there's some entertainment value. It's always good to have something to look forward to.

[culinary]

Lord help us. Nut job.