"Rand Paul says he scares Democrats. Should he?"

[applegrove]

Rand Paul says he scares Democrats. Should he?

By Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/25/rand-paul-says-he-scares-democrats-should-he/

"SNIP........................

While there is a natural tendency to assume Clinton's hawkish views would be preferred, there's reason to believe that the cumulative effect of a decade's worth of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- wars strong majorities don't believe were worth fighting -- has fundamentally altered how people view the U.S.'s place in the world community.

....

And, the NBC-WSJ poll is far from an outlier. In a January Pew poll, six in ten people said "we should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems here at home" while just 35 percent said "it's best for the future of our country to be active in world affairs." A June CBS-New York Times survey showed 58 percent saying that the U.S. should not take a leading role "among all other countries in the world in trying to solve international conflicts" while just 37 percent said America should play a leading role. An August NBC-WSJ poll found that just 35 percent of people were either "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with the U.S.'s role in the world while 62 percent were very or somewhat dissatisfied. Back in late 1995, 52 percent said they were satisfied with the U.S. role while 43 percent said they were not.

.................

Support for the U.S. playing a more narrow role in world affairs tends to run higher among Democrats and independents than it does among Republicans. (See my point above about Paul's challenge in selling his views to Republican primary voters.) Whether the difference between Clinton and Paul on that set of issues would be enough to convince some Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to vote for him, however, remains to be seen. It's simply too far away to begin predicting what the key issues of the 2016 presidential election will be.

"How things have always been" only holds true until those things change. Remember how America would never elect a black president named Barack Obama? Or how the Senate would never invoke the nuclear option? One day the current prevailing conventional wisdom about what the public wants the U.S. to do -- and be -- internationally may find its way onto that list.





...........................SNIP"

[salin]

1. why do gopers and rwhacks keep purporting to know what dems think/feel?

They are about the lousiest source to look to on the subject.

[arcane1]

11. Because their candidates are always terrible, so they pick on Dems instead :)

[VanillaRhapsody]

2. am I? NO!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Quit trolling the 'DU has become a Rand Paul lovefest!' crowd.

They've already got high enough blood pressure.

[leftstreet]

4. LOL these pundits are so out of it

While there is a natural tendency to assume Clinton's hawkish views would be preferred

Seriously, dude?
Did you sleep through 2006 and 2008, and the global antiwar movement?

Good grief

[joeybee12]

5. He delights me!

Because for all the scum MSM building him up, he's an empty suit with fringe lunatic ideas...he'll be exposed if he's nominated.

[NYC_SKP]

6. I suppose it depends on who we run against him. I'm going with the first progressive who shows up.

eom

[whistler162]

7. Nah... he doesn't look that scary!

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608050602102296454&pid=1.7 Now he is scary.

[Scootaloo]

8. Pauly sure says a lot of things

Paul's not going to make it through the Republican primary. They're most likely to run Mitt or even Ryan again - someone who's bland and uninteresting (and very, very white) who toes the corporate / MIC line while appearing as a "sensible moderate." aside from the white bit, that's not Rand paul at all. If you can't carry your own party in the primary, you can't carry the nation in thw general, it's pretty basic.

[VanillaRhapsody]

27. I am betting it will be a toss up between Ryan and Cruz...

Ryan is too arrogant to realize that the Establishment Republicans love a guy like him just dumb enough to be manipulated and egotistical enough not to notice.

[Jackpine Radical]

46. It will most certainly be Not-Paul.

Cruz & Ryan are possibilities.

Could even be rMoney again.

It won't be anyone unacceptable to the MIC & Wall Street.

[Thinkingabout]

9. He scares me, you never know where Paul is going to wake up, he talks whatever lanuguage he

needs for the crowd he is lying. It would be alright for the US to be attacked because he does not want to do the homework to try to
provide defense of the US.

[Jamaal510]

35. More like

"It would be alright for the US to be attacked because he does not want to do the homework to try to
provide defense of the US."

because he is too much of a cheapskate to do so.

[Thinkingabout]

48. Could be cheapskate but he does not seem inclined to want the intelligence needed and other

important work such as having personnel in the proper places at the proper time. Of course, next week he may be all in on attacking where ever he desires, not stable.

[Gothmog]

10. I am not scared of Rand Paul

No true democrat should be that worried about Rand Paul

[applegrove]

14. Not even his attempt to connect with the young

vote by talking legalizing marijuana and stopping the police war on drugs? You don't think there are some low information voters out there who might just buy into not having any rules to live under?

[VanillaRhapsody]

28. that is who his following is now.....

[applegrove]

30. So we give up on those in that group that used to vote Dem, or not vote but will

vote for Republicans now. Remember we are dealing with small percentages here.

[VanillaRhapsody]

32. College age White boys who smoke pot?

they are a large "voting bloc" we would miss?

I don't think so....

[Gothmog]

33. Paul has a number of pot head young supporters

They are not that impressive and are not likely to turn out at the polls.

Paul has pissed off the GOP donor class and there is no way that the donor class will let paul be the nominee

[VanillaRhapsody]

34. EXACTLY....they are the ONLY reason we even know his name!

[applegrove]

36. Young white men. And young african american men. And young latino men. All with

too much testosterone to be able to be able to reject both the ideas of Ayn Rand and the idea of having total freedom. The same boys who get sent to war by older men the world over because they can't quite see clearly yet. Yup. Those are the votes I am afraid of losing to Rand or the GOP. He is wedging testosterone away from us.

[VanillaRhapsody]

37. um no....though they are a minority of them....

there is no way to white wash this reality....its the truth....(and yes there are even a smattering of female followers....but the vast majority are exactly as I described them). Are you going to claim next that the Teabaggers are not vastly White?

[applegrove]

43. No. But Rand Paul is trying to change the hearts of all the young men I describe.

[VanillaRhapsody]

45. I don't think its working....

Rand Paul has that whole racist thing working against him.....

[Itchinjim]

12. Fuck Rand Paul.

I ain't scared of no Eddie Haskell look alike douche bag like Randy Paul!

[XRubicon]

22. (fuck Rand Paul)^2

[VanillaRhapsody]

29. Ted Cruz reminds me more of Eddie Haskell

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. You're right Rand, I'm scared of all racist POS'.

[Zen Democrat]

15. Regardless of his stance on war, Rand Paul is a racist, plagiarizing anti-safety net weirdo.

And if he were president, he'd have us in a war as fast as the Koch Brothers would call for one.

[pnwmom]

16. There are a bunch of DUers here lately telling us he SHOULD scare us.

They want him to, for some reason.

[William769]

17. In the immortal words of EarlG, FUCK RON PAUL!".

In the immortal words of William769, FUCK RAND PAUL!". Nuff said.

[Sherman A1]

18. Yes,

I am scared that for some reason he will choose not to run. I would miss the sheer entertainment of his candidacy!

[VanillaRhapsody]

31. Well much like his career as an eye doctor....if he loses....he will declare his own country

and make himself President....

[thelordofhell]

19. He's got me scared..........Of dying by laughter

[FSogol]

23. +1. n/t

[Z_California]

20. Yeah I'm not touchin' this one <nt>

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

21. Take that shit and use it to fertilize your garden

This is not Ron Paul underground though one might think otherwise with many of the discussion threads lately.

[whatchamacallit]

24. He looms large on DU

mostly due to the delusions of Paulite Hunters. I've always considered him a nonentity.

[Dirty Socialist]

25. That Ain't Exactly

Reaching across the aisle.

[rustydog]

26. If he has to say it, the sniveling,priviliged,spoiled, self-certified doctor is

once again saying: Look at me! I'm important because I say so!

He should take a page from his daddy's losing presidential runs...fuggedaboudit

[Kalidurga]

38. Rand Paul tends to say a lot of things that are not true.

I hope he runs. I will even wish for him to be nominated by Republicans. He has the potential to be even more entertaining than Mitt Robme.

[Jamaal510]

39. I'm scared of having him as president,

but that's it. Outside of that, he's mostly somebody to laugh at and pity.

[gollygee]

40. Should he what? Should he say that?

Not if he wants to be truthful and honest, but of course we all know that isn't an issue for him.

[Rex]

41. Scare? I've taken dumps more scary than Clown Rand.

Rand is so fucking stupid, he thinks people that laugh at him for being a moron - are scared of him!

FOOKIN MORAN!

[Cha]

42. Yeah, he's awfully scary, alright..

napkinz http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5442425

[Blue Owl]

44. Too kooky for spooky

[frylock]

47. he has a certain group around here pretty scared..

they were ascared of his daddy too.

[applegrove]

49. His dad never changed the hearts of low information young voters.

[frylock]

50. nor will his boy if the democrats can get their feces cohesive..

unfortunately, they seem perfectly content letting people like the Pauls take ownership of issues regarding civil liberties, whether it's merely lip service or otherwise.