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http://gawker.com/5544166/who-is-rand-paul-and-why-is-he-in-our-politicsWho Is Rand Paul, And Why Is He In Our Politics?
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What the hell is going on? Where does Rand Paul come from? Is it from my nightmares?Worse: Kentucky. Rand Paul is an ophthalmologist from Bowling Green. He is the third child of Republican congressman and two-time Presidential candidate Ron Paul, who is a famous Internet meme. Paul got his political start in 1994 when he founded the antitax organization Kentucky Taxpayers United. He announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate on The Rachel Maddow Show in 2009, and just beat out his establishment-backed Republican primary opponent thanks to Tea Party support and an endorsement from Sarah Palin.
So he's a Libertarian. Jesus... is he named after Ayn Rand?Although it makes complete sense that Rand Paul would have been named after Ayn Rand he was not. Rand was born "Randal Paul," which was later shortened to Randy. When he got married, his wife started calling him "Rand." However, Rand is a big fan of Ayn Rand. She is one of his favorite novelists. He also loves Dostoevsky.
Dostoevsky! That explains why he fills me with existential dread. Now, Rand Paul said he was against the Civil Rights Act. So... he's racist, right?Actually, probably not! Granted, he had to fire a spokesman over some racist stuff that was on his MySpace page, but it appears that Rand Paul is not racist; just crazy. ....
Not sure if I want to know the answer to this... but, can he win?Yes! A new poll put Paul ahead of Democrat Jack Conway 59% to 34%. Of course, this poll was conducted before Paul voiced his support of business' rights to exclude blacks. So, his lead is probably a lot bigger now.
Are you sure this isn't a nightmare?Pinch yourself.
Ow.Send an email to Adrian Chen, the author of this post, at adrian@gawker.com.
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