Can Rand Paul recover from his rocky presidential campaign roll-out?
If Rand Paul could travel back in time a week and take a do-over on his 2016 presidential campaign roll-out, he probably would.
His was largely inspiring as it laid out his vision for a country more in line with his libertarian instincts. But it led with a bit of rhetorical bombast that鈥檚 been heard thousands of times: 鈥淲e have come to take our country back.鈥� Which prompted singer-songwriter Jill Sobule聽to pen a raunchy, on Huffington Post.
The Kentucky senator made the obligatory genuflection to Republican icon Ronald Reagan, declaring: 鈥淚 envision a national defense that promotes, as Reagan put it, peace through strength.鈥�
But then he continued, 鈥淚 believe in applying Reagan鈥檚 approach to foreign policy to the Iran issue.鈥� He was referring to Reagan鈥檚 鈥渢rust, but verify鈥� position regarding the former Soviet Union鈥檚 nuclear missiles, but he might have phrased it differently.
As political scientist Jack Pitney writes elsewhere in the Monitor:
鈥淚n late 1986, we learned that the Reagan administration had sold arms to Iran and diverted the proceeds to Nicaraguan anticommunist rebels called the Contras鈥�. The Iran-Contra affair was a fiasco that humiliated the United States and led to talk that the House聽might impeach Reagan.鈥�
Then there were Paul鈥檚 run-ins with the press this week following his presidential launch.
He wrangled with Philip Elliot of the Associated Press when he would not articulate his position on possible exceptions to a ban on abortion (rape or incest, for example). He appeared to lecture聽Savannah Guthrie of NBC News聽when she summarized his views on foreign policy.
鈥淭he crankiness of his announcement-week interviews聽certainly suggests that he鈥檚 still getting a handle on retail politics,鈥� in the New York Times Magazine.
鈥淚 think that there鈥檚 more editorializing going on than questioning sometimes,鈥� . 鈥淎nd I, frankly, sometimes get annoyed with that. And I don鈥檛 hide it very well.鈥�
Fair point. The highly competitive world of cable and network political coverage has moved well into the realm of 鈥済otcha鈥� questioning, although on the part of politicians it鈥檚 sometimes hard to tell the difference between full, nuanced answers and filibustering to avoid a direct answer.
But complaining about the press is seldom a winning tactic. As Mark Twain said back in the days before broadcast, 鈥淣ever pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.鈥�
鈥淭he perception of Paul as not only resistant to tough questions but mocking and dismissive of them is not a good one,鈥� writes Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post. 鈥淧aul needs to understand that the political campaign he has just embarked on is a very different thing than his 2010 Senate campaign in Kentucky.鈥�
鈥淭he level of scrutiny, the number of people always watching and the hurdles of credibility are all much, much higher,鈥� . 鈥淐oming across as thin-skinned when faced with the gentlest of 鈥榯ough鈥� questions isn't a very encouraging development for those who would like to see Paul emerge as the GOP's standard-bearer sometime next year.鈥�
Part of Paul鈥檚 problem is that he is the son of one who ran for the White House several times 鈥� former US Rep. Ron Paul (R) of Texas 鈥� and whose strong libertarian bent included an attitude toward foreign affairs that was non-interventionist bordering on the isolationist.
Some of Rand Paul鈥檚 conservative critics accuse him of supporting current negotiations over Iran鈥檚 nuclear program.
鈥淩and Paul is wrong and dangerous,鈥� says the narrator in an paid for by the Foundation for a Security and Prosperous America. 鈥淭ell him to stop siding with Obama.鈥�
The ad is being broadcast on TV stations in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada 鈥� the four states with the earliest presidential primaries and caucuses 鈥� as well as nationally on Fox News,
More broadly, says Senator Mike Lee (R) of Utah, 鈥淩on Paul had some fairly unique, idiosyncratic views on certain foreign policy issues that make some people nervous, and there are some who automatically assume that Rand Paul shares those views even where he doesn鈥檛 express them, even where he鈥檚 expressed sentiments that depart markedly from those of his father.鈥�
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a challenge that he鈥檚 going to have to overcome,鈥� Sen. Lee 贵谤颈诲补测.鈥�
At the moment, Rand Paul is doing relatively well in the polls 鈥� in fourth place at 9.8 percent, behind Ted Cruz (10.5), Scott Walker (15.3), and Jeb Bush (16.5), according to the Real Clear Politics , and ahead of everybody else.
There are many months before the first presidential primaries and caucuses, which Ron Paul did quite well in, although he never won the nomination. Rand Paul will want to smooth out his positions and presentation before then.
