Where Rand Paul Went Wrong

Rand Paul was my candidate as was his father.  He's suspended his campaign and probably because of poor poll numbers, a 4.5% finish in IA and a lack of money.  It's time to evaluate his campaign. Why did Ron Paul garner 20% in Iowa in 2012 while Rand only got a measly 4.5%?  It's a valid question.

Well, the answers are somewhat glaring, predictable and even unpredictable.  Ron Paul was anchored into liberty and the constitution like a mountain of steel beams and he NEVER did waiver the slightest, not in over 20 years of public life.  I'm not even implying that Rand did in fact waiver but Rand got somewhat mushy, squishy and wobbly.  He feared the Republican machine and because of this fear he pathetically tried to romance the Republican officials and the elites by playing nice.  If there is anything I learned from Ron Paul and even Donald Trump it's that you never play nice with these folks, you get in their faces and let it rip.  Granted, Ron's style was a whole lot more gentlemanly than Trump's more vulgar style but both men aren't noted for capitulation and they are both notorious for standing their ground.

Right out of the campaign box, Rand started harping on conservatism, especially accusations that Trump wasn't a conservative.  The term 'conservative' is meaningless and has been since the days of Barry Goldwater.  Heck, even John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain, Lindsay Graham et al view themselves as conservatives.  They campaign as conservatives and get elected as conservatives.  Consequently, we can only assume that conservatives are big spenders, warmongers, bankster bailout lovers, NSA lovers, Police State USA lovers, fascists, corporatists, crony capitalists and well, you get the picture.  Accordingly, Rand Paul attacking Trump as not sufficiently 'conservative' is utterly absurd and bizarre. The strategy clearly failed because it was so laughable.

I suspect that Rand listened to his GOP advisors or just made a critical error in judgment. The'conservative' label went out with 8 track and the floppy disk. Moreover, attacking a man as not sufficiently conservative was indeed foolish especially since Trump was steadily rising in the polls and trumping everybody in the race, including Rand Paul.  Rand's attacks on Trump were pathetic especially since Trump was smashing records and winning voters by selectively pouncing on issues near and dear to both Republican and Democrat voters.

Immigration and the economy - the economy sucks, domestic manufacturing has been outsourced and offshored, American workers are getting fired and Americans are being forced to train their foreign replacements.  Rand didn't seem to care about these issues.  Trump did.

The US Economy - The Mother of All Hot Button 2016 Election Issues and Why #Trump is Winning.

Rand just couldn't connect with average workers, workers who are suffering from job losses and feeling profoundly threatened.  Trump connected with them in a big emotional way. Trump may not actually feel their pain but he understands it.  Trump went further and tied economic issues facing American workers to nasty job destroying trade agreements like NAFTA, Obamatrade, the TPP and immigration policies

Rand backed off from the big issues that Trump rode to being top in the polls.

However, at the end of the day, Rand's campaign was stodgy, timid and boring, unlike the campaigns of his dad and definitely unlike the highly energetic and passionate campaign of Trump.

Timing is also another factor.  It's a weird election season, unlike anything I've seen in my lifetime. Nobody predicted the rise of Trump and Sanders, especially the media that scorned and mocked both of them. The RNC and DNC machines along with their propaganda media were totally unprepared for the raw and absolute anger of the American people at the political class that robbed them of  economic opportunity and good paying jobs.  As the anger percolated, Trump seized upon it.

Rand pretty much ran a 'politics as usual' campaign although he did have a few stellar moments during the debates, debates where his speaking time was deliberately restricted to the practically non-existent.

Rand missed all the cues, he wasn't listening to the people, he wasn't learning from Trump and he should have.

Actually, I believe that Rand and Trump have more in common than the rest of the GOP heap. It's a pity there was so much animosity between them because they could have helped each other for the good of the country and the American people.  Together they could have worked to pave the road for a more free and prosperous middle class.  Both are smart, both understand the issues, both think outside the box and both truly seek to Make America Great Again.