Singe, no offense, but you already stated that the people you talked to were only planning to vote for Ron IF he won the General. So, is it correct to assume that they were Democrats and had no plan to register as Republicans to vote in the Republican primary for Ron? I ask, because I think that happened a lot and fact is, Ron didn't win the Republican nomination, so the General was a moot point.
Rand HAS TO win the Republican nomination or it is all over. So, he HAS TO try to win over a ton of Republicans. Call it politics, like you did, and you're right. But, unfortunately, that is what he has to do. Come on, you know that.
I am more than sure that Rand plans to do much more minority outreach. The election is still a long way off. But, if your friends are as smart as you say they are, they should also be able to see through the politics and know that Rand is the real deal. Maybe not an exact duplicate of his father, but the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Also, since when did Ron do much of any minority outreach? He viewed everyone as an individual. That there should be no special rights for anyone. Liberty for all.