More precisely, the media talked UP Romney as the main head-to-head guy versus Obama, much less about any others, so of course he out-polled the others.
Of course. You don't really expect me to deny the influence of the Cathedral, do you? All I'm saying is that regardless of the reason, Romney polled better against Obama than Ron Paul did. This is simply true. That Rand is polling five points better against Hillary than Christie - and TEN points better than Bush - is fantastic news.
The estalishment rallied around him because he had been selected to have the inside track for the nomination, probably as payback for his agreeing to suspend his 2008 run so as not to further damage McCain.
This was a contributing factor to his initial selection as the establishment candidate, almost certainly. But part of the reason for their continued support of him was that he
really was the most electable Republican in the field.
The establishment may want a sure loser to face Hillary in 2016, whereas Rand would certainly endanger that plan. They're not looking after the public or rank and file Republicans, they are looking after the interests of the establishment.
Here you've gone off the rails into the fields of insanity. You are speaking of "the establishment" as an outsider with no intimate knowledge of the people that comprise it. There is NOTHING that establishment Republicans want more than to win. NOTHING. These people are desperately hungry to take back the White House by any means necessary - if they have to hold their noses and support Rand Paul to do it, they absolutely will. Before they'll do so, however, they must be FORCED to concede that he CAN WIN - and that no one else can. Hence Rand's trips into "enemy territory" for fundraising lately. What kind of conversations do you think he's having behind closed doors?
Don't misunderstand - the establishment wants Jeb Bush or Chris Christie, I know. But if they become convinced that they can't have them, they will grumpily settle for Rand - so long as he and his supporters are not
overtly hostile to them. For God's sake, did you not see how Mitch McConnell and other establishment figures immediately rallied around Rand after he won the Senate primary? Expect the same thing to happen in 2016 - furious fighting to support somebody (
anybody) else, followed by acquiescence and timid support. Just like the majority of grassroots conservatives put up a fight to try and get Paul/Gingrich/Santorum as the nominee, then mostly gave up and supported Romney when it came time for the general.
