Rand Paul got his start in politics supporting his father's bids for public office. In both appearance and speech, he bears a striking resemblance to the elder Dr. Paul but is somewhat less old-fashioned. It is hard to imagine Ron Paul saying, as his son often does, that the Republican Party "has lost its mojo."
Paul and Schiff have very different approaches to the GOP. In a speech to the Connecticut Libertarian Party, Schiff openly talked about using it as a vehicle for libertarian ideas because its electoral debacles make it ripe for a takeover. His theory is that a leader-less and idea-less major party could be reshaped faster than a minor party could be made politically viable.
Rand Paul is much more conciliatory toward regular Republicans. Like Grayson, he said he would not run unless Bunning retired. When the senator obliged, Paul announced on his Facebook page that he had "nothing but good things to say" about Bunning and thanked the outgoing senator for his vote against the bailout (politely leaving unmentioned Bunning's vote for the Iraq war). Like his father, Paul is pro-life and would strip the federal courts of their jurisdiction over abortion.
The younger Paul is careful to present his foreign policy views in a way that could appeal to Republicans more hawkish than he. "Defending our Country is the most important function of the federal government," Paul says on his website. "When we are threatened, it is the obligation of our representatives to unleash the full arsenal of power that is granted by and derived from free men and women." While a defender of Congress' sole constitutional authority to declare war, he acknowledges that there are times when the president "can and should make military responses without Congressional authority."
Do these men have a chance? Several promising Ron Paul Republicans -- and at least one Ron Paul Democrat -- won their primaries in 2008 but went down to defeat. Murray Sabrin finished third in New Jersey's GOP primary last year. Despite their fundraising prowess, some Paulites have found fiat currency also to be of little value at the ballot box.
In July, a Quinnipiac poll showed Schiff within five points of Dodd as the Republican nominee -- but not registering at all among GOP primary voters. Like his father, Paul has done well in Internet polls but no scientific survey has yet tested his viability. Nevertheless, they are both serious libertarian candidates in competitive Senate races. No wonder they are taking the liberty to run.
