Rand Paul: 'How Do You Out-Trump the Irrational?'

[Brian4Liberty]

Rand Paul: 'How Do You Out-Trump the Irrational?'
by Chris Jansing and Shawna Thomas - Aug 19 2015

CAP-HAITIEN, HAITI — Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul says it's only a matter of time until the country wakes up to Donald Trump's insincere message, but he's worried that some Americans are blinded by his "celebrity."

In a series of interviews between performing pro-bono eye surgeries in Haiti with the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center, the Kentucky senator was relaxed in scrubs, dismissive of Trump and critical of the media's role in Trump's rise.

"How do you out-Trump the irrational?" he asked.

It's a question he and the other Republican candidates are puzzling over. Paul said the reason "people have gone gaga" over the billionaire real estate mogul is that he's tapped into anti-establishment conservative anger.

In many ways, it's not dissimilar from the anti-Washington sentiment that helped Paul rise to his own political fame. But in the case of Trump, Paul believes there's no substance at all behind the frustration.

"I've likened it to 'The emperor has no clothes.' He's saying things that are completely vapid, things that are completely vulgar and completely a non sequitur."

And Paul is confident that the Trump show can't last.

"There's no way the voters in the country will nominate him. Absolutely not," Paul said.
...
In the interview with NBC News, Paul took particular aim at Trump's recently released immigration proposal, which he said made "no sense" and is "bizarre."

"Even the people who think they might like him, when they hear what his bone-headed plan is, you think they might have second thoughts," he said.

Still, one element of Trump's immigration plan that Paul won't push back on is his proposal to end birthright citizenship.

Back in 2011, Paul co-sponsored a constitutional amendment to put an end to the right that allows everybody born on U.S. soil to be a citizen. He told NBC News that today's circumstances still warrant that move.

"What I would say is, if you have an open border you can't have birthright citizenship," he said.

He also said his preference is to fix the border, adding that "no Republican or Democrat president" since 1986 has properly enforced America's immigration laws.
...
More: http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/rand-paul-how-do-you-out-trump-irrational-n412451

 

[Dianne]

Alright, pretty decent post. He's needs to hammer his end to birthright citizenship and enforcing the laws !!!! Why is he sitting back and letting Trump, trump this issue?

 

[wizardwatson]

"How do you out-Trump the irrational?" he asked.

Meth is a hell of a drug.

That's not a bad analogy either. America is addicted. Addicted to war, to pride, to "being great". That greatness is gone. What's Paul's solution? Sober up. What's Trump's solution? The meth wasn't pure enough. If it was pure not only would we get higher than ever before but we'd have none of the side effects.

There is not reasoning with the zombie. America is cooked. You just hold the line.

 

[Origanalist]

Meth is a hell of a drug.

That's not a bad analogy either. America is addicted. Addicted to war, to pride, to "being great". That greatness is gone. What's Paul's solution? Sober up. What's Trump's solution? The meth wasn't pure enough. If it was pure not only would we get higher than ever before but we'd have none of the side effects.

There is not reasoning with the zombie. America is cooked. You just hold the line.

Not a bad analogy at all.

 

[Liberty74]

Trump will be fading by the end of September and someone new will rise. While I'm at it, I predict 3 to 4 other frontrunners will happen before Iowa.

 

[Xenliad]

Trump will be fading by the end of September and someone new will rise. While I'm at it, I predict 3 to 4 other frontrunners will happen before Iowa.

It seems like Fox News wants Fiorina to surge next when people start getting bored of Trump.

 

[enhanced_deficit]

Good read.

It seems like Fox News wants Fiorina to surge next when people start getting bored of Trump.

Trump has been very good for media owners business.

 

[Dianne]

It seems like Fox News wants Fiorina to surge next when people start getting bored of Trump.

Agree... one fascinating tidbit I learned today is Fiorina may not qualify for the CNN debates. Their rules are top ten, but they are using polling data from June forward; which may exclude her from the top ten.

 

[RonPaulMall]

Rand Paul: 'How Do You Out-Trump the Irrational?'

I think boldly outlining your own opposition to Birthright Citizenship months ago, rather than waiting till you are prompted to by a reporter, in Haiti, would have gone a long way.

 

[Brett85]

Their rules are top ten, but they are using polling data from June forward; which may exclude her from the top ten.

Are you sure? Source?

 

[somename043]

Are you sure? Source?

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/05/20/debate.criteria1.pdf mid july bullet 6

 

[SilentBull]

Agree... one fascinating tidbit I learned today is Fiorina may not qualify for the CNN debates. Their rules are top ten, but they are using polling data from June forward; which may exclude her from the top ten.

Yeah, there are already more than a month worth of polls that CNN will be taking into consideration, and in a lot of those old polls, Fiorina was very low. This also helps Rand. The farther back they go, the more it decreases the chances that Rand's position in the top 10 will shift.

 

[Brett85]

I think boldly outlining your own opposition to Birthright Citizenship months ago, rather than waiting till you are prompted to by a reporter, in Haiti, would have gone a long way.

That's a losing issue in a general election, and there's no point of winning the primary if you can't win the general election.

 

[CPUd]

Average since July 16 (based on RCP national polls)

Trump (22.1),
Bush (11.8),
Walker (11.3),
Carson (7.0),
Cruz (6.25),
Huckabee (6.3),
Rubio (6.2),
Paul (4.7)


Kasich (3.4),
Christie (3.3),
Fiorina (2.2),
Perry (2.0),
Jindal (1.4),
Santorum (1.3),
Graham (0.5)

 

[RonPaulGeorge&Ringo]

Yeah, there are already more than a month worth of polls that CNN will be taking into consideration, and in a lot of those old polls, Fiorina was very low. This also helps Rand. The farther back they go, the more it decreases the chances that Rand's position in the top 10 will shift.

It's RNC (and therefore by extension, FoxNews) that's interested in promoting Fiorina to top-tier. I don't think CNN really cares that much. CNN is just as interested as RNC in sabotaging Rand, though. If Rand is ninth in their average, don't be surprised to have the main debate only feature the top eight. Especially if someone else drops out at the last minute.