Isn't this the same site that banned Ron Paul supporters from posting?
It is, but Erick Erikson (RedState's owner/Editor in Chief) also stood up in support of Rand Paul early on in the primary, and promoted Rand on RS while taking a lot of flack from the somewhat Paul-hostile community of RS (even though, yes, he arguably had a hand in fostering that sentiment).
So, bottom line, unlike many in the Republican crowd who are only backing Paul now that he's won, Erikson actually got behind Paul back when we were still duking it out with Grayson and McConnell, and people like him are not only part of the reason we won, but part of what helped us win by a 25-point margin.
So, you gotta respect that. The fact that he got behind Rand so early and when it was unpopular on his own site, says to me he's backing Rand because he wants a serious fiscal conservative and Constitutionalist in the Senate, unlike some who are just backing Paul post-primary for political expediency. Erick has been a real ally so far, and he's helped turn the RS community toward Rand as well.
They do still strongly disagree with Ron's foreign policy (which is NOT the same as Rand's), but as Ron taught us all during the 2008 election, we can build strong coalitions based on what we agree on rather than be divided. The RS community recognizes that Rand Paul would be an amazing ally to have in the Senate to bring unassailable credibility and ferocity to the greatest threat to national security: our disastrous fiscal policy.