I also think the fence comment was a good move. There's a lot of distrust out there atm. I've seen many changes in every day folks and how they view what's going on in DC these days. They have been noticing the corruption, too.
I bet this will be a hot topic on MSM as they will likely try to use it to tarnish him, make him look crazy, etc. but now Paul gets to discuss the increasing police state every time a pundit asks him about his "kooky" statement. He just opened a can of worms that will hopefully create new discussions re: rights of the people, police state, etc. If they ignore it then the curious people will have to look it up for themselves and if they address it then Paul gets to own it (and he will). Jmho but I don't think they want people googling the police state and finding out about, say, the 70+ "fusion centers" located across the country or other interesting tidbits that MSM doesn't bother talking about much.
Paul is polling well nationally. He has more support, much more compared to the last run. It's amazing really. People are noticing the lack of attention, the bias, etc. and are wondering why.