Will Rand do better in 2016 than his dad did in 2008?

[King]

No. He's teetering on doing worse. Fundraising has been a disaster. He's lost activists to Bernie. He's not standing out in the field at all.

[Maxwell]

You know who else floundered on the fundraising front? John McCain. It's early, I think he can definitely come back after people look at the rest of the field.

[Lief 🗽]

Yeah, his campaign is a total disaster. Very enjoyable stuff!

[Pyro]

It's possible, but only if he finds a way to stand out from the crowded field.

Rand's gotta learn that he is never going to get a thumbs-up from the GOP establishment, so he needs to separate himself from the buggery of Washington and push a bit more libertarian/anti-fedgov't viewpoints if he wants to go head-to-head with Bush in the primaries. Not to the extent that he could only garner his father's cult following, but if he can manage to latch onto the 75% who disapprove of Congress then he may have a shot.

Also a Rand vs Anyone election would be the funnest thing ever.

[ElectionsGuy]

Yes. He probably will do better as more people get to see his ideas in the debates. He's been lacking quite a bit of media attention lately. Lets not be simplistic, money doesn't buy votes. Ted Cruz wouldn't be in the Senate if that were the case. He won't do as good as Paul 2012, but he's got to do better than 08. Paul isn't a dumb guy, he probably knows inside that he won't get the nomination (hence why he's running for Senate at the same time), he has plenty of time to build a war chest and run again in 2020 or 2024.

[cinyc]

No.  There are too many candidates in the race that even Ron Paul's 10% in Iowa will be difficult to reach - and be considered doing pretty well in Iowa, anyway.

[Lief 🗽]

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

[dudeabides]

I expect Senator Paul to come in third nationally. Senator Paul is the only libertarian in this race. Ideologically, he has no real competition. The problem is, libertarians are still a small percentage of the GOP - granted a larger percentage than a decade ago. So, he probably has 99% of those who voted for his father already, he now needs to court more traditional conservatives. I don't think he will win traditional conservatives, but he will do slightly better than his father I believe.

[Eraserhead]

I actually do think he'll do better than his father did in 2008 but that really isn't saying much. He certainly won't be doing nearly as well as his pops did in 2012.

[Likely Voter]

Ron 2012 > Rand 2016 > Ron 2008

[RR1997]

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

[Clark Kent]

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Rand won't do better than Ron in 2012 but he will do better than Ron in 2008. Paul is losing ground, and isn't attracting the fervent support his father did four years back. But I think he has strong enough of a niche to build on and rebound in the polls. I'm not very optimistic for a Paul nomination in 2016, though I do think the ground is strongly being built for a Rand Paul 2020/2024 bid.

Of course, I said the same thing about Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

And now there are two people who don't get the joke!

[Clark Kent]

Rand won't do better than Ron in 2012 but he will do better than Ron in 2008. Paul is losing ground, and isn't attracting the fervent support his father did four years back. But I think he has strong enough of a niche to build on and rebound in the polls. I'm not very optimistic for a Paul nomination in 2016, though I do think the ground is strongly being built for a Rand Paul 2020/2024 bid.

Of course, I said the same thing about Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

And now there are two people who don't get the joke!

Then please explain it to me.

[Mr. Morden]

Better than 10% in Iowa?  He's got a decent shot at that, once the field winnows.  But 6% nationally?  That's less likely, because Rand is more like a "normal" candidate, who might actually drop out of the race after losing 10 contests in a row.  Whereas, IIRC, Ron remained in the race to the bitter end in both 2008 and 2012.  Obviously if you never drop out, you're going to get more votes than you would if you drop out once your campaign looks hopeless.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Rand won't do better than Ron in 2012 but he will do better than Ron in 2008. Paul is losing ground, and isn't attracting the fervent support his father did four years back. But I think he has strong enough of a niche to build on and rebound in the polls. I'm not very optimistic for a Paul nomination in 2016, though I do think the ground is strongly being built for a Rand Paul 2020/2024 bid.

Of course, I said the same thing about Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

And now there are two people who don't get the joke!

Then please explain it to me.

This is Lief we are talking about here.

[Lief 🗽]

A guy who supports Marco Rubio calling Trump a joke? Rubio supports amnesty. He's weak on Mexico. He's a joke and a loser. How much money has he even earned in his life? Last I read he was engaged in some crooked dealings with his Cuban pals in Florida. Donald Trump has never had to stoop to crime to get what he wants. He's rich, tremendously rich. Richer than you could imagine. He can buy anything wants. Maybe he'll buy Rubio a boat as a consolation prize after he humiliates him at the debate.

[Clark Kent]

Rand won't do better than Ron in 2012 but he will do better than Ron in 2008. Paul is losing ground, and isn't attracting the fervent support his father did four years back. But I think he has strong enough of a niche to build on and rebound in the polls. I'm not very optimistic for a Paul nomination in 2016, though I do think the ground is strongly being built for a Rand Paul 2020/2024 bid.

Of course, I said the same thing about Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

And now there are two people who don't get the joke!

Then please explain it to me.

This is Lief we are talking about here.

I'm sorry, I'm new. I haven't gotten to know the community here yet.

[RR1997]

Rand won't do better than Ron in 2012 but he will do better than Ron in 2008. Paul is losing ground, and isn't attracting the fervent support his father did four years back. But I think he has strong enough of a niche to build on and rebound in the polls. I'm not very optimistic for a Paul nomination in 2016, though I do think the ground is strongly being built for a Rand Paul 2020/2024 bid.

Of course, I said the same thing about Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

And now there are two people who don't get the joke!

I was almost positive that DeadPrez was joking, but it's sometimes hard to tell with posters that are less-intelligent like him, and I just had to make sure.

To Superman: I see your new here. Let me explain. Under Trump 2016's name, you see the word "Lief." Lief is a liberal poster who affiliates with the Democratic Party. He just changed his screen name and avatar, and his pretending to support Trump just for the lulz.

[Clark Kent]

Rand won't do better than Ron in 2012 but he will do better than Ron in 2008. Paul is losing ground, and isn't attracting the fervent support his father did four years back. But I think he has strong enough of a niche to build on and rebound in the polls. I'm not very optimistic for a Paul nomination in 2016, though I do think the ground is strongly being built for a Rand Paul 2020/2024 bid.

Of course, I said the same thing about Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

In 08, Ron wasn't even relevant.

And the same is true of Rand in 2016.

You are a trump fan. Your opinion or bias isn't taken seriously.

Please tell me your joking.

Why? He's absolutely right. Trump is a joke candidate and a near-literal RINO.

And now there are two people who don't get the joke!

I was almost positive that DeadPrez was joking, but with posters that are less-intelligent like him, it's sometimes hard to tell and I just had to make sure.

To Superman: I see your new here. Let me explain. Under Trump 2016's name, you see the word "Lief." Lief is a liberal poster who affiliates with the Democratic Party. He just changed his screen name and avatar, and his pretending to support Trump just for the lulz.

Ah. I see. Thank you.

[toaster]

I wonder if Rand's difference of opinion, as compared to his father, on things like same-sex marriage, are having a negative impact on him?  I live in Canada, but I had many of my left-wing friends drinking Ron Paul's kook-aid.  These people surely would not be supporting Rand.

[Leinad]

It worries me how many people call guys like Ron Paul kooks for wanting minimal government. I'll take individual liberty over government control any day, and I'm surprised how so many otherwise sane people (including the mainstream left, right, and center) think differently.

Re: Rand: he's trying to appeal to too many voters, I think. Both conservatives and moderates. If that was to work, he'd have a shot (despite the fact that the number of libertarians in the Republican primaries is a very low amount), but I don't think it will. He's not good enough at messaging to triangulate like that. He's my first choice, and I agree with most of his viewpoints, but most of the voters, be it conservatives or moderates, have a handful of people preferenced higher than him.

[Blair]

I'll take individual liberty over government control any day,

No, I enjoy people not being able to get access to nuclear weapons

[Leinad]

I'll take individual liberty over government control any day,

No, I enjoy people not being able to get access to nuclear weapons

True, you do need some government, which is why I'm libertarian, not anarcho-capitalist.

I get why people could disagree with libertarians, I just don't know why people think we're, as a whole, crazy. If you have different opinions on the role of government, being a conservative, liberal, or socialist could make sense. That's why I never call any of them kooks, idiots, wacko-birds, or anything like that.

The US, specifically, was founded on small-government principles. The Bill of Rights is a list of things limiting the federal government. They understood how important that is. Is there a place for government? Of course. But erring on the side of limiting it is NOT crazy.

(This is NOT to say there are no crazy libertarians. But there's crazies everywhere on the spectrum.)

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I'll take individual liberty over government control any day,

No, I enjoy people not being able to get access to nuclear weapons

What an informed and well thought out opinion!