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Title: Rand Paul says he supports Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander's re-election
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URL Source: http://www.commercialappeal.com/new ... -supports-sen-lamar-alexanders
Published: Apr 11, 2015
Author: Richard Locker
Post Date: 2015-04-11 23:17:14 by out damned spot
Keywords: Rand Paul, Lamar Alexander
Views: 3814
Comments: 16
Some Tennessee tea party activists looking for a GOP primary opponent for Alexander NASHVILLE — A week after about 150 tea party activists rallied in opposition to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander's re-election next year, tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said here Monday that he hopes Alexander doesn't get an opponent and wins re-election. Alexander, R-Tenn., has aroused tea party ire for his votes for the immigration reform bill and other measures opposed by the hard right. Tea partiers also claimed an Alexander campaign ad televised statewide this month falsely implied that Paul, R-Kentucky, had endorsed him. The ad featured Paul speaking at a Nashville event with Alexander to discuss their passage of a bill they co- sponsored to override a Corps of Engineers ban on fishing immediately below its dams on the Cumberland River. Alexander said he never asked for Paul's endorsement and that Paul approved the ad in advance. About 150 tea partiers carried protest signs and wore red anti-Alexander T- shirts outside of a July 20 rally Alexander hosted in Smyrna for Republican county chairmen. Tea party leaders spoke at their protest and called for a more conservative challenger in next year's Republican primary. Ben Cunningham, founder of a Nashville tea party group, charged that Alexander "votes like a northeast liberal Republican." But no opponent has publicly surfaced — tea party, Democratic or otherwise. Cunningham said former Williamson County GOP chairman Kevin Kookogey is considering running. Paul came to Nashville Monday to tour a KIPP Academy charter school with Alexander, state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman and state House Speaker Beth Harwell. Reporters cited the TV ad and asked Paul if he plans on endorsing Alexander. With Alexander standing alongside, Paul said the tour was about education, not endorsements, but added: "I'm very supportive of Senator Alexander. He and I have worked together on a lot of issues. I'm very complimentary of how he's been a great senator from Tennessee." Alexander said he accepted Paul's remarks. "Senator Paul is one of 98 United States senators who hasn't endorsed me, the other two being me and Sen. (Bob) Corker (R-Tenn.). We're not here to endorse each other. What I try to do is earn the respect of my colleagues, and Rand Paul's certainly earned my respect for the way he speaks out and works on education." Alexander said before last week's tea party rally that he respects opponents rights to express their views but cited his own polling and the last Vanderbilt University Poll indicating he has slightly higher approval ratings among self- identified tea partiers than among Republicans in general. He noted that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, another conservative icon, appeared with him at his Smyrna rally. "I think his coming all the way here to campaign for me says to conservative Republicans in Tennessee that he's pretty comfortable with me and I hope they are too. I'm going to run as hard as I can to earn the respect of the voters of Tennessee in the primary and general elections and we'll see what happens," Alexander said.
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#1. To: out damned spot (#0)
Alexander is probably a shoo-in unfortunately. As a former governor, he is a very able pol on his home turf. I'm not sure if the Tea folk have ever defeated an incumbent senator who was a former governor. They're just too tough to oust because they seem to absolutely dominate the state party. Like Jeb Bush does in Florida. Rubio did knock off a governor (Crist) in the Senate race in 2010 but Crist never did control the state party there; it was still a Bush machine and Rubio was a stand-in for Bush. As for Rand, he continues to rack up favors from incumbent senators, the people whose support any candidate needs to become the party nominee.
What is Rand doing endorsing one of the biggest assholes up there. He should just shut up. A mark against Rand.
A mark against Rand. " A big mark. Some days this guy seems to sound real good, then other days comes off like a complete fool. He is losing me from even considering him. I trust none of them, and expect this nation to fall apart in the near future. God help us!!
Si vis pacem, para bellum
True enough. He is laying up chits from the party elite. You can't win the nomination or the White House without some pretty substantial backing from other party leaders. It's naive to think anyone can take the party by storm. Even Reagan couldn't do it and was forced to accept Bush as a running mate.
Alexander has one of the worst conservative ratings in Congress. Mitch McConnell isn't exactly conservative material either. Mitch called for crushing the Tea Party right after Rand's endorsement. Rand is out there calling for term limits, then he supports two long term RINOs who really need defeating. He is after RNC cash. With many libertarians supporting Cruz, he must not be raking in donations.
http://www.tedcruz.org
He wasn't forced. It was just a terrible decision. Maybe his worst. Kissing elitist ass is a losing strategy. There are more of us then them.
Those marks are adding up. Paul constantly shoots himself in the foot. Too much of saying one thing and doing the other. I was totally turned off when he played identity politics in Ferguson. It was the last straw for me.
http://www.tedcruz.org
Maybe where you live. But not across the country.
Rand won't get RNC cash. And the only libertarians supporting Cruz (or any other GOP candidate) are the Beltway libertarians, all employees of the Koch machine.
He didn't endorse him, and he didn't mention that Rafael is a Canuck either. So what's the problem? Senator Cruz complimented Mike Lee and Rand Paul in his speech at the NRA. They're allies and friends, get over it. Rand will likely give Raffie a cabinet post in his administration, probably AG.
“I’m a libertarian, and I’m supporting Ted Cruz”
@11:45... "Proud to stand with Rand Paul".
Some nobody in Iowa. He won't influence anyone beyond his immediate circle, if even that. If Rand drops out, Cruz might pick up a fair number of real libertarians. I think all of his little compliments toward Rand might be a play in that direction.
So Ron Paul's guyw were' "noboides"? Courtesy of Gatlin Ted Cruz Recruits Some Rand Paul Supporters in Iowa Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, whose path to the Republican nomination requires a breakout performance in Iowa, has quickly recruited more than a dozen party leaders for his statewide campaign, who are to be announced in coming days, according to people told of the choices. Most significantly, Mr. Cruz has peeled away three leaders of the Libertarian faction in the state, known as the Liberty movement, who are the base of Senator Rand Paul’s support in Iowa. They included state Senator Jason Shultz, who endorsed Representative Ron Paul for president in 2012; and two former members of the state Republican Party’s central committee, Joel Kurtinitis and Chad Steenhoek. “The assumption of lot of people has been that the Liberty movement would roll over and support Senator Paul,’’ Mr. Kurtinitis said. “We’re a movement probably more than anything that’s noted for critical thinking and a rebellious streak.’’ He said Mr. Cruz, who announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday, appealed to three important constituencies in Iowa: evangelical Christians, Libertarians and Tea Party activists. His wife, Kelsey Kurtinitis, a board member of Personhood Iowa, an antiabortion group, is also joining the Cruz campaign, as one of 15 or so volunteer leaders who will most likely take the title of state co-chairman and co-chairwomen, Mr. Kurtinitis said. […]
Just a group of nobodies in California also? Cruz is obviously influencing those beyond his immediate circle. THE SILICON VALLEY LIBERTARIANS PUTTING SERIOUS MONEY BEHIND TED CRUZ The U.S. Senate’s most outspoken contrarian, Ted Cruz, became the first official 2016 candidate to launch a bid for the White House Monday. Despite the fact that he’s highly controversial within his own party, it has long been known that Ted Cruz is bankrolled by politically active libertarians who like his brand of politics. […] I didn’t consider Cruz had any potential at first….I thought he never had a chance of winning. So I was looking for someone I though had the best possibility of beating Hillary, and that was Walker. I am now looking more closely and favorably at Cruz. I believe Cruz will take Iowa and Paul has to work for NH to keep him alive. Just my early observation…
Cruz has a tycoon in his pocket. A old IBM guy. That's where the money came from. Iowa doesn't mean much. You might recall that it took months to determine the 2012 winner and even then it was in question. Missing tally boxes in some guy's trunk, etc. Iowa's GOP contest generally tells us who will pander the most to Big Corn and Jesus.
#2. To: out damned spot, Hondo68 (#0)
#3. To: A K A Stone (#2)
" What is Rand doing endorsing one of the biggest assholes up there. He should just shut up.
#4. To: A K A Stone (#2)
What is Rand doing endorsing one of the biggest assholes up there. He should just shut up.
#5. To: TooConservative (#1)
(Edited)
#6. To: TooConservative (#4)
Reagan couldn't do it and was forced to accept Bush as a running mate.
#7. To: A K A Stone (#2)
#8. To: A K A Stone (#6)
There are more of us then them.
#9. To: out damned spot (#5)
He is after RNC cash. With many libertarians supporting Cruz, he must not be raking in donations.
#10. To: A K A Stone (#2)
(Edited)
What is Rand doing endorsing one of the biggest assholes up there
The D&R terrorists hate us because we're free, to vote second party
"We (government) need to do a lot less, a lot sooner" ~Ron Paul
#11. To: TooConservative (#9)
(Edited)
And the only libertarians supporting Cruz (or any other GOP candidate) are the Beltway libertarians, all employees of the Koch machine.
#12. To: A K A Stone (#11)
The D&R terrorists hate us because we're free, to vote second party
"We (government) need to do a lot less, a lot sooner" ~Ron Paul
#13. To: A K A Stone (#11)
“I’m a libertarian, and I’m supporting Ted Cruz”
#14. To: TooConservative, Gatlin (#13)
(Edited)
Some nobody in Iowa. He won't influence anyone beyond his immediate circle, if even that.
#15. To: TooConservative, A K A Stone (#14)
(Edited)
Some nobody in Iowa. He won't influence anyone beyond his immediate circle, if even that.
#16. To: Gatlin (#15)
I didn’t consider Cruz had any potential at first….I thought he never had a chance of winning.
I believe Cruz will take Iowa and Paul has to work for NH to keep him alive. Just my early observation…
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