Up until now, the most famous American politicians to come out of Kentucky were the first Republican President, Abe Lincoln, and Daniel Boone, when went from frontiersman to legislator.
Now, Rand Paul, the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has defeated his handpicked establishment opponent, Trey Grayson, to become a U.S. Senator, representing Kentucky.
Paul is a Tea Party leader in Kentucky – and with this victory he has become the face of the entire movement.
“Paul, 47, a Bowling Green ophthalmologist who had never sought political office, started far behind the establishment favorite Grayson. But he surged ahead with a plain-spoken style and a platform rooted in small-government, anti-Washington thinking: term limits, a balanced-budget amendment, a requirement that lawmakers read every word of legislation before it passes and a stipulation that laws spell out their constitutional underpinning,” according to the L.A. Times.
In related news, Rep. Joe Sestak has defeated five-term Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter in their state’s Democratic Senate primary, according to the AP.
Revolution is in the air. Incumbents and establishment candidates are now on the endangered species list.
Yes, and we progressive activists are just as excited about Sestak beating the 80-year-old establishment opportunist Specter as you guys are about young Rand. We been Tea-Partying on the Left since the Bush years, we just didn’t call it that!
Vern,
It was a bad day for establishment types in both parties! Viva Rand and Viva Sestak!
Paul wants term limits? Mmmm, yeah, so did the freshmen Republicans who took over Congress in 1994. Funny thing is, once these guys get in power, term limits become a distant memory for them. We’ll be watching, Mr. Paul.
Just heard something interesting from a pajarito – in Kentucky today, more Democrats came out to vote for the winner of the Democratic primary than Republicans came out to vote for Rand Paul.
Not only that, more Democrats came out to vote for the Democratic runner-up than Republicans voted for Rand Paul.
That’s how many more Democrats than Republicans came out to vote in Kentucky today. My friend thinks Rand is gonna get beat by… whoever the Dem is that won. Too busy to look it up.
Back to my John Williams masterpiece. And I don’t mean the Star Wars theme. You’ll all see it soon enough…
Vern,
A non-sequitur. The Reeps will unite behind Paul now that the other guy is out of the way. That’s how they roll.
And he is going to raise money by the truckload now…
Rand Paul will require congressman to read every word of bill before voting on it? I like this guy! Of course, he’ll need some teachers like myself who know how to write up a proper quiz that will assess proficiency in detailed knowledge of a proposed legislation, standardized multiple choice, of course. Unless a congressman passes the quiz (under the watchful gaze of a procter to eliminate cheating), he wouldn’t get to vote.