FAMILY FEUD?
Buzzfeed’s McKay Coppins – the reporter who recently explored Jeb Bush‘s proximity to the pervasive Marco Rubio affair rumors – has dropped another bombshell on the 2016 presidential campaign.
This one involves the Pauls … namely former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and his son, U.S. Senator Rand Paul.
In an excerpt from his book, The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party’s Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House, Coppins details “the intensely personal father-son rivalry that helped derail the younger Paul’s presidential ambitions – twice.”
Coppins’ book alleges that Ron Paul – jealous of his son’s success – ran for president in 2012 in an effort blunt Rand Paul’s political momentum. Since then? According to Coppins, a “growing divide” between father and son has emerged – with diverging ideological allegiances overlapping a more personal battle between operatives.
“The two camps have spent much of the past three years bitterly feuding behind the scenes,” he wrote.
Wow …
This website has already written its obituary of Rand Paul’s 2016 bid – which squandered its immense potential on a policy of appeasing the “Republican” establishment. We didn’t know there was an alleged Ron Paul component to the collapse, though.
Ironically, Rand Paul attempted to tap into his father’s movement earlier this year after failing to gain traction by kowtowing to the GOP’s status quo.
It didn’t work …
Rand Paul – who was polling as high as 17 percent two years ago – is currently drawing the support of just 1.8 percent of the GOP electorate, according to aggregate polling data from Real Clear Politics. At this point it will be a miracle if he even makes it to 2016.
All of this is very, very sad …
This website endorsed Ron Paul’s bid in 2012, and had high hopes for his son’s candidacy. Unfortunately, Rand Paul eschewed his father’s “revolution” in favor of a cookie cutter campaign of accommodation.
Whatever motivated that decision, it was the wrong one.
22 comments
RON PAUL VERSUS RAND PAUL?TWEEDLE DUMB VERSUS TWEEDLE DUMBER – there, fixed it for you.
Even my acting can’t mimic that idiocy though.
So who do you pull for, Rubio? Great can’t wait to have 500k troops in Syria, Iraq and Iran.
what’s the deal with the name change, account hacked?
Classified information.
The R means he’s retired.
Or retarded… (Nothing in this post is intended to belittle, offend, make fun of or otherwise show a disdain for persons who are mentally differently abled)
Just added the (R) to reflect my new status – Retired (from the Army, I still have my day job). 500,000 troops in Iran would probably be a good thing (no I’m not advocating it)
One bomber squadron even better.
The rumors allegedly became so rampant, Rubio’s campaign reportedly spent tens of thousands of dollars hiring private detectives and auditors to try to turn up any evidence that the affairs occurred. Coppins reports that the investigators “determined that they lacked concrete evidence, which was enough to give Rubio’s advisers peace of mind.”
UPDATE (11:01 AM ET): The Bush campaign has passed along a statement strongly denying they spread infidelity rumors about Rubio: “Our campaign has never said anything of this nature and doesn’t believe it. The candidates will be graded on their records both in the private sector and public office, as well as their plans for the future.”
http://www.mediaite.com/online/team-jeb-reportedly-spread-unsubstantiated-infidelity-rumors-about-marco-rubio/
Rubio story on affairs FALSE.
____________________________
There is not one candidate who has run for president in my lifetime who can say they fully share my commitment to liberty, Austrian economics, small government, and following the Constitution, [more] than my son, Rand Paul.
That’s why I have wholeheartedly endorsed him.
I know the media likes to play this little game where they pit us, or certain views, against each other.
Don’t fall for it. They’re trying to manufacture storylines at liberty’s expense. You’ve spent years seeing how the media treated me. They aren’t my friends and they aren’t yours.
https://reason.com/blog/2015/08/14/breaking-ron-paul-endorses-son-rand-as-b
This story is FALSE.
An allegation can lack enough hard evidence to be proven and still be true.
Rubio knows whether he has had an affair or not, so the only conclusion you can draw from his campaign spending that much money on investigating the rumors is to make sure that nothing compromising is going to come out. It’s no different than checking a window for leaking air, it’s not that you don’t have any air inside, you just don’t want the inside air to escape.
“the only conclusion you can draw from his campaign spending that much money on investigating the rumors is to make sure that nothing compromising is going to come out.”
Just because something “comproming” comes out, does not mean that it is true. Just because they don’t find anything, doesn’t mean that there is something well hidden.
Campaigns do this type of reasearch often.
There is a feud going on here, probably exacerbated by the Msm.
Yes, there are rumblings in the family, mostly personal now which had its origin in politics.
They need to patch it up and move on. Neither of them realistically had no shot at being President.
You are so going to get dog piled by the paulbots.
Tell ’em to bring it on.
They both have some very logical and interesting points. I have followed Paul for some time and like most every other politician I agree and disagree with him. I find their fanboys to be disturbing people.
id rather listen to a ron paul fan that a trump fan
Is this why you chose Fredo?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYabrQrXt4A
It is now LOL
The only feud going on here is media rumors in attempt to divide the Paul vote.
**To quote Ron Paul himself:**
* ‘I don’t want to distract’ from Rand – “He’s the only one that,
from my viewpoint, is talking any commonsense,” he said. – Ron Paul, The Hill, June 06, 2015.
* “Whether it is auditing an out of control Federal Reserve or fighting
the Patriot Act, the simple fact is, Rand stands up for you and me and
our belief in liberty. The media plays favorites — they give Rand less
time just like they did to me. Our message scares them. And it should,”
the father says. “A Rand Paul presidency would be a threat to the status
quo. The Constitution won’t protect itself. Someone has to stand and
fight. That someone is my son, Rand Paul.” – Ron Paul, The Washington Times, September 20, 2015.
If you care about your liberties and want to protect yourself from an ever expanding government as a result of BOTH Parties, you should ignore the media narrative, visit Rand Paul’s official website, and #StandWithRand.
Here’s a more detailed write-up on why no such rivalry exists:
http://www.targetliberty.com/2015/12/ron-pauls-power-play-against-his-son.html
There is a problem with Jesse Benton obviously, and Rand is not nearly as pro-liberty as his father, but his father has always been supportive and never undermined his son.
This entire issue is a media creation, with little substance in support.
Excellent post