"He’s interesting. "

Rich Lowry at Politico: The Rand Paul moment 

.... It is a Rand Paul moment in the Republican Party not just because the headlines almost every day seem to reinforce his core critique of leviathan as too big, too unaccountable, and too threatening, but because he is smart and imaginative enough to capitalize on those headlines.

Paul has that quality that can’t be learned or bought: He’s interesting. 

 

 

.... Because he cares about ideas, Paul’s team doesn’t have to worry about him holding his own in substantive discussions. An aide relates how, on his recent West Coast swing, he visited with a Silicon Valley bigwig and they got to talking intensely about fiscal and monetary policy. After about 20 minutes the executive interrupted to say, “Can I just say? I have never had a conversation like this with a politician in my life.”

 

Comments

[Mannie Sherberg]

What's especially interesting is that Paul's star is in the ascendant at the very moment Marco Rubio's may be vanishing into a black hole. There must've been whoops of glee in the Paul camp a few days ago when Allen West acknowledged his interest in Rubio's Senate seat. In the meantime, watch for Ted Cruz to get lots of favorable ink from conservative pundits as the immigration debate heats up; he's already called it "shamnesty" -- and I have a feeling he's just getting warmed up. And Bobby Jindal certainly helped himself this week when he said it was time for the GOP to stop obsessing over 2012. And how about Sarah Palin? What (if anything) does her return to FOX mean presidentially? At this early date, one thing seems fairly certain: The GOP slate of 2016 candidates is likely to be far more exciting than 2012's.