Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has made announcements of his running for presidency in 2016, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he has spent the day debating with himself, how his rapport with the media is especially when it comes to female reporters.
This whole thing started for Paul on a Wednesday morning interview with “Today” show’s Savannah Guthrie. Guthrie has picked up on the tone of Paul beating around the bush of his place on issues such as nuclear capabilities of the Middle East, defense spending and aid to Israel.
“Before we go before we go before we go through a litany,” Rand said, constantly trying to break off Guthrie. “Why don’t we let me explain instead of talking over me?” Paul asked. “Why don’t you ask me a question? Have I changed my opinion?” he told off the journalist, adding: “You’ve editorialized.”
Things have gotten worse because Paul had also been irritable with a female reported back in February. At one point during the interview, he shushed her. He actually put his fingers on his lips and made the “shush noise” with CNBC’s Kelly Evans. As if that was not bad enough, he even told her to “calm down a bit.”
“Some people nationally forget just how well Ron Paul did last time,” said Fergus Cullen, a former GOP chairman in New Hampshire, where the elder Paul placed second with 23 % of the vote in 2012. “Those voters are going to start off supporting Rand, but they’re not enough to win, and to get more, he risks being seen as a traitor. It’s a tightrope walk.”
“Ron has a very full schedule himself, and I think he wants Rand to go out and do his own thing,” said Mary Jane Smith, who managed Ron Paul’s first five congressional campaigns and is preparing to work on his son’s finance team. “Rand is 52 years old. He’s independent of his father.”
Steve Munisteri, who has known the Pauls for years now and recently resigned as the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas to advise Rand’s campaign said, “People confuse Rand for his dad all the time, especially around here. More people have congratulated me for working for Ron Paul campaign than Rand Paul campaign, by far.”
Rand Paul has to be very careful if he wants to keep his father’s legacy intact and get ahead in the race. Last month Cruz had announced his candidacy and in a week or so, Gov. Rick Perry will be plunging in as well amongst other potential candidates.
