First and foremost, I really like Senator Rand Paul. He’s a good man with some great ideas. He’s a dedicated patriot that truly wants to help America. He can. He is. As a Senator, Paul is properly placed and will impact America’s future. With that said, it’s time to drop out of the Presidential race.
The Worst Political Ad So Far this Year https://t.co/EFMWMS4DKq via @LeonHWolf
— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) January 18, 2016
One of his Super PACs put out an attack video on Ted Cruz. According to Red State, it’s the worst political campaign video this year. I disagree. I think it might just be the worst campaign video of all time. Their feeble attempt to pull over Cruz supporters is a questionable strategy already, but we’ll discuss that later. First, let’s look at the video in question.
While I understand the attempt to be endearing to techies who are used to this type of viral video format, his base supporters are not going to get it. More importantly, the voters he’s attempting to woo are definitely not going to get it. It’s hard to watch with the volume down, but if you actually turn the volume up it’s pretty much unbearable.
The best thing he can do is drop out and make certain he retains his Senate seat. This is the best thing he can do for America this year and it’s also his best chance of mounting a solid Presidential run in the future. People often point to Ronald Reagan having solid losses before going on to get the nomination and the Presidency, but this year is proving that runner up status for Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee in previous elections isn’t helping them this time around.
Now, let’s discuss the campaign strategy of going for Cruz’s voters.
It Won’t Work
Traditional campaign thoughts would say that Ted Cruz supporters are the closest to being Rand Paul supporters, so he should attack him. This year demonstrates that traditional campaign thoughts are irrelevant. Instead, he should be making his case for Marco Rubio supporters, Mike Huckabee supporters, and most importantly Donald Trump supporters.
It’s funny that they don’t see this. When the campaign was at its highest point was when they were attacking Trump directly. Ever since they turned their focus towards Cruz, their polling numbers have slipped. This is because those who are considering between Paul and Cruz are already going for the winner between the two. They’re a different breed of conservative – those who are further to the right and have at least a little Libertarian leanings.
Trump and Rubio supporters are less locked into their choice. They are easier targets and a solid attack set on both of them will yield more fruit than going after Cruz’s voting record or attacking Goldman Sachs. Those talking points aren’t playing. Attacking Trump for his idiocy or Rubio for his lack of conviction have much better chances of helping Paul with his campaign, doomed as it might be.
Rand Paul deserves a voice in Washington DC, but this isn’t his year and this latest ad demonstrates that he’s toast.