Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rand Paul has
an interesting way of avoiding screw-ups. He shuts up. On several occasions now, facing questions about a significant policy issue, Paul's campaign has simply said up front that he wouldn't be answering questions about it anytime real soon. It's a good way to avoid giving a quote that will come back to bite him, but it's also the kind of thing that people do eventually notice.
Most recently, Paul has applied this tactic to the question of South Carolina's Confederate flag. He wouldn't answer Saturday. Or Monday. On Tuesday, well after several of his Republican competitors had decided they did after all think the flag should be removed, he came out with what would have been a really strong stance ... on Saturday. Paul's better-late-than-never position is that the flag is "inescapably a symbol of human bondage and slavery" and that "that symbolism needs to end." But while late is better than never, it's not courage or leadership. And it's a pattern, Katie Zezima writes:
In March, when Paul was asked to weigh in on Indiana's controversial religious freedom law, spokespeople told reporters he would not reachable for a response -- not just that day, but for the rest of the week. At least, not on that subject.
"Senator Paul is off the grid this week with his family, he's done zero interviews and has not weighed in on this issue. At this time our office is unable to provide a comment," Gor wrote to The Washington Post in March when queried about the religious freedom law.
Paul, who announced his presidential campaign the following week, was vacationing with his family in Florida. He wasn't entirely isolated: the then-presumptive candidate was able to address a fundraising dinner there and speak to a reporter for the Northwest Florida Daily News, while his spokespeople answered media questions on other issues.
So too with questions about his position on the Obama administration's framework for a nuclear deal with Iran. These aren't just sideline issues that Paul can't be expected to have thought about. Race and foreign policy are two of the issues he'd generally claim distinguish him from the rest of the Republican field, yet he's delayed on them enough to count as a punt.
Is this the strategy he'd bring to the White House if elected? "President Paul will get back to you in a few days, when it becomes clear which way the wind is blowing"?