Before I get into this rant, I should probably go on the record as saying, for the 3% of you that still read this vomit, that if Cenk Uygur and I met for drinks, we'd most likely get along swimmingly.
Provided he's a Blackhawks fan.
And enjoys India Pale Ale.
And bluegrass.
And the occasional jaunt into the depths of Asian porn.
Anyhoo, Cenk, in his latest diary, tells you how Rand Paul's win in Kentucky counts for one of the five progressive victories in yesterday's primaries. What he fails to do (and this is something that, in my mind, places him in the David Sirota category) is to explain why. Rather, the fact that he's using this site to copy and paste what he wrote on seven other sites to reiterate his importance takes precedence.
Thanks, bub.
Rand Paul makes his daddy sound credible, legitimate, and Presidential. He's a fucking DEFCON 5 level wingnut, and will be decimated by anyone sounding saner than a turnip proclaiming to be an otter in November.
That's the whole fucking cake, icing and all, that progressives have been given. Not that he's, well, I'll let Cenk make the argument:
Paul actually agrees with progressives on many important issues, including auditing the Fed, getting out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and disdain for the Patriot Act. Between Paul and Grayson, it's a no-brainer for progressives, you would much rather have Paul.
This implies two things:
Thing the first- A teabagger assferret is preferable to your garden variety, "establishment" GOP assferret. While, on the surface, it's a positive statement for us, it assumes the fact that Paul will win this seat. Defeatist attitudes like that fly in the face of, whaddya call 'em...facts.
A survey by Public Policy Polling found that an astounding 43 percent of Grayson voters said that they would affirmatively not support Paul in the general election. And there's a reason national Republicans didn't want Paul: They know that winning statewide candidates have the capacity to tack back to the middle to appeal to swing voters, something Paul shows little interest in doing. Fine. Let him call for the abolition of the Department of Education and let Democratic nominee Jack Conway remind voters of the $1 billion (that's with a 'b') the state got in education funds under the stimulus plan.
Also, from the same article:
Turnout in the Kentucky Democratic primary was 48 percent higher than in the much more closely watched GOP primary. To put it another way, the second place Democrat got more votes on Tuesday than did Rand Paul.
Thing the second- Friends and neighbors, Rand Paul is the kind of idiot we want running for national office. He automatically loses nearly 20% of what should be his base due to his general dipshitery. In a state where "Democrats have registration edge", that's gonna sting. And not in the lesbian/bondage club fun way, either. Discrediting his brand of vitriol will be easier than knocking up a Palin. Hell, it'll be a safer bet than laying money down on whoever plays the Detroit Lions...but it will be because of what he's said and done- not because he brings some sort of message progressives can agree with to the table.
Cenk...I doubt you'll read this, but if you do, I'm extending you an invite should you happen to cover the Boxer rally in SF as I live nearby the City.
Cheers,
RR