I spoke with Scott Simon of NPR's Weekend Edition about the prospects for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) as the presidential sweepstakes start gearing up. Paul, I said, is "libertarianish" and speaks to voters who are skeptical of state power and want more control over decisions affecting their lives and well-being.
Snippets:
He needs to expound on his governing philosophy and why does restraint in foreign policy also mean restraint in domestic affairs and why are those both good things…. Simon: Do you see traces of libertarian success? Oh, yes. There's much more skepticism toward military intervention and I think there's much more skepticism toward the defense budget. On the domestic front, I think there are many types of libertarian successess…[such as] marriage equality and pot legalization. You can also throw in [criticism of] the militarization of police, which is something where Rand Paul was definitely out front. He was the first national politician to weigh in on the events in Ferguson and denounce the over-reaction of local police to peaceful protestors. He's reaching out to minority audiences and different audiences than the typical Republican candidate. It remains to be seen if that pays off for him but I think it's very good for the country to see somebody who's not just saying, "I want to limit the government in the areas where it's bugging me but I want to expand it if I can make you live the way that I want you to."
Click below to listen (about 4 minutes).
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