JUNE 1, 2015
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) declared victory today after successfully stopping the Senate in its tracks on Sunday, thus allowing certain provisions of the Patriot Act to expire. Paul’s victory may be short-lived — the Senate is expected to restore these provisions later this week. But it is that rare instance of a politician bucking his party strictly on a matter of deeply-held principle. But Paul’s stand was not appreciated by many of his colleagues.
Enter John McCain:
“I know what this is about — I think it’s very clear – this is, to some degree, a fundraising exercise. He obviously has a higher priority for his fundraising and political ambitions than for the security of the nation.”
Ouch. But McCain isn’t entirely wrong about this. Fundraising is a major concern for Paul. He alone among the top contenders has neither a billionaire sugar daddy or a well-funded super-PAC to provide the funding for a lengthy campaign. Has Paul boxed himself in? His stand will certainly play well with the live-free-or-die crowd in New Hampshire and anyone who fears government intrusion into their private lives. But he will certainly become Public Enemy #1 on the GOP debate stage, as the candidates hoping to score points against Paul while forgetting who their real enemy is.
Could the ultimate beneficiary of this dust-up actually be…Hillary Clinton?
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