Rand Paul is not Ron Paul, for better or worse (+video)

Washington Ron Paul, father of Rand Paul, has always been an original thinker.

As a longtime member of Congress from Texas, on paper a Republican but in posture a Libertarian, Congressman Paul rarely met a spending bill he could like. He was an avowed isolationist and civil libertarian, voting against the Iraq War and the USA Patriot Act. His nickname on Capitol Hill was Dr. No.

Paul was, and still is, the hero of the liberty movement. His three presidential campaigns once as the Libertarian Party nominee and twice as a Republican were a testament to his devotion to the cause. And his voters were devoted to him like no other candidates supporters.

Now his son, Senator Paul (R) of Kentucky, is following in his footsteps sort of. Hes more libertarian-leaning than big-L Libertarian. Hes a physician like his dad, but no one confuses him with Dr. No.

When Paul launches his presidential campaign Tuesday at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky., his father will be there. But his presence will reflect an uneasy reality for the freshman senator: The junior Paul needs his dad, and a similar devotion of core supporters, even as he needs to create some distance from him.

His father had a basic floor of support below which he wasnt going to go, but he also had a ceiling, says Dennis Goldford, a political scientist at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

The son seems to have a floor those so-called liberty and tea party Republicans but does he have a ceiling? Hes been trying to expand that, and reach out to younger people and minorities. We dont know how that might work.

Paul is not the only political scion competing for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Jeb Bush, son and brother of former presidents, is expected to jump in soon. For both Paul and Mr. Bush, the family name is a help and a hindrance. I am my own man is a core message.

But their challenges are different. The former Florida governor is grappling with Bush fatigue, precisely because his family has been successful at the highest levels of politics (three successful presidential campaigns) and because of the failings of his brothers presidency, namely an unpopular war and a near economic collapse. Paul fatigue isnt an issue. Rather, the younger Paul has to distance himself from his father precisely because he has views that are firmly outside the mainstream views that made his brand lively and unique, but also made it impossible for him to be elected president.

And unlike the former Presidents Bush, Ron Paul is still a public activist, adding to his sons challenge.

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Rand Paul is not Ron Paul, for better or worse (+video)