As if millions of Ron Paul supporters could ever forget the gaffes and missteps made by Jesse Benton, it seems that he is at it again. This time, Benton is sticking his foot in it regarding Ron Paul's son, Senator Rand Paul.
Just as Rand seemed to be enjoying a huge boost in popularity following his nearly 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor, it appears that Jesse Benton was most likely instrumental in securing Rand's recent endorsement of insider Mitch McConnell. If that was not bad advice enough, Benton recently took liberty in telling the world that Rand Paul supposedly "Can't stand" a particular tea party leader in Kentucky.
After an abrupt exit from the Ron Paul campaign, Jesse Benton became the new campaign manager for Senator Mitch McConnell. Because of his new duties, Benton appears to be turning his back completely against the tea party movement in Kentucky. Does he really expect Rand Paul to do the same?
In a recent interview with Daily Caller, Benton insists that there is supposedly no interest at all in finding a tea party challenger to Sen. McConnell. As Benton continues, the old diarrhea of the mouth problem seems to come back to roost. While referring to David Adams who is reportedly trying to find a tea party challenger to McConnell, Jesse states the following:
David Adams? The guy we fired? He’s just so incompetent. He’s trying to stir some rumor mill (about a serious tea party challenger.)Rand can’t stand David (Adams).
If you want to politically go from "hero" to "zero," perhaps the best path seems to be to take Benton's political advice and then let him begin speaking for you. What kind of political campaign manager openly divulges information such as stated above? Even if it were true, who else would say this in an interview with a publication like Daily Caller? The answer may just be that only Jesse Benton would do such a thing.
The endorsement of McConnell is yet another bad political move on Rand's part. Obviously, Jesse Benton must have played a key role in working this out. Senator Paul has still not fully recovered from the Romney endorsement delivered while his Father was still in the race. More endorsements like this and he is well on his way to insuring that he will never recover much of Ron Paul's base of support. Rand could have had the majority of Ron's supporters, the current tea party movement and the rest of the base of the Republican party but his ill-advised endorsements continue to kill any chances of that possibility ever returning in the future.
Hopefully, Rand Paul will finally begin to distance himself from Benton. A swift call to David Adams with an apology would certainly be recommended as well. Adams is Chairman of the Kentucky Republican Liberty Caucus and was Rand Paul's first campaign chairman in his run for the US Senate.
I tend to agree, but not about the claim that this endorsement is bad for the GOP base. He's already lost this Ron Paul supporter's monetary and activist support, but he's not looking for it. He wants neocons and non-ideological, non-activist Republican-leaning voters, as well as the GOP establishment. It's disingenuous to claim this doesn't get it, at least without further clarification.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
ReplyDeleteIf Jesse Benton is as bad as you say he is, then why don't you hold Ron Paul responsible. If it weren't for him, Benton likely would never have gotten his foot in the door of the polital arena. If Benton truly is the devil you say he is, then why did Ron Paul hire him to be his campaign manager?? I've asked this many times, but how do you reconcile that?
Alex,
DeleteBlaming Ron Paul does not get any closer to the truth. We all have managers. I have a manager where I work. I do what he tells me to do. I don't question every procedure that is followed. I have to trust that I know what he is doing. I could be making a mistake, but its a chance I have to take. He could provide me wrong procedures that are against the law in business practices and I would never know. It's the manager's duty to know and do the right thing. To be ethical. You blaming Ron Paul is like blaming the kid for having bad parents. It doesn't make sense. Think before post ramblings online Alex.
Do you blame child for having a bad parent? Do you blame yourself if your brother uses your mothers credit card against her wishing. Do you have control over everyone's actions? Are you one to micro manage? I have a manager where I work. I trust what the manager has us do is practicing good legal business practices. I do not however not this to be true. Because we do not have control over everything we must allow ourselves try and trust others. Ron Paul may have made a mistake by trusting campaign funds with Jesse Benton, but I could make a mistake by trusting my girl friend to use my credit card and bank account. I am choosing to trust her until she gives me a reason not to trust her. Reconcile with logic Alex. If you just use your head you get how sometimes your gonna have a manager isn't the best and you work with what you have until you can transition to a new manager.
DeleteRand doesn't need the whole Ron Paul base. He only needs a reasonable slice of them to become a competitive mainstream candidate. Endorsing McConnell cements his mainstream bona fides without alienating those who still consider him "infinitely better" than McCain et al. Pretty shrewd in my opinion and quite possibly a winning strategy.
ReplyDelete