Rand Paul the Man

This post has nothing to do with whether Rand Paul would make a good president or not, but rather just a summary of some points made in the New Yorker article that might be of interest to close Rand observers who want to get a fuller picture of the man (and some points that will certainly be of interest to Rand opposition research teams).

Among the things we learn from the article:

The profile writer, Ryan Lizza, calls Rand "prickly" in the article (but notes that he also has a quick sense of humor.)

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Rand's mother seems to confirm that Rand does wear a rug:

As a boy, Randal Howard Paul, the middle child of five, didn’t have his distinctive curls or his distinctive name. “His hair was as straight as could be and we never called him Rand,” Carol said. “We always called him Randy.”

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Jesse Benton seems to be a major source for the article and is probably the source for this, though Lizza does not identify the source by name:

One of Paul’s former aides told me that Kelley is “politically savvy,” but she also encourages his worst instincts. “Kelley is going to say what’s on her mind,” the former aide said. “She eggs him on when he gets attacked.”

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And I am still trying to understand what Lizza is getting at by reporting this in the article:

Rand’s friendship with George Paul was itself a small act of rebellion. George and Rand, who were both on the Baylor swim team and often spent six hours a day in the pool, became so close that, shortly after they arrived at Baylor, George legally changed his name from George Paul Schauerte to George Schauerte Paul. 

Is Lizza sending a clue to Rand opposition research teams here to dig in this direction to devlop a potential wedge between Rand and the religious right?

BOTTOM LINE: I suspect that it was a major error by the person who encouraged Rand (and George Schauerte Paul) to spend significant time talking to Lizza (Jesse, was that you?). It looks to me as though Lizza planted a few time bombs in the profile.

-RW