Even when you don't agree with the guy, it's refreshing seeing someone defend a position because he believes in it, and not because his job depends on it.

Definitely. I'm pretty moderate, but lately the Republican party (or at least a very vocal minority therein) has just seemed far, far too out of touch with reality to me.

However when Rand Paul talks I listen and consider carefully what he has to say. I don't always, or even usually, agree with him - but I respect him and his principles. I can't say the same for many other current Republican leaders.

    it's refreshing seeing someone defend a position because he believes in it, and not because his job depends on it

You might be want to be careful with that line. Rand Paul is not stupid.

He knows how critical the "internet generation" was to his father's success. You only had to look at how Ron Paul's supporters cleverly involved themselves in the mechanics of the primary process to know that this was a group that punched above its weight. Given that Rand is clearly positioning himself for 2016 every decision he makes is not necessarily altruistic.

>Given that Rand is clearly positioning himself for 2016 every decision he makes is not necessarily altruistic.

I don't care what his motivations are he's still got my vote by a long shot. And that sentiment gets stronger with every mention Rand gets in the media.

He's not ignorant of his base by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it's still safe to say he and his father were libertarian freedom fighter hipsters, way before it was cool.

A little bit of an issue on that one. He reversed his position a little while later and said that it was just about that one word. In that same statement, he advocated the use of a drone to kill someone who robbed a liquor store of $50. I shit you not.

See http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/23/1204296/-Rand-Paul-...

(article is biased liberally; I'm more of a moderate but it's where I saw the information.)

I'm happy that he actually used the spoken filibuster instead of hiding behind rules-based filibusters (which have been the cause of some of the worst obstruction in our country's history), but I no longer hold the belief (as I did right after his filibuster) that it was some sort of principled stand.

Rand does play politics a lot. Personally I'm hoping his beliefs line up more closely with his fathers than with his own rhetoric. I would probably vote form just based on that hope, although I won't be too surprised if I end up disappointed.

The 12-79 rejection of his amendment is appaling, especially since it directly appeals to the constitution, but that would make it inconvenient for things like the MegaUpload takedown, now wouldn't it.