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

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.