...the Republican primary for senator from Kentucky next Tuesday. An outsider and tea party favorite, Paul has been endorsed by Sarah Palin and Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. His opponent, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, is the establishment candidate and has the endorsement of Dick Cheney. (I'm not sure which would be worse.)
Paul has been shunned by the party regulars but that's beginning to change. According to a piece in Talking Points Memo:
Other GOP leaders are starting to say that Paul is capable of being on the team, however. It's a line you're likely to hear with increasing frequency as polls continue to show Paul ahead in the primary.
And also:
It all sounds very similar to what happened with [Marco] Rubio, who started his campaign as an outsider running against party favorite, Gov. Charlie Crist. As Rubio picked up steam, his establishment supporters first stopped saying much about the race and then started saying nice things about Rubio, while also reiterating their support for Crist. The stage was set for a full embrace of Rubio by the establishment when Crist dropped out of the race to run against Rubio as an independent.
Now, with just a few days to go before Paul's potential upset win over Grayson -- who still carries the support of the establishment -- there are signs that the party is preparing to give Paul the Rubio treatment. The Kentucky GOP has scheduled a "unity rally" for the Saturday after the election, where the establishment will celebrate whomever wins the primary.
Is this foreshadowing the 2012 presidential race? If Palin gets off to a fast start against Mitt Romney by winning the Iowa caucus, the South Carolina primary, and delivers the knock-out blow on Super Tuesday, will the party elders fall all over themselves to get in line behind the tea party queen? Will she suddenly be deemed not only "qualified" to be president but the "best person" for the job?
This could be painful to watch.
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