The 2012 presidential race has barely begun but three things already seem clear: Donald Trump will likely make a fool of himself, Barack Obama will likely be atop the Democratic ticket and someone with the surname Paul will likely be making a bid for the GOP nomination. See if Ron Paul won't run again, his son Rand very likely will. Or, to put it in the hedge-filled language of politics: "The only decision I've made is I won't run against my dad," the junior senator from Kentucky said yesterday.
The Tea Party darling, who was elected to the Senate last fall, has been making the rounds of the early presidential voting states without his pops by his side. But it isn't just about his presidential prospects, he says. "I want the Tea Party to have an influence over who the nominee is in 2012."
Of course, a presidential run for the younger, Giuliani-unapproved Paul may bring back into the spotlight some of his positions regarding recent New York history, including his close association with 9/11 conspiracy theorists Alex Jones and Andrew Napolitano and his views on Cordoba House, the so-called Ground Zero mosque, which varied in the last election (because you know that issue will be back with a vengeance). Not to mention his, uh, interestingly aggressive budget proposal that would mean cutting the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.
The more likely outcome is that the elder Paul will throw his hat in the ring again. "His dad is likely to go ahead and do it. And if his dad doesn't do it, it seems like there would be a dearth of candidates out there who are serious about taking on problems," a source told Hotsheet.
And if Rand Paul doesn't run, no worries. His current tour certainly won't hurt his book sales, but we have one request: More interviews with Rachel Maddow!
