One of the problems with being obsessed with theory is that it can get in the way of practical matters.
Dr. Ron Paul has been famous for voting based on the small government theory, opposing many bills saying the federal government had no constitutional authority for particular spending. His son, Dr. Rand Paul also is big on theory, but slavish loyalty to theory can be a weakness as he discovered this week.
Rand Paul is a believer in small government, simple concept, but when asked a question by Rachael Maddow about integrated lunch counters, rather than giving a simple direct answer, he started talking theory.
An experienced pol would have known to give the simple answer and expound on theory in a different setting where it could be explained. Paul did not and that was his first mistake. This forced him to do said expansion the next day turning one day's gaffe into two.
His second mistake was to pull out of a scheduled Meet the Press appearance. This turned the two day story into a weekend one.
The basic issue isn't so much with the theory, which I discuss in detail here; the problem is theory can be an excuse to do nothing. As Sen Pat McNamara once said to Sen Richard Russell when challenged why the south should not be left to solve it's own civil rights issues during the debates of 1957: “Because you've had 90 years and haven't done it!” There are times when theory is not enough.
But Paul's biggest mistake was similar to John McCain's in 2008 and comes from the same source. He and his father have gotten relatively soft interviews from the mainstream media, due to their willingness to critique republicans in general and the war in particular. Once he was a face of the party, he was no longer of use, thus the media did a 180.
Any other tea party candidate would have expected this, Paul should have known better. Although the media has almost no chance of derailing him in Kentucky Paul's remarks will be used as a club to try to beat other tea party candidates into submission.
These are the growing pains of any movement. Will Rand Paul and others learn and grow? We have 5 months to find out.
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