Breaking exclusively on Politico:
Sen. Rand Paul tells POLITICO that the Republican presidential candidate in 2016 could capture one-third or more of the African-American vote by pushing criminal-justice reform, school choice and economic empowerment.
“If Republicans have a clue and do this and go out and ask every African-American for their vote, I think we can transform an election in one cycle,” the Kentucky Republican said in a phone interview Thursday as he was driven through New Hampshire in a rental car.
The key takeaway from this is that when Rand Paul is being “driven through New Hampshire in a rental car,” Politico is the one publication that can capture his thoughts on how Republicans can improve outreach to African-American voters. Indeed, the fact that he offered them from New Hampshire is fitting, because with an African-American population of 1.1 percent, New Hampshire is tied with Utah for 5th lowest percentage in the entire country.
To be fair to Paul—and for once, I’m not being snarky—criminal justice reform is a crucial issue and does represent a real opportunity. School choice and economic empowerment, however? Not so much, because much of the policy agenda underlying those slogans is about advancing a conservative response to school desegregation and affirmative action.
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Still, I guess you could give Paul some points for at least trying … except he really wasn’t trying that hard. For example, when the topic of Ebola came up, he had this to say:
Pounding a message he has delivered in interview after interview, Paul said President Barack Obama and his administration have “underplayed the danger and transmissibility” of the Ebola virus and have had a “bossy, arrogant attitude.”
Pro tip, Sen. Paul: If you’re trying to win over voters who have been driven away from the GOP because of its southern strategy, you might want to stop calling Obama “bossy” and complaining about his “arrogant attitude.” Just my $0.02.
