Rand Paul Heads to the Races

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will announce the official launch of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in Louisville today. In a video released on Monday foreshadowing his announcement, Paul promised, “On April 7, a different kind of Republican will take on Washington.” But how different is Paul from the other likely Republican candidates? Is he really, as Time Magazine claimed, “The Most Interesting Man in Politics”?

While other more conservative candidates promise to return America to its past glory with tried-and-true policy proposals, Paul has staked positions on many issues that have the potential to remake the economy and Americans’ relationship with their government. 

Economic opportunity—and what Paul sees as its catalyst, individual liberty—is a major theme that runs across Paul’s often unconventional positions.

Economic freedom zones are one of Paul’s favored tools to bring growth back to low-income communities. Following the lead of former Congressman Jack Kemp (R-NY), these zones have lower tax burdens, lighter regulation, and reduced union work requirements. To inject more human capital into these labor markets, parents are given greater choice over their children’s educations, and entrepreneurial immigrants are welcomed. 

Paul is working with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to roll back some of the most destructive aspects of the failed war on drugs. According to Paul and Booker, reforming mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes and expunging non-violent juvenile criminal records could lessen the long-lasting burdens felt by those entangled the American justice system. Current policy makes many people who do not pose threats to society unemployable—creating a cycle of economic immobility. As Paul argued during an address at Bowie State University, "If you smoked some pot or grew marijuana plants in college, I think you ought to get a second chance.”

Though Paul is not in favor of federal legalization of recreational marijuana, last month he co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to end the federal ban on medical marijuana, now legal in 23 states. This would allow patients, including veterans suffering from PTSD, to follow their doctors’ recommendations without fear of prosecution. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has already declared that he is running for president, also endorses a similar federalist approach to marijuana laws. 

Paul’s battle against overcriminalization does not end with harsh drug sentences. He is a vocal opponent of civil asset forfeiture, which allows the government to take property from individuals without even accusing them of a crime. Paul is the sponsor of the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act, which would require law enforcement agencies to show “clear and convincing evidence” that property was connected to criminal action before it could be seized. 

His dislike of unnecessary regulations puts Paul squarely in line with the growing group of young “Ubertarians,” or millennials who see government regulation of the emerging sharing economy as nothing more than blatant attempts to protect entrenched interests. When the negative effects of regulation are felt so close to home people are more likely to adopt a hands-off approach to regulation. Under this view, companies are held liable for bad behavior, but government does not keep out new competitors or dictate how entrepreneurs must meet customers’ needs. On this point, Paul joins practically all members of the Republican Party in their strong opposition to net neutrality. 

Paul has taken a strong stand against America’s massive surveillance state. Parts of the Patriot Act, described  by Paul as “heinous,” are set to expire on June 1, and he will likely use this deadline to bring up the negative economic consequences associated with forcing American companies to turn over large amounts of data to the National Security Agency. 

Paul cannot claim to have the support of the GOP establishment or base—though he has won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference three years in a row. He is in favor of more open immigration laws, and argues that after the border is secured those who are currently here illegally should be given a chance to obtain permanent legal status. In the 2013 Tea Party response to the State of the Union, Paul said that “[Republicans] must be the party who sees immigrants as assets, not liabilities. We must be the party that says, 'If you want to work, if you want to become an American, we welcome you.’"

Perhaps Paul’s most divisive positions, at least among Republicans, are found in his non-interventionist foreign policy. Some characterize his views as isolationist, and view his positions as unrealistic and dangerous, especially with increased threats from ISIS and recent Russian aggression. Paul is not afraid to break party ranks and he drew condemnation from many Republicans after applauding President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba. In a Twitter exchange with Marco Rubio, another soon-to-be contender for the Republican nomination, Paul said Rubio and other supporters of the embargo were the isolationists.

However, just as his views put him in danger of losing the support of defense hawks, Paul also runs the danger of estranging his initial supporters if he moves too far to the right on defense. Casey Given, director of communications of Students For Liberty, told me, "While Rand Paul is the favored presidential candidate for many libertarian millennials, a number of us worry that he may abandon the non-interventionist foreign policy that attracted us to him in the first place. For most of our lives, the United States has been entangled in endless wars that have cost trillions of dollars and thousands of lives.”

Instead of attempting to appeal to the conservative base, Paul is working to woo the “leave-me-alone coalition,” which he defines as those who think “that government doesn't know everything, that government really shouldn't be telling us what to do, for the most part, and that we want to be left alone, whether it's our economic lives our, our personal lives.” Paul’s prescription to overcome the hurdles facing the Republican Party is simple. The GOP needs to become “more live and let live.”

Many of Rand Paul’s policies would undoubtedly lead to increased opportunities for Americans. Whether his conglomeration of libertarian and grassroots conservative positions can carry him to the Republican nomination or the Oval Office is something that only time will tell.