Former Ron Paul Staffer: Rand Paul Must Publicly Denounce His Father To Win The GOP Nomination

This  really is the way political operatives think, ditch principle for power.

Don Rasmussem, who was a special assistant to Ron Paul for two years, during 2008 presidential campaign, writes:

A few years ago, a consummate outsider with radical ideas ran for president. He stunned the political class with the strength and success of his campaign that has reverberated through the national polity ever since. I am not talking about Ron Paul; I am referring to Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French national socialist and founder of Front National (FN). In 2002, Le Pen advanced to the second round of the French election by defeating the traditional Socialist opposition.

Even though Le Pen ultimately lost the run-off, his legacy is still felt in France today. In 2011, FN elected his daughter Marine Le Pen as its new leader. Marine set about purging the party of its worst elements – holocaust deniers, racists and cranks. Unfortunately for family dinners in the Le Pen home, her father and political mentor, Jean-Marie, was one of them.

Recognizing that her dad would continue to gain media attention every time he was quoted questioning the murder of Jews or calling the expulsion of French Muslims, Marine made the undoubtedly difficult decision to publicly denounce her father and set FN on the more moderate course necessary to gain broad political support for their candidates and ideas...

Last May, the Front National again stunned the French political class by winning national elections for the members of the French delegations to the European Union. Today she is considered a leading candidate for the French presidency and the FN holds seats in parliament.

When it comes to his father, Rand Paul should look to France.

Front National is a vile, illiberal political force and I weep for France. But that doesn’t make their political strategy or tactics wrong. In fact they have been highly successful. Many within Paul’s circle recognize this truth. Rand Paul’s former campaign manager David Adams once expressed hope that thirty percent of Ron Paul’s supporters will just go away rather than being a drag on Rand’s ambitions. He was right. That thirty percent has made Ron Paul the vessel for every crazy conspiracy theory and repugnant political idea that the liberty movement has permitted to linger at its fringe.

This is a tough position for me to take...But the purpose of political campaigns is to obtain political power. Rand Paul now seeks the political power of the presidency. His father’s radical past and controversial present are obstacles to that objective.

UPDATE

A person familiar with the 2008 campaign emails:

Rasmuessem was a minor campaign creep, not a special assistant to Ron. He was an assistant to head creep, Lou Moore.

-RW 

(ht Jay Stephenson)