Is Rand Paul Too Short to Be Elected President?

Rand Paul

A number of Rand Paul observers have pointed out to me that Rand Paul is short. He stands approximately 5' 9". I have never made much of this.

In fact, I have seen Rand Paul 3 times in the Bay Area, once at an event in Berkeley, once at a Republican event in San Francisco and just yesterday, and I have not in general noticed his height, opr lack there of.

Perhaps it is becasue the first time I saw him he appeared as a towering giant next to an extreme lefty who attended at the Berkeley event.

Robert Wenzel and Robert Reich

But at  yesterday's event, the announcement of Rand opening an office in San Francisco in conjunction with TechStartUp House, was different in one way. I sat next to Gary Malazain, who is not a libertarian, but an active follower of local, national politics and policy discussions. He is at all of the important political events  in the city of fog. All the media know him. He told me that he moved up to San Francisco from Southern California because there is much more intellectual discussion and debate in the Bay Area.

Before Rand arrived (He was 30 minutes late.), we talked about Rand. It was clear that Gary had a passing familiarity with Rand, but he was at the event to learn more. He was neither pro Rand or con. He was there to watch and observe.

When Rand finally arrived and began to speak, Gary leaned over to me and said of Rand, "He's short, that's can be a problem for a presidential candidate."

In the past, I have dismissed the talk of Rand's shortness. It has always come from those who object to Rand for other reasons. MOFO, for example, pounds away at Rand's shortness.

But Gary bringing it up was different. He was carrying no agenda when evaluating Rand. It underscored to me that height, in and of itself, is noticed by some---and, in particular, shortness as a negative.

Which, of course, does not mean you can't be short and president. There is nothing in the Constitution that sets a minimum height. Indeed, the shortest president was James Madison, he stood only 5' 4" and he would know a thing or two about the Constitution.

As for me, my problem in not Rand's height, but that he is short on libertarian principle.

-RW