Details Mag: The Fall and Rise of Rand Paul (Rumors of the Tea Party Champion's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated)
Rand Paul and I are trying to remember why Harlan, Kentucky, might be famous. That's where Paul is driving me, on a coiling back road through the low green mountains of the state's southeastern corner, in his big black GMC Yukon festooned with RON PAUL 2008 and RAND PAUL 2010 stickers. Something about Harlan has lodged itself in my brain the way a shard of barbecue gets stuck in one's teeth, and I've asked Paul for help. "I don't know," he says in an elusive accent that's not quite southern and not quite not-southern. The town of Hazard is nearby, he notes: "It's famous for, like, The Dukes of Hazzard."
It's a hazy, bright afternoon in early May, 12 days before the primaries for Kentucky's open U.S. Senate seat and 13 days before Rand Paul, the eventual Republican nominee, will flub his introduction to the nation by taking philosophical potshots at the 1964 Civil Rights Act during an appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show—the political equivalent of a belly flop from a 10-story-high diving board. This means it's about 15 days before the Paul campaign—a jumbled casserole of Tea Party activists and Ron Paul Revolution-aries, with a former blogger and first-time campaign manager at its helm—cuts off media access to Paul entirely. Today, however, Paul seems delighted with the press attention, immodestly complaining to a group of voters that while a New York City magazine writer (me) and a Washington Post reporter are trailing him on today's tour, he—as a self-described "outsider" candidate, spurned by mainstream Republicans—can't seem to score coverage from the local media.
He plucks this theme constantly on the campaign trail. "They fear us," he tells audiences, without ever quite identifying "they" or "us." While his primary opponent, Kentucky's secretary of state, Trey Grayson, prefers to canvass the state via private jet, Paul likes to roll the way he's rolling today: kibitzing with a dozen voters at a diner in tiny Burkesville in the morning; brunching with two dozen at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken in Albany, then lunching with four dozen at a cafeteria in Monticello; and delivering a speech in Harlan, which may or may not be famous for something.
Read More: http://www.details.com/cu...
HARLAN
Man now that is getting DOWN to grass roots. I mean DOWN if you were ever there you know the feeling.
When will the chicken wing
When will the chicken wing muncher be ready to run for president?
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Since we live in a TV nation,
one of the better documentaries I've seen on the coal country is from History Channel: HillBilly, The Real Story. Narrated by Billy Ray Cyrus (yup, that one.)
http://shop.history.com/detail.php?a=115530
http://www.amazon.com/History-Channel-Hillbilly-Real-Story/d...
obviously this is just one MSM perspective, but I think the delusional Details scribe would do well to watch the 2hr docu; hey it ain't gonna be any more or less work than the brief talking points memo he probably received, or a quick Wiki or google he did on Harlan before meeting up with Rand's campaign, just to come off smart and be smug about it. Not expecting much from glorified PR schools that pass for journalism degrees these days, anyway.
Their desperation is really flying through.
- r3VOLution!
Title doesn't fit article.
It's a good campaign trail story but it says nothing about Rand's rise following his "fall" on the Madow show.
New Hampshire and Ecuador
The FX show Justified is
The FX show Justified is based in Harlan. I also know a guy from there, he said it is pretty much on point with the image that the show portrays of Harlan.
An example of why the MSM is dying
The author seems to have aversions to not being a part of the herd and questioning widely held attitudes and beliefs. A 99-1 senate vote? We can't have that. Everyone has to march lockstep to the tune of widespread assumptions.
The author hasn't been doing his homework either. He marginalizes Ron Paul as being ineffective and as a voice noone listens too. Ummm...the author must not have been paying attention to Ron's successful efforts to shepherd HR 1207 through the House, his sought after presence on news commentary programs since the election, his influence in the conception and content of the tea party movement, and even references to the Constitution by mainline Republicans.
article asside, great photo!
It is very rare to see an interesting photo of a political candidate. That photo is so odd and awesome.
Great work to the photographer.
Just launched http://iroots.org/
Activism Training.
It's called "Bloody Harlan".
not the place to be a "smart aleck" stranger.
Rand reads Flannery?
Love this guy. :)
That kind of hurt.
Having been born in Harlan, Ky. it was somewhat surprising that Rand didn't research the history prior to soliciting votes from those "hillbillys."
Harlan County is rich in history (most not written) but, the unsung heroes of the indian wars, the revolutionary war, and every war since has produced the best scouts, riflemen, and moonshiners than any state in the union...Most hillbillys are mixed with indian tribes. Cherokee mostly...and have been around long before there was a constitution in the U.S. Hillbillys get a bad rap, until you need them....
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783
"I have one word for you...predator drones. Oh, you think I'm kidding?" Obombya
I raised a similar point
in a post about the same article, here:
[RePost, from http://www.dailypaul.com/node/141177 ]
Another MSM "Expose."
Lordy lord lord... more bad mixed with good to come off sounding "fair." Sick and tired of these scums, but is to be expected.
Read, and take it for what you will:
http://www.details.com/culture-trends/critical-eye/201008/ra...
How many here would want to venture to guess that the Details scribe only knew of Harlan County because they made a film about it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_County,_USA
All other L-R FalseParadigmStuck liberals are now harping on how Rand is supposedly "clueless" about Harlan County coal-miner strikes. The Echo Chamber does its pre-programmed deed:
"Rand Paul unsure why Harlan County, Kentucky is famous:" http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/29/rand_...
WTF? What makes this idiotic scribe for UK's Guardian think he has a firm grasp of American politics anyway? Right, a blog, internet connection, there you go. He MUST have something worthy to say.
"Rand Paul hits a hazard:" http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2010/...
And, the ADMITTED CIA plant Kos chimes in, too. "KY-Sen: The latest on Rand Paul hilarity:" http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/7/27/887867/-KY-Sen:-The-...
Not to mention this old blogularity I found; a DESPERATE attempt to link the Pauls with BigOil. This had me laughing on the floor! Just utterly PATHETIC: http://pageonekentucky.com/2010/05/27/rand-pauls-strange-tie...
I don't know how in the world these idiots presume to crown themselves knowledge kings, but I find it utterly ironic that they regularly make fun of rural America as rednecks and hillbillies, but want to don the bluegrass cape when it suits them.
However, the REAL irony of the supposed "pro-labor" liberals, is in the origin of the term "redneck," which has always been an easy derisive cannon fodder for the lefty hacks; the term "redneck" originally meant UNION MAN!
Irony, of ironies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redneck#Coal_miners
Though with the level of shoddy "journalistic" standards and lack of intellect that follow it, one wonders whether the scribes at the useless rag googled or Wiki'ed what Harlan is, themselves, just prior to meeting up with Rand's campaign, to come off smug and informed. Apparently their mouse click history time-warp only go as far back as 1973, kinda missing the origin of their beloved pro-labor union movement in the early 1920-30's, no?
CONway, the private jet flying, corporatist funded hack(http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100715/NEWS01/71503...) has all but ducked out of limelight, since CAUSING it all to begin with, ie. Civil Rights Act and Am.w/Disabilities Act repeal allegation bruhahah: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/07/26/1363563/paul-makes-headli...
It seems CONway's counting on Kentuckyians to vote on his propaganda induced media circus surrounding Rand's campaign to overlook where he really stands on the issues. I think he'll be in for a rude awakening if he thinks he can make up 10pt loss leading into November, when he has less public visibility.
How in the world, even at a gut level, when ANYONE hears CONway speaks, he does not remind the citizenry of a sleazy used car salesman, is beyond me. He creeps me the frakk out.
-r3VOLution
Thank you for the background
Thank you for the background of Harlan - it does sound very rich in it's history, and I think you should be proud to be from there. I would love to visit there sometime.
Debbie
@Undeclared Wars: "the unsung
@Undeclared Wars: "the unsung heroes of the indian wars, the revolutionary war, and every war since has produced the best scouts, riflemen, and moonshiners than any state in the union...Most hillbillys are mixed with indian tribes. Cherokee mostly...and have been around long before there was a constitution in the U.S. Hillbillys get a bad rap, until you need them...."
I guess that's a matter of personal opinion. One could say the same of the largely immigrant and immigrant children from Woodside (Queens) Ny who died in Vietnam.
Woodside lost more sons in Vietnam than any other zip code in America and they by and large were "given a bad rap until needed".
I think one would be better served to say the hillbillys and immigrant children of Queens and the South Bronx defended the Republic with the valor of John Brown.
Fair enough...
I and all of my brothers served in Vietnam. One is no longer with us. All from Harlan....We no longer condone war of any stipe and have forbidden our children/grandchildren from military service...
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783
"I have one word for you...predator drones. Oh, you think I'm kidding?" Obombya
bump
bump
Thanks for the post.
=)
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
-- Thomas Jefferson
you're welcome
you're welcome
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