Posted with many LOLs: "The decline of Rand Paul" by Dana Milbank

[Renew Deal]

1. When running for president everything is viewed through that lens.

So although his filibuster is cute the first time around, it is opportunistic when he personally has something to gain. Then you have rivals like Graham sitting there trying to find an advantage or show you up. It's a different game. The republicans are will tightly packed that this is not a major blow. The problem for Paul is that there aren't enough Libertarians to carry him to victory. He has to expand his base. That's tough to do when every niche in the party is represented by two candidates.