Published: November 13, 2009 09:33 am      

RONNIE ELLIS: Candidates and voters want it both ways

FRANKFORT — Frankfort, Ky. – Rand Paul wants it both ways. He wants to run for the U.S. Senate by lambasting members of both parties for voting for federal deficits and bailouts of Wall Street and automakers.

He wants to tap into the growing anger and resentment of those who see the increasing size and spending of the federal government as a threat. He’d love to have an endorsement from South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint who is adored by the people who gather at those Tea Parties.

But DeMint might be interested in challenging Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican Leader in the Senate. So, Paul hedged when WHAS-TV reporter Joe Arnold asked if he would support McConnell’s re-election as Leader should Paul win the other Kentucky Senate seat. He didn’t say he wouldn’t vote for McConnell. He told Arnold that he didn’t know if he could “make a judgment – I’ve got to win the primary first.”

That prompted Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the other major candidate in the Republican primary, to pounce, announcing he will “absolutely, 100 percent vote to keep Sen. Mitch McConnell as GOP leader in the Senate if I’m elected,” according to a story by AP’s Roger Alford. Paul quickly responded with praise of McConnell with whom he had a “cordial” meeting Thursday in Louisville.

It’s possible to win a Republican primary in Kentucky without McConnell’s support (just ask Ernie Fletcher) but it isn’t easy (ask Jim Bunning or Anne Northup).

Paul’s unflinching criticism of big spenders, Democrats or Republicans, is a big part of his appeal to those who are disaffected by what’s going on in Washington. He’s said he’s more a fiscal conservative than a Republican and that his own party bears responsibility for the deficits. He says he’s against all unbalanced budgets – whether proposed by Democrats or Republicans – and all earmarks in the budget.

But McConnell won re-election last year in part by touting his ability to bring back federal dollars to Kentucky. And he voted for the Wall Street bailout last fall. So Paul – who is adept at deflecting tough questions from reporters – tries to balance his criticism of Republican who voted for big spending items and showing deference to McConnell.

Grayson wants it both ways, too, of course.

Part of his appeal is his image as bi-partisan and acceptable to many independents and Democrats. That’s what makes many Republicans think he’s the most electable general election candidate. But there is anxiety among some of the Republican faithful that Grayson isn’t quite conservative enough. Paul’s entry into the race and early rise in the polls forces Grayson to run farther to the right in the Republican primary than he might have preferred. But as he tacks to the right, he risks support among those independents and moderate Democrats he’s counting on in the fall general election.

He also has to be careful not to offend Paul’s independently minded core supporters. He’ll need them in a general election and he has to avoid looking like he takes direction from McConnell and other party leaders.

Of course, a lot of Republican voters want it both ways too. They like Paul’s positions on spending – but they like the money McConnell and Congressman Hal Rogers bring back to Kentucky. They like Paul’s outsider status and fiscal conservatism, but they want to win in the fall when Grayson might be more appealing to conservative Democrats and independents. In other words, they’re like most of us who want it both ways – more government services for less cost.

That’s what elections are about. Deciding who comes closest to representing what we want.



Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort, Ky. He may be contacted by email at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.