# The best candidate to challenge Barack Obama in 2012 is Ron Paul **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 3, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114 "2010-05-03T03:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/781 "2010-05-20T02:43:16Z")
What Rand Paul really needs to get over with Kentucky voters in November is a catchy nickname. Other office-seekers in the Bluegrass State have [colorful monickers](http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/05/18/kentucky-election-day-dispatch-awesome-nicknames). A short sampling: Dale “Frog” Ford Wayne “Tiny” Wright Shelby “Poncho” Mize Darrell “Smokey” Wood Charles “Fuzzy” Keesee Kenny “Gravedigger” Perry Shawn “Stumpy” Stump John “Tuffy” Snedegar Milford “Litle” Creekmore Chris “Topper” Grant Kevin “Mooch” McDavid Rand (who as an opthalmologist is not exactly a Kentucky good old boy) could go for the cheap and easy nickname like “Moonshine” or “Burgoo”. His best bet might be “Not As Crazy As Paw”. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/782 "2010-05-20T10:36:44Z")
[Rand Paul defends segragation at lunch counters](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/20/rand-paul-tells-maddow-th_n_582872.html): > [@](#): > > **Maddow:** … How about desegregating lunch counters? > > **Paul:** Well what it gets into then is if you decide that restaurants are publicly owned and not privately owned, then do you say that you should have the right to bring your gun into a restaurant even though the owner of the restaurant says ‘well no, we don’t want to have guns in here’ the bar says ‘we don’t want to have guns in here because people might drink and start fighting and shoot each-other.’ Does the owner of the restaurant own his restaurant? Or does the government own his restaurant? These are important philosophical debates but not a very practical discussion… Of course if I call such a position racist, I am a hysterical leftie… ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/783 "2010-05-20T11:31:05Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Rand Paul defends segragation at lunch counters](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/20/rand-paul-tells-maddow-th_n_582872.html):Of course if I call such a position racist, I am a hysterical leftie… GOP : Tea Party :: Sorceror’s Apprentice : Animated Brooms ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/784 "2010-05-20T14:17:36Z")
I liked this quote better. > [@](#): > > PAUL: I do defend and believe that the government should not be involved with institutional racism or discrimination or segregation in schools, busing, all those things. But had I been there, there would have been some discussion over one of the titles of the civil rights. Yep, government should not have been involved with institutional racism or discrimination. Just be racist and discriminate all you want, states. > [@](#): > > Paul: Well, I think what you’ve done is you bring up something that really is not an issue, nothing I’ve ever spoken about or have any indication that I’m interested in any legislation concerning. So, what you bring up is sort of a red herring. . . . It’s a political ploy. I mean, it’s brought up as an attack weapon from the other side, and that’s the way it will be used. Yeah, it’s not really _relevant_ what a congressman thinks about segregation. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/785 "2010-05-20T16:33:36Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Stop the presses! Two obscure bloggers like Rand Paul! At least “Vote Ron Paul: Bloggers like him” is pithier than “Vote Ron Paul: His son won an election by espousing different opinions” or “Vote Ron Paul: He coudn’t competently run a newsletter, but we’re sure he’ll do better with a whole country.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/786 "2010-05-20T17:56:53Z")
tsk. tsk. **42fish** , you forgot the most important one: _Vote for Ron Paul: He supports the War of 1812! And Madison!_ ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114/787 "2010-05-20T19:55:53Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > tsk. tsk. **42fish** , you forgot the most important one: _Vote for Ron Paul: He supports the War of 1812! And Madison!_ I thought the important thing was that Madison supports Ron Paul (thanks to those 19th century time machines). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-candidate-to-challenge-barack-obama-in-2012-is-ron-paul/538114.md?page=39)