Here’s How Rand Paul Wins the Next GOP Debate

With 100 Days Until Iowa, Paul is Poised to Begin Climb

by Josh Guckert

The last few weeks have been excellent for the Rand Paul campaign. After being left for dead by numerous media outlets,  Paul has experienced new-found momentum, polling in the top five both nationally and in Iowa. He has energized thousands of college students through Students for Rand, and is gaining exposure which he had previously been unable to obtain. However, with this good news, Paul must capitalize in next week’s debate to catapult his candidacy into the top tier. Here’s what he has to do:

1. The Only True Fiscal Conservative

The topic of the CNBC debate is to be economics, and Senator Paul needs to make it clear that he is the only true fiscal conservative on the stage. While others may talk a big game, Paul is the lone candidate with the credentials to back up his statements. This is in large part because Paul is seemingly the only Republican willing to discuss even a reconsideration of the massive amount spent on defense. He has in the past proposed outright cuts to military spending and an audit of the Pentagon.

His principled stance in reducing waste was best exemplified when earlier this year, Paul proposed a budget amendment that actually increased the budget for defense at the amount requested by hawks in the GOP, but differed in that it at least made offsetting cuts to other areas. His plan was rejected almost unanimously by the Senate, most notably by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Other important differences that Paul has with his Presidential competitors is his desire to end foreign aid entirely and his plan to end the War on Drugs, thus spending far less on the costs of incarceration. He has also consistently supported a Balanced Budget Amendment.