GOP presidential hopeful Paul finds support in Reno

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., made his first campaign visit to Reno Saturday only to find out that his father has already done a lot of groundwork to boost his popularity.

Former Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul captured 22 of Nevada's 25 delegates to the National Republican Convention in 2012 -- even though Mitt Romney easily won that year's Nevada GOP presidential caucus. And Ron Paul's good name now gives his son a ready-made set of supporters in Reno.

A meeting at the Atlantis with local GOP activists and some elected officials was standing-room-only, thanks to his father.

"I support Rand because of his father, Ron, who was the most honest person in government," said Jim Uprichard, who attended the meeting. "I feel that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. So Rand has to be following in his father's footsteps."

Rand Paul, in a private interview, acknowledged that his father has laid groundwork for him in Nevada. However, Rand Paul said he must be his own man if he expects to win the Nevada GOP caucus or the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

"If I end up doing this (running for president), I really have to be my own person and present my ideas and issues," Rand Paul said. "That doesn't mean my father and I are not from the same tradition in the sense that we believe in limited government that is strictly bound by the Constitution, a belief in a reasonable and rational foreign policy that sees some of the unintended consequences of some of the entanglements overseas. I believe, like dad, about the all-consuming problem about (the federal government) spending money we don't have."

At the podium in front of the crowd, Paul did not mention Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., but blasted potential Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for the former U.S. secretary of state's role in attacks that claimed four lives of U.S. personnel in 2012 at Benghazi, Libya.

Clinton did a poor job in preparing the embassy for such an attack, Paul said, noting that a U.S. ambassador was assassinated.

"Hillary Clinton got cable after cable to protect the consulate in Benghazi. And what did she do? Nothing," Paul said.

"I say, Hillary Clinton's behavior of not providing adequate support should absolutely preclude her from ever being considered as president," Paul said to a cheering crowd.

"I say, Hillary Clinton's behavior of not providing adequate support should absolutely preclude her from ever being considered as president," Paul said to a cheering crowd.

The Democratic National Committee issued a response to Paul's statement Sunday morning.

"If Rand Paul wants to talk about what's 'disqualifying' for being president, he should look in the mirror," said DNC Communications Director Mo Elleithee. "Ending all US foreign aid, including to our allies like Israel, is disqualifying.

"Spreading conspiracies about Benghazi, which even an investigation by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee found that the CIA and military acted properly and that there was no wrongdoing by the Obama administration, is disqualifying, "Elleithee said.

"Shutting down the government, which cost our economy $24 billion, is disqualifying," Elleithee said. "Rand Paul is deft at political primary trolling, but being president is a lot harder than that. On the issues that matter most to our security and economy, he's disqualified himself from any serious consideration."

In a private interview, Paul talked how he could wrestle Nevada's "Mormon vote" away from Romney if the two face each other in the Nevada GOP caucus early next year.

"The Mormons I have met throughout my career and throughout my life have always been conservative, libertarian-leaning folks," Paul said. "So to tell you the truth, I think that there is an opportunity for some (of my) ideas to resonate (with them.

"The Mormon population of Nevada will be much like the rest of the population in thinking, 'Gosh, didn't we already try this once and it didn't work?" Paul said in regards to another Romney candidacy.

The possibility that Romney, who has had two unsuccessful bids for the presidency, might run for a third time in 2016 was a hot topic at the Republican National Committee meetings last week in San Diego, Paul said.

"So you are already seeing people, some of his biggest backers, coming out and saying, 'You know, he (Romney) has had his chances,' " Paul said. "There were interviews yesterday at the Republican National Committee meeting in San Diego — one after another — saying he's had his chance."

Paul noted he has received the highest conservative rating of any major candidate considering a presidential run by the Crowdpac website, which labels itself as "independent, nonpartisan, and for-profit."

The subject came up when Paul was addressing the possibility of competing against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for the GOP presidential nomination.

"There's definite room for moderates like Bush to be in the party," Paul said. "The debate will be, and the race will be over whether or not you want a moderate as a standard-bearer or a conservative as a standard-bearer."

Saturday, the RNC also announced a scheduled of nine RNC-sanctioned debates among the GOP candidates that begin in October and extend though March 2016. A debate in Nevada is scheduled for December of this year.

Even in a crowded GOP field, Paul feels he has carved out a niche that no other potential candidate can match.

"I think we have no competitor because we have a niche that no one else occupies in the sense that, is there any Republican out there who is fiscally conservative but also reasonable and rationale and less likely to be overly aggressive in foreign policy?" Paul said.

"There probably is not going to be anyone else (like that)," Paul said. "So I think there is a position where we don't have anybody, really, competing for that space. That is also why you have 10 people running. And if we decide to do this (run for president), we have the space that I believe is already carved out and we just have to expand from which is already there."

Paul also spoke about his opinion on the normalization of relations with Cuba. It is an area where he differs sharply with another GOP presidential hopeful -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who spent much of his childhood living in Las Vegas.

Rubio is a son of Cuban immigrants and was highly critical of President Obama's plan of normalizing relations with the island nation.

"I think it's unfortunate that Rand has decided to adopt Barack Obama's foreign policy on [Cuba]," Rubio said to radio host Mark Levin, according to Politico. "[He] basically repeated the talking points of the president. And that's fine, he has every right to support the president's foreign policy, that's who he wants to line up with, but I'm telling you, it isn't going to work."

Paul, however, sees it in economic terms.

"We have tried an embargo for 50 years with Cuba and I just don't think it has worked," Paul said in Reno. "So we have to look at our interests. Farmers in my state support it. The National Farm Bureau supports it. My Kentucky Farm Bureau supports it. They want to sell stuff to Cuba."

When Cubans see American wealth and American technology, it will start "the allure of freedom" among Cubans, Paul said.

"The allure of freedom, once that door is open, there will be a flood of freedom and capitalism in there," Paul said. "Maybe Cuban ex-patriots will actually buy stuff (real estate) down there someday, buy hotels and go back onto the island."

Paul likened the opening of Cuba to President Richard Nixon's normalizing relations with the People's Republic of China back in 1972.

"I grew up in a very anti-communist family," Paul said. "As a kid, we used to have a gentleman who came over who actually fought against the Bolsheviks (in Russian Revolution). He was about 80 when I met him. We were a family that hated communism, still do. And in the 1970s, we thought that it would be terrible to open up trade with Red China.

"We thought Nixon was a sellout for the opening of Red China," Paul said. "But over time, a lot of us have changed our mind. We came to think -- you know what -- by opening up trade with Red China, it makes it much more unlikely to go to war with Red China. And the more we are intertwined, the less likely we are to have war with Red China. And while China is not perfect, I think it is much better than it was under Chairman Mao, much better, as freedom goes, than it was in 1972. I guess a better way to say put, it is less oppressive than 1972."

Before his speech, Paul met privately with new GOP Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, also attended and served as Paul's "warm-up act," preceding Paul as a speaker to the crowd.

Although Paul's Friday trip to Las Vegas had been scheduled for some time, the Reno leg was added later, mostly for recreation. Paul plans to go snowboarding Sunday with his family at Mt Rose Ski Tahoe, the closest ski resort to the City of Reno.