Is Rand Paul The Next Robert Taft?

Rand Paul Is On The Rise
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 14: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) March 14, 2013 in National Harbor, Maryland. A slate of important conserative leaders are slated to speak during the the American Conservative Union's annual conference. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 14: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) March 14, 2013 in National Harbor, Maryland. A slate of important conserative leaders are slated to speak during the the American Conservative Union's annual conference. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

When Rand Paul was announced as the winner of the Republican presidential straw poll at CPAC over the weekend, there was no chorus of boos from the assembled conservatives, a far cry from the response when his father won the same event a few years ago. Unlike Ron Paul, whose political coalition existed as much outside the Republican Party as in it and whose numerous straw poll victories were the product of organized event-crashing that irritated party regulars, Rand has dedicated himself to becoming a force within the GOP — and CPAC ’13 represents the latest evidence that he’s succeeding.

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