Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Evan Sisley Rand Paul

On Friday, local opthamologist Rand Paul watched his 8-year-old son William sink two free throws. His wife Kelley couldn't believe she missed it.

Last week, Rand Paul had to miss his 11-year-old-son Duncan's basketball game. So Kelley took over his coaching duties.

Rand Paul had to be in Montana to campaign for his father, presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Rand Paul's father often takes positions that marginalize him among the other candidates during the debates, in which they would often unite against him.

But at Western, and in Bowling Green, support is evident in the signs and stickers that are sprinkled through the city.

Ron Paul advocates returning the country to a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which he said involves abolishing income tax as well as only using military force after a Congressional declaration of war.

He advocates immediate, staggered withdraw from Iraq and was one of the few Congress members who voted against invading in 2003.

Fox News didn't let him debate on the channel.

Ron Paul also rarely gets more than 15 percent of the vote in any primary.

Rand Paul, who shares his father's political beliefs, attributed this to a lack of media coverage.

Without mainstream media attention, some supporters can get demoralized, he said.

"Media has the ability to give people win-ability or believability," he said.

Rand Paul said the message might still be popular, just not with Republican primary voters.

Both Rand Paul and Ron Paul have said that the campaign won't continue without the Republican nomination.

But Rand Paul emphasized the importance of persevering.

"It's important to have the message out there," he said, "because maybe in that crowd of 10,000 people there will be one person who might say, 'You know what, you can be conservative and not be for perpetual war.'"

Union sophomore Shane Noem, vice president of the College Republicans, said Ron Paul is not in contention because he's not a "die hard Republican or a die hard conservative."

"His anti-war message sounds good," Noem said, "but it's not doable and it's not realistic."

Joe Underwood, a senior from Paso Robles, Calif., said that if one's comparing "Die Hard" Republicans, Ron Paul would be "the Bruce Willis of Republicans."

Rand Paul doesn't attribute local support of his father to his residency here. He hasn't campaigned much here.

But he did give signs to Underwood.

Underwood helped to organize a Bowling Green Ron Paul meet-up.

It was one of the small groups of grassroots supporters across the country, which characterize Ron Paul's campaign, that gathered to raise support.

During Homecoming, the meet-up ordered Ron Paul T-shirts and fliers and draped a large Ron Paul banner over parking structure 1.

"You don't do that for something you don't care about," Rand Paul said.

Rand Paul said his father instilled his political beliefs in his children by example.

"We were brought up to think about ideas and think about what's right or wrong and not just accept what you're told," Rand Paul said.

All of the Pauls had to earn their spending money, just like Ron Paul had to growing up around the time of the Great Depression, Rand Paul said.

Rand Paul said he tries to do the same for his kids, but it's harder now.

Adult competition edges them out from mowing lawns, but they still have to help around the house.

To make money, they can referee local sports.

Rand Paul moved to Bowling Green after he married his wife, Kelley, who was born in Russellville.

Rand Paul said he enjoys Kentucky for the most part.

"Everyone's been friendly but the state legislature," he said, in reference to the state and local income tax in Kentucky, which is not found in his native Texas.

Rand Paul seemed reluctant at times to talk publicly about life as Ron Paul's child.

Ron Paul, too, rarely delves into his family life in speeches like other candidates, such as Mitt Romney or Barack Obama.

Ron Paul isn't concerned with image; he doesn't have speech writers, Rand Paul said.

Rand Paul showed a similar focus on the message.

Like a wrestler, Rand Paul could man-handle a question about having children and suplex it into an answer about high birth rates among poor people causing persistent poverty.

Joy Leblanc, Rand Paul's younger sister, could grab a question about Ron Paul's parenting and pile drive it into an answer about his voting record.

Rand Paul is the only one of his four siblings to live outside of Texas.

Leblanc said that all of the Paul siblings campaign for their dad when they can, but Rand seems to have a special gift.

"Rand, he just gets it," she said.

Reach Greg Capillo at news@chherald.com.