The 2010 primary election pitted upstart Rand Paul against Trey Grayson, the Republican favorite. Hal Rogers and Mitch McConnell supported Grayson as did the Republican establishment of the state. The libertarian leaning Paul destroyed Grayson and went on to do much the same to Democrat Jack Conway.

Paul, now a probable candidate for president in 2016, was a blaring signal to the beginning of a new politic in the United States. The TEA Party was not just a passing emotional surge as the establishment of both parties would like to believe, it was an indication that change was coming from the people, whether the politicians liked it or not.

The presidential election of 2012 was yet another validation. Mitt Romney was the elder statesman type of establishment Republican politics, while Barrack Obama was younger and more acceptable to a larger portion of the population. Had the Republican candidate been Marco Rubio of Florida, there might have been a different vote count last Tuesday. The same could be said if the Republican candidate had been our own Rand Paul.

The Democrats were first to respect the trend with Obama, the young senator from Illinois who had very little experience for the job, but showed signs of youthful energy and did not look like the stuffy old establishment candidates Americans were usually stuck with in every election.

The feeling that has created this trend is, “These guys have had it forever and look at the shape it’s in.” If the Republicans ever expect to be successful they are going to have to take a look at people like Rand Paul. The population seems more likely to accept a libertarian ideology than the standard conservative label. And, if you examine the philosophy, the conservatives would have what they say they want. At this point what they have is defeat.

Change is difficult to incorporate, but not near as difficult as being left out of the conversation. At this point the Republicans are being left out of the conversation, and are being criticized as a result of their image. After all, you may have the ultimate agenda that would solve the nation’s problems and bring more prosperity than has ever been, but if you’re not in office it does not matter.

Randy Walters

Busy, Ky.