Rand Paul: Radical Ayn Rand rookie

Today's column by Clarence Page is all about Rand Paul. Here's an excerpt:

...a day after clobbering the GOP-endorsed candidate, Paul let himself muse on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show" about the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the rights of businesspeople to discriminate. Paul repeatedly declared his support for the intent of the law, but he could not bring himself to support a key provision in the law.

That was the provision that banned discrimination by restaurants, hotels, theaters, lunch counters and other public accommodations. Opening up this long-settled area of law might have scored points in a law school class. But in a political campaign, saying you favor the law's intent without favoring the law is like saying you'll do anything to lose weight except diet or exercise.

...As a budding politician, Rand Paul obviously is a work in progress. Kentucky voters will decide whether they want to assist in his on-the-job training. For the anti-tax, anti-Big Government tea party movement that has embraced him as a champion, Paul's amateurism reveals a big challenge. It's easy to complain about incumbents. It's not so easy to come up with workable alternative ideas that won't make voters gag.