Rand Paul's Online Fundraising Stutters

Today the DSCC issued this press release:

A little over one month since he beat the establishment by winning the Republican nomination, Rand Paul’s campaign is losing momentum at a rapid clip. Since May 18th, Paul has flip-flopped on a number of long held positions including his views on the Constitution, his willingness to accept money from lawmakers who supported bank bailouts, and his statement that criticism of the Big Oil company British Petroleum is “un-American.” For a candidate who at one time prized accessibility and free speech, Rand Paul has shunned reporters and is now making journalists submit questions in writing. Finally, a new report today from the Associated Press shows that even Paul’s fundraising has taken a large hit. The report calls his fundraising operation “lukewarm” and a “pittance” compared to the money he raised during the primary.

“During his primary battle Rand Paul generated national headlines because of his extremist views, but now in the general election he’s proving to be just another establishment politician,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Communications Director Eric Schultz. “Voters in Kentucky who thought they were getting a principled candidate are now finding out they picked another politician willing to sway with the wind.”

Rand Paul continues to flip-flop and walk back his previously held convictions. A month after saying the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t apply to private business and refusing to say he would have voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act, Paul backtracked on his positions, saying the federal government was right to impose civil rights on private business. Paul committed the same politically expedient move after he defended BP after the oil spill, calling criticism of the company “Un-American.” Under fire for his remarks, Paul went back on his comments, saying government regulations of offshore drilling were not adequate. Paul has also gone into hiding with the media, refusing to conduct interviews and forcing journalists to submit all questions in writing despite “offering detailed answers on just about any topic during his primary campaign.” Paul recently held a fundraiser in Washington DC with the same establishment Republicans he railed against on the campaign trail.