Jacking Up Rand, Part 3

In a pretty huge blow to Rand Paul, the Lexington Herald-Leader has chosen to endorse Jack Conway for US Senate with some glowing praise.  The real story here is how the editorial board holds nothing back in reaming Paul a new one in a devastating column:

Since riding the Tea Party wave to victory in the Republican primary as a relatively unvetted candidate, Paul has spent the summer and early fall revealing himself to be quite the ideologue who's long on simplistic slogans but short on understanding the drastic consequences of adhering to those slogans.

What came across as refreshingly candid in the spring proved to be distressingly extremist when Paul was pressed on issues ranging from civil rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

As a senator, his mission would be a chain-saw massacre of federal government that lays waste to farm subsidies, education spending, mine-safety regulations, federal aid in fighting the scourge of drugs and numerous other programs of significant benefit to Kentuckians.

Which brings us to another disappointing post-primary revelation about Paul. As far as Kentucky is concerned, he is a drive-by candidate — a transplant who, despite living here for the better part of two decades, never stopped to smell the bluegrass and learn about his adopted state's history, culture, problems or needs.

The sole focus of his campaign involves his antipathy for federal government. If he mentions Kentucky at all, it is almost as an afterthought.

Yeowch.  That's pretty ruthless.  Granted, Louisville is Conway's turf (and I'm unable to find out who the Courier-Journal has endorsed, but I would think it would be Conway as well), but that's still a pretty thorough thrashing of Paul by the Lexington paper, and one I think is spot-on correct.  Rand Paul really has defined himself by what he's against and not what he's for.   In a close race, an editorial like this may very well make a difference.