Paul vs. Biden

[PolitiJunkie]

Is a Rand Paul vs. Joe Biden matchup one of the few scenarios in which Biden could beat a major contender for the Republican nomination? I don't want to focus too much on the running mates, but for realistic sake, let's just say they are Jeff Flake and Kirsten Gillibrand. What would the maps look like? My guess would be the 2012 map but with Biden winning North Carolina. NHI, if you say New Hampshire is gonna be Republican, Imma bitchslap you. Thoughts?

[barfbag]

It might be Rand Paul's only chance at winning.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I'd support Biden.

[Mister Mets]

I think Rand Paul's a high-risk, high-reward candidate.

He might be able to excite people who don't usually vote. That could give him a boost over a generic Republican.

Or he could end up scaring voters in the middle with proposed budget cuts and decriminalizations, sending them running to Joe Biden, a man whose decades of public service suggest significant reliability.

Paul might also be able to run as a generic Republican, albeit much less hawkish, turning the election into a referendum on Obama and Biden, with the results largely dependent on the state of the economy.

[whanztastic]

I think Rand Paul's a high-risk, high-reward candidate.

He might be able to excite people who don't usually vote. That could give him a boost over a generic Republican.

Or he could end up scaring voters in the middle with proposed budget cuts and decriminalizations, sending them running to Joe Biden, a man whose decades of public service suggest significant reliability.

Paul might also be able to run as a generic Republican, albeit much less hawkish, turning the election into a referendum on Obama and Biden, with the results largely dependent on the state of the economy.

Totally agree with this assessment. Both are high risk, in a sense, but Paul is not going to be well-received at the national level if he runs as a single-issue candidate. The deficit is going to be lower by 2016, and holding the opinions that you should get rid of programs like NOAA is going get 30% really excited but scare the other 70%.