Geek Gaffes Mar #RandLive

One of the most precipitous declines in the race for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination has been Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).  Last year, the libertarian leaning Senator Paul was considered to be a top contender.  But Paul’s campaign has faded to the point of where he may not have the 2.5% support to qualify for the big stage for the third GOP debate required by CNBC.

Senator Paul wanted to do something different to attract attention, generate enthusiasm among young voters and distinguish himself.  So the Paul campaign arranged for the candidate to LiveStream a day in the life.  This was a thrifty way to shine a spotlight on the candidate, leverage new media to political advantage and reinforce his brand of being a different kind of Republican.

Well, timing is everything. Tuesday October 13th was the date chosen for #RandLive.  From the superstitious side of things, the Spanish consider Martes el trece to be a day of bad luck (akin to America’s Friday the 13th).  On the more calculating side, that was the day of the first Democrat Debate so Rand was scheduling a stunt that would not draw a whole lot of attention.

Perhaps it was lucky that #RandLive did not get much time in the spotlight.  Senator Paul was scheduled to visit five college campus events in Iowa that day.  But technical difficulties interfered with much of the livestreaming, so diehard Rand-ians were left staring at a test pattern for much of the day.  These cyber glitches were unfortunate but not unforgivable as it is challenging to introduce new technology into the field of national political campaigns.

What was more egregious was Senator Paul’s unscripted answers to Google questions.  The third most popular question was “Are you still campaigning Senator Paul?”.  The freshman Senator from Kentucky gave a sarcastic and supercilious unscripted answer.



So much for appealing to the youth vote when you denounce the platform itself.  Moreover, calling it “dumbassed” shows that it was a feign and not really reflecting the candidate’s true disposition.

Other hopefuls used social media on that day to varying effects.  Both former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and Donald Trump live-tweeted during the Democrat Debate.  It looked like “the Huckster” slinged up cornpone and canned ham in his replies, while “the Donald” delivered authentic raw meat which underlined his attributes.

While it is questionable if hyping a “Truman Show” for a candidate is wise, it does show innovation.  But if you are on camera 24/7, one slight slip up can ruin years of work. In the film “The Truman Show” (1998), people found that they liked watching Truman because he was natural and likable.   Senator Paul has developed a reputation for being prickly in uncomfortable interviews.  It is telling that Senator Paul noted that you can’t edit that out when it’s being livestreamed.

The tag line from The Truman Show was “How's It Going to End?”.  This may well be the same question that staffers for Rand Paul’s Presidential campaign may be asking.   




Perhaps Senator Paul can take a cue from Truman Burbank. 

Immigrant Opinion Makers Limiting Liberty

Isn't it ironic how two prominent immigrants like CNN talk show host Piers Morgan and Hollywood funnyman Jim Carrey have sought to limit Constitutional rights., particularly regarding the Second Amendment.  

Perhaps they think that it is the Sportsman's Amendment, right near the Good and Plenty clause of the Constitution.   

Maybe they are following CIA Director John Brennen's lead, who pointed swore his oath of office on the original Constitution, without the Bill of Rights. 

Laughing at Funny Man Jim Carrey's Hollywood Hypocrisy

Recently, funny-man Jim Carrey released a Funny or Die internet video “Cold Dead Hands” which targeted  every negative stereotype of “gun nuts” as being Hee-Haw watching idiots as well as defaming a deceased Charlton Heston.

This political parody meant to bolster the gun control bandwagon but  bombed as badly in conservative circles as Carrey’s new movie The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), which coincidentally opened just as “Cold Dead Hands” went viral.

As Steve Martin noted, comedy isn’t pretty.  Sometimes over the top parodies go beyond the pale by being contemptuous instead of just satirizing a subject.  This sting of insult inspired Remy of ReasonTV to answer Jim Carrey with a rebuttal.



It is interesting to see in the parody of the parody how many scenes Jim Carrey participated in with gun play.  Some might dismiss this anomaly as just being an actor’s job.  But the message from “Cold Dead Hands” is an endorsement of gun grabbing.  Yet it has come to light that the elite actor has armed bodyguards. When this episode of Hollywood hypocrisy came to light, Carrey became apoplectic and altered the argument to high capacity weapons.

Laura Ingraham advises entertainment progressives to “Shut up and Sing” and keep their underinformed policy opinions out of the public spotlight. But judging from the vocal quality displayed in “Cold Dead Hands”, that advice might not be applicable for Jim Carrey (but would be alright for Carrey’s daughter Jane Carrey on American Idol).

Considering the anemic $11 million opening weekend of his new movie, laughing AT Jim Carrey’s Hollywood Hypocrisy might be the only laughs that he can count on.  It's too bad that there is not truth in advertising, even in some web domains.

h/t: ReasonTV