Is Rand Paul the GOP’s Howard Dean?

Mark Murray says Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY “has the potential to be a Howard Dean — someone promising to change his party’s thinking who has the potential to catch fire, but who also has the potential to fizzle out.”

“Like Dean with his opposition to the Iraq war, Paul wants to fundamentally change the Republican Party’s hawkish national-security and foreign-policy tendencies… Like Dean with the young voters he attracted, Paul wants to bring more young and minority voters into the GOP fold… And like Dean, he usually provides an interesting soundbite and engaging interviews.”

“Those are all positives that could enable Paul to gain traction if he runs for president in 2016, as many expect he’ll do. But here’s a big negative: Like what ultimately happened to Dean, an ascendant Paul would likely inspire the other Republican candidates and outside groups to sink his candidacy.”