Quit Teasing Us, Rand Paul

If you haven't heard, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is expected to join the 2016 presidential race. That announcement is likely to come on Tuesday at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky. So, to get everyone riled up about his impending Tea Party face-off with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand released a 2016 presidential campaign teaser video, complete with Newt Gingrich, failed liberal policies, and even Jon Stewart (for the young'uns).

The nearly three-minute-long video, released Sunday night on Paul's official social media accounts and website, features clips from the senator's rousing speech at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference, as well as numerous sound bites from political pundits. And yes, those pundits range on the political spectrum from Gingrich to Stewart.

"On April 7, a different kind of Republican will take on Washington," the teaser video begins. Like Cruz's "courageous conservatives" tag line, Paul is also positioning himself as the new (potential) face of the Republican Party, which has been in need of a makeover since the failed 2012 presidential election and all the snafus it wrought at the state level (Todd "Legitimate Rape" Aiken, anyone?). Here, it seems Paul is leveraging not only his libertarian pull, which is popular among young people, but also setting himself up as the politician in Washington who can stand up to, well, Washington. It's truly his "Mr. Paul Goes to Washington" moment, save for the fact that Paul has been tied to Washington since his teenage years, when his father was elected to Congress. Paul's no Jefferson Smith country bumpkin, but we can suspend our disbelief for this moment.

"Rand Paul: taking a stand," the video states before launching into a clip of Paul's 13-hour filibuster in 2013. That filibuster, by the way, protested U.S. military use of drones, and garnered Paul further support from young people critical of America's foreign policy. It was also Paul's defining moment as senator, so you better believe it's in there.

"It's time for a new way, a new set of ideas, a new leader — one you can trust, one who works for you," Paul says in one clip of his CPAC speech. "And above all, it's time for a new president."

"We need to return to our founding principles, stand up for the entire bill or rights," the senator says in another. "Our future can include a road back to prosperity. ... It should include a balanced budget and a simple fair tax system. It should include a government that protects your rights and your security."

After showing laudatory clips from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, as well as a jab or two at "liberal policies," the teaser video ends with this affirming message...

We even got to see Jon Stewart praising Paul's filibuster.

Assuming that Paul keeps his promise, the Republican Party will officially have its second candidate for the 2016 presidential primary by Tuesday afternoon. Paul may technically be the second leader to "stand up," but will he have more luck with his announcement than Cruz? Judging from this teaser, it seems that Paul is definitely ready — and his constituents may be ready, too.

Here's the full Rand Paul 2016 teaser video...

Images: screenshots/YouTube