Primaries Reject Establishment Politics

Talk about “what’s in a name,” as in the post below. Consider naming your boy “Rand.” That is what small-government congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul did. It seems exceedingly odd for a Christian to name his kid after the militantly atheistic virtue-of-selfishness philosopher Ayn Rand. (And are there girls named “Ayn”?)

Anyway, Rand Paul has won the Republican senate primary in Kentucky. He is the Tea Party candidate, defeating the Republican establishment’s choice, Trey Grayson.

Also, long-time Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who changed from being a Republican to being a Democrat so as to give his new party a filibuster-busting super-majority, got beat. This, despite the personal endorsement of President Obama and the Democratic national machine, seeking to reward him for his treachery. He was beaten in the primary by Congressman Joe Sestak, who will be up against Republican Pat Toomey in what is expected to be a close race.

In Arkansas, Democratic incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln was forced into a run-off with Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. The Democrats did hold on to the late John Murtha’s congressional seat from Pennsylvania in a mid-term election.

But virtually all of the winners, Republicans and Democrats (who in primary elections, of course, are not running against each other, but against other members of their own party) were running anti-Washington, anti-political establishment campaigns.

Sen. Arlen Specter loses Pennsylvania primary; Rand Paul wins in Kentucky.