I have never been bullish on Rand Paul’s chances for the presidential nomination: It has long seemed to me that his attempts to build on his father’s base were likely to backfire; that he would end up as Ron Paul minus rather than Ron Paul plus. Politico has a brutal look at his campaign, headlined “Inside Rand Paul’s Downward Spiral.” Alex Isenstadt’s reporting is impressive. But I think that the negativity is a little overdone.

One of Paul’s spokesmen tells Isenstadt that the campaign is “a marathon, not sprint.” Yes, that’s exactly what a struggling campaign would say. But it’s also true. Paul still has a following, and his distinctive views and sensibility give him an opportunity to distinguish himself from the crowd of other Republican candidates. I don’t think he will get the nomination in the end, but I would not be surprised if he enjoyed a resurgence at some point this fall.

(disclosure)