¿Un escenario tipo "Pat Buchanan" para Rand Paul?

Steve Kornacki hace el paralelismo:

(...) Rand Paul could potentially deliver such a performance. In a crowded field likely to underwhelm the GOP base, it's not hard to imagine Paul -- with his brash style and message of absolute ideological purity -- standing out in debates and winning over more Republican voters than his father, who still struggles with basic television skills.

The best-case scenario for Paul would probably be replicating what Pat Buchanan achieved in 1996: a surprisingly strong showing in Iowa (he nabbed 23 percent, good for second place), followed by a startling win (with just 29 percent of the vote) in New Hampshire -- at which point a panicked GOP establishment rallied around the strongest non-Buchanan candidate (Bob Dole) and denied him the nomination.

If this doesn't seem like much to shoot for, just remember that for a few weeks in the winter of 1996, Buchanan's rise was the biggest news story in America. It didn't last long and it's largely forgotten now, but it probably provided Buchanan enough thrills to last the rest of his life. And while he was riding that post-New Hampshire wave, he surely believed the ultimate prize was within his reach -- even if his party was never going to let it happen.

And anyway, even if Paul failed to do as well as Buchanan, his campaign would still be a delight to watch: Just imagine what his debates with Mitt Romney will be like when the subject turns to healthcare (...)