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Rand Paul took a left turn on his journey to the Republican nomination, and now his hopes seem to be headed south.

The libertarian Kentucky senators new book, Taking a Stand, came out Tuesday, and it is chock-full of lines that would position Paul well if he were running against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

On the environment: Youll find Im a tree hugger, literally ... Im a Republican who wants clean air, clean water, and the life-extending miracle of electricity. I compost.

On Wall Street: Only in a world of crony capitalism would bankers whose faulty decisions caused bankruptcy be allowed to cash out as the middle class absorbs the losses.

On his party: Right now, the Republican brand sucks. I promised Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, that I would stop saying the GOP sucks, and I will (except for this last time).

On racial minorities: I want a New GOP that resonates with America, that looks like America white and black. ... The face of the Republican Party should not be about suppressing the vote but about enhancing the vote.

On Ferguson, Mo.: [T]housands of peaceful protesters were met with rubber bullets, tear gas, and a police department that showed up at the protest in gear more fitting for Fallujah or Kandahar.

On drug sentencing: We should free those who are in jail under the old guidelines. Our prisons are bursting with young men and women who are poor or of color.

But Paul has a problem: He isnt running for the Democratic nomination. And though Paul may think his Republican Partys brand sucks, the primary voters dont necessarily share his view that the party is too old and too white. His candidacy has so far failed to ignite and, indeed, he seems to be fading as a force within the party.

The most recent national poll, by Fox News, has Paul in sixth place, with 7percent, trailing Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee and Marco Rubio. Paul averages only about half the support he had late in 2013. Paul doesnt appear to be winning over young voters perhaps the most important justification for his candidacy and does not do better than other Republicans, according to a survey released last month by Harvard Universitys Institute of Politics. Even in his home state, a media consortium poll this month found that Paul had lost his lead in a theoretical matchup with Clinton.

More here:
The decline of Rand Paul - The Washington Post