Proxy war: Rand Paul's GOP opponent says Palin isn't qualified to be president

In a vacuum, this wouldn’t be newsworthy — 69 percent of registered voters agree with him — but in a closed primary in a red state, when Sarahcuda’s already endorsed Paul and Mitch McConnell’s already endorsed Grayson? I do believe we have ourselves a bona fide grassroots vs. establishment proxy fight on our hands. Chris Cillizza:

The question — and Grayson’s answer — speak to what is almost certain to be a growing problem for establishment Republicans as they seek office.

The simple truth is that behind closed doors most establishment Republicans and party poobahs don’t believe that Palin is currently qualified to be president of the United States.

But, they also recognize that Palin is — without question — the symbolic leader of the Tea Party movement and speaking ill (or anywhere close to ill) of her creates the possibility that the most enthusiastic piece of the GOP base will turn on them and, in doing so, jeopardize their chances at winning.

And so, few — if any — leaders within the party will answer the question as directly as Grayson. Instead, they will say things like “that decision isn’t up to me, it’s up to the voters” and other sorts of rhetorical obfuscation that keeps them from getting crosswise with the former governor of Alaska.

This isn’t some sort of game-changer — Grayson already trails Paul by 15 points — but I wonder if it’ll help Paul indirectly by taking the edge off the accusations that he’s a kook. Suspicions about the Paul family infect even the conservative base, Sarahcuda’s endorsement notwithstanding; now that Grayson’s shown himself to be sour not just on him but her, it’s easier to dismiss his criticism of Paul as simple “elitism” or whatever. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Paul get a bounce as some righty skeptics take a second look at him now. Or is it Grayson who’ll get a bounce as centrist Republicans (assuming they exist in Kentucky) embrace him for having sniffed at Palin?

Incidentally, Palin and McConnell aren’t the only players in this proxy fight: Jim Bunning, whom McConnell pressured to retire, just threw his support to — surprise — Rand Paul.