Paul’s filibuster attracted over a dozen senators to the Senate floor, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. It launched a fundraising push from the NRSC and even got an assist from RNC chairman Reince Priebus, who urged other senators to join the filibuster on Twitter. Most other Senators have praised Paul for the effort, with the notable exception of Graham and McCain, who called the filibuster a “political stunt.”

“Either they were drinking a lot at the Obama party or they’re just completely dismissive of what was going on,” said one senior Republican strategist. “They’re living in an alternative universe. I don’t get it at all. You have a party where there’s all this talk about how divided the establishment is from the grassroots, and then you have John McCain and Lindsey Graham come out of left field with this. People are just scratching their heads.” …

Apart from the discontent among some of Paul’s elders in the Senate, the moment was mollifying for the libertarian army that supported Ron Paul but has been much more suspicious of his son. The Paul blogosphere has lit up with news of the filibuster, though some in the Daily Paul comments are calling it “calculating,” and it’s bolstered much of the discussion on Reddit. These are the people who organized and fundraised for his father online, and if they’re kept at a relatively placated level, they could turn out again in large numbers for Rand himself.