Limited-government champion and doctor Rand Paul crushed his GOP establishment opponent and state politician Trey Grayson in the Kentucky Republican Senate primary.  It was considered outrageous when FreedomWorks PAC endorsed Paul over Grayson months ago when Grayson was in the lead and had the usual powers-that-be in the Republican party lining up behind him--you know, like the ones who backed Dede Scozzafova in NY-23. 

But our members in Kentucky let us know Paul was the one who was right on our issues and would shake things up in Washington--and that the energy was behind him.  Our members often give us better information than those regurgitation "conventional wisdom" inside the Beltway.   Just ask our Florida members, who told us about Marco Rubio in 2008, our Utah members who told us about Mike Lee last year, and our Pennsylvania members who have been with Pat Toomey for years--even when Bush backed Specter in 2004.

Rand Paul gave a great acceptance speech.  The whole thing is worth watching. 

One point that he makes that is going to take the media months to figure out is that he doesn't need to "move to the middle" on his policy positions because his positions and those of the tea party movement are not on the fringe--they are dead center in the American political spectrum.  He points out that our movement's opposition to trillion dollar deficits created by Washington is not radical--it's the trillion dollar deficits that are radical.  He points out that the tea party movement is calling for things that are widely popular--like balancing the budget and reading the bills.

The media has been poorly served by their continued use of the left-right political spectrum.  They keep putting the tea party movement out on the far right, but that isn't where it is.  All they would have to do is go to some of the events and talk to the attendees.  We're regular Americans who are fed up with arrogance of Washington and its fiscally irresponsible behavior.  We're independents, Republicans, Democrats and members of other parties who believe there are limits to federal power and that the federal government should live within the means we provide it. 

There are millions of us. 

And, as Rand Paul said today, "We've come to take our government back."