In accordance with the teachings of Frank Costanza, last year Senator Rand Paul kicked off his personal Festivus celebration with an “airing of grievances” on Twitter. But like many holiday traditions, this one has been cheapened by shameless marketing ploys. While Paul’s original Festivus rant focused on his issues with the Federal Reserve, this year’s complaints involved a lot of thinly disguised self-promotion — and maybe a presidential announcement?
Rather than complaining about fiscal issues, Paul took the opportunity to beg for more RTs from fellow senator and token Democrat friend Cory Booker, and to curry favor with incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by complimenting his grandfatherly attire.
Then Paul made this coy allusion to his probable presidential run (remember, he’s also up for reelection to the Senate in 2016):
And reminded everyone that he’s already dueling with potential rival Marco Rubio over Cuba:
Paul promised that he’ll be “back later with some grievances about the media, the fed, and a few others.” Somehow, we doubt Paul will publicly air his two real grievances, which both involve Kentucky law. The state won’t let Paul run for senator and president in 2016, and Kentucky gentlemen are no longer allowed to literally duel with their political rivals.
Update: Paul finally got around to complaining about government spending, then the “airing of grievances” turned into an “insulting of political opponents.”
