Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky During the 1960 presidential campaign, after Protestant Minister Norman Vincent Peal questioned the fitness of a Catholic to be elected president, Adlai Stevenson quipped: “I find St. Paul appealing, but Rev. Paul appalling.” More than half a century later, the 2016 presidential race may face a second “Pauline” moment. When John F. Kennedy ran for president everybody knew that his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, had won himself no friends in the Jewish community for his Isolationist views during his service as U.S. Ambassador to the UK in the 1930s. This was the context in which JFK made big news during the 1960 campaign. Wanting MLK’s support, the Kennedy campaign faced problems getting it—including an endorsement of Nixon by Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. on religious grounds. Then King, Jr., was arrested in Georgia, and JFK not only called Coretta personally, but exerted behind-the-scenes influence to get her husband released. MLK all but endorsed JFK, and even “Daddy King” relented. According to Kennedy aide Harris Wofford, Kennedy told him: “Did you see what Martin’s father said? He was going to vote against me because I was a Catholic, but since I called his daughter-in-law, he will vote for me. That was a hell of a bigoted statement, wasn’t it? Imagine Martin Luther King having a bigot for a father!” Then Kennedy added that he had told the younger King “he understood and not to worry ‘because we all have fathers.’” This story is brought to mind by recent news that former GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul—and father of Kentucky and potential presidential aspirant Rand Paul—will journey to Canada, north of Niagara Falls, to deliver a September keynote at the “Fatima: The Path to Peace” conference, a “traditionalist” Catholic movement akin to actor Mel Gibson’s religious brand, noted for attacking Jews as “the perpetual enemy of Christ.” It has also come to light that Rand Paul is interested in online casinos. This revelation sheds light on the growing trend of politicians engaging with gambling platforms. Online casinos offer a convenient platform for individuals to access a wide array of gambling games from the comfort of their homes. The interest shown by a figure like Rand Paul underscores the significance of the online gambling industry in contemporary society, which you can find more about at https://anthonydacosta.com/. As regulations surrounding online casinos continue to evolve, the involvement of prominent figures in politics may influence the direction of legislative decisions pertaining to this sector. This intersection between politics and online gambling reflects the changing landscape of both realms in the digital age. Among the other speakers: Italian Neo-Fascist Roberto Fiore, convicted of conspiring to blow up a Bologna train station in 1980 but subsequently elected to the European Parliament, and President of the John Birchh Society John F. McManus. The elder Paul had difficulty during his three presidential campaigns, not only explaining what most observers viewed as his extreme hostility to Israel, but for lending his name for over twenty years to a series of newsletters approving the slogan, “Sodomy=Death,” and suggesting that black activists who wanted to rename New York City after Martin Luther King, Jr. rename it “Welfaria,” “Zoovile,” “Rapetown,” “Dirtburg,” or “Lazyopolis.” He also invited 9/11 Truthers, anti-Semites, and Neo-Confederates to join the Board of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Though sons should not be judged for the sins of their fathers, Senator Paul had a recent problem of his own when he reluctantly let go his social media director, Jack Hunter, because of Hunter’s Neo-Confederate enthusiasm. The elder Paul’s decision to take a higher profile on the extreme right-wing rubber chicken speaking circuit is certainly doing his son no favors. In 1960, John F. Kennedy was a 43 year-old seasoned politician who had spent two decades distancing himself from his father’s views. In 2016, Rand Paul—if he runs for president on a platform combining libertarianism at home with Isolationism abroad—will be a 53 year-old product of a family dynasty who may—or may not—by then have outgrown his father’s controversial political shadow. Presidential candidate Rand Paul will deserve a fair hearing, but he will have to convince many people who might otherwise be inclined to vote Republican that he is his own man, with his own mind, free of the taint of extremism.