I had breakfast with Senator Rand Paul this morning.

Okay, me and a hundred other people.

One of the frontrunners for the GOP presidential ticket in 2016 addressed a crowd of supporters at the Leadership Institute in Arlington this morning, part of Morton Blackwell’s summer “Wednesday Wake-Up” series. I’ve expressed my reservations about the Leadership Institute before, but they seemed to do it right this morning so no need to mix messages.

Senator Paul arrived clad in his company softball league attire (no joke, the man gave his address in a jersey and baseball cap), proof if it were ever needed that he is not part of the Washington Establishment. Amen.

Likely you’ve heard his talking points before (and The Establishment is one of them), the overarching theme of which is a return to limited, constitutional government that respects the personal freedoms of its citizens. Amen.

On politics, Paul pointed out that there are two ways Republicans can make progress electorally. One is to water down their message and attract more people into the fold that way. This is the way that’s been used unsuccessfully for decades. The other option, which has brought success when used through the years, employs a clear, positive, and optimistic message about limited and constitutional government. Guess which one he supports.

One hates to go through life caring about who wins elections. But there has never been a greater incentive to do so than today. If Rand Paul runs for president in 2016 I’ll be happy. If he wins I’ll be even happier.

But it’ll probably cost me more than 10 bucks to have breakfast with him.