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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Rogue Valley panel will discuss food, farming future ACCESS launches annual senior shoebox project Police still searching for high-speed driver Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Police still searching for high-speed driver Emergency services Latino relations with Medford police get mixed reviews Selma man pleads guilty to murder in bar stabbing Medford police plan survey in Union Park neighborhood Politics and Elections Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Statewide voter turnout close to 70 percent Marsh, Seffinger win big in Ashland council races Education Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Half of Oregon's community college enrollees need remedial classes Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Environment Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees Well owners can help map groundwater quality Local gas prices lowest in years State News Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Nation - World Obituaries Cleo Calvin Stringer Russell James Moore Randy Carroll Lewallen Thaddaeus (Thad) Myra West Erwin Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories McDowell clings to 1-shot lead in HSBC Champions Uncharted Territory SOU men runners claim seventh straight crown SOU overhauls Tech, matches record win total Mistakes haunt OSU in loss Varsity 541 College Sports SOU men runners claim seventh straight crown SOU overhauls Tech, matches record win total Mistakes haunt OSU in loss Fill-in Falk flings Cougars past Beavers SOU netters rally to down Concordia Pro Sports McDowell clings to 1-shot lead in HSBC Champions Spartans’ Valencia wins in pro debut James' double-double carries Cavs past Nuggets Hot putter boosts McDowell's lead to three shots Aldridge powers Blazers to rout of Mavs Community Sports Results / Standings LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Erickson reports third quarter profit Blog: OK, Here We Go! Home prices rise across Jackson County Anheuser-Busch buys Bend's 10 Barrel Real Estate News Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Home prices rise across Jackson County New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership People In Business People in Business Transportation Erickson reports third quarter profit Lithia reports $34.5 million third-quarter profit Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Agriculture Revenue rises for Harry & David's parent company Where do all those leaves go? Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Opinion Latest Trails can lead to health, recreation and jobs Amy Gehrt: Voters sending mixed messages at the polls Our View: Cheers and jeers Letters to the Editor, Nov. 7 Michael Gerson: Posturing aside, only Reagan can be Reagan Editorials Trails can lead to health, recreation and jobs Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Oregon voters go their own way Our View: Well testing program is a good deal Our View: Commissioners invest in the future Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 7 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 6 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 4 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 3 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 2 Guest Opinions Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Don't Fall For This Wedding: Broten-Garrett Anniversary: Bucher New Arrivals Trail tenders Food Community blog: Squash-a-thon brings food, volunteers together Community blog: Quick pickling yields fast fall flavors Kitchen Call: Autumn is mustard season Healthy for the Holidays Sorting out the style debate among wine 'experts' Home and Garden Use the hidden meaning of color to enhance your home 17 things you never knew about turkeys Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Health Community blog: Don't Fall For This Dr. Murray Feingold: Children are lacking face-to-face time Dr. Jeff Hersh: Ankle injuries can be tricky Health Watch: 4 reasons to get a gym buddy Community blog: Beyond Genetics for Health Hiking Biking Faith 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Christ Unity Church shows 'Gen Silent' Religion News: American cardinal criticizes Pope Francis Religion news: Mormon church acknowledges founder’s teen bride Milestones and Achievements Wedding: Broten-Garrett Anniversary: Bucher New Arrivals Campbell given lifetime achievement award Sleep-out planned to raise funds for homeless Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists SOU partners with local arts SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Theater SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music SOU partners with local arts Michael Franti and Spearhead play the Historic Ashland Armory Clarinets to the forefront Book review: 'The Next Elvis,' by Barbara Barnes Sims 'Glee' star to perform Medford concert Community Events Review: Randall Theatre's 'Secret Garden' still enchanting Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Dining Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Agave offers tasty tacos Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill ... Latino relations with Medford police get mixed reviews ... Shady Cove poacher cooperating with feds to cut sentence ... Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill ... Latino relations with Medford police get mixed reviews ... Shady Cove poacher cooperating with feds to cut sentence ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: Can Rand Paul save the GOP? MailTribune.com Writer Posted Nov. 4, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Nov. 4, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News "The Republican Party brand sucks," Republican Rand Paul said in Detroit last week. This was candid, and correct: Though the GOP will make gains in Tuesday's midterm elections, its long-term prospects are grim because young people, women and minorities don't feel welcome in the party. But Paul thinks he can make the Republican brand stop sucking, or at least suck less. The senator from Kentucky is preparing a 2016 presidential run based on a gamble that his libertarian policies can appeal to young people and minorities. And a poll out last week gave a big boost to Paul's rationale for running. The Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School released a survey of millennial voters showing that this 18- to 29-year-old demographic, a rock-solid Democratic constituency a few years ago, is now up for grabs. If this is true, the Republican Party, in the right hands, might be able to defuse the demographic time bomb ticking at party headquarters. When Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, he did it with 66 percent of the votes of those under 30, a modern record. In his re-election, he captured a still-impressive 60 percent of the 18-to-29 crowd. But in the Harvard survey, a majority of those young people likeliest to vote nationwide on Tuesday prefer a Republican Congress to a Democratic one, 51 percent to 47 percent. In 2010, the same survey found a Democratic advantage of 55 to 43 among likely voters. "For the first time in about a decade, young people want to have a conversation with both parties," John Della Volpe, director of the Harvard poll, told me. At the same time, "you've seen the emergence of a libertarian streak" among millennials, the pollster said. This means "there's a lot of opportunity for Rand Paul" if he can tap even a fraction of the youth involvement Obama did. Paul (or any Republican) wouldn't have to get a majority of young voters to win the presidency. They'd just have to cut their margin to below 10 percentage points. "When you put that perspective on it, I don't think it's that crazy," Della Volpe said. Particularly when you look at how dramatically they turned against Obama. A majority of millennial voters now disapprove of Obama's job performance. More ominous: Only 49 percent of young Hispanics, a crucial demographic for Democrats, say they approve of Obama — a stunning turnaround from 2009, when 81 percent supported Obama. The problem seems to be Obama himself more than his policies. Young voters, still relatively liberal, said they trust the Democrats more than Republicans on all issues they were asked about: the economy, foreign policy, immigration, race relations and health care. But they disapproved of Obama's handling of each one. Peter Levine, a specialist in youth civic engagement at Tufts University's Tisch College, agreed that the likeliest figure to benefit from the shift is Paul, whose candidacy "would scramble things up in a pretty interesting way." Levine said it's "not out of the question" that Paul could best Hillary Clinton among millennial voters in a theoretical matchup. That is, if Paul doesn't squander the opening Obama gave him. The Democrats' loss of millennials' support doesn't necessarily mean a Republican gain. Distaste among the young for congressional Republicans (72 percent) is greater than disapproval of either the president or congressional Democrats. Paul says he can "reach out to whole new audiences" of young people and racial minorities with his plans to reduce drug sentences and create low-tax "economic freedom zones" in depressed urban areas. But though millennial voters lean toward his libertarian views on social issues and foreign policy, they don't share his antipathy toward big government. The bigger danger to Paul is that, in trying to win the Republican nomination, he'll lose the qualities that make him appealing to millennials. Unlike his gadfly father, he has positioned himself as a conventional pol, taking have-it-both-ways positions on immigration and same-sex marriage. He has inched away from his isolationist foreign policy (supporting airstrikes against the Islamic State terror group). He has become a party-line Republican on the campaign trail, embracing GOP candidates of all stripes in some 30 states. His RandPAC has been pouring in money to help veteran Republican Sen. Pat Roberts fight off an independent challenger in Kansas. On Monday, Paul will campaign for fellow Kentuckian Mitch McConnell, the old-guard Republican in line to become Senate majority leader. Paul has a chance to save his party — if he doesn't become part of what makes the Republican brand suck in the first place. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. 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