THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

With so many candidates from the beginning of the GOP Clown Show, it was obvious that some would be dropping early. So far the ones who are done were among the expected and we get the fun of trying to guess who is next. McClatchy has a look at the potential for Rand Paul to crash and burn soon.

Campaigning on Friday in New Hampshire, Paul continues to charge ahead with his struggling presidential campaign, but speculation is growing that he might be the next Republican candidate to drop out of the race.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have already folded, and Paul is one of the hot names in the parlor game of guessing who will exit next.

On Friday, the Washington Post and Politico devoted space to an early draft of Paul’s presidential campaign obituary.

“Walker’s departure from the race means that the senator from Kentucky is no longer the front-runner for the most disappointing campaign of 2016,” the Post wrote. “So, congrats on that. But Paul appears to have dropped entirely off the radar of most Republican voters.”

Politico’s weekly poll of political insiders from early-voting states put Paul right behind Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former New York Gov. George Pataki as the next to drop out, with 22 percent saying Paul would be next.

One unnamed New Hampshire Republican told the Beltway publication that Paul’s “campaign (reeks) of the same stench of death that surrounded the Perry and Walker efforts before their demise.”...

It has been death by a thousand cuts for Paul’s campaign: reports of staff infighting, the federal indictments of two longtime aides, lackluster fundraising, the improbable and unpredictable rise of Donald Trump, and a Republican Party that appears to be returning to its roots on foreign policy.

Next week, we might just learn how much longer Paul can keep going.

The third-quarter fundraising period ends Wednesday, and one of the biggest questions will be whether Paul has raised enough money to continue his quest.

Crazy Uncle Liberty's little boy is finding that appealing to people who approach the level of intelligent life forms is a lot more difficult than running for office in Kentucky. One might have thought he could outlast someone like Jindal or Santorum or Huckabee, but unlike serious Little Rand those guys are just in it for the money.