Paulbot heads continue to explode over Rand Paul/Romney endorsement.

Rand Paul became a senator, at least in part, due to his familiarity with real politik, the science of deal with the political reality.

This story, which gives voice to the idiocy spouted by the most ardent Paulistinians, sums it up with the headline:

Ron Paul Supporters Are Really Pissed That Rand Paul Endorsed Mitt Romney

Grace Wyler | Jun. 9, 2012, 6:56 PM | 203,832 | 412

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  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul broke ranks with his father's political army this week and endorsed Mitt Romney as the Republican Party presidential nominee, setting off a firestorm of outrage in the Ron Paul Universe. 

Here's a sampling of the reactions from around the Internet:

The Daily Paul

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The Daily Paul

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The Daily Paul

As the comments suggest, Sen. Paul's endorsement appears to have seriously damaged his credibility within the Movement — at least among its most hardcore activists. The virulent backlash indicates that the endorsement could have harmful political ramifications for the Kentucky Senator, raising doubts about his ability to unite his father's grassroots army with more mainstream elements of the Republican Party base. 

"I think Rand Paul believed he could build from his father's base," said Brian Doherty, a journalist who has been covering the Ron Paul Revolution since the late 1990s. "But I think he has probably found in the last 24 hours that this might prove more difficult than he expected."

But Doherty told Business Insider that he was not completely surprised that Sen. Paul opted to endorse Romney. Unlike his father, Paul has frequently shown a willingness to work with the GOP Establishment, and has previously indicated that he planned on getting behind whoever his party picked as the nominee. 

"There are a lot of Ron Paul people who like to think of themselves as a ragtag rebel army," Doherty said. "But Rand Paul is clearly positioning himself to play the part of the loyal opposition in the Republican Party. Emphasis on loyal." 

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To his credit, Rand doesn't appear to exhibit the kool-aid drinking fanatacism of the average Paulbot.  He seems to be able to wrap himself around reality with relative ease, a talent thgose so rabidly following that blithering idiot dopesn't seem to ber able to grasp.