GOP - Rand Paul's Presidential Highlight Reel w/ his Libertarian Twist

[iCEBREAKER]

Ted cruz and rand paul should stop bashing eachother, they are both great president material and only making eachother look worse hurting their chances of a republican winning the election. Those 2 look very good and both have some very good ideas.

Cruz and Paul together did great work on the drone issue.

But Cruz is too rigid on things like Cuba.  He gives off a bit of Fundy 'do what I say or I'll hurt you' bully vibe, and looks like an derpy jingoistic idiot advocating continuation of an isolationist Cold War policy that has backfired for 50 years.

As a fellow accomplished policy debater, I know he knows better.  So the disingenuousness of such posturing and pandering is a turn-off to my 'principled libertarian' side.

I'm also sick of Ivy League lawyers running everything.  Washington needs a doctor with experience in private enterprise, not another shyster from the ABA.

But I'm not worried; Cruz has, in accordance with the Peter Principle, reached his level of incompetence in the Senate.  If Perry doesn't crush him, Jeb will.  And at the very moment he announced, Cruz witnessed firsthand the incomparable ground game of Rand's shock troops.   

[Chef Ramsay]

Ted cruz and rand paul should stop bashing eachother, they are both great president material and only making eachother look worse hurting their chances of a republican winning the election. Those 2 look very good and both have some very good ideas.

Rand really didn't attack him per se, he just set himself apart in how his campaigning will be different and to a broader audience. If you watched what Cruz said in his opening speech, it could be taken in that he thinks he can just try and turn out more evangelicals and social conservatives and then win which most pundits don't think is gonna happen. Plus, Cruz has made so many enemies in his own party that it's past the point of some of them grinning and bearing him. I like his style at times but I'm of the mind that he's in this race as someone feeding from potential Rand voters. Knowing this, that's why Rand is going after younger folks and minorities to pinch away democratic support thus showing his electability in the eyes of the party officials and donors.

[Chef Ramsay]

In New Hampshire, Rand Paul Reimagines Government Off the Top of His Head

ROCHESTER, N.H.—Eight questions into his meet-and-greet at the Pink Cadillac Diner Kentucky, Senator Rand Paul made his first accidental policy. One of the Stafford County Republicans who’d shown up for breakfast asked Paul about the heart-rending crises in the Veterans Affairs administration. Was it time, she asked, to “overhaul the VA and let it go to the private sector?”

“Yes,” said Paul. Three dozen Republicans put down their coffee and applauded. Then the senator explained himself. “In Kentucky, we’re building an $800 million new VA hospital,” he said. “That would buy a lot of insurance just to go to the doctor, any doctor… I think the care is for the most part good, but the distribution’s bad. When you think VA, think single payer system.”

That seemed clear enough. Ninety minutes later, after another Q&A, in Exeter, I asked Paul if he’d thought more about what privatizing the VA would look like.

“No, I don’t really have a big plan or anything,” he said. “I’m not even sure I’d use the word privatize.” He did want vouchers—a policy endorsed by Concerned Veterans for America, which is connected to the libertarian Koch network—but he was not ready to throw the whole system into the Hayekian laboratory. “I’m not for eliminating the VA, or getting rid of the VA hospitals. In fact, a lot of veterans like the VA hospitals even better than the other hospitals. I’d tend more toward getting insurance vouchers to go to the community.”

In two and a half weeks, Paul is expected to launch a presidential campaign. Texas Senator Ted Cruz beat him to the starting line with a Monday morning speech at Liberty University; the two men will speak within an hour of each other in Monday night Fox News interviews. Paul’s network is all but ready for him, and the Republicans who attended many of his events this past weekend were given flyers advertising a “Stand with Rand rally” in New Hampshire on April 8.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/features/2015-03-24/in-new-hampshire-rand-paul-reimagines-government-off-the-top-of-his-head

This writer claims to be a libertarian and you'll note that this is a hitpiece. He's been nipping at Rand for years now.

[Chef Ramsay]

Media Running With Paul/Cruz Feud Narrative

...
"Right now, I'm the only one that beats Hillary Clinton in certain purple states," Paul said on Fox News' "The Kelly File," talking about recent polls. "There will be a lot of conservatives. Ted Cruz is a conservative, but it also goes to winability. And people will have to make a decision: Which is the Republican that can not only excite the base but can also bring new people into the party without giving up principles?"

The Kentucky Republican, who's expected to announce his own presidential bid on April 7, said he was "glad" to see Liberty University students wearing t-shirts in support of his own all-but-declared candidacy, when Cruz made his announcement.

"I guess what makes us different is probably our approach to how we would make the party bigger," Paul said, referring to himself and Cruz. "I'm a big believer that you should stand on principle ... but I also think we should take those principles and try to bring in new people with them."
...

More...http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/23/politics/rand-paul-ted-cruz-2016-election/

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul invites supporters to campaign announcement, rollout

Rand Paul appears to have finalized plans for his presidential campaign announcement and at least part of his subsequent rollout, according to invites posted by his political committee RAND PAC to the website Eventbrite.

As previously reported, the Kentucky senator plans to announce his bid for president April 7 at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville. The invitation posted online urges supporters to "join Senator Rand Paul for a very special rally."

"You won't want to miss this historic event," the invitation adds. The event, not billed explicitly as the official launch to Paul's campaign, is set to begin at 11:30 a.m.

Paul's committee has also posted invites to two events following his announcement in Louisville, likely part of Paul's official campaign rollout. The first, on April 9, will be a rally at the U.S.S. Yorktown in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Paul will then travel April 10 to the University of Iowa in Iowa City for a rally in the student union ballroom.

...

More...http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rand-paul-invites-supporters-to-campaign-announcement-rollout/article/2561936

[Chef Ramsay]

Dinner with Rand Paul Miramar Beach, FL March 30th! (Northwest Florida)

Rand is having one fundraiser while he is on vacation with his family. If you can make it out to the beautiful Destin Florida area on March 30th you can support Rand Paul. Please call the number to RSVP for the event.

[funtotry]

Wow ted cruz sure knows how to speak. Most of the recent speeches (his one where he announced he was running for president) were not even using a teleprompter. REAL truth comes straight from the heart and you shouldn't have to have a teleprompter to stay. He will definitely be a good president who knows how to speak without a script.

[Chef Ramsay]

Wow ted cruz sure knows how to speak. Most of the recent speeches (his one where he announced he was running for president) were not even using a teleprompter. REAL truth comes straight from the heart and you shouldn't have to have a teleprompter to stay. He will definitely be a good president who knows how to speak without a script.

I used to really like him a lot but that has been steadily eroding as time has went by. The venue he announced at plus the mandatory attendance policy there of which required all students to show up seemed to be quite a shady deception tactic to make it look like he had all these people turn out to support him when they had no choice but to show up. Plus, it's starting to seem like the media is really trying to play up some feud between Cruz and Rand thus creating a ground war among the similar bases of supporters. He either knew it would come to this and is complicit in splitting the anti-establishment vote further or he's an opportunist that is merely trying to get his name out there which is what many of the long shots do to sell books or other related things.

[Chef Ramsay]

Kelley Paul gets ready for her media blizzard

Kelley Ashby Paul was dressed for the weather as she trudged through the last storm of the Washington, D.C., winter to meet a reporter. Fuzzy woolen hat, complete with earflaps and pompom, on her head. Knee-high waterproof boots with faux fur trim on her feet. Puffy white parka zipped in between.

Her husband, Rand, meanwhile, was home, still dry and warm, in the couple’s tiny Capitol Hill apartment. The junior senator from Kentucky and presumed presidential candidate had nowhere to be on this weekday morning because the federal government, in fact the entire city, was shut down. (No, not by the Tea Party; by the snow.) That Kelley was out in the storm made metaphorical sense, because she isn’t really “of” D.C., and unlike Rand, she doesn’t officially work for the government.

Home, for her, is still Bowling Green, Ky., where she was raising her three sons as a stay-at-home wife of a small-town ophthalmologist in the 20 years before Rand ran for office. Where she lived full-time until this year, when she finally took the next step in the transformation and enrolled her youngest in a D.C. private school. Now her tight circle of hometown friends takes care of her house — dealing, for instance, with the time a bird got inside and “pooped all over the bathroom” and picking her up at the airport when she manages to fly back once a month or so.

Politics, like the clergy and the military, is one of the few fields where it’s assumed that the spouse — particularly the wife — will take on part of the job. It is an anachronism from a time when all wives were defined by the work of their husbands, and it’s an increasingly tough role to navigate now that the political spotlight is brighter and the political pace is faster.

...

More...https://www.yahoo.com/politics/kelley-paul-gets-ready-for-her-media-blizzard-114433745186.html

[Chef Ramsay]

Paul Courts Christian Conservatives
Presidential hopeful seeks support of religious voters


When he announced his candidacy for president this week, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, made a strenuous bid for support from Christian conservatives. But one of Cruz's rivals, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is taking a different route to court the same constituency – waging an aggressive behind-the-scenes campaign rather than emphasizing a dramatic public appeal, and his aides say it will eventually pay big dividends.

For many months, Paul has been quietly meeting with scores of leaders from the Christian right to gain support for his presidential campaign, which he is expected to officially announce April 7. Some of the meetings have been held during dinner in the Senate dining room; other sessions have been in Paul's Senate office, and still others have been conducted while he traveled outside Washington.

Paul met Tuesday in Washington with Kent Ingle, the president of Southeastern University; Brian Carroll, executive vice president of Southeastern; and other officials from the Christian-oriented school located in Lakeland, Florida.

Among others with whom Paul has talked in recent months were evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne; Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas; Jerry Johnson, president of the National Religious Broadcasters Association; Daniel Kolenda, president of Christ for All Nations; Banning Liebscher, founder of the Jesus Culture ministry; and singer and Christian activist Pat Boone.
...
Doug Wead, a friend of Paul's who has strong ties to the Christian conservative community, has been helping the senator make these connections. Asked why Paul might appeal to Christian conservatives, Wead told me that the Kentucky senator is a born-again Christian and "is seen as a candidate who can win, and Christian conservatives have come to realize that this is important." Paul "is seen as the future," Wead added. "He has organic, real support from the young, Hispanic and now African-Americans as well as liberals who care about civil liberties."

Among other reasons for conservative Christian support, Wead said, Paul has made it a high priority to protect religious liberty, and he has the potential to raise large amounts of money so he is unlikely to have his political operation go broke at a crucial time. Christian leaders fear that a shortage of money could hamper other presidential candidates such as Cruz and potential candidates such as former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.
...

More...http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/ken-walshs-washington/2015/03/26/rand-paul-courts-christian-conservatives

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Proposes Boosting Defense Spending

His amendment would add $76.5 billion to the defense budget

Just weeks before announcing his 2016 presidential bid, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is completing an about-face on a longstanding pledge to curb the growth in defense spending.

In an olive branch to defense hawks hell-bent on curtailing his White House ambitions, the libertarian Senator introduced a budget amendment late Wednesday calling for a nearly $190 billion infusion to the defense budget over the next two years—a roughly 16 percent increase.

Paul’s amendment brings him in line with his likely presidential primary rivals, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who introduced a measure calling for nearly the same level of increases just days ago. The amendment was first noticed by TIME and later confirmed by Paul’s office.

The move completes a stunning reversal for Paul, who in May 2011, after just five months in office, released his own budget that would have eliminated four agencies—Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Energy and Education—while slashing the Pentagon, a sacred cow for many Republicans. Under Paul’s original proposal, defense spending would have dropped from $553 billion in the 2011 fiscal year to $542 billion in 2016. War funding would have plummeted from $159 billion to zero. He called it the “draw-down and restructuring of the Department of Defense.”

But under Paul’s new plan, the Pentagon will see its budget authority swell by $76.5 billion to $696,776,000,000 in fiscal year 2016.

The boost would be offset by a two-year combined $212 billion cut to funding for aid to foreign governments, climate change research and crippling reductions in to the budgets of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Commerce and Education.

Paul’s endorsement of increased defense spending represents a change in direction for the first-term lawmaker, who rose to prominence with his critiques of the size of the defense budget and foreign aid, drawing charges of advocating isolationism. Under pressure from fellow lawmakers and well-heeled donors, Paul in recent months has appeared to embrace the hawkish rhetoric that has defined the GOP in recent decades. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February Paul warned of the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). “Without question, we must now defend ourselves and American interests,” he said. Asked about federal spending, he added, “for me, the priority is always national defense.”

More...http://time.com/3759378/rand-paul-defense-spending/

[Chef Ramsay]

Paulonomics: Rand’s Plan For An Economic Boom

The 2016 race has begun to heat up in recent days for the Rand Paul campaign, with several key hires having been made and an April 7th announcement date scheduled to declare his candidacy for president. With over a dozen rivals expected to challenge Paul for the Republican nomination, one of his major challenges is going to be convincing the American people that he is the man with the vision to restore American greatness. Fortunately for his libertarian fans, Rand Paul has a budget plan that would cause an economic boom by utilizing core economic principles that conservatives and libertarians alike agree on. This bold vision for America would create millions of jobs by instituting the first real spending cut we have seen since World War 2 ended, a major tax cut that would leave billions of dollars in the economy, and a regulatory reform plan that would simplify the process of dealing with a treacherous federal government for American families, businesses and individuals everywhere.

The budget begins with a $411 billion cut year one, paving the way to a balanced budget in five years. It accomplishes this by eliminating four federal departments (Education, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy), repealing Obamacare and block granting welfare programs (Medicaid, SCHIP, food stamps, and child nutrition) to the states. These cuts would not only mean not paying for four federal departments and several federal welfare programs, but would also create an important reduction in the amount of regulation being imposed on Americans under the Obama administration. The departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in particular have encroached on the basic liberties of the American people for far too long, and we must have a president who is ready to eliminate them. The Paul plans elimination of these departments will cause an end to federal takeovers like Common Core and plans to socially engineer our communities via HUD. The elimination of four federal departments will create a regulatory climate that is easier to navigate than it has been in many decades. We now have a federal government that spends recklessly and a national debt that is approaching $19 trillion, and we can no longer afford to elect Republicans who talk about cutting spending in vague ways and then fail to follow through. The Paul plan creates meaningful strides towards shrinking government.

More...http://blog.libertyconservatives.com/paulonomics-rands-plan-for-an-economic-boom/

[TheButterZone]

Somehow I don't think $76.5 billion is going to equip and train the unorganized militia (coupled with the destruction and imprisonment of all who advocate "gun control" aka treasonous disarmament of only law-abiding, mentally-sound, sober victims), which would actually be a meaningful defense against ISIS.

[Chef Ramsay]

‘Recipe For Disaster’: Rand Paul Attacks Rubio’s Seriousness On Deficit

In an interview with The Daily Caller, Rand Paul took a shot at potential 2016 rival Marco Rubio for proposing to increase military spending without offsets elsewhere.

Earlier Thursday, both Paul and Rubio offered separate amendments that would have increased military spending. While Paul’s amendment included specific cuts in the budget to make up for the increase in spending, Rubio’s didn’t.

Neither amendment passed. But Paul is arguing the episode foreshadows a significant divide in the upcoming Republican presidential race.

Speaking by phone Thursday, Paul said: “I think it shows a lack of seriousness, in regard to the problem of the deficit, if you’re willing to increase spending $190 billion dollars without cutting any spending. That is reckless and a recipe for disaster.”

“I think there’s a very important distinction, or separation, that occurred on that vote,” Paul added. “Particularly among people who are considered to be potential candidates.”

...

More...http://dailycaller.com/2015/03/26/recipe-for-disaster-rand-paul-attacks-rubios-seriousness-on-deficit/

[Chef Ramsay]

Somehow I don't think $76.5 billion is going to equip and train the unorganized militia (coupled with the destruction and imprisonment of all who advocate "gun control" aka treasonous disarmament of only law-abiding, mentally-sound, sober victims), which would actually be a meaningful defense against ISIS.

It was just a way to join the crowd wanting increased military spending since the propaganda outlets have stirred up the party base for the last six months or more. So, in a very good checkers move, Rand just sat back and let Rubio and ilk beat the drums for more 'defense' spending which Sen. Cruz (so-called fiscal hawk up until now) and then he offered a modest increase by cutting much more elsewhere in his own amendment, thus offsetting it. He basically just tactically exposed Cruz, Rubio and the rest of them as fiscal frauds and scored some serious ammo for the future campaign and is relentlessly hitting them in the media right now. win win

[Chef Ramsay]

2016 brawl breaks out on Senate floor

The 2016 Republican nomination contest spilled onto the Senate floor Thursday, turning a marathon budget debate into a battle over which candidate is prepared to lead the country at a time of war.

Four GOP senators are trying to gain the upper hand on the commander-in-chief test — Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham — and their competition was on vivid display as the Senate took up a Rubio plan to pump tens of billions of dollars more into the Pentagon budget. Sen. Rand Paul blasted the idea because the new spending wasn’t offset by other cuts. And caught in the middle was Cruz, who’s pitching himself as a fiscal conservative who can appeal to the hawkish and libertarian wings of the GOP but ultimately sided with Rubio and Graham. [Checkmate on fiscal credentials  ]

In an interview with POLITICO, Paul lambasted his foes for engaging in “reckless” and “irresponsible” behavior, showing that they lacked the “courage” and conviction to rein in the country’s mountain of debt. He said there are now two camps in the GOP primary field: One that cares about the debt, and another that does not. [ like a Boss!]

...

More...http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/ted-cruz-marco-rubio-rand-paul-senate-pentagon-budget-116434.html

[Chef Ramsay]

Watchdog Group Names Leahy and Paul as "Constitutional Champions"

Scholars and political pundits have long bemoaned the partisanship that pervades our politics, and the use of the Constitution to seek policy changes. Now, acrimony seems to have seeped into every part of the political process. Some observers blame the corrupting influence of campaign cash, others point to the rise of the "tea party" movement, still others say it is just the nature of political parties. Whatever the cause, it doesn't have to be this way.

For nearly two decades, The Constitution Project, a bipartisan legal watchdog group that I head, has brought together policymakers and legal practitioners from across the ideological spectrum to develop consensus solutions to some of the toughest constitutional challenges of our time. To recognize others who share our vision, each year we present our Constitutional Champion Award to individuals and organizations who have dedicated themselves to defending our Constitution and the principles it embodies. This year, I am pleased to say that two of our honorees are Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Both have worked doggedly to build bipartisan consensus on a number of critical constitutional issues.

...

More...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ginny-sloan/watchdog-group-names-leah_b_6949620.html

[Chef Ramsay]

The difference between Rand Paul and Ted Cruz

So what’s the difference between presidential candidates Rand Paul and Ted Cruz?

Ted Cruz is running against Barack Obama. Rand Paul is running against Hillary Clinton. One represents the past. The other represents the future.

Both men are U.S. Senators running for president in 2016. Rand Paul is from Kentucky, Ted Cruz is from Texas. (Rand Paul is expected to announce on April 7, 2015.)

Both men are conservatives whose careers were launched during the rise of the Tea Party. Both are born again Christians. And both signed the controversial Senate letter supporting Israel. So if they have the same base of support, what’s the difference?

Rand Paul excites that base and motivates them to action. Ted Cruz has all but given up on that base and is focusing exclusively and only on born again Christians. He is betting that he will take that vote, and only that vote, and win it all. It is a high stakes gamble that counts on driving out of the way born again Christians such as Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio and yes even Rand Paul.

Bottom line, Rand Paul can win a national election. Ted Cruz cannot. Early polling bears that out. Polls can be fickle and don’t always reflect reality this far in advance but most polls show only Rand Paul close to Hillary Clinton in any of the battleground states. Not Bush, Christie, Rubio, Perry, Huckabee and not Cruz.

...

More...http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?471510-Doug-Wead-The-difference-between-Rand-Paul-and-Ted-Cruz

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand realizes he's got Rubio and his counterparts (knowing or unknowing - Cruz) on the fiscal skewer.

This adds to the articles about Rand setting the trap for Cruz and letting Rube show his true colors for once. The neocons want an increase in the military budget yet have no inklings to cover it with other spending cuts, unlike Rand. Rand staged a fraud paradigm on this, and the former fiscal hawk Cruz fell flat.

[funtotry]

The difference between Rand Paul and Ted Cruz

So what’s the difference between presidential candidates Rand Paul and Ted Cruz?

Ted Cruz is running against Barack Obama. Rand Paul is running against Hillary Clinton. One represents the past. The other represents the future.

Both men are U.S. Senators running for president in 2016. Rand Paul is from Kentucky, Ted Cruz is from Texas. (Rand Paul is expected to announce on April 7, 2015.)

Both men are conservatives whose careers were launched during the rise of the Tea Party. Both are born again Christians. And both signed the controversial Senate letter supporting Israel. So if they have the same base of support, what’s the difference?

Rand Paul excites that base and motivates them to action. Ted Cruz has all but given up on that base and is focusing exclusively and only on born again Christians. He is betting that he will take that vote, and only that vote, and win it all. It is a high stakes gamble that counts on driving out of the way born again Christians such as Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio and yes even Rand Paul.

Bottom line, Rand Paul can win a national election. Ted Cruz cannot. Early polling bears that out. Polls can be fickle and don’t always reflect reality this far in advance but most polls show only Rand Paul close to Hillary Clinton in any of the battleground states. Not Bush, Christie, Rubio, Perry, Huckabee and not Cruz.

...

More...http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?471510-Doug-Wead-The-difference-between-Rand-Paul-and-Ted-Cruz

I think what you said its very credible and true (I agree) but generally you wan't to link to sources that are not clearly biased. ronpaulforums.com is clearly in on Rand Pauls side, since rand is ron's son.
Personally I think ted cruz would be a better president, the way that he speaks without a teleprompter, and I can just imagine him being president and representing the US.