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

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Likely to Get What He Wants, Official Says: The Chance to Run for 2 Offices in 2016

Sen. Rand Paul will likely get what he wants in Kentucky, a member of the state’s Republican Central Committee told TheBlaze: a way around state law preventing him from appearing on the ballot twice.

In a letter this week, Paul requested his party establish a Kentucky presidential caucus for March 2016 instead of a primary for May of next year. Under Kentucky law, a candidate cannot be on the ballot for two offices. That presents a problem for Paul who plans for run for reelection to the U.S. Senate and likely plans to run for president.

“Most of us will go with a caucus,” Kentucky state Sen. Albert Robinson told TheBlaze. Robinson is a member of the central committee that will decide on replacing the presidential primary with a caucus. “We would see it as a way of helping one of our own.”

More...http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/02/14/rand-paul-likely-to-get-what-he-wants-official-says-the-chance-to-run-for-two-offices-in-2016/

This is great and the average low information voter wouldn't be having any say unless they were willing to participate in the caucus which takes a lot longer than merely showing up to vote in person or casting an absentee ballot via the mail. Lower level offices would be more competitive also.

[Chef Ramsay]

Only Rand Paul can save us

Of all the Democratic or Republican presidential aspirants for 2016, only U.S. Sen. Rand Paul can save us from ruination born of perpetual, purposeless, unfunded global wars and limitless presidential power.

Only the Kentucky senator grasps like President George Washington that entangling alliances are the fathers of danger and debt, not safety and security.

Only he salutes President Thomas Jefferson’s foreign policy of “[P]eace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.”

Only Mr. Paul understands like James Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, that war is the nurse of executive aggrandizement that cripples the Constitution’s checks and balances.

Only he grasps like then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams that the glory of the United States is liberty, not the role of dictatress to the world, and, “It is not by the contrivance of agents of destruction that America wishes to commend her inventive genius to the admiration or the gratitude of after times.”

More...http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/15/bruce-fein-only-rand-paul-can-save-us/?page=all

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Addresses Agudath Israel of America Board of Trustees Mission in US Capitol

Members of Agudath Israel of America’s National Board of Trustees convened in the nation’s capital to meet with Congressional leaders to advocate on issues ranging from the security of Israel, Iran sanctions, the alarming rise of global anti-Semitism, funding for homeland security and the advancement of school choice.

The Mission opened with a private dinner in the U.S. Capitol with Senator Rand Paul (R- KY) member Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Ron Johnson (R- WI) Chairman Homeland Security Committee, and Senator Robert Menendez (D- NJ) ranking member Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Meetings on Capitol Hill were scheduled with key members of the Senate and House. Agudath Israel’s intense legislative advocacy effort comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Washington.

Agudath Israel Board Chairman, Shlomo Werdiger, and Mission Chairman, Leon Melohn, both explained why Agudath Israel trustees came to Washington from across the country. “Crucial decisions will be made at the highest levels of government that may impact the Jewish people for generations to come. It is imperative that we add our voice and relay our deep concern to government leaders.”

Photo and video...http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/285442/exclusive-senator-rand-paul-addresses-agudath-israel-of-america-board-of-trustees-mission-in-us-capitol.html

[Chef Ramsay]

Meet the man behind Rand Paul’s rise to ‘troller-in-chief’

The GOP may have a crowded field of likely 2016 candidates all vying to become the next commander-in-chief, but Sen. Rand Paul has already secured the unofficial title as “troller-in-chief.”

That’s because the Kentucky Republican, who is openly exploring the possibility of a White House run, has taken to social media in recent months to make jabs and poke fun of other likely candidates -- even posting a “secret tape” of a fake phone call between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton.

The man behind the provocative tweets, memes and hashtags is Vincent Harris, 26, the chief digital strategist for Paul. Harris sat down for an interview with “The Fine Print.” Harris previously worked for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is another prospective 2016 presidential candidate.

“Sen. Paul from the beginning has been very digitally savvy,” Harris said during an interview in Washington. “Even in my first interview with him, he mentioned that he wanted to run a cutting-edge digital campaign -- something new, something that was very different than what President Obama had run.”

But Harris said Paul’s digital strategy isn’t just about picking fights with possible 2016 rivals -- it’s also about differentiating Paul from the pack.

“The strategy and the number one problem that people have in politics is just getting their information across to somebody -- how do you reach somebody at all,” Harris said. “News and information has to be entertaining, it's got to be interesting and it's got to be different than how everyone else is communicating.”

Harris picked up his cellphone to explain his point further.

“People expect their politicians now to take serious messages, to take serious policy and to deliver it to them in a way they can read through this device -- through memes, through Web videos, through personal Facebook posts, through short, pithy tweets,” he said.

On the Internet, he said, creativity is key. Gone are the days of simply posting press releases on Facebook or linking to a speech on the floor of the Senate.

“I was reading a study about millennial moms and how they use their mobile device more than watch TV, more than go on their laptop,” Harris said. “How do you reach a millennial mom? You have to communicate on her mobile device. She's on Facebook, she's on Pinterest, she's on Instagram.”

Communicating through those mediums, Harris said, means that the media itself needs to more entertaining than straight news.

More plus video interview...http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/meet-the-man-behind-rand-paul-s-rise-to--troller-in-chief-210617632.html

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul facebook like bomb on right now! Goal=2 million!
https://www.facebook.com/RandPaul

Rand Paul is having a facebook like bomb right now to get to 2 million likes! So if you have facebook, share and invite!
The goal is to be in the same league or surpass Hillary Clinton in FB likes to try and put Rand in solid social media position ahead of the other potential GOP nomination contenders which will allow his campaign take issues and info directly to his army of people for cheap, giving him a leg up on contenders plus likely inspire more donations from big donors looking to see how strong he is coming up here. If you've seen some of the other articles I've posted, you'll note he has a top notch social and digital media guru running his online campaign setup and they're looking to expand upon that. He's sitting pretty well right now but the more the merrier and it's an easy way for those across the world to help him out even tho they probably can't do much more because of their foreign status when the campaign finally arrives. For those of us in the US, this is just a small step we can do right now to give Rand a hand in this preseason roundup. You can also donate to his political action committee if you're a US citizen - http://www.randpac.com/ and even sign up with your email address to stay in the loop.

[Chef Ramsay]

President Paul? Wall Street on high alert
His ‘audit the Fed’ push makes him dangerous in the eyes of finance execs.

Rand Paul traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, recently and delivered a sure-fire applause line. “Anybody here want to audit the Fed?” the Kentucky senator asked. “Anybody feel that the Fed’s out to get us?”

He followed it up with an op-ed comparing the Federal Reserve to Lehman Brothers and calling it essentially bankrupt. The bash-the-Fed routine, perfected by Paul’s father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, is political gold with libertarian voters suspicious of all federal authority, especially a central bank with a $4.5 trillion balance sheet.

But Paul could face a significant challenge if he emerges from Iowa with a legitimate shot at the Republican nomination. Because experts say he gets many of his arguments about the Fed flat wrong. And the establishment wing of the GOP — backed by piles of Wall Street money — views Paul’s approach to the Fed as dangerous and irresponsible.

...

The thinking in these circles is that should Paul emerge as a viable threat to get the nomination, an even larger outpouring of money and organizational muscle will be deployed to stop him, in large part out of fear of what a President Paul might do to the Fed.

“If he comes out of Iowa or begins to emerge with any kind of strength, I think you will see the GOP establishment go on red alert because they are going to view him as a dangerous person,” said one financial services industry executive who did not want to be quoted on record criticizing Paul. “The Fed is the pre-eminent central bank on the planet and no one wants to put that at risk.”

Fear of Paul emerging as a potential nominee is part of what is driving the gush of Wall Street money to Bush, and to some extent to Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

“He seems to be moving to the position of abolishing or severely limiting the actions of the Fed,” said Pethokoukis. “Every other advanced economy has a central bank. We are going to somehow do something different? That’s going to strike a lot of business people and people on Wall Street as a very extreme and not very responsible position to take.”

More...http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/rand-paul-wall-street-2016-elections-115226.html?hp=t1_r

Well, if you read through the article you'll see the wagons circle around the bankers and all related communities like never before. It also supposes that Rand is just using this issue to excite the libertarian base and for fundraising. The bottom line is, are the bankers worried about a full audit not conducted by their buddies (mentioned in article) or are they really doing the right thing for mankind in managing this economy appropriately like they swear they're doing? What other issue does this bunch seem to get so bent out of shape about in such a large way?

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Draws Liberal Fire As The Left Discovers Its Inner Love Of The Fed, Part Two

Sen. Rand Paul is drawing liberal fire from many left wing commentators, now including Prof. Paul Krugman. Many of the criticisms are badly off base. As noted in yesterday’s column there is so much simply factually incorrect about The New Republic‘s Danny Vinik recent Rand Paul Has the Most Dangerous Economic Views of Any 2016 Candidate — for example — that one hardly knows where to begin. So, to quote the composer John Cage, let’s “begin anywhere.”

First, Rand Paul, unlike Ron Paul, nowhere appears on record as advocating the gold standard. Implication of such advocacy to Sen. Paul is, flatly, wrong. This is sloppy journalism.

Second, whatever Sen. Paul’s views may be, the current overwhelming opposition to the gold standard by academic economists is reminiscent of nothing so much as the Wizard of Oz’s movie peroration: “I, your Wizard, per ardua ad alta, am about to embark upon a hazardous and technically unexplainable journey into the outer stratosphere…to confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with my brother wizards.” The pronouncements of such eminent economic wizards as those sampled by the Booth School are as unpersuasive as they are rotund. In the unvarnished language of Forbes.com contributor Nathan Lewis, a leading witness to the fact that the Emperor has no clothes, “Academic economists of every variety, along with high-fashion architects, are now generally regarded as deluded nincompoops….”

More...http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2015/02/17/rand-paul-draws-liberal-fire-as-the-american-left-discovers-its-inner-love-of-the-fed-part-two/

[Chef Ramsay]

Foster Freiss hits Rand Paul on national security

Not all thank-you notes are created equal.

After lunching with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Capitol Hill earlier this month, Republican super-donor Foster Freiss emailed the White House hopeful a personal note thanking him for his time and for hosting him in the Senate dining room, “my favorite D.C. place to be fed.” But Paul wasn’t the only senator on the other end of Friess’ correspondence, nor were the topics limited to the Senate bean soup.

In a copy of the email obtained by the Washington Examiner, Freiss, a highly successful investment manager known for his generous support of conservative and Christian causes, gently scolded Paul’s libertarian foreign policy, especially his reticence toward more active U.S. leadership in the Middle East. Freiss didn’t keep the criticism private, either, informing Paul that he had “BCC’d” four other Republican senators on the email. Among them: Ted Cruz of Texas, considered Paul’s chief rival for the anti-Establishment vote in the 2016 primary field.

A spokesman for Cruz declined to comment on the email. In the note, Friess, who was unavailable for comment, specifically urges Paul to support sending more U.S. aid to the Kurds in the battle against the Islamic State.

More...http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/foster-freiss-hits-rand-paul-on-national-security/article/2560322

I was under the assumption (and even posted an article not too long ago) that Rand was in favor of helping out/arming the Kurds and this seems to be what this donor's main hangup is on the foreign policy front.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul on a Homeland Security shutdown, racial politics, and the Atlanta Braves
Basically a stop in Atlanta to meet with local party officials and activists to get his "Build America" slogan/campaign moving.

As metro Atlanta dithered in a nearly frozen state on Monday evening, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., gathered with some brave souls in Buckhead to lay the groundwork for what could become the skeleton of a presidential campaign here.

Right now, the project is called “Build America,” with local GOP activist Julianne Thompson and state Rep. John Pezold, R-Fortson, among the co-chairs. Former Hall County commissioner Ashley Bell is on the list of national co-chairs.

Before the event, Paul checked in by telephone for a quick interview. A partial transcription:

Insider: This “Build America” project of yours – should we consider this a shadow campaign, a preliminary campaign?

Paul: It’s an acknowledgement that people in Washington don’t build anything, and don’t really know much about what goes on in the rest of America. I live in fly-over America. I’m very conscious that people in Washington and many of the elites in our country have no idea what somebody in Georgia thinks would be good for business – someone who has a McDonald’s or runs a grocery store – what they do to stay in business and make a payroll.

This is a way to get me to bypass official Washington, bypass lobbyists and have people that I can meet in all the different states. Should we run, sure, they become people that can get me information and that can be a voice for reason outside of official Washington.

Insider: On Sunday, House Speaker John Boehner said he was “certainly” willing to shut off funding to the Department of Homeland Security over the House bill that also includes a repeal of President Barack Obama’s executive order forestalling deportation of millions of illegal immigrants. Senate Majority Mitch McConnell has said there won’t be a shutdown. Where are you on this?

Paul: It’s not so much being for or against. It’s deciding how you’re for or against something. For example, I think it is very important that the president not be able to write law and that he execute law written by Congress. And that he not execute action that contradicts what Congress wants. That doesn’t really indicate what my position is on immigration or on the shutdown, but it does mean that I’m very much worried about a president who thinks he can write the law….

I guess I don’t look at it as shutdown versus not shutdown. It would be better if government weren’t run this way. We lurch from deadline to deadline to deal with what’s called a continuing resolution, which means they glom all the spending together in one bill…

Insider: So would you be siding with McConnell on this?

Paul: It’s difficult to say exactly what that is. We just had a vote on whether or not to attach the instructions that we would not fund the executive order on immigration. I think every Republican but one, myself included, voted to say to the president that you can’t write the law….

The question is what ultimately happens. I guess it doesn’t really mean I’m for shutting down the Department of Homeland Security – just that I’m trying to send a message that we need to obey the Constitution. It’s really not easily done, because we have no power to make him do it. The president could even veto it if we passed it, and right now we have no Democrats on board. So really, we are truly at an impasse, and I really don’t know what the answer is — how we come out of the impasse.

Insider: You’re being squired around town by former Hall County commissioner Ashley Bell, who has worked with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on bringing more minorities into the GOP. How is that working?

Paul: No. 1, it’s the right thing to do, but No. 2, I think it’s our route to electoral success for the presidency. I tell everybody, the party’s got to look like the rest of America – black, white, brown, rich, poor, with tattoos, without tattoos, with earrings, without earrings. We’ve got to look more like America.

I’m trying everything I can to broaden that reach. Part of that is admitting that there still is, in some ways, two Americas – liked Martin Luther King talked about in ’67. Then it was de jure, or by law, now it’s sort of de facto. But it still exists. Some of it actually is still a legal problem. Minorities tend to get caught up in the criminal justice system more than whites. I think some of it’s a disproportionate amount of poverty and lack of good representation.

If people are always in one neighborhood, more people of that color are going to get snatched up, even though white kids are doing the same thing. Police just don’t happen to be in their neighborhood as much. It adds up after a while.

Insider: Did you hear what FBI Director James Comey said on this topic last week?

Paul: Yes, but I’m not sure I completely agree with him. He was talking more about – and I think it’s important to talk about this – that people still make judgments based on the color of their skin. I think that’s probably true.

But I think in the war on drugs, it’s more to do with an inadvertent racial outcome, because many of the policemen in the big cities are black. And I don’t know that black policemen are prejudiced in their arrests. I think they just tend to go where crime is. And unfortunately there are a disproportionate amount of African-Americans among the poor, Hispanics among the poor. But if you look at whites according to income, you’d find that a disproportionate amount of poor whites are incarcerated, too.

So what I would say is that sentences needs to be fairer. Putting somebody in jail for 50 years for selling marijuana is ridiculous and ought to stop.

When people have served their time, they ought to get their right to vote back. I have a bill with [Senate Minority Leader] Harry Reid to restore federal voting rights after you’ve served your time….

Insider: How often are we going to be seeing you down here?

Paul: You know, Atlanta – I love coming back to Atlanta. I met my wife here. She worked for Sprint back in the ‘80s. We met about ’89. I was at Georgia Baptist Medical Center, which is now Atlanta Medical. I also did a couple months at Grady when I was in medical school in ’87. So I have fond memories of Atlanta.

I was a Braves fan when they lost a hundred games.

Insider: It’s about to be déjà vu.

http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/02/17/rand-paul-on-a-homeland-security-shutdown-racial-politics-and-the-atlanta-braves/?ecmp=ajc_social_facebook_2014_politics_sfp

This is Rand's ticket to getting the public behind him and also to focus attention on getting Americans back to work for real cause he knows the powers that be want foreign policy to dictate the next presidential primary.

[Chef Ramsay]

NYT: Rand Paul Is Looking to Announce Presidential Run on April 7

WASHINGTON — Senator Rand Paul is eyeing April 7 as the day he will announce his plans to run for president, people close to him said, a step that would position him ahead of his potential Republican rivals as a declared candidate and allow him to begin raising money directly for his campaign 10 months before the Iowa caucuses.

Mr. Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky and the heir to the robust Ron Paul grass-roots network, will take the next month to continue talking with members of his family about whether they are comfortable moving forward with the exhausting and, at times, agonizing rigors of a modern presidential campaign.

Only his family’s doubts could change his mind at this point, said associates of the senator, who insisted on anonymity because Mr. Paul’s plans had not yet taken final shape.

An announcement in early April would afford Mr. Paul certain advantages with the Federal Election Commission calendar. April 1 is the beginning of a quarterly reporting period, and he would have almost that entire time to raise money toward what his advisers hope would be a strong initial total to demonstrate that he is a serious competitor. Once he announced, Mr. Paul would also be able to transfer into his presidential campaign any of the $2.9 million he had in his Senate campaign account at the end of 2014.

More...[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/18/us/politics/rand-paul-is-looking-to-april-to-announce-plan-to-run-for-president-associates-say.html?_r=0[/url

Getting close to game time. 

[Chef Ramsay]

Two swing states: Rand Paul in dead heat with Hillary Clinton

COLORADO: Clinton 43 - Paul 41
IOWA: Clinton 45 - Paul 37
VIRGINIA: Clinton 44 - Paul 42

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton runs best overall against leading Republican White House contenders in three critical swing states, Colorado, Iowa and Virginia, but U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is in a virtual tie with her in Colorado and Virginia, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released today. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ties her in Virginia, the largest of the three, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is in a virtual tie in Colorado.

Secretary Clinton has a markedly better favorability rating than the Republicans in all three states, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll finds. The Swing State Poll focuses on key states in the presidential election.

In this early look at possible 2016 presidential matchups, New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is the poorest performing Republican, trailing Clinton by margins of 5 to 10 percentage points, while each of the other Republicans is in the running in at least one state.

Walker has the lowest name recognition of any of the candidates.

In each state, Jeb Bush's family ties to the White House have more of a negative impact than Hillary Clinton's ties. Also in each state, 74 percent or more of voters say the fact that Clinton would be the first woman president would not affect their vote.

"Gov. Jeb Bush has a family problem. Many voters don't like him coming from a family of presidents," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "If voters are still saying by 4-1 margins this makes them less likely to vote for him when the balloting begins, that will be trouble for him.

"Few voters, however, say they are put off by Mrs. Clinton being the wife of former President Bill Clinton."

"Several of the GOP contenders can take some solace from this poll, although Hillary Clinton remains queen of the public opinion hill at this point. The one GOPer for whom these numbers are a total drag is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie," Brown added.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wins the 'fresh face' award, doing well against the Clinton standard, especially when he still remains an unknown to many voters. Gov. Mike Huckabee is within an average of five points of her in these three key states."

Colorado

Clinton gets 43 percent to Paul's 41 percent in the presidential race in Colorado. She tops or ties the other Republicans:

43 - 34 percent over Gov. Christie;
44 - 36 percent over Bush;
42 - 40 percent over Gov. Walker;
44 - 39 percent over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The Democrat's margin among women ranges from 8 to14 percentage points. Men are more closely divided, except for Paul's 8-point lead.

Her lead among independent voters ranges from too close to call against Paul or Walker to a 7 percentage point lead over either Bush or Christie.

Colorado voters don't think much of any of the candidates. They give Clinton a split 46 - 47 percent favorability rating. Favorability ratings for the Republicans are negative or split:

26 - 47 percent for Christie;
29 - 43 percent for Bush;
33 - 33 percent for Paul;
33 - 34 percent for Huckabee;
24 - 21 percent for Walker with 54 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

Because Jeb Bush is son to former President George H.W. Bush and brother to former President George W. Bush, 39 percent of Colorado voters are less likely to vote for him, while 8 percent are more likely and 52 percent say the family tie won't affect their vote.

Only 24 percent of voters are less likely to vote for Hillary Clinton because of President Bill Clinton, while 15 percent are more likely and 59 percent say it will make no difference.

The fact that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman president makes no difference in their vote, 74 percent of Colorado voters say.

"Today, at least, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky give former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a run for her money in Colorado," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

"Neither gender nor spouse seem to raise red flags for Hillary Clinton."

Iowa

While she doesn't hit the all-important 50 percent mark, Clinton tops all the listed Republicans in Iowa:

45 - 38 percent over Huckabee;
45 - 37 percent over Paul;
44 - 34 percent over Christie;
45 - 35 percent over Bush;
45 - 35 percent over Walker.

The Democrat's lead among women ranges from 20 to 28 percentage points. Clinton trails among men by margins of 3 to 14 percentage points.

Her lead among independent voters ranges from 9 to 16 percentage points.

Iowa voters give Clinton a 49 - 40 percent favorability rating. Favorability ratings for the Republicans are negative or divided:

28 - 38 percent for Christie;
25 - 37 percent for Bush;
28 - 31 percent for Paul;
35 - 33 percent for Huckabee;
21 - 23 percent for Walker with 55 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

More...http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/2016-presidential-swing-state-polls/release-detail?ReleaseID=2149

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul on Glenn Beck Radio Program discusses Politico's Audit the Fed article
For those that don't know, Beck is one of the top 5 biggest talk radio programs in the US and he's of the conservative flavor. Glad to see Rand is on such a big show with an audience that needs to hear more of this and he's getting the chance to repudiate what all these bankers are saying about his Audit the Fed bill that scares them. I believe the politico article they're talking about is ^post 827.
Here's the link the 16 minute interview today - https://soundcloud.com/glennbeck/beck-blitz-senator-rand-paul-discusses-an-audit-of-the-fed

Or, a partial transcript

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) appeared on Glenn Beck’s radio program Thursday to respond to what Beck called a “hit piece” in Politico criticizing the senator’s push to audit the Federal Reserve.

“They bring up a lot of points that somebody like me looks at and says, ‘Well, gee, that kind of makes sense. What’s Rand talking about?’ So let’s go over these point by point,” Beck told the senator. “The article says the [Federal Reserve's] finances are already subject to an audit by the GAO, the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Inspector General and outside audit firms.”

Paul suggested Beck watch a “really great exchange” where a congressman asked the Federal Reserve auditor during a committee hearing what was purchased with around $2 trillion. The auditor said they were “not allowed” to audit Federal Reserve bank activities.

“I don’t think that’s a real audit,” Paul said. “We have a bunch of fake audits, and the fake audits don’t reveal any of the information we want to know. We want to know, who are they buying the stuff from? What are they paying for it? Are they paying a fair market rate, or because it’s someone’s brother-in-law, are they actually paying more for something than it’s actually worth?”

“We don’t know any of that so we don’t really have an audit,” Paul continued. “It’s appalling that something Congress created is such an enormous creature, a creature that creates its own money is now lobbying government. They should be forbidden from lobbying government and forbidden from trying to influence legislation. I think it’s appalling that they’re trying to stop any oversight of the Federal Reserve.”

Beck countered that in the Politico article it reads: “Those interested in what’s on the Fed’s balance sheet can find out, down to the individual bond, on the website of the New York Federal Reserve.”

“I think that that’s true and untrue at the same time,” Paul responded. “There are lists of what their assets are, but they aren’t individualized. You can’t tell who they bought them from or whether they were bought at fair market price or whether they were bought at a haircut and whether or not there were any conflicts of interests in the buying and selling.”

The senator said it is “very concerning” how much the Federal Reserve will not disclose, and his push to audit the institution now has overwhelming bipartisan support.

“Now the Fed has got an all-out onslaught and push against this,” Paul said. “And it should worry people that an individual bank that has the monopoly privilege granted to it by Congress is able to print up money to lobby against legislation that would cause more oversight. That should worry all of us.”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/02/19/rand-paul-responds-to-politico-hit-piece-criticizing-his-position-on-the-fed/

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul eyes debt-ceiling fight in Audit the Fed push

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is mulling attaching his Audit the Fed legislation to a vote to raise the debt ceiling, Paul spokesman Brian Darling told The Hill.

Darling said that Paul, who is considering a 2016 presidential campaign, fully expects to get a vote on the measure in the Senate this year and that "there are numerous options to get a bill passed by itself or combined with other legislation."

"The strategy going forward will be to use regular order," Darling told The Hill. "If regular order does not work, Audit the Fed would be a great amendment to a debt-limit increase or any other piece of must pass legislation that hits the Senate floor."

The move is a clear signal of how serious Paul is about getting a vote on the legislation that has garnered political blowback from top Fed officials. The proposal allows for increased congressional oversight at the central bank.

...

More...http://thehill.com/policy/finance/233249-rand-paul-eyes-debt-ceiling-fight-in-audit-the-fed-push

[Chef Ramsay]

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—He didn’t outline his criminal justice reforms in so many words, avoiding mention of harsh mandatory minimum sentences or unfair drug laws. Instead, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky opened his speech at an Alabama GOP dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery Friday night with a story about a local woman who was caught last year stealing eggs.

The story, he said, was about justice, in that the woman, a poor resident of Tarrant, a blighted area north of Birmingham dotted with industrial plants, couldn’t afford the eggs for her family. “As a Christian, I think about that our religion talks about redemption, and that maybe the law should give people second chances.”

"Maybe the law should give people second chances.”
...
What drew shouts of approval, however, was the gold standard Republican rallying cry to cut taxes.

Near the end of his 25 minute speech, Paul noted the need to diversify the Republican constituency. “I tell people that when we win big, when we win the presidency again—it’s not Alabama’s fault, you guys are doing just fine—but there’s some other states we’re having trouble with: Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio. We win a lot of those states, but we can’t win the big cities, because we’re not getting enough African-American vote, we’re not getting enough Hispanic vote, we’re not getting enough working class vote. We’re not really, I think, showing enough concern, for those who aren’t sharing in the American dream,” he said.

To win more African-American votes, Rand and other potential Republican contenders need to do “a little more reaching out and explaining” of values, said Angelitta Carmichael, of Mobile, Alabama. She said values differ dramatically among Christians between Democrats and Republicans. In the coming months, Carmichael said she’s closely watching Paul and Jeb Bush.

Wayne Reynolds, a Vietnam Veteran, was cautious in his assessment of Paul as a contender for the Republican nomination. “I support him proceeding so we have a choice. He’s a good choice for us to consider,” Reynolds said after the speech. He said he’d like to see what the other candidates have to offer before settling on one nominee; he’s particularly impressed with Bush and Gov. Walker. But, he said, it’s a long way till 2016, “and my vote will go to whoever can best beat the Democrat.”

Other marks in the plus column for Paul? “He’s conservative, he’s for cost-maintenance, he’s for national defense,” Reynolds said, “but he’s not for putting our soldiers at risk needlessly.”

A number of Alabama Republican officials were among the 950 people in attendance, including Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, whose name, when it was read out, drew hoots and cheers. Moore is leading the charge against gay marriage in the state, where he ordered probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

More...http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-21/rand-paul-talks-eggs-crime-and-second-chances-in-alabama

I don't get how this guy can be impressed by the likes of Bush considering he mentions how Rand isn't for putting troops at risk needlessly. Certainly, it's obviously been proven that the likes of a Bush doesn't think twice about how or when they deploy troops nor what the risks are prior to making that decision. I hope he sees the light but my guess is that all the Bush money that will be poured on the likes of this guy ruthlessly over the coming times, not to mention the free media from the establishment 'journalists' that will be bombarding the vulnerable republican drones attempting to force this "Bush is the electable one" meme and clearly it's what any republican will want to hear in terms of taking on a Hillary. It's people like Mr. Wayne that are part of the problem on the republican side cause they're either clueless or very easy to sway and that's why the GOP has gone downhill for so long. Voting for the democrat-lite republican is the culprit that befalls most conservatives as time has shown.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul: Federal Government Has Become ‘Enormous Monster With Tentacles Into Every Aspect Of Your Life

...
Paul shifted into discussing how different Washington is from the rest of America.

“When I was first elected, I proposed that we cut $500 billion in spending, and everybody in Washington said ‘Oh my goodness, this guy is crazy—he wants to really cut spending, he wants to really balance the budget,’” Paul said. “I got home back in Kentucky, and you know what they said? They said that’s a good start. They said now what are you going to do about the $18 trillion in debt? They’re not even concerned just with the deficit. In the real world, the people want us to balance the budget every year and actually do something about the $18 trillion debt.”

Paul noted the difference in culture is largely due to the liberal media on Capitol Hill and throughout D.C.

“The thing is is that the media, the liberal media, the people who call us flyover country America, know nothing about us,” Paul said. “They don’t represent us. They don’t have our values. And the thing is is that somehow Washington gets distracted into thinking this is what America is really about. Raise your hand if you’ve spent more than you bring in chronically for the last 10, 20 or 30 years.”

No hands went up in the entire audience.

“Nobody does that,” Paul said. “Everyone balances their family budget. They think we’re extremists. Somebody said ‘oh this is extreme.’ And I said, ‘to balance the budget, to only spend what comes in, is extreme?’”
...

More...http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/21/rand-paul-federal-government-has-become-enormous-monster-with-tentacles-into-every-aspect-of-your-life/

This is a different report from the Alabama GOP dinner from last night and it's exactly what republicans need to understand when it comes to real conservatives and fake ones. Significant budget cuts being offered not meaningless piddly cuts in the increase of govt growth. Or, in the case of Governors like Bush and Walker, they may have one good thing in their records that they hang their hat on but you'll note that budgets only expanded every year under their terms over the last one. It's not hard to see what the facts are but even the media like at Fox won't call it how it is. Yet, republicans sit there and act like they're gonna keep an eye on these candidates when all that means is that it gives the media and the heavy money in these campaigns plenty of time to obfuscate the facts and fool them into voting for the candidate that doesn't actually represent their views. Hence, this is why the republicans keep bringing up these phony conservatives, one after the other, to sway support away from the real anti-establishment candidate which is always a libertarian-republican: as only they have proven and can be trusted to actually reduce govt spending. This little shell game they play always allows the establishment candidate to come out on top at the end of the primary season: Bush I, Dole, Bush II. McCain, Romney and hopefully this time around not Bush.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rep. Clawson: We need to get Rand Paul into the White House

NAPLES, Florida — Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL), a conservative who won a special election last year and was then elected to a full term in the House of Representatives, tells Breitbart News at an event for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that America needs “more outsiders” like the senator in Washington, D.C., to fight back against special interests.

After an event where Paul spoke to and took questions from grassroots conservatives in Naples, Clawson said:

I think that we need more outsiders that bring real world business experience to our policy discussions. To give you an idea, the world has become a global competitive maelstrom. Too often we lose—Americans, American companies, and the American worker—because Washington doesn’t have a handle on that. So the more folks that have a handle on how economies work and how markets work, the better off we will be. And I think, secondly, a little bit in touch with the average folks—they want to keep their privacy, they want to keep their phone records. So that’s the second thing that an outsider I think brings that real folks outside the beltway are thinking.

Clawson, who took office last summer and has been in Washington for about half a year now, says the “biggest surprise” he’s seen in his time there is how powerful the special interests are here.

“I think that the biggest surprise would be the influence of money and special interests in the process. I think that limiting special interest involvement would get us to a more pure governance. I would say that would be my biggest surprise,” Clawson said. “By doing that, we would vote more towards what’s best for the overall group as opposed to particular constituents or groups that have skin in the game.”

Clawson, during his speech introducing Paul, said that he thinks Paul needs to become the next president of the United States.

“We need folks like this, who come from the outside, who have real life and business experience, understand how government clamps down on us—how it’s taking our liberties by squashing growth and muting the business cycle and killing jobs,” Clawson said in the remarks. “So I will always be loyal to the senator for his friendship and support when it was most needed, but most of all we need to find a way for this man to get into the White House to lead our country back to where it’s supposed to be, which is about liberty and about economic opportunity.”

When asked why he’s supportive of a Paul presidential candidacy, Clawson said he thinks the most important thing is getting a Republican into the White House—but Paul would be the right Republican. Clawson said:

I think the most important thing is that we have a Republican in the White House. What does that mean in a real sense? I hope we don’t kill each other in the primary and weaken whoever wins coming out the other end like we did last time. Having the White House is the most important goal. And then irrespective of who wins, I will do everything I can to support them in the next process, so that’s number one.

I’ve been partial to Rand Paul long before I ever dreamed of being involved in the political process because I think we need more folks in Washington who will make hard choices with respect to spending so that the next generation has a chance of getting a job, and that we understand the marketplace and that is a major driver here. Then the third thing is I respect privacy. Fourth, is it doesn’t get us into bad wars. I’m all for taking on these savages, and we need to take on ISIL, but I think it ought to be Muslim boots on the ground. I think we have a lot of policy areas where we agree...

More...http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/21/exclusive-rep-curt-clawson-we-need-to-get-rand-paul-into-the-white-house/

Sure is nice to have some support from down in Florida for a change. Rand helped this guy get elected down there and he's already a top notch Rep that even voted against the current republican House leadership.

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul's 2016 Team Comes Together

In the wake of a New York Times report that claims Sen. Rand Paul will announce in April he's running for president, another report breaks down the growing team of experts that will help him with his candidacy.

The Washington Post discusses the Kentucky Republican's inner circle of nine trusted confidants and advisers and what role they'll serve in his White House campaign.

Among Paul's advisers is Jesse Benton, who is married to Paul's niece. Benton worked briefly on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign last year but serves as one of Paul's closest advisers, reports the Post.

Mike Biundo, the Post writes, will spearhead Paul's all-important New Hampshire campaign ahead of the nation's first primary, scheduled for early next year. Biundo hails from the Granite State and worked on the 2012 presidential campaign of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, along with Pat Buchanan's 1996 campaign.

Former Iowa state Rep. Steve Grubbs, who in the past has worked for Bob Dole and Steve Forbes, will lead the Paul campaign in Iowa.

Media consultant Rex Elsass first began working with Paul during the 2010 Senate race and will work on getting Paul's message out for 2016, the Post reports. Working with Elsass will be Sergio Gor, who serves as Paul's communications adviser, according to the Post.

Running the digital operation of Paul's campaign will be Vincent Harris, who Paul hired in November. The 26-year-old Texan previously did work for Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, two potential 2016 candidates on the Republican side. Harris has also been working to help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu win re-election.

More...http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/rand-paul-campaign-team-2016/2015/02/19/id/625853/#ixzz3SQ3E8YUN

[Chef Ramsay]

Exclusive — Rand Paul: Jeb Bush Has 'Electability Problem'

NAPLES, Florida — Wall Street seems to be wasting money on another Republican who may have no shot at the White House in former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, one of Bush’s biggest likely 2016 GOP primary opponents—Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)—tells Breitbart News in an exclusive interview.

“I think his main electability problem is with the Republican base,” Paul said.

What you need, I think, is someone who has the ability to excite the Republican base and expand the party. You can’t have someone who is so moderate that they think they can get the moderate vote but can’t excite the Republican base.

I think that is the biggest obstacle he has to overcome, is that being a moderate in a conservative party is difficult. When you refer to conservatives in the third person, as he did recently, that makes it even more difficult I think to connect with conservatives. When the first person you call when you decide to run is Hillary Clinton, that doesn’t really endear you to the grassroots.

Paul is saying that Bush may attempt to muscle his way to the nomination by appealing to moderate GOP voters nationwide with big fundraising and big government support, but if somehow Bush comes away with the nomination he won’t be able to get conservatives to show up and vote for him in November 2016. That was the same problem Mitt Romney faced in 2012, and John McCain in 2008—meaning that if Wall Street backs Bush in the primary, it may be supporting the prospects of Hillary Clinton or another Democrat.

Paul tells Breitbart News that Bush is likely to face widespread resistance from many Republican voters in the state where he was governor: Florida.

“One thing I noticed this morning about being in Florida, an early primary state, is that if I were Jeb Bush, I’d be very worried about his Common Core position because the one thing I noticed about the crowd this morning was the unity and enthusiasm in opposition to Jeb Bush’s position on Common Core,” Paul said.

Paul was referring to a grassroots event with Collier County Republicans on Saturday morning, where he spoke for about 30 minutes then took questions.

“Sen. Paul, Jeb Bush—through his influence over our state legislature—is killing our efforts to return our education system to our local communities and districts. What’s your view on Common Core?” one Republican activist asked Paul.

Paul responded by noting that he supports dismantling the entire Department of Education, including Common Core.

“Good question. I’m an old-fashioned conservative. I grew up supporting Ronald Reagan when it was part of our platform to get rid of the entire Department of Education. I still think we should,” Paul said.

The crowd of about 100 GOP grassroots activists, including many who aren’t the most conservative in the world, rose to its feet in thunderous applause for Paul.

“We found a Common Core in the English section that talks about the demise—it’s an op-ed that someone just put in there that you’re supposed to read for English comprehension and it talks about the Cold War,” Paul continued as the crowd quieted down.

It says, well, the Cold War finally ended when Reagan apologized to Gorbachev, they became friends and then Gorbachev ended the Cold War. That’s not exactly right. The danger of having a national curriculum where you use the bully force of the federal government to force things down is that bias could enter into the curriculum. I think that is a bias there.

My fear is that if one person makes a mistake in Washington—even a mistake on explaining math, which they’ve had some problems with. My son and I—kids don’t watch any of the news, but my son forwarded me something on Common Core and he forwarded me the math problem and we look at the math problem—I tested out of calculus, I’m pretty good at math—we were struggling to understand what they wanted us to get out of a two digit addition problem.

So the thing is I’m not here to tell you I know the best way to do two digit addition problems, you should figure that out locally with your teachers, your principals, your school boards. I’m not against national tests. When I was a kid, you took the College Board Achievement test. You should want to know how Florida compares to Kentucky and how it compares to India and China and all these other countries.

Comparison statistics is a great idea. It just shouldn’t be mandated from Washington. I’m very much opposed to any of this being in Washington. I’m on the Education committee, and I will introduce an amendment to try to stop and defund Common Core.

The room rose in thunderous applause again. “What a guy!” one man, an army veteran who had asked a previous question, yelled in admiration.

In his interview with Breitbart News later, Paul said that the GOP nominee needs to be a conservative who can reach out to new potential voting blocs without compromising principle.

“What I find as I’m traveling around the country is that people don’t want us to dilute our message,” Paul said.

They don’t want our message to be Democrat-light. They don’t want our message to be wishy-woshy. They want our message to be principled. They want us to boldly be for what we are for. I think you can be all of that and still find new voters by taking aspects of your message that haven’t been listened to and haven’t been heard to new venues. That doesn’t mean we give up on what we stand for.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/21/exclusive-rand-paul-jeb-bush-has-electability-problem/

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Taps Liberty Movement Leader As Iowa Political Director

Sen. Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential campaign, which in recent months has gone from being a strong possibility to a near certainty, has hired a new political director to conduct operations in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa.

Jonathan Van Norman, who served as former Rep. Ron Paul’s regional director in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District during his 2012 presidential run, will join an Iowa campaign team which is already staffed with several big names such as former Iowa Republican Party chairmen Steve Grubbs and AJ Spiker. In addition to his work for Ron Paul 2012, Van Norman’s impressive resume includes Liberty For All (a political action committee which proved crucial for Thomas Massie’s 2012 victory), the National Right To Work Committee, and most recently as a Regional Field Director for the Republican Party of Kentucky.

More...http://blog.libertyconservatives.com/rand-paul-taps-liberty-movement-leader-as-iowa-political-director/

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Taps Liberty Movement Leader As Iowa Political Director

Sen. Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential campaign, which in recent months has gone from being a strong possibility to a near certainty, has hired a new political director to conduct operations in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa.

Jonathan Van Norman, who served as former Rep. Ron Paul’s regional director in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District during his 2012 presidential run, will join an Iowa campaign team which is already staffed with several big names such as former Iowa Republican Party chairmen Steve Grubbs and AJ Spiker. In addition to his work for Ron Paul 2012, Van Norman’s impressive resume includes Liberty For All (a political action committee which proved crucial for Thomas Massie’s 2012 victory), the National Right To Work Committee, and most recently as a Regional Field Director for the Republican Party of Kentucky.

More...http://blog.libertyconservatives.com/rand-paul-taps-liberty-movement-leader-as-iowa-political-director/