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

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul gets endorsement from conservative SC  US Representative Mulvaney

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney says he's supporting Rand Paul's bid for president.

The South Carolina congressman told The Associated Press on Monday that he's backing Paul because he believes voters will embrace a Republican candidate who breaks with the party's establishment and supports less government involvement in their lives.

Mulvaney says he's not discouraged by Paul's low-single-digit poll numbers. The third-term congressman said he believes the U.S. senator from Kentucky has a campaign strategy in many early voting states that will serve him well in the long haul.

Mulvaney and Paul are slated to make several stops together in early voting South Carolina this week.

...http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=oPfUbIXd

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul: Here’s How the GOP Can Stop Government Dysfunction

When I ran for office, I ran in opposition to the establishment and the politicians in both parties. Bank bailouts, Obamacare, and a failure to stand up and fight were among my main complaints, and these were many of the same frustrations that moved people to start the Tea Party.

Frankly, I just got sick of throwing things at my television and decided to do something about it by running for office. I took on the special interests and Washington Machine, and I won.

Since I’ve been in Washington, let me tell you, it is every bit as bad as I feared. It’s why so many people—myself included—are angry and challenging the status quo.

At first, we were told that we couldn’t fight for change because we didn’t control the Senate. Now we are told we can’t take a stand until we win the Presidency. I’m tired of waiting—it’s time to stand and fight for the principles of limited government that voters sent us to office to defend.

This week will be a crucial test. Putting forward a “continuing resolution” is simply more of the status quo: More debt, more Obamacare, more funding of Planned Parenthood.

I won’t vote to continue borrowing and spending a million dollars a minute. I urge the leaders of my party to do something different: to take the offensive for our beliefs rather than surrendering before the battle begins.

...http://time.com/4043506/rand-paul-heres-how-the-gop-can-stop-government-dysfunction/?xid=tcoshare

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul on Face the Nation w/ John Dickerson 9/20/15/
Great interview of Rand on one of the major free cable channels in the US that alot of americans view daily, Sundays of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4jDJhpLUqQ

[Chef Ramsay]

[VIDEO] Rand Vs Sanders SS reform

Rand is making a case for liberty against socialism at the recent Heritage action forum. Pretty good watch and listen. Rand kills it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=40&v=TLCxZDJOx-o

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul and 10 Heedless Hawks

The Kentucky senator offers a desperately needed alternative to the GOP's mindless militarism

At a Q&A session in Dallas a year ago, Rand Paul expressed skepticism about whether the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) posed "a threat to our national security." Hours later at another event in Dallas, the Kentucky senator said that if he were president he "would lay out the reasoning of why ISIS is a threat to our national security and seek congressional authorization to destroy ISIS militarily."

Paul's sudden conversion on the merits of war with ISIS made me worry that, in catering to Republican primary voters, he would lose his distinctive voice on foreign policy, which urges caution and modesty instead of the heedless interventionism advocated by his rivals. But last week's Republican presidential debate showed that Paul still offers a desperately needed alternative to the mindless militarism favored by the GOP.

"We have a world that grows increasingly dangerous," Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida declared, "and we are eviscerating our military spending." It is so eviscerated that the U.S. spends more on the military than the next seven countries combined.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson nevertheless agreed with Rubio that U.S. military spending is dangerously low. "We need the strongest military on the face of the planet," Fiorina said, "and everyone has to know it." Although we and they already do, Fiorina still wants to boost spending on the Army, Navy, and Marines.

...https://reason.com/archives/2015/09/23/rand-paul-and-10-heedless-hawks

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul’s Bad Numbers Are Due to the Youth Being Ignored

In the latest CNN poll since last Wednesday’s Republican primary debate, Rand Paul polled just 4% - in eighth place.

Boy, does that sound bad.

Good thing it’s not.

You see, national polls are completely ignoring the youth vote. And we don’t mean “18-24″ youth vote - we mean that they are refusing to poll voters under the age of 50 - or at least refuse to report the crosstabs.

This CNN poll has Rand Paul with 4%, but nobody under 50 years old was polled. This CBS poll didn’t either. Nor this Monmouth poll. Nor this ABC poll.

When polls do show crosstabs that include age, Rand Paul does much better. In this WBUR New Hampshire poll, Rand Paul receives just 2% - but he gets 9% of the youth vote.

It is true that young people vote less than older people do. Nonetheless, about a third to a half of young people vote - and in 2012, our vote was decisive in giving Obama the victory.

Though Rand Paul is middling in the polls right now, that’s largely because the youth vote - which goes heavily for Dr. Paul - is being ignored. Rand Paul is performing much better than the polls show because of this point.

...http://www.youthforrandpaul.com/post/129573342508/rand-pauls-bad-numbers-are-due-to-the-youth-being

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul brings campaign to Rock Hill, SC, now seeking Scott Walker supporters

GOP Presidential candidate Rand Paul made a campaign stop in Rock Hill Wednesday to gain more supporters and make a big announcement.

Paul has now received his first endorsement from a South Carolina representative, Congressman Mick Mulvaney.

With 15 candidates running for the Republican nomination, a new poll shows Paul is in eighth place at 4% while Donald Trump is in first place with 24%.

We asked him what he thinks about Trump's campaign and if he takes him seriously.

“I do think Donald Trump is a fake conservative and I think he is putting on an act. And he's tricked some people for a while, but you can't trick people for long. I think ultimately people are going to look for somebody more serious,” he said.

...http://www.fox46charlotte.com/news/local-news/23809121-story

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul just spoke to 500 students in South Carolina

https://twitter.com/RandPaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Students for Rand continue to impress. This followed another speech of hundreds in Rock Hill. Liberty is alive and well on campuses.

[Chef Ramsay]

Don’t count Paul out of race

There are a lot of ways to describe Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate. Luckily, two words can do it effectively: It stunk.

Despite being a ratings success for CNN with almost 23 million people tuning in, it was a disaster. Not only was it three hours long, but it was also pure chaos. The moderators lacked complete control, turning what was supposed to be an informative event into a game of which candidate could get the last word.

Nevertheless, a winner did emerge: one candidate who made the most sense and whose campaign will hopefully benefit the most from their performance. Carly Fiorina? No.

The true winner of the second debate was Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning senator from Kentucky. Unlike his fellow 10 candidates, Paul brought up what parts of the Republican agenda needed to change, mainly foreign policy and marijuana policy.

On foreign policy, Paul argued for discussion and patience when facing issues involving our standing overseas, going against the Republican trend of promoting a strong military presence abroad. This includes the previously mentioned Fiorina, who advocated for sending troops abroad and adding more items to our already bloated force.

“I don’t think we need to be rash,” Paul said. “I don’t think we need to be reckless, and I think need to leave lines of communication open.”

...http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2015/09/column-dont-count-paul-out-of-race

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul target shooting a clown at New Hampshire Firing Line
https://www.facebook.com/RandPaul/photos/a.10152070880746107.1073741828.54172246106/10153370877156107/?type=3&theater

Lots of likes piling on on facebook in a short amount of time.

[Chef Ramsay]

Lindsey Graham itching to confront Rand Paul

Lindsey Graham has told colleagues he launched his implausible presidential campaign, in part, for two reasons: Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.

The straight-talking South Carolina senator hasn't been able to rebut his two conservative Senate colleagues on a debate stage yet. But he’ll get a chance on the Senate floor later this week when he slugs it out over their hardball legislative tactics to defund Planned Parenthood that have Congress hurtling toward a government shutdown.

...http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/graham-cruz-paul-senate-213985

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul Gets It Wrong on Pot (HuffPo Goes SoCon)

During last week's Republican presidential debate, several candidates commented on marijuana use and drug policy. And recently, Obama-appointed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor also commented on legalization.
The GOP Candidates rightly expressed concern about the impact of arresting and imprisoning people solely for having or using small amounts of marijuana. Incarceration is not the solution for such cases, and often aggravates addictions. In fact, Senator Rand Paul's praise of drug courts and alternative approaches to law enforcement should be welcomed. SAM will soon be releasing a report card detailing the candidates' positions.

But the decision of Senator Paul to hold up Colorado's model of marijuana legalization as a solution is cause for concern. Colorado certainly is a model-but of failure, not success.
But one major leader did get it right -- Justice Sonia Sotomayor. In a discussion at Amherst College, she told students:
"I don't care what kind of thing you become passionate about, just not legalizing marijuana."

But Senator Paul doesn't appear to be listening. Stopping the incarceration of marijuana users and eliminating racial and income-driven disparities in the treatment of drug offenders does not mean we must legalize another addictive and dangerous drug alongside alcohol and tobacco, as Colorado has done.

...http://mobile.gazettenet.com/home/18526310-108/at-amherst-college-supreme-court-justice-sonia-sotomayor-encourages-students-to-listen-work-hard

[Chef Ramsay]

New CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Poll

Polled via land line and cell phone from 17-23 September. 820 adults polled, 344 said they plan to vote in the GOP Primary, results of the 344 who plan to vote in the GOP Primary:

# Name..................SEP Poll........JUN Poll......Change
1. Donald Trump........26%..............11%...........+15
2. Carly Fiorina ...........16%............. 6% ........ +10
3. Marco Rubio ........... 9% ..............6% ......... +3
4. Ben Carson ............. 8%.............. 5%......... +3
5. Jeb Bush ................ 7%.............. 16%........ -9
6. John Kasich ...............7%.............. 2%........ +5
7. Chris Christie.............. 5%.............. 5% ........ 0
8. Ted Cruz ................... 5% ...............3%...... +2
9. Rand Paul .................. 3% ............ 9%...... -6
10. Lindsey Graham............ 1%.............. 1%...... 0
11. Jim Gilmore................... 1%.............. 0% .... +1
12. Bobby Jindal.................. 0%.............. * ....... *
13. Mike Huckabee................*................ 2%..... -2
14. Rick Santorum .................*................0% ...... *
15. George Pataki ..................* ............... 1% ....-1
---------------------------------------------------
Not Sure...............................11%............ . 21%... -1

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/09/24/cnnorcrepublicans2016newhampshire.pdf

[Chef Ramsay]

Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio Vote for $400 Billion Spending Increase While Rand Paul Opposed It

Yesterday, the Senate voted on a “stop-gap” spending bill that would have temporarily funded the government for a few months.

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio voted for the spending bill because it “defunds Planned Parenthood,” but that misses the point completely. While Cruz and Rubio talked the talk about defunding Planned Parenthood, Rand Paul personally drafted a bill to actually do it.

But now, Cruz and Rubio are using the stop-gap spending bill to drum up support for “defunding Planned Parenthood.” But they’re off-base.

Yes, the stop-gap spending bill did defund Planned Parenthood’s roughly $500 million in funding. But the bill also increased American debt by more than $400 billion. Rand Paul refused to support such huge increases in debt and spending:

Sen. Paul has led the charge against Planned Parenthood and introduced legislation to defund it. This Short-Term Continuing Resolution, however, does everything except resolve the problem– it is a canard. This ‘resolution’ will add $400 billion in new debt over the full year and a $10 billion increase over the budget caps.
Sen. Paul has never voted for a continuing resolution or omnibus spending bill. Since taking office in 2010, he has vowed to vote against more government spending. He will vote no and will do so every time the Washington Machine tries to implement a big-spending Continuing Resolution with zero scrutiny, zero cuts, zero accountability and more debt.

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio use Planned Parenthood to drum up political support (but don’t actually propose any bills) and then vote for $400 billion in spending and debt increases.

Rand Paul is the opposite: he actually did propose a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, but strongly opposed $400 billion in spending and debt increases.

http://www.youthforrandpaul.com/post/129847222123/ted-cruz-marco-rubio-vote-for-400-billion

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul is best of Republican field

There are a ton of Republicans running for president right now. And Rand Paul reminded us in the recent debate that "there are 14 candidates willing to go back to Iraq." That Rand Paul is the only one not in a hurry to spend American dollars and American lives revisiting the biggest mistake in the last 15 years gives me hope and despair.

It saddens me that he is the only one hesitant to get involved in more foreign conflicts, but I am grateful that at least he is there. I have always respected Dr. Paul's fight to uphold the Constitution, but until now I didn't understand that for him, the Constitution doesn't do any good for American sons and daughters that have already died fighting someone else's war. During the debate, I saw a man who wants to let the Constitution protect American citizens from their government, as it was intended, and that includes protecting the men and women in the military from unconstitutional wars.

With so many people running, it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. But the recent debate proved that Rand Paul is unique in his foreign policy. If you don't want to go back to Iraq, you really have just one option. It's a good thing his tax plan is pretty great, too.

State Rep. Shem Kellogg

Plaistow, NH

http://m.eagletribune.com/opinion/letter-rand-paul-is-best-of-republican-field/article_c4975a42-4e1b-5f0c-88b4-b49114cf9b01.html?mode=jqm

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul on Fox New's Hannity discusses Syrian refugees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ful8-jI0eUQ

Rand basically blames the Saudis but it seemed like Hannity rushed to bring the interview to a close as we can't have the libertarian Paul looking tough on this refugee situation in front of a conservative audience.

[Chef Ramsay]

Paul slams spending bill

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed his Republican colleagues over backing a short-term spending bill, calling Congress a "withering shadow" of what it once was.
 
"Congress is a withering shadow," the Kentucky Republican said. "It's a shadow of what it once was. Congress has no power, exerts no power, and we walk and we live in the shadow of a presidency that is growing larger and larger and larger."

Paul's remarks come as the Senate is expected to pass a short-term spending bill that includes money for Planned Parenthood ahead of an end-of-the-month deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.
 
The Kentucky Republican, who is running for president, was one of 19 Republicans who voted against moving forward with the short-term continuing resolution (CR) during a procedural vote on Monday.
 
He added on Tuesday that the legislation is a "steaming pile of the same old same old. ... A warmed over version of yesterday's failures."

...http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/255268-paul-slams-spending-bill

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul: Ted Cruz ‘Pretty Much Done For’ in Senate

Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday said fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted. Cruz is “done for” in the Senate.

“Ted has chosen to make this really personal and chosen to call people dishonest in leadership and call them names, which really goes against the decorum and also against the rules of the Senate, and as a consequence, he can’t get anything done legislatively,” Paul told Fox News Radio. “He is pretty much done for and stifled and it’s really because of personal relationships, or lack of personal relationships, and it is a problem.”

Paul and McConnell have to support each other. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Paul has supported McConnell despite their differences.  (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has had the backing of his home-state senior senator, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, despite some tough policy differences, had been asked about Cruz’s inability to even muster the support of 11 senators to secure a roll call vote on a procedural motion designed to amend the continuing resolution to keep the government running.

The Senate’s set to vote on passage of that measure at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the last day of the federal government’s 2015 fiscal year.

“I approach things a little different, I am still just as hardcore in saying what we are doing, I just chose not to call people liars on the Senate floor and it’s just a matter of different perspectives on how best to get to the end result,” Paul said in the interview.

...http://www3.blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/rand-paul-ted-cruz-pretty-much-done-for-in-senate/

If I were Rand, I wouldn't want to be alienating Cruz supporters at this point. Thoughts?

[Chef Ramsay]

Sen. Rand Paul Jumps Cruz+Rubio In New Reuters Poll

Judging by the latest polling numbers from Reuters, rumors of the death of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s 2016 GOP Presidential campaign have been greatly exaggerated. According to the Reuters poll, Paul has jumped ahead of Senate colleagues Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas. Paul garners 5.6 % while Rubio is at 5.3% and Cruz at 5.1%Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina continue to lead the field.

While the first nominating contests are still four months away, the poll is an immensely positive sign for Paul after a recent slump. His performance at the Reagan Library debate where he schooled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on the 10th Amendment and state’s rights could definitely be a factor in Paul’s bounce.

The Paul campaign is pleased with the poll, saying it matches private polling they’ve conducted and shows the campaign’s strategies are paying off.

...http://conservativeintel.com/2015/09/30/sen-rand-paul-jumps-cruzrubio-in-new-reuters-poll/

[Chef Ramsay]

Rand Paul rolls out caucus state endorsements

Sen. Rand Paul's 2016 presidential campaign is rolling out a set of endorsements from state legislators in caucus states on Thursday, POLITICO has learned.

The move underscores Paul's effort to turnaruond lackluster polling and stay competitive in the presidential race by focusing more on caucus states. The hope is that Paul's push to win over delegates now will open a pathway that other campaigns ignore as they tear each other apart jockeying for placement in the earliest primary states. So over the past month or so, Paul has made a concerted push to campaign harder in caucus states like Maine, Washington, Wyoming, and Utah.

As part of that push, Paul has secured the endorsements of a number of state lawmakers in those states. The announcement on Thursday includes endorsements in Nevada, Minnesota, Kansas, and Utah. In Nevada, Assemblywoman Shelly Shelton, Assemblyman John Moore are backing Paul. In Minnesota, it's state Sen. Roger Chamberlain, state Sen. Brendan Peterson, Minnesota Republican Liberty Caucus Chairman Neil Lynch. In Kansas, it's state Rep. Brett Hildabrand. And in Utah, state Sen. Mark Madsen, state Rep. Jacob Anderegg, and Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee are all backing Paul.

Paul's campaign advisers say they're particularly optimistic about picking up more endorsements in Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, and Nevada. More endorsements in Utah and Wyoming are also in the pipeline, a Paul aide said. The campaign also hopes that its efforts to organize Paul chapters on college campuses will pay off in caucus states.

The endorsements come a day after CNBC announced its criteria for the next Republican presidential debate on Oct. 28 — which look like trouble for Paul. Under the network's criteria, Paul, who is currently polling at 2.3 percent in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, could well fall short of making the debate stage.

"We feel really confident that we're going to make the next debate," Michael Biundo, the Paul campaign's chief strategist for New England, said.

...http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/rand-paul-2016-caucuses-214301