Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Rand Paul launches 2016 presidential campaign

Rand Paul launches 2016 bid with attack on GOP - Alex Isenstadt and Katie Glueck - POLITICO:

April 7, 2015 - "Rand Paul took aim at Washington and his fellow Republicans as he formally launched his presidential bid on Tuesday, railing against his party for catering to special interests and framing himself as an anti-establishment figure with broad voter appeal.

"The first-term Kentucky senator and ophthalmologist sought to set himself apart from both his father Ron Paul — an uncompromising libertarian figure who made three unsuccessful runs for the White House — and the rest of the Republican field.

"'Too often, when Republicans have won, we’ve squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine,' Paul said during a rousing rally with chants of 'President Paul' from the packed crowd at the Galt House Hotel. 'If we nominate a candidate who is simply Democrat-light, why bother? What’s the point?'

"Paul laid out a staunchly conservative vision that he said was also inclusive, aimed at empowering poorer Americans through greater education and economic opportunities....

"Paul, 52, hit on some of the same themes associated with his father, who departed Congress in 2013 but continues to deliver speeches and write doom-and-gloom columns about the dangers posed by the federal government.

"'Big government and debt doubled under a Republican administration and is now tripling under Barack Obama’s watch,' Paul said, in an apparent jab at former President George W. Bush whose brother Jeb is a 2016 contender. 'We’ve come to take our country back from the special interests that use Washington as their personal piggy bank'....

"Paul also addressed foreign policy, an issue that has exposed him to attacks from rivals who say he’s too dovish and too like his father. On Tuesday, Paul — who has previously articulated a non-interventionist approach and has called for cuts to Pentagon spending — struck a delicate balance.

"'We need a national defense robust enough to defend against all attack, modern enough to deter all enemies, and nimble enough to defend our vital interests,' he said. 'But we also need a foreign policy that protects American interests and encourages stability — not chaos.'"

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/rand-paul-2016-campaign-launch-116723.html
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