Rand Paul announces his candidacy for the Presidency in 2016

 As expected Rand Paul announced today that he will seek the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 2016. Here are some excerpts from his announcement speech:

“I have a message,”

A message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We’ve come to take our country back. We’ve come to take our country back from the special interests that use Washington as their personal piggy bank. The special interests that are more concerned with their personal welfare than the general welfare. The Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives—must be stopped.

“I wasn’t supposed to win [the Senate race]. No one thought I would. Some people asked me then — why are you running?” Paul said. “The answer is the same now as it was then. I have a vision for America. I want to be part of a return to prosperity. A true economic boom that lifts all Americans. A return to a government restrained by the Constitution.”

“Too often when Republicans have won, we have squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine,” Paul said. “That’s not who I am. That’s not why I ran for office the first time, just a few years ago. The truth is, I loved my life as a small town doctor. Every day when I woke up, I felt lucky to be able to do the things I loved. More importantly, I was blessed to be able to do things that made a difference in people’s lives.”

  A quick break from the excerpts: Rand Paul nailed it in that last paragraph. In the last two off-year elections the Republicans won on an anti-establishment message only to fall in line with the so-called leadership of the Republican party and John Boehner made sure of it by punishing those who tried to change the way Washington worked. 

  Back to the excerpts:

“As I watch our once great economy collapse under mounting spending and debt, I think, what kind of America will our grandchildren see?”

It seems to me that both parties and the entire political system are to blame. Big government and debt doubled under a Republican administration and it’s now tripling under Barack Obama’s watch. President Obama is on course to add more debt than all of the previous Presidents combined. We borrow a million dollars a minute. This vast accumulation of debt threatens not just our economy, but our security. We can wake up now and do the right thing—quit spending money we don’t have.

“This message of liberty is for Americans from all walks of life,” Paul said. “The message of liberty, opportunity and justice is for all Americans, whether you wear a suit, a uniform or overalls, whether you’re white or black, rich or poor. In order to restore America..one thing is for certain though: We cannot, we must not, dilute our message or give up on our principles.”

  And then he drove the point home:

“If we nominate a candidate who is simply Democrat-light, what’s the point? Why bother?” Paul said. “We need to boldly proclaim our vision for America. We need to go boldly forth under the banner of liberty that clutches the Constitution in one hand, and the Bill of Rights in the other.”

  There are many more quotes from Rand Paul’s speech in the article I linked to above and I think everybody should check them out, even if you do not agree with him on every issue–I don’t but I think he is going to be the one true Constitutionalist in the race. Others might talk about the Constitution but it seems as if they only really support the document when it advances their agenda while at the same time they are willing to ignore it when it does not.

  I think this message can resonate with the voters and I believe he is articulate enough to get his message out there. One think is certain and that is his candidacy has the Republican establishment very worried, why else would they already be launching attack ads against him?

  Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium