Rand Paul on 2016: I Will Take on the ‘Washington Machine’
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ABC News(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Sen. Rand Paul formally announced his 2016 White House bid on Tuesday, telling an audience of supporters in his adopted home state of Kentucky that he will be a different kind of Republican — one who will “clutch the Constitution in one hand and the Bill of Rights in the other.”
“Today I announce with God’s help, with the help of liberty lovers everywhere, that I am putting myself forward as a candidate for president of the United States of America,” Paul told an estimated 1,000 supporters packed into a ballroom at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, who greeted him with cheers of “President Paul, President Paul!”
Paul laid out a vision of limiting the federal government, cutting taxes and ending the practice of government surveillance.
“The phone records of U.S. citizens are none of their damn business,” he said. “As president, on day one, I will end this unconstitutional surveillance. I believe we can have liberty and security and I will not compromise your liberty for a false sense of security.”
Paul vowed to be a different Republican leader who will take on “the Washington machine” by not giving in to special interests, which he said seek to “fill their personal piggybanks” to the disadvantage of the American public.
“Too often when Republicans have won, we’ve squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine,” he said. “That’s not who I am.”
The Kentucky Republican broke his silence on the negotiated deal with Iran, saying he would take a Reagan-like “peace through strength” approach to foreign policy in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“I will oppose any deal that does not end Iran’s nuclear ambitions and have strong verification measures and I will insist that final version be brought before Congress,” Paul said. “The difference between President Obama and myself is he seems to think you can negotiate from a position of weakness.”
Paul’s father, three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul, was in attendance at the event but did not address the crowd. The elder Paul is not expected to be a large presence in this campaign, as the younger Paul seeks to distinguish himself from his father’s purist libertarian ideals to appeal to the mainstream Republican electorate.
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