Rand Paul's platform within his speech / 15 points worth debating

[Statistikhengst]

How many times did he mention the Tea Party?

ZERO

 

[Slyhunter]

14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos

What exactly does this mean? Are you going to relax laws for minorities just to make it look good on paper? If blacks and latino's commit more crimes as a percentage of the population then their numbers in prison SHOULD be higher. I suspect he's setting up some kind of drug legalization stance.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing, since Rand's Libertarianism must actually pretty unequivocally put him in the "legalize pot" crowd.

BTW, I'm a Democrat and I am NOT for legalizing pot. I think it is wrong to do so.

Individuals should be free to do with themselves and their own property as they see fit as long as it doesn't adversely effect another individual while doing so, through force or fraud.

While I agree, I can tell you this from personal experience, drug abuse, the opiates in particular, almost always adversely affects others.. I'm a big fan of decriminalization... but I have issues with total legalization.

Legalized gambling, legalized prostitution, assisted suicide, etc.
How they get the money to feed their addictions better be legal or they will go to jail.

Drug addicts do two things, and with great regularity.. they lie and they steal.

Lying isn't illegal. If they steal throw them in jail. Plenty of people will do drugs and not steal.

 

[Missouri_Mike]

14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos

What exactly does this mean? Are you going to relax laws for minorities just to make it look good on paper? If blacks and latino's commit more crimes as a percentage of the population then their numbers in prison SHOULD be higher. I suspect he's setting up some kind of drug legalization stance.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing, since Rand's Libertarianism must actually pretty unequivocally put him in the "legalize pot" crowd.

BTW, I'm a Democrat and I am NOT for legalizing pot. I think it is wrong to do so.

Individuals should be free to do with themselves and their own property as they see fit as long as it doesn't adversely effect another individual while doing so, through force or fraud.

While I agree, I can tell you this from personal experience, drug abuse, the opiates in particular, almost always adversely affects others.. I'm a big fan of decriminalization... but I have issues with total legalization.

Legalized gambling, legalized prostitution, assisted suicide, etc.
How they get the money to feed their addictions better be legal or they will go to jail.

Drug addicts do two things, and with great regularity.. they lie and they steal.

At which point they go to prison. Or if we're lucky the house they break into has a person exorcising their freedom to own a firearm and takes them out so we don't have to worry about them any longer.

 

[Conservative65]

So, I watched and listened to Rand Paul's candidacy speech, which lasted about 23 minutes.

After describing some aspects of his life (much of it a very compelling personal history, I must say), Sen. Paul began to outline his platform, which he described as "my vision for America"

12:31 EDT "It seems to me that both parties and the entire political system are to blame" (for the failings within America). He criticized "Big Government" and debt under both parties. Interesting start to his speech, I thought.

12:32 "Quit spending money we don't have" (fiscal restraint)

12:32 "This message of liberty, opportunity and justice is for all Americans"

12:33 "In order to restore our Liberty, we can not, we must not, give up on your principles. If we nominate a candidate who is simply "Democrat-lite", what's the point? Why bother?"

12:34 "Washington is horribly broken. I fear it can't be fixed from within. We the people must rise up and demand action. Congress will never balance the budget unless we forced them to do so" - supports a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

12:35 "We limit the President to two-terms, it's about time we limit the terms of Congress" - for congressional term-limits.

12:35 He mentions his "read the bills" Act.

12:38 Economy/Employment: "I have a vision for America where everyone who wants to work will have a job." In a very populist move, Paul notes that under both parties, the cleft between the rich and poor has continued to grow.

12:39 "My plan includes economic freedom zones to allow empoverished areas like Detroit, W. Louisville, Eastern KY, to prosper by leaving more money in the pockets of the people who lived there."

12:40 Paul promises to bring back manufacturing jobs that pay well, by lowering the tax on those companies. Paul envisions building new highways and bridges in the USA not by raising taxes, but by lowering taxes on companies with manufacturing jobs outside of the USA, so that the estimate 2-3 Trillion in profits would be here rather than there. That is his point of argument.

12:41 "Liberal policies have failed our inner cities". Paul then hearkens to the words of MLK, speaking about "2 Americas." "It's time for a new way, predicated on opportunity, justice and freedom".

12:42 Paul advocates for vouchers, which he calls "school choice".

12:43 "I propose we do something extraordinary, I propose that we just spend what comes in" (back to economy / finances).

12:43 "Without question, we must defend ourselves, and our interests, from our enemies. But until we name the enemy, we can't win the war: the enemy is radical Islam. You can't get around it. And not only will I name the enemy, I will do whatever it takes to protect us from these haters of mankind."

12:44 national defense: modern and nimble. "At home, Conservatives understand that Government is the problem, not the solution. Conservatives should not succumb, though, to the notion that a government inept at home will somehow succeed in building nations abroad." AGAINST NATION BUILDING.

12:46 Rand Paul invokes Ronald Reagan: "Peace through strength". Rand Paul talked then about Iran. No Iran deal without the Congressional approval.

12:47 The goal is always: peace, not war.

12:48 "We must realize that we do not project strength by borrowing money from China to send it to Pakistan"... the gist of what he says is that he is against foreign aid, especially to any country that demonstrates against us. ANTI-FOREIGN AID.

12:49 Intelligence gathering: "Warrantless searches of Americans' phones and computers are unamerican and a threat to your civil liberties".... he then holds up a smartphone.... "I say that your phone records are yours, I say that the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damned business"....."The President created this vast dragnet by Executive Order, and as President, on Day 1, I will immediately end this unconstitutional surveillance" (massive applause). Anti NSA.

12:50 "We must defend ourselves, but we must never give up who we are as a people. We must never diminish the Bill of Rights as we fight this long war against evil. We must believe in our founding documents, we must protect economic and personal liberty again."

12:51 "I see an American strong enough deter foreign aggression, yet wise enough to avoid unnessary intervention". NON-INTERVENTIONISM.

12:51 a big surprise: "I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally, and any law that disproportionally incarcerates people of color is repealed."

12:52 He sees a "restrained" IRS that cannot harrass American citizens for their political or religious beliefs. (Big applause)

12:52 "Today begins the journey to take America back".


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, if we take his "platform points", chrononogically, then candidate Paul is:

1.) for fiscal restraint (don't spend more than we bring in)
2.) for a balanced-budget amendment to the US Constitution
3.) for congressional term-limits
4.) for "read the bills" act.
5.) for Economic Freedom Zones in the big cities.
6.) for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the USA.
7.) for school vouchers
8.) for naming the enemy as "radical Islam", and then acting accordingly.
9.) against nation-building
10.) against any Iran-deal without express Congressional approval
11.) against foreign aid
12.) strongly against the NSA and warrantless data-gathering on US citizens.
13.) anti- interventionistic
14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos
15.) for a "restrained" IRS.

Now, a lot of these talking points of his are very familiar to me. Note that Rand Paul did not mention the Fed at all. And notice that he never once used the word "God" in his speech. And when speaking of liberty, he mentioned "religious liberty" only once in his speech. That alone sets him apart from many of his expected Republican opponents for the nomination.

I have to say, Rand Paul is making a big play for minorities, especially our fellow Black citizens, talking about big cities, economic freedom zones, repealing laws that disproportionately throw blacks into jail - and also by invoking, at length, MLK. I don't remember any Republican in my lifetime ever doing that before.

On the economic stuff, I think he was very, very fuzzy.

If you compare his speech to Ted Cruz's speech, you will find striking differences. And of course, there is that Libertarian element in his thinking and actions that would indeed make him the first Libertarian Republican since Barry Goldwater to be nominated, were he to make it so far.

But I found FIFTEEN points in his speech that you could call his "platform points", and that should give people more than enough to discuss and debate.

The point I am going to start with is: agree with him or disagree with him, it looks pretty obvious to me that he is casting a larger net than Ted Cruz did. It should be noted that Rand Paul has an organization in all 50 states and appears to be savvy at securing the finances he needs to wage a primary campaign and beyond.

My encouragement would be for everyone who wants to to copy one of the platform points, like:

"7.) for school vouchers"


-and then start to give input. What surprised you about it, or didn't surprise you at all. Is there anything you expected him to say that you think he left out.

I personally am going to be VERY curious to see what his polling values among GOPers do in the next weeks. With Marco Rubio likely to announce in the next 7 days, Rand Paul will need to do all he can in this week to make his mark.

cereal_killer - I am thinking this is a debate that would especially interest you and maybe you would like to throw some wood on the fire as well.

#14 - It's not the law the disproportionately incarcerates blacks and latinos. How can an inanimate object do that? Perhaps if a disproportionate number of them don't want to be incarcerated, a disproportionate number of them should quit breaking the laws that are being blamed.

Good that you bring that point up. I thought that some Conservatives might object to Rand Paul's 14th point in his speech.

It's not a matter of objection but of pointing out that it's foolish to blame something written on a piece of paper as a cause when it can do nothing unless SOMEONE actually violates it with their own actions. I can't object to a foolish idea that does it to itself simply for being foolish.

I wasn't even disagreeing with you on the point itself. Law is law and the law is to be obeyed. The law is also supposed to be colorblind. At least that's supposed to be the guiding principle.

The problem comes in when results are disproportionate and the automatic assumption is that the only reason it is has to do with race. Using numbers alone does not prove that it isn't colorblind. Those numbers can as easily say blacks and latinos commit crimes on a disproportionately higher level. To know for sure, specifics and details would have to be examined not just a look at the raw data.

 

[defcon4]

Mike Huckabee

I think he is "too Evangelical" to appeal to many of the independents and even to some on the right.

14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos

What exactly does this mean? Are you going to relax laws for minorities just to make it look good on paper? If blacks and latino's commit more crimes as a percentage of the population then their numbers in prison SHOULD be higher. I suspect he's setting up some kind of drug legalization stance.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing, since Rand's Libertarianism must actually pretty unequivocally put him in the "legalize pot" crowd.

BTW, I'm a Democrat and I am NOT for legalizing pot. I think it is wrong to do so.

But it will gain a lot of support from some of the black and hispanic communities that's one of the reasons why he phrased 14 that way.

 

[Conservative65]

So, I watched and listened to Rand Paul's candidacy speech, which lasted about 23 minutes.

After describing some aspects of his life (much of it a very compelling personal history, I must say), Sen. Paul began to outline his platform, which he described as "my vision for America"

12:31 EDT "It seems to me that both parties and the entire political system are to blame" (for the failings within America). He criticized "Big Government" and debt under both parties. Interesting start to his speech, I thought.

12:32 "Quit spending money we don't have" (fiscal restraint)

12:32 "This message of liberty, opportunity and justice is for all Americans"

12:33 "In order to restore our Liberty, we can not, we must not, give up on your principles. If we nominate a candidate who is simply "Democrat-lite", what's the point? Why bother?"

12:34 "Washington is horribly broken. I fear it can't be fixed from within. We the people must rise up and demand action. Congress will never balance the budget unless we forced them to do so" - supports a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

12:35 "We limit the President to two-terms, it's about time we limit the terms of Congress" - for congressional term-limits.

12:35 He mentions his "read the bills" Act.

12:38 Economy/Employment: "I have a vision for America where everyone who wants to work will have a job." In a very populist move, Paul notes that under both parties, the cleft between the rich and poor has continued to grow.

12:39 "My plan includes economic freedom zones to allow empoverished areas like Detroit, W. Louisville, Eastern KY, to prosper by leaving more money in the pockets of the people who lived there."

12:40 Paul promises to bring back manufacturing jobs that pay well, by lowering the tax on those companies. Paul envisions building new highways and bridges in the USA not by raising taxes, but by lowering taxes on companies with manufacturing jobs outside of the USA, so that the estimate 2-3 Trillion in profits would be here rather than there. That is his point of argument.

12:41 "Liberal policies have failed our inner cities". Paul then hearkens to the words of MLK, speaking about "2 Americas." "It's time for a new way, predicated on opportunity, justice and freedom".

12:42 Paul advocates for vouchers, which he calls "school choice".

12:43 "I propose we do something extraordinary, I propose that we just spend what comes in" (back to economy / finances).

12:43 "Without question, we must defend ourselves, and our interests, from our enemies. But until we name the enemy, we can't win the war: the enemy is radical Islam. You can't get around it. And not only will I name the enemy, I will do whatever it takes to protect us from these haters of mankind."

12:44 national defense: modern and nimble. "At home, Conservatives understand that Government is the problem, not the solution. Conservatives should not succumb, though, to the notion that a government inept at home will somehow succeed in building nations abroad." AGAINST NATION BUILDING.

12:46 Rand Paul invokes Ronald Reagan: "Peace through strength". Rand Paul talked then about Iran. No Iran deal without the Congressional approval.

12:47 The goal is always: peace, not war.

12:48 "We must realize that we do not project strength by borrowing money from China to send it to Pakistan"... the gist of what he says is that he is against foreign aid, especially to any country that demonstrates against us. ANTI-FOREIGN AID.

12:49 Intelligence gathering: "Warrantless searches of Americans' phones and computers are unamerican and a threat to your civil liberties".... he then holds up a smartphone.... "I say that your phone records are yours, I say that the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damned business"....."The President created this vast dragnet by Executive Order, and as President, on Day 1, I will immediately end this unconstitutional surveillance" (massive applause). Anti NSA.

12:50 "We must defend ourselves, but we must never give up who we are as a people. We must never diminish the Bill of Rights as we fight this long war against evil. We must believe in our founding documents, we must protect economic and personal liberty again."

12:51 "I see an American strong enough deter foreign aggression, yet wise enough to avoid unnessary intervention". NON-INTERVENTIONISM.

12:51 a big surprise: "I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally, and any law that disproportionally incarcerates people of color is repealed."

12:52 He sees a "restrained" IRS that cannot harrass American citizens for their political or religious beliefs. (Big applause)

12:52 "Today begins the journey to take America back".


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, if we take his "platform points", chrononogically, then candidate Paul is:

1.) for fiscal restraint (don't spend more than we bring in)
2.) for a balanced-budget amendment to the US Constitution
3.) for congressional term-limits
4.) for "read the bills" act.
5.) for Economic Freedom Zones in the big cities.
6.) for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the USA.
7.) for school vouchers
8.) for naming the enemy as "radical Islam", and then acting accordingly.
9.) against nation-building
10.) against any Iran-deal without express Congressional approval
11.) against foreign aid
12.) strongly against the NSA and warrantless data-gathering on US citizens.
13.) anti- interventionistic
14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos
15.) for a "restrained" IRS.

Now, a lot of these talking points of his are very familiar to me. Note that Rand Paul did not mention the Fed at all. And notice that he never once used the word "God" in his speech. And when speaking of liberty, he mentioned "religious liberty" only once in his speech. That alone sets him apart from many of his expected Republican opponents for the nomination.

I have to say, Rand Paul is making a big play for minorities, especially our fellow Black citizens, talking about big cities, economic freedom zones, repealing laws that disproportionately throw blacks into jail - and also by invoking, at length, MLK. I don't remember any Republican in my lifetime ever doing that before.

On the economic stuff, I think he was very, very fuzzy.

If you compare his speech to Ted Cruz's speech, you will find striking differences. And of course, there is that Libertarian element in his thinking and actions that would indeed make him the first Libertarian Republican since Barry Goldwater to be nominated, were he to make it so far.

But I found FIFTEEN points in his speech that you could call his "platform points", and that should give people more than enough to discuss and debate.

The point I am going to start with is: agree with him or disagree with him, it looks pretty obvious to me that he is casting a larger net than Ted Cruz did. It should be noted that Rand Paul has an organization in all 50 states and appears to be savvy at securing the finances he needs to wage a primary campaign and beyond.

My encouragement would be for everyone who wants to to copy one of the platform points, like:

"7.) for school vouchers"


-and then start to give input. What surprised you about it, or didn't surprise you at all. Is there anything you expected him to say that you think he left out.

I personally am going to be VERY curious to see what his polling values among GOPers do in the next weeks. With Marco Rubio likely to announce in the next 7 days, Rand Paul will need to do all he can in this week to make his mark.

cereal_killer - I am thinking this is a debate that would especially interest you and maybe you would like to throw some wood on the fire as well.

#14 - It's not the law the disproportionately incarcerates blacks and latinos. How can an inanimate object do that? Perhaps if a disproportionate number of them don't want to be incarcerated, a disproportionate number of them should quit breaking the laws that are being blamed.

Good that you bring that point up. I thought that some Conservatives might object to Rand Paul's 14th point in his speech.

It's not a matter of objection but of pointing out that it's foolish to blame something written on a piece of paper as a cause when it can do nothing unless SOMEONE actually violates it with their own actions. I can't object to a foolish idea that does it to itself simply for being foolish.

I wasn't even disagreeing with you on the point itself. Law is law and the law is to be obeyed. The law is also supposed to be colorblind. At least that's supposed to be the guiding principle.

The problem comes in when results are disproportionate and the automatic assumption is that the only reason it is has to do with race. Using numbers alone does not prove that it isn't colorblind. Those numbers can as easily say blacks and latinos commit crimes on a disproportionately higher level. To know for sure, specifics and details would have to be examined not just a look at the raw data.

 

[Slyhunter]

If more blacks commit armed robbery than whites, than more blacks should go to jail for it. The argument that more poor do armed robbery than non-poor and more blacks are poor than whites doesn't wash with me.

 

[rightwinger]

Rand won't get any more attention than Ron did.

Hide and watch.

He will steal a couple of caucuses like his father did

Don't see him winning any primaries

 

[defcon4]

Are you going to relax laws for minorities just to make it look good on paper?

No, he alludes to relaxing so called "anti-drug" laws. He cannot say it openly without being crucified by O'Reilly and his ilk.

I think you are right on track about this. Which also proves that Rand Paul is savvy enough to know when he must speak in code language in order to survive. Hardly a trait of a Washington outsider, if you ask me. That sounds a lot like Washington insider, you know, exactly what he is railing against.

He learned from his father's mistakes.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Are you going to relax laws for minorities just to make it look good on paper?

No, he alludes to relaxing so called "anti-drug" laws. He cannot say it openly without being crucified by O'Reilly and his ilk.

I think you are right on track about this. Which also proves that Rand Paul is savvy enough to know when he must speak in code language in order to survive. Hardly a trait of a Washington outsider, if you ask me. That sounds a lot like Washington insider, you know, exactly what he is railing against.

He learned from his father's mistakes.

Yepp.

Gesendet von meinem GT-I9515 mit Tapatalk

 

[Statistikhengst]

Rand won't get any more attention than Ron did.

Hide and watch.

He will steal a couple of caucuses like his father did

Don't see him winning any primaries

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Or better put, I'll wait for more state specific polling data.

Gesendet von meinem GT-I9515 mit Tapatalk

 

[cereal_killer]

14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos

What exactly does this mean? Are you going to relax laws for minorities just to make it look good on paper? If blacks and latino's commit more crimes as a percentage of the population then their numbers in prison SHOULD be higher. I suspect he's setting up some kind of drug legalization stance.

I_think_he's talking about loosening the laws that put people in jail for being caught with weed. I don't know the stats on how many minorities over whites go to jail for possession of marijuana but I'm assuming its disproportionately blacks/latinos?

 

[Slyhunter]

Rand won't get any more attention than Ron did.

Hide and watch.

He will steal a couple of caucuses like his father did

Don't see him winning any primaries

I may vote for him in the primary.
I probably wouldn't risk it as a third party candidate because I don't want Hillary winning.

 

[BluesLegend]

Economic freedom zones is DOA, local/state governments will not participate and are likely to raise taxes to grab any money the Federal government coughs up.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Economic freedom zones is DOA, local/state governments will not participate and are likely to raise taxes to grab any money the Federal government coughs up.

Why do you think this?

 

[BluesLegend]

So, I watched and listened to Rand Paul's candidacy speech, which lasted about 23 minutes.

Excellent summary and commentary, it was a pleasant surprise to read an OP of real quality.

 

[RKMBrown]

There is a LOT of substance he did not broach, for instance, saying that anyone who wants to work should get a job sounds great, but how are you gonna do it?

He made that quite clear. Tax cuts for economic development zones, and for corporations that bring jobs to America.

 

[jon_berzerk]

So, I watched and listened to Rand Paul's candidacy speech, which lasted about 23 minutes.

After describing some aspects of his life (much of it a very compelling personal history, I must say), Sen. Paul began to outline his platform, which he described as "my vision for America"

12:31 EDT "It seems to me that both parties and the entire political system are to blame" (for the failings within America). He criticized "Big Government" and debt under both parties. Interesting start to his speech, I thought.

12:32 "Quit spending money we don't have" (fiscal restraint)

12:32 "This message of liberty, opportunity and justice is for all Americans"

12:33 "In order to restore our Liberty, we can not, we must not, give up on your principles. If we nominate a candidate who is simply "Democrat-lite", what's the point? Why bother?"

12:34 "Washington is horribly broken. I fear it can't be fixed from within. We the people must rise up and demand action. Congress will never balance the budget unless we forced them to do so" - supports a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

12:35 "We limit the President to two-terms, it's about time we limit the terms of Congress" - for congressional term-limits.

12:35 He mentions his "read the bills" Act.

12:38 Economy/Employment: "I have a vision for America where everyone who wants to work will have a job." In a very populist move, Paul notes that under both parties, the cleft between the rich and poor has continued to grow.

12:39 "My plan includes economic freedom zones to allow empoverished areas like Detroit, W. Louisville, Eastern KY, to prosper by leaving more money in the pockets of the people who lived there."

12:40 Paul promises to bring back manufacturing jobs that pay well, by lowering the tax on those companies. Paul envisions building new highways and bridges in the USA not by raising taxes, but by lowering taxes on companies with manufacturing jobs outside of the USA, so that the estimate 2-3 Trillion in profits would be here rather than there. That is his point of argument.

12:41 "Liberal policies have failed our inner cities". Paul then hearkens to the words of MLK, speaking about "2 Americas." "It's time for a new way, predicated on opportunity, justice and freedom".

12:42 Paul advocates for vouchers, which he calls "school choice".

12:43 "I propose we do something extraordinary, I propose that we just spend what comes in" (back to economy / finances).

12:43 "Without question, we must defend ourselves, and our interests, from our enemies. But until we name the enemy, we can't win the war: the enemy is radical Islam. You can't get around it. And not only will I name the enemy, I will do whatever it takes to protect us from these haters of mankind."

12:44 national defense: modern and nimble. "At home, Conservatives understand that Government is the problem, not the solution. Conservatives should not succumb, though, to the notion that a government inept at home will somehow succeed in building nations abroad." AGAINST NATION BUILDING.

12:46 Rand Paul invokes Ronald Reagan: "Peace through strength". Rand Paul talked then about Iran. No Iran deal without the Congressional approval.

12:47 The goal is always: peace, not war.

12:48 "We must realize that we do not project strength by borrowing money from China to send it to Pakistan"... the gist of what he says is that he is against foreign aid, especially to any country that demonstrates against us. ANTI-FOREIGN AID.

12:49 Intelligence gathering: "Warrantless searches of Americans' phones and computers are unamerican and a threat to your civil liberties".... he then holds up a smartphone.... "I say that your phone records are yours, I say that the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damned business"....."The President created this vast dragnet by Executive Order, and as President, on Day 1, I will immediately end this unconstitutional surveillance" (massive applause). Anti NSA.

12:50 "We must defend ourselves, but we must never give up who we are as a people. We must never diminish the Bill of Rights as we fight this long war against evil. We must believe in our founding documents, we must protect economic and personal liberty again."

12:51 "I see an American strong enough deter foreign aggression, yet wise enough to avoid unnessary intervention". NON-INTERVENTIONISM.

12:51 a big surprise: "I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally, and any law that disproportionally incarcerates people of color is repealed."

12:52 He sees a "restrained" IRS that cannot harrass American citizens for their political or religious beliefs. (Big applause)

12:52 "Today begins the journey to take America back".


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, if we take his "platform points", chrononogically, then candidate Paul is:

1.) for fiscal restraint (don't spend more than we bring in)
2.) for a balanced-budget amendment to the US Constitution
3.) for congressional term-limits
4.) for "read the bills" act.
5.) for Economic Freedom Zones in the big cities.
6.) for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the USA.
7.) for school vouchers
8.) for naming the enemy as "radical Islam", and then acting accordingly.
9.) against nation-building
10.) against any Iran-deal without express Congressional approval
11.) against foreign aid
12.) strongly against the NSA and warrantless data-gathering on US citizens.
13.) anti- interventionistic
14.) wants to repeal laws that disproportionately incarcerates blacks/latinos
15.) for a "restrained" IRS.

Now, a lot of these talking points of his are very familiar to me. Note that Rand Paul did not mention the Fed at all. And notice that he never once used the word "God" in his speech. And when speaking of liberty, he mentioned "religious liberty" only once in his speech. That alone sets him apart from many of his expected Republican opponents for the nomination.

I have to say, Rand Paul is making a big play for minorities, especially our fellow Black citizens, talking about big cities, economic freedom zones, repealing laws that disproportionately throw blacks into jail - and also by invoking, at length, MLK. I don't remember any Republican in my lifetime ever doing that before.

On the economic stuff, I think he was very, very fuzzy.

If you compare his speech to Ted Cruz's speech, you will find striking differences. And of course, there is that Libertarian element in his thinking and actions that would indeed make him the first Libertarian Republican since Barry Goldwater to be nominated, were he to make it so far.

But I found FIFTEEN points in his speech that you could call his "platform points", and that should give people more than enough to discuss and debate.

The point I am going to start with is: agree with him or disagree with him, it looks pretty obvious to me that he is casting a larger net than Ted Cruz did. It should be noted that Rand Paul has an organization in all 50 states and appears to be savvy at securing the finances he needs to wage a primary campaign and beyond.

My encouragement would be for everyone who wants to to copy one of the platform points, like:

"7.) for school vouchers"


-and then start to give input. What surprised you about it, or didn't surprise you at all. Is there anything you expected him to say that you think he left out.

I personally am going to be VERY curious to see what his polling values among GOPers do in the next weeks. With Marco Rubio likely to announce in the next 7 days, Rand Paul will need to do all he can in this week to make his mark.

cereal_killer - I am thinking this is a debate that would especially interest you and maybe you would like to throw some wood on the fire as well.

credit where credit is due

good job on penning Pauls talking points

 

[Missouri_Mike]

5.) for Economic Freedom Zones in the big cities.

This one seems to be a pandering thing as well. If lower taxes work in big cities they work everywhere. I hate it when politicians carve out one group for favors like this. The plan is solid and he can talk about Detroit and how they would benefit but why make them a special area? It's good policy for everyone.

 

[RKMBrown]

There is a LOT of substance he did not broach, for instance, saying that anyone who wants to work should get a job sounds great, but how are you gonna do it?

He made that quite clear. Tax cuts for economic development zones, and for corporations that bring jobs to America.

5.) for Economic Freedom Zones in the big cities.

This one seems to be a pandering thing as well. If lower taxes work in big cities they work everywhere. I hate it when politicians carve out one group for favors like this. The plan is solid and he can talk about Detroit and how they would benefit but why make them a special area? It's good policy for everyone.

Cause if we don't they go bankrupt and we have to give them money anyways.