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Sen. Rand Paul officially launched his presidential campaign Tuesday in Louisville with a series of combative messages aimed at keeping the fire burning in his Kentucky voters’ hearts and expand his appeal beyond the usual GOP coalition.
On Tuesday, the senator stated that “we have come to take our country back” referring to Americans’ ever-growing dissatisfaction with the current performance and unpopular measures of the Obama administration. He also said that hope and opportunity were slipping away from America’s future generations, and rhetorically asked the audience what kind of America their grandchildren would see.
Also, he declared that the entire political system including his own party was to blame for the current situation. Although he pointed the finger at his own party, the tea party favorite tried to send a message to his voters that he was different from all they have seen.
And the crowd cheered when Sen. Paul criticized the NSA’s practices of spying on Americans’ phones and computer records. According to the senator, this method is a threat to civil liberties, rather than a necessary defense procedure against terrorism as most Republicans put it.
The senator clearly stated Tuesday that the phone records belong solely to their owners, and that phone calls of law-abiding citizens are none of the government’s “damn business.”
Sen. Paul also advocated for a Constitution-restrained government that would cater no more to special interests.
“I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We have come to take our country back,”
he added.
Sen. Paul is known as a fierce critic of the Obama administration. Over the Louisville stage there was also a banner that stated – “Defeat the Washington machine. Unleash the American dream.”
Sen. Paul enters the presidential race second after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz officially announced the start of his campaign more than two weeks ago. But 20 more rivals may hinder his access to nomination by February next year.
Until then, people expect that Paul will challenge more of his fellow Republicans’ views on various matters including foreign policy and how a campaign is properly run. Also, since Sen. Paul knows the drill with modern technology and finds it easy to talk the language of the youth, he will certainly gain a major advantage over his competition.
After the Louisville speech, Sen. Paul attended a brief Q&A session on his Facebook page and announced his plans to visit Iowa, Nevada New Hampshire, and South Carolina. On his website, supporters can already buy Rand Paul flip flops, Rand Paul-branded blankets, signed copies of the Constitution and many more items to support his campaign.
His campaign store is designed to help supporters that find it hard or are not enough motivated in making a direct donation to contribute with some cash to the Kentucky senator’s campaign.
Yet, analysts claim that Republican voters won’t be that easily impressed by his staff’s marketing tactics as long as he continues to act against his party’s beliefs on various issues from the size of the U.S. military to the legalization of some drugs that currently put people in jail and cost taxpayers a lot of money. Sen. Paul also disagrees with is party leaders on surveillance programs orchestrated by the government, the sanctions on Cuba and Iran, and drone laws.
Image Source: Mother Jones
Deborah Nielsen
Deborah Nielsen never thought she could be a journalist and a good one, we might add. Having a strong passion for music, she started singing at an early age, but it was only in college that she formed her first band. Her music education won her a job as a news reporter at the local radio station as well as the chance of meeting her favorite artists. In 2013, Deborah took things forward by starting her own blog and contributing to various news related websites. Currently, she covers a broad area of subjects and topics from various fields.
