Rand Paul says 'We have come to take our country back' as he launches presidential campaign but DOESN'T mention illegal immigration or Obamacare

  • Announcement came Tuesday at an event in his home state of Kentucky
  • Donors and observers in Louisville call him the 'wild card,' the 'un-candidate' and the 'who knows?' White House hopeful 
  • Called 'radical Islam' the 'haters of mankind' and tweaked Obama for not naming Islamist enemy
  • Picked scabs on both sides of the aisle: 'If we nominate a candidate who is simply "Democrat-lite," what's the point? Why bother?'
  • Blasted Democrats for failing inner-city children, leaving them with 'a daily ugliness that dashes hope' 
  • White House's deal with Iran 'must be approved by Congress. Not only is that good policy, it's the law'
  • Never mentioned Obamacare or illegal immigration, two key rallying points for the political right 

By David Martosko, U.S. Political Editor For Dailymail.com, In Louisville, Ky.

Published: | Updated:

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul told a raucous crowd in Louisville on Tuesday that he will build his presidential campaign on 'a message that is loud and clear, and does not mince words: 'We have come to take our country back.'

He will blast 'special interests that use Washington, D.C. as their personal piggy bank' if he wins the White House, Paul promised a cheering, packed ballroom. 

'The Washington machine,' he said, 'must be stopped.'

Paul's official announcement Tuesday that he would run for president in 2016 came at the beginning of what observers are already calling an unconventional campaign. 

Donors and family members of Paul campaign insiders said Monday night at a pre-launch party that the 'wild card' senator would surprise much of the political establishment by being an 'un-candidate' who turned traditional campaign wisdom on its head. 

He took aim at Republicans along with Democrats on Tuesday, saying 'both parties and the entire political system are to blame' for dwindling freedoms in America.

'Big government and debt doubled under a Republican administration, and it's now tripling under Barack Obama's watch,' he said.

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THE UN-CANDIDATE: Rand Paul aims to change how Republicans run for president, and has designs on shaking up the field with unconventional messages and outreach to groups the GOP has historically ignored

FAMILY MAN: Paul made his announcement after his wife Kelley Ashby introduced him in Louisville on Tuesday

PREACHER: 'It doesn't matter what color you are,' Rev. Jerry Stephenson, a former Democrat who switched parties, said Tuesday.'Rand Paul will be there.'

PREACHER: 'It doesn't matter what color you are, Rand Paul will be there,' said Rev. Jerry Stephenson, a former Democrat who switched parties and endorsed Paul

Paul tried to straddle the Republican chasm between conservatives and libertarians on Tuesday,

He called for an army of peasants with pitchforks that 'clutches the Constitution in one hand and the Bill of Rights in the other.'

Moments later he appealed to the party's right wing, likely infuriating fellow candidates – principally former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush – who hail from the party's moderate center.

'If we nominate a candidate who is simply "Democrat-lite," what's the point?' he asked. 'Why bother?'

VITAL SIGNS: DR. RAND PAUL 

Full name:  Randal Howard Paul

Age: 51 

Party: Repubican

Politics: Libertarian

Born in: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  

Career: Came into the Senate after the 2010 tea party wave

Family: Married Kelley Ashby, three sons, Robert, William and Duncan

Profession: 20 years practicing ophthalmology

Training: Duke University Medical School

Claim to fame: 2013 Senate filibuster where he spoke for nearly 13 hours about the CIA's ability to target US citizens with drones

Tuesday's speech may be remembered as much for what it omitted as for what Paul actually said.

Missing from the laundry list of issues he touched on were immigration policy and Obamacare, two conservative Shibboleths that more hard-line conservatives can be expected to hammer throughout the presidential campaign season. 

'It's a week long announcement tour,' Paul's press secretary Sergio Gor told Daily Mail Online late on Tuesday.

'Stay tuned tomorrow for different portions in the speech,' he said, referring to remarks Paul will make in new Hampshire.

'[A] new location means new items too.'

Paul won wild cheers in Louisville with a demand for term limits in Congress, where he serves, and a constitutional amendment that would force federal lawmakers to present a balanced budget each year.

He drew an ovation from young people with a broadside directed at the National Security Agency, booming that 'the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damned business!'

A President Paul, he pledged, 'will immediately end this unconstitutional surveillance.'

He also promised to put a short leash on the Internal Revenue Service so it 'cannot target, cannot harass American citizens for their political or their religious beliefs.'

And far from the dovish caricature often seen in Washington, Paul trumpeted a military policy that he sad would be more aggressive than President Barack Obama's, calling Middle Eastern Islamists 'haters of mankind.'

'Until we name the enemy we can't win the war,' he said. 'The enemy is radical Islam. You can't get around that.'

But at the same time he advocated restraint by saying he preferred a Pentagon that is 'unencumbered by overseas nation-building.'

On Obama's much-hyped Iran nuclear negotiations, Paul insisted any resulting final agreement 'must be approved by Congress. Not only is that good policy, it's the law.' 

His most poignant moments came during an appeal to change the way the U.S. government treats racial minorities, especially in inner cities.

'The poor seem to get poorer and the rich get richer' in cities where Democrats run governments, he said. 'Poor families across America continue to suffer.'

Politicians 'have failed our inner cities,' he said. 'Our schools are not equal.'

Paul claimed children in failing public schools were left with 'a daily ugliness that dashes hope,' and called for federal policy that would put a 'school choice' program into place. 

Paul begins the 2016 race as the second fully declared candidate, behind Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, but he could face as many as 20 rivals for the nomination before the lead-off Iowa caucuses early next year. 

'I don't care how many people run against him. He's one of ours, and one of us,' rally attendee Cathy Spitzer told Daily Mail Online. She said she made the 90-minute drive from Lexington, Ky. to see Paul's big moment.

If we nominate a candidate who is simply 'Democrat-lite,' what's the point? Why bother?
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul

'I'm not a tea party girl, mind you,' she said. 'But Rand is a once-in-a lifetime politician who does what he says he'll do and means every word of his speeches.' 

The first-term senator is expected to challenge his fellow Republicans on both foreign and domestic policy with unconventional views on military intervention, privacy issues and criminal justice reform .

'This is the guy who's going to bring blacks back into the GOP,' Kentuckian Michael Spence said at the rally, describing Paul's outreach to minorities that has been based on the idea that low-level drug offenders – who are disproportionately black – should not be locked up like hardened criminals.

Spence, one of the sparsely scattered African-Americans in the ballroom, told Daily Mail Online that 'the Republican Party was black folks' great hope until the '60s, and now they have to fight to get us back.'

'I think Rand is the only one on the right with the guts to actually try.' 

On Monday night at a private event in Louisville, one self-identified donor told Daily Mail Online that the senator 'is a wild card that lots of people aren't going to know how to deal with.'

'Just you wait and see,' he predicted, while insisting on anonymity. 'Everyone is going to be scratching their heads. The Democrats are going to be spinning their wheels trying to pin him down while the old-boy GOP network is going to have to scramble to catch up with his momentum.'

PRIVACY ADVOCATE: Paul blasted the National Security Agency, saying that 'the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damned business!'

PRIVACY ADVOCATE: Paul blasted the National Security Agency, saying that 'the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damned business!'

PACKED: A crush of fans met Rand Paul at the Galt House Hotel – no relation to the John Galt character in the libertarian-favorite novel 'Atlas Shrugged'

The spouse of another donor said Paul will be 'the un-candidate.'

'You know – like the old 7-Up commercials? "The Un-cola"? He's so different. It's amazing.'

'I'm hearing so may people asking when Rand is going to start acting like other Republicans. But who knows? Maybe the whole field will start acting like him.'

After his Tuesday noontime speech, Paul is expected to answer questions from voters on his Facebook page.

On the eve of his launch, Paul was a frequent poster on Twitter.

'On April 7, one leader will stand up to defeat the Washington machine and unleash the American dream,' Paul's political committee announced in a Web video before Tuesday's event.

Embedded in the video: an opportunity for supporters to donate.

Paul is launching a five-state swing Tuesday aftenoon, starting in New Hampshire before visiting Iowa, South Carolina and other early bellwether states. 

His spokesman Sergio Gor told Daily Mail Online that the senator 'will take his constitutional conservative message to every corner of America.'

'Cutting federal government debt, balancing the budget and unleashing the American dream is a message that resonates far and wide. His goal is to expand the Republican party. The GOP needs to become bigger, better and bolder!'

Paul's slogan 'Defeat the Washington Machine' has come under criticism from rival Republicans who point out that he's part of it as a US senator

Paul's slogan 'Defeat the Washington Machine' has come under criticism from rival Republicans who point out that he's part of it as a US senator

SEPARATION OF POWERS: Paul insisted that any nuclear agreement with Iran 'must be approved by Congress. Not only is that good policy, it's the law'

SEPARATION OF POWERS: Paul insisted that any nuclear agreement with Iran 'must be approved by Congress. Not only is that good policy, it's the law'

SILENT PARTNER: Rand Paul's father, the retired former Texas congressman Ron Paul (center), was in Louisville but did not appear on stage

SILENT PARTNER: Rand Paul's father, the retired former Texas congressman Ron Paul (center), was in Louisville but did not appear on stage

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a prominent Paul rival and the only other Republican to announce his candidacy so far, issued a statement Tuesday morning with what may be his only olive branch until the 2016 election.

'I am glad to welcome my friend Rand Paul into the 2016 GOP primary,' Cruz said. 'Rand is a good friend, and we have worked side by side on many issues.'

'I respect his talent, his passion, and the work he has done for Kentuckians and Americans in the U.S. Senate. His entry into the race will no doubt raise the bar of competition, help make us all stronger, and ultimately ensure that the GOP nominee is equipped to beat Hillary Clinton and to take back the White House for Republicans in 2016.'

Unlike Cruz, who has already made his evangelical Christianity a centerpiece of his candidacy, Paul appeals strongly to secular libertarians.

But that hasn't stopped him from bank-shot appeals to religious-issues voters.

Three separate preachers warmed up the crowd on Tuesday. 

And the lead-off speaker, former Oklahome congressman J.C. Watts asked, a packed ballroom at the Galt House Hotel to think about Rand and his wife Kelley, and 'pray for them by name every single day.'

'This is the start of a cause,' Watts said. 

Kelley Ashby, Paul's spouse, spoke glowingly of her husband, with whom she has been married 24 years.

She recalled the senator's first political speech in April 2009, what he said would be a small event. 

'There were 700 sign-waving tea party members,' she recalled. 

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CAMPAIGN: Rand Paul yard signs went on sale Monday for $15, and 'Rand on a stick' – for fanning away the campaign summer heat – for $35

UNCONVENTIONAL: Rand Paul has made a name for himself meeting with minority groups – and speaking to all-black audiences – in an attempt to win them over with a message of criminal justice reform

UNCONVENTIONAL: Rand Paul has made a name for himself meeting with minority groups – and speaking to all-black audiences – in an attempt to win them over with a message of criminal justice reform

Sen. Ted Cruz, the only other Republicans officially in the hunt for 2016, said Tuesday that Paul would 'no doubt raise the bar of competition' for everyone else in the GOP field

Sen. Ted Cruz, the only other Republicans officially in the hunt for 2016, said Tuesday that Paul would 'no doubt raise the bar of competition' for everyone else in the GOP field

A leading tea party group hinted just before Paul spoke at noon that it would support Paul, who came to the Senate on a tea party wave in 2010.

'It's exciting to see another energetic, visionary conservative enter the contest for the 2016 nomination,' Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin said in a statement to Daily Mail Online.

'Sen. Paul has been at the forefront of the liberty movement, and he will do a lot to shape the debate as the GOP field expands.' 

It's unclear, though, how much support Paul can muster in the Republican mainstream.

Paul, the son of former Rep. Ron Paul, is a frequent contrarian against his party's orthodoxy, questioning the size of the U.S. military and proposing relaxation of some drug laws that imprison offenders at a high cost to taxpayers. 

He bristles at the idea that he's a carbon copy of his cantankerous dad, however. 

The elder Paul, who was in Louisville for his son's high-profile announcement, did not speak or appear on stage.

He has proudly embraced starkly anti-interventionist views that party insiders blasted as 'isolationist' in 2012.

Rand, though, denies claims that he's cut from the same cloth.

I'm hearing so may people asking when Rand is going to start acting like other Republicans. But who knows? Maybe the whole field will start acting like him. 

Paul the younger also challenges the GOP's support for surveillance programs, drone policies and sanctions on Iran and Cuba.

'The issue on Sen. Paul and national security issues is where he comes down in the continuing conflict between his principles and his ambition,' said John Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations and a potential Paul rival for the GOP nomination.

In an interview, Bolton cited Paul's shifting views on military spending.

In Paul's proposal for the 2012 budget, he called for reducing military spending and for fewer troops at the Department of Defense. 'The DOD should not be treated sacrosanct with regard to the treatment of taxpayer dollars,' Paul wrote in a plan that would balance the federal budget in five years.

But as a presidential campaign came closer, Paul last month proposed a 16 percent increase in the Pentagon's budget.

'On any given day, it's hard to know where he will be,' Bolton said. 'I believe in redemption, and I hope he comes all the way over. But I just don't know what's at work in his mind.'

A retired U.S. Navy captain in attendance on Tuesday who spoke on condition of anonymity told Daily Mail Online that a President Paul would 'pick and choose, and then empower and trust the right kind of military leadership.'

'Right now we have a stacked deck of pacifists that Barack Obama has put in place to agree with his weakness,' he said,

'If dishonesty was a crime, the current commander-in-chief would be doing life without parole,' he said. 

The Paul campaign published a video Tuesday highlighting the senator's positions on Israel, hours after a group of hawkish Republicans launched an ad campaign accusing him of being soft on Iran

The Paul campaign published a video Tuesday highlighting the senator's positions on Israel, hours after a group of hawkish Republicans launched an ad campaign accusing him of being soft on Iran

BIG MONEY: Rand Paul's website showed more than $41 million in contributions rolling in

BIG MONEY: Rand Paul's website showed more than $41 million in contributions rolling in

'BENGHAZI MATTERS': Rand Paul buttons on sale Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky hinted at future slams against Hillary Clinton, whose stewardship of the State Department before and after the 2012 Benghazi, Libya terror attack has brought a refrain of catcalls from Republican presidential hopefuls

'BENGHAZI MATTERS': Rand Paul buttons on sale Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky hinted at future slams against Hillary Clinton, whose stewardship of the State Department before and after the 2012 Benghazi, Libya terror attack has brought a refrain of catcalls from Republican presidential hopefuls

At least one Republican group is already hammering Paul for what it says would be a weak military policy if he were to win in 2016, an indication of a foreign policy civil war Paul may be launching inside the GOP. 

The Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America, a war-hawkish group led by longtime Republican operative Rick Reed, began a $1 million ad campaign Tuesday morning in early primary states. 

The ads tie Paul to a weak policy on Iran and suggest his policies would mirror those of President Obama. 

'The Senate is considering tough new sanctions on Iran,' the ad’s voiceover intones.

'President Obama says he’ll veto them, and Rand Paul is standing with him. Rand Paul supports Obama’s negotiations with Iran, but he doesn’t understand the threat.'

As if on cue, Paul's campaign released a video Tuesday morning highlighting his position on supporting Israel.

'Israel’s cafes and buses are bombed, towns are victimized by hundreds of rockets, and its citizens are attacked by Palestinian terrorists,' Paul says in the video, speaking against a stark white background. 

'It’s time we took a stand for Israel by standing up to the enemies of Israel, the enemies that murder Israeli citizens.' 

RAND-SPIRATION? a Paul donor's spouse told Daily Mail Online that the senator would be the 'un-candidate,' much like 7-Up tried to distinguish itself from Coke and Pepsi with an 'Uncola' slogan in the 1970s

RAND-SPIRATION? a Paul donor's spouse told Daily Mail Online that the senator would be the 'un-candidate,' much like 7-Up tried to distinguish itself from Coke and Pepsi with an 'Uncola' slogan in the 1970s

CHIP OF THE BLOCK? Paul's uber-libertarian father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul (right), earned an image party-wide as a cantankerous and prickly contrarian with little chance of winning over centrist Republicans

CHIP OF THE BLOCK? Paul's uber-libertarian father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul (right), earned an image party-wide as a cantankerous and prickly contrarian with little chance of winning over centrist Republicans

American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal opposition-research group, said Tuesday in an email to reporters that Paul 'has a history of taking on views that are bizarre and even dangerous. 

The organization said Paul has gone on record 'supporting the end of all foreign aid to Israel and pushing for the total privatization of Medicare.'

It launched a Web page to pummel him on Tuesday, at pauloffthewall.com

The Democratic National Committee was similarly quick to pooh-pooh a Paul candidacy, with DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz saying he represents 'a lurch backwards to failed policies and narrow-minded extremism.'

'He says he’s something different, but when you take a look, he’s the same as any other Republican presidential hopeful: good for the wealthiest few and bad for the middle class, and taking positions that are way outside the mainstream on issue after issue.'

And speaking of Paul's reputation for minority outreach – principally with talk of criminal justice reform – Wasserman Schultz mocked him for 'thinking he can talk his way into our communities while turning his back on us when it comes to his policy prescriptions.'

'Not only is Rand Paul not going to make the GOP’s tent any bigger, the tent actually collapses under the weight of his harmful policies.'

The vicious broadside is one indication of how firmly the Democrats need to cling to black and Hispanic voters as they try to expand their ow voter base in advance of the 2016 election. 

But African-American pastor Jerry Stephenson, one of the three to precede Paul on the dais, said he has seen him roll up his sleeves in minority communities.

'It doesn't matter what color you are,' said Stephenson, a former Democrat who switched parties. 

'Rand Paul will be there.'

THE SPEECH: RAND PAUL DECLARES HIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY 

‘I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We have come to take our country back!

‘We have 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.

‘Less than five years ago I stood just down the road in home town in Bowling Green and said those same words. I wasn't supposed to win, no one thought I would.

‘PAUL: Some people asked me, then why are you running? 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 lists all Americans, a return to a government restrained by the Constitution.

‘A return to privacy, opportunity, liberty. Too often when Republicans have won we have squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine. 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 love my life as a small-town doctor. Every day 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.

‘I never could have done any of this, though, without the help of my parents who are here today. I'd like you to join me and thank my mother and dad.

‘With my parents help, I was able to make it through long years of medical training to become an eye surgeon. For me there is nothing that compares with helping someone see better. Last August I was privileged to travel to Guatemala on a medical mission trip together with a team of surgeons from across the U.S. We operated on more than 200 people who were blind or nearly blind from cataracts. I was grateful to be able to put my scrubs back on, peer into the oculars of the microscope, and focus on the task at hand, to take a surgical approach to fix a problem.

‘One day in Guatemala, a man arrived and told me that I'd operated on his wife the day before. His wife could see clearly for the first time in years, and she had begged him to get on the bus, travel the winding roads and come back to our surgery center. He too was nearly blind from hardened cataracts.

‘After his surgery, the next day, his wife sat next to me. As I unveiled the patch from his eyes, it was a powerful emotional moment for me to see them looking at each other clearly for the first time years to see the face they loved again.

‘As I saw the joy in their eyes, I thought, "This is why I became a doctor."

‘In that moment, I also remembered my grandmother, who inspired me to become an eye surgeon. She spent hours with me as a kid. We would sort through her old coin collection, looking for wheat pennies and Indian heads. But as her vision began to fail, I became her eyes to inspect the faintness of the mint marks on the old weather-worn coins.

‘I went with my grandmother to the ophthalmologist as she had her corneas replaced. I was also with her when she received the sad news that macular generation had done irreparable harm to her eyes.

‘My hope -- my hope that my grandmother would see again made me want to become an eye surgeon, to make a difference in people's lives.

‘I've been fortunate. I've been able to enjoy the American Dream.

‘I worry, though, that the opportunity and hope are slipping away for our sons and daughters. 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 all Americans, Americans from all walks of life. 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.

‘If we nominate a candidate who is simply "Democrat Light,"what's the point? Why bother?

‘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.

‘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 you force them to do so. Congress has an abysmal record with balancing anything. Our only recourse is to force Congress to balance the budget with a constitutional amendment.

‘I have been to Washington, and let me tell you, there is no monopoly on knowledge there.

‘I ran for office because we have too many career politicians. I believe it now more than ever. We limit the president to two terms. It's about time we limit the terms of Congress.

‘I ran for office because we have too many career politicians. I believe it now more than ever. We limit the president two terms. It is about time we limit the terms of Congress.

‘I want to reform Washington. I want common sense rules that will break the logjam in Congress. That's why I've introduced a Read the Bills Act.

‘The bills are 1,000 pages long and no one reads them. They are often plopped on our desk with only a few hours before a vote, so I propose something truly extraordinary. Let's read the bills every day.

‘From the time I was a very young boy I was taught to love and appreciate America. Love of liberty pulses in my veins not because we have beautiful mountains or white sand beaches, although we do, and not because of our abundance of resources. It's more visceral than that. Our great nation was founded upon the extraordinary notion that government should be restrained and freedom should be maximized.

‘America, to me, is that beacon. We are unique among the nations that our -- that our country stands for freedom. Freedom nurtured our country from a rebellious group of colonies into the world's greatest nation.

‘When tyranny threatened the world America led the way to rid the world of Nazis and fascist regimes. Resolutely we stood decade after decade against Communism, the engine of capitalism finally winning out against the sputtering, incompetent engine of socialism.

‘We won the Cold War.

‘America and freedom are so intertwined that people literally are dying to come here. The freedom we have fostered in America have unleashed genius and advancement like never before. Yet our great nation still needs new ideas and new answers to old problems.

‘From an early age I worked. I taught swimming lessons, I mowed lawns, I did landscaping, I put roofs on houses, I painted houses. I never saw work though as punishment. Who always gave me a sense of who I am.

‘Self-esteem can’t be given; it must be earned.

‘Work is not punishment; work is the reward.

‘Two of my sons work minimum wage jobs while they go to college. I am proud of them as I see them realize the value of hard work. I can see their self-esteem grow as they cash their paychecks. I have a vision for America where everyone who wants to work will have a job.

‘Many Americans though are being left behind. The reward of work seems beyond their grasp. Under the watch of both parties, the poor seem to get poorer and the rich get richer. Trillion-dollar government stimulus packages have only widened the income gap.

‘Politically connected crones get taxpayer dollars by the hundreds of millions and poor families across America continue to suffer. I have a different vision, an ambitious vision, an ambitious vision, a vision that will offer opportunity to all Americans, especially those who have been left behind.

‘My plan includes economic freedom zones to allow impoverished areas like Detroit, West Louisville, Eastern Kentucky to prosper by leaving more money in the pockets of the people who live there.

‘PAUL: Can you imagine what a billion-dollar stimulus could do for Detroit or for Appalachia? I'm convinced that most Americans want to work. I want to free up the great engine of American prosperity.

‘I want to see millions of Americans back at work. In my vision for America, we'll bring back manufacturing jobs that pay well. How? We'll dramatically lower the tax on American companies that wish to bring their profits home.

‘More than $2 trillion in American profit currently sits overseas. In my vision for America, new highways and bridges will be built across the country, not by raising your taxes, but by lowering the tax to bring this American profit home.

‘Even in this polarized Congress, we have a chance of passing this. I say let's bring $2 trillion home to America, let's bring it home now.

‘Liberal policies have failed our inner cities. Let's just get the facts straight. They have failed our inner cities. Our schools are not equal, and the poverty gap continues to widen. Martin Luther King spoke of two Americas. He described them as two starkly different American experiences that exist side-by-side.

‘In one in America, people experience the opportunity of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the other America, people experience a daily ugliness that dashes hope and leaves only the fatigue of despair.

‘Although I was born into the America that experiences and believes in opportunity, my trips to Detroit, to Appalachia, to Chicago have revealed what I call an undercurrent of unease.

‘It's time for a new way, a way predicated on justice, opportunity and freedom.

‘Those of us who have enjoyed the American dream must break down the wall that separates us from the other America. I want all our children to have the same opportunities that I had. We need to stop limiting kids in poor neighborhoods to failing public schools and offer them school choice.

‘It won't happen, though, unless we realize that we can't borrow our way to prosperity. Currently some $3 trillion comes into the U.S. Treasury. Couldn't the country just survive on $3 trillion?

‘I propose we do something extraordinary. Let's just spend what comes in.

‘In my vision for America, freedom and prosperity at home can only be achieved if we defend against enemies who are dead set on attacking us.

‘Without question we must defend ourselves and American 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 defend America from these haters of mankind.

‘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. But we also need a foreign policy that protects American interests and encourages stability, not chaos. 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.

‘I envision an America with a national defense unparalleled, undefeatable and unencumbered by overseas nation-building.

‘I envision a national defense that promotes, as Reagan put it, peace through strength.

‘I believe in applying Reagan's approach to foreign policy to the Iran issue. Successful negotiations with untrustworthy adversaries are only achieved from a position of strength.

‘We've brought Iran to the table through sanctions that I voted for. Now we must stay strong. That's why I've cosponsored legislation that ensures that any deal between the U.S. and Iran must be approved by Congress.

‘Not -- not only is that good policy, it's the law.

‘It concerns me that the Iranians have a different interpretation of the agreement. They're putting out statement that say completely the opposite of what we're saying. It concerns me that we may attempt, or the president may attempt, to unilaterally and prematurely halt sanctions.

‘I will oppose any deal that does not end Iran's nuclear ambitions and have strong verification measures.

‘And I will insist that the final version be brought before Congress.

‘The difference between President Obama and myself, he seems to think you can negotiate from a position of weakness. Yet everyone needs to realize that negotiations are not inherently bad. The trust (inaudible) verify is required in any negotiation, but then our goal always should be and always is peace, not war.

‘We must realize, though, that we do not project strength by borrowing money from China to send it to Pakistan.

‘Let's quit building bridges in foreign countries and use that money to build some bridges here at home.

‘It angers me to see mobs burning our flag and chanting "Death to America" in countries that receive millions of dollars in our foreign aid.

‘I say it must end. I say not one penny more to these haters of America.

‘To defend our country, we do need to gather intelligence on the enemy. But when the intelligence director is not punished for lying under oath, how are we to trust our government agencies?

‘Warrantless searches of Americans' phones and computer records are un-American and a threat to our civil liberties.

‘I say that your phone records are yours. I say the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damn business.

‘Is this where we light up the phones?

‘The president created this vast dragnet by executive order. And as president on day one, I will immediately 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, not now, not ever.

‘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.

‘America has much greatness left in her. We are still exceptional and we are still a beacon for the world. We will thrive when we believe in ourselves again.

‘I see an America strong enough to deter foreign aggression, yet wise enough to avoid unnecessary intervention.

‘I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally and any law that disproportionately incarcerates people of color is repealed.

‘I see an America with a restrained IRS that cannot target, cannot harass American citizens for their political or religious beliefs.

‘I see our big cities once again shining and beckoning with creativity and ingenuity, with American companies offering American jobs. With your help, this message will ring from coast to coast, a message of liberty, justice and personal responsibility. Today begins the journey to take America back.

‘To rescue a great country now adrift, join me as together we seek a new vision for America. 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.’

Rand PaulRepublican Presidential Primaries

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