Rand Paul Quotes

Randal Howard Paul is an American politician and physician serving as the junior United States Senator from Kentucky since 2011, alongside Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He is the son of former U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas who was a presidential candidate in 1988, 2008, and 2012.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Paul attended Baylor University and is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine. Paul began practicing ophthalmology in 1993 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and established his own clinic in December 2007. In 2010, Paul entered politics by running for a seat in the United States Senate. A Republican, Paul has described himself as a Constitutional conservative and a supporter of the Tea Party movement. He has advocated for a balanced budget amendment, term limits, privacy reform, and criminal justice reform.

Paul was a candidate for the Republican nomination at the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He suspended his campaign in February 2016, after finishing in fifth place out of 12 Republican candidates at the Iowa caucuses.



Wikipedia  

✵ 7. January 1963
Rand Paul photo
Rand Paul: 49   quotes 1   like

Famous Rand Paul Quotes

“We Shouldn't Presume That A Group Of Experts Somehow Knows What's Best.”

2020
Source: 30 June 2020 https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/06/30/rand-paul-to-federal-health-officials-we-shouldnt-presume-that-a-group-of-experts-somehow-knows-whats-best/#684b8b2239a8/

“The fundamental reason why Medicare is failing is why the Soviet Union failed; socialism doesn't work.”

As quoted in Kentucky Tonight (16 June 1998), KET.
1990s

“We could try freedom for a while. We had it for a long time. That's where you sell something and I agree to buy it because I like it. That is how we operate in most of rest of the marketplace other than health care. Now the president has said you can only buy certain types of health care that I approve of, and anything I don't approve of, you are not allowed to purchase. We could try freedom. I think it might work. It works everywhere else.”

2015-01-05
Sen. Rand Paul's remedy for ObamaCare: 'We could try freedom for awhile. We had it for a long time'
Greta
Susteren
Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/on-the-record/2015/01/06/sen-rand-pauls-remedy-obamacare-we-could-try-freedom-awhile-we-had-it-long-time
2015-03-01
2010s

“I think this sets a very bad precedent, the president unilaterally on his own starting war without any consent from Congress.”

Fox News, 2011-03-30
regarding U.S. participation in enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya
2010s

Rand Paul Quotes about thinking

“Rachel Maddow: Do you think that a private business has the right to say we don't serve black people?Rand Paul: I'm not in favor of any discrimination of any form; I would never belong to any club that excluded anybody for race. We still do have private clubs in America that can discriminate based on race. But I think what's important about this debate is not written into any specific "gotcha" on this, but asking the question: what about freedom of speech? Should we limit speech from people we find abhorrent? Should we limit racists from speaking? I don't want to be associated with those people, but I also don't want to limit their speech in any way in the sense that we tolerate boorish and uncivilized behavior because that's one of the things freedom requires is that we allow people to be boorish and uncivilized, but that doesn't mean we approve of it. I think the problem with this debate is by getting muddled down into it, the implication is somehow that I would approve of any racism or discrimination, and I don't in any form or fashion.I do defend and believe that the government should not be involved with institutional racism or discrimination or segregation in schools, busing, all those things. But had I been there, there would have been some discussion over one of the titles of the civil rights. And I think that's a valid point, and still a valid discussion, because the thing is, is if we want to harbor in on private businesses and their policies, then you have to have the discussion about: do you want to abridge the First Amendment as well. Do you want to say that because people say abhorrent things — you know, we still have this. We're having all this debate over hate speech and this and that. Can you have a newspaper and say abhorrent things? Can you march in a parade and believe in abhorrent things, you know?”

The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC
2010-05-19
Rand Paul on 'Maddow' fallout begins
Maddow Blog
MSNBC
2010-05-20
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/05/20/4313688-rand-paul-on-maddow-fallout-begins
2010-11-17
2010s

“Robert Siegel: You've said that business should have the right to refuse service to anyone, and that the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA, was an overreach by the federal government. Would you say the same by extension of the 1964 Civil Rights Act?Rand Paul: What I've always said is that I'm opposed to institutional racism, and I would've, had I've been alive at the time, I think, had the courage to march with Martin Luther King to overturn institutional racism, and I see no place in our society for institutional racism.Robert Siegel: But are you saying that had you been around at the time, you would have hoped that you would have marched with Martin Luther King but voted with Barry Goldwater against the 1964 Civil Rights Act?Rand Paul: Well, actually, I think it's confusing on a lot of cases with what actually was in the civil rights case because, see, a lot of the things that actually were in the bill, I'm in favor of. I'm in favor of everything with regards to ending institutional racism. So I think there's a lot to be desired in the civil rights. And to tell you the truth, I haven't really read all through it because it was passed 40 years ago and hadn't been a real pressing issue in the campaign, on whether we're going to vote for the Civil Rights Act.”

Rand Paul Says He Has A Tea Party 'Mandate'
All Things Considered
National Public Radio
2010-05-19
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126985068

Rand Paul Quotes about people

“Foreign aid goes from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.”

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/04/03/rand_paul_foreign_aid_goes_from_poor_people_in_rich_countries_to_rich_people_in_poor_countries.html, University of Kentucky, 3-27-2013.
2010s

“We have people coming in by the millions…Am I absolutely opposed to immigration? No…We have to find a way to believe in the rule of law, believe in border control and at the same time, not villify the issue.”

Speaking in Paducah, 2009-05-09
Rand Paul set to launch Senate campaign
KY Wordsmith
http://kywordsmith.com/#/rand-paul-issues/4533680792
2010-11-17
2000s

“A free society will abide unofficial, private discrimination, even when that means allowing hate-filled groups to exclude people based on the color of their skin. It is unenlightened and ill-informed to promote discrimination against individuals based on the color of their skin. It is likewise unwise to forget the distinction between public (taxpayer-financed) and private entities.”

Letter to the editor, Bowling Green Daily News, 2002-05-30
Rand Paul in '02: I may not like it, but 'a free society' will allow 'hate-filled groups to exclude people based on the color of their skin'
Right Now
Washington Post
2010-05-20
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/05/rand_paul_in_2002_i_may_not_li.html

Rand Paul Quotes

“I wasn't sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.”

2010s
Context: The president recently weighed in on marriage, and you know he said his views were evolving on marriage. Call me cynical, but I wasn't sure his views on marriage could get any gayer. Now, it did kind of bother me though, that he used the justification for it in a Biblical reference. He said the Biblical golden rule caused him to be for gay marriage. And I'm like, what version of the Bible is he reading? It's not the King James Version, it's not the New American Standard Version, it's not the New Revised version; I don't know what version he's getting that from.

“Technology revolutionaries succeed because of the decentralized nature of the Internet, which defies government control.”

2010s
Context: Technology revolutionaries succeeded not because of some collectivist vision that seeks to regulate “fairness”, “neutrality”, “privacy” or “competition” through coercive state actions, or that views the Internet and technology as a vast commons that must be freely available to all, but rather because of the same belief as America’s Founders who understood that private property is the foundation of prosperity and freedom itself. Technology revolutionaries succeed because of the decentralized nature of the Internet, which defies government control. As a consequence, decentralization has unlocked individual self-empowerment, entrepreneurialism, creativity, innovation and the creation of new markets in ways never before imagined in human history... Around the world, the real threat to Internet freedom comes not from bad people or inefficient markets -- we can and will always route around them -- but from governments' foolish attempts to manage and control innovation. And it is not just the tyrannies we must fear. The road away from freedom is paved with good intentions.

“To defend our country we need to gather intelligence on the enemy but when the intelligence lies to Congress how are we to trust them? The phone records of law abiding citizens are none of their damn business.”

2015-02-27
Rand Paul Promises to Propose ‘The Largest Tax Cut in American History’ in CPAC Speech
Michael
Leahy
Brietbart
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/02/27/rand-paul-promises-to-propose-the-largest-tax-cut-in-american-history-in-cpac-speech/
2015-03-01
2010s

“The militarization of our law enforcement is due to an unprecedented expansion of government power in this realm. … Americans must never sacrifice their liberty for an illusive and dangerous, or false, security.”

2014-08-14
Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police
Rand
Paul
Time
http://time.com/3111474/rand-paul-ferguson-police/
2015-04-09
2010s

“Mr. President, there comes to a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer. That time is now. And I will not let the PATRIOT Act, the most un-patriotic of acts, go unchallenged.”

2015-05-20
Full Transcript: Rand Paul’s First Hour of Filibustering the PATRIOT Act
Breitbart
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/20/full-transcript-rand-pauls-first-hour-of-filibustering-the-patriot-act/
2015-06-13
2010s

“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.”

2015-04-07
Rand Paul announces presidential bid with promises of 'liberty and limited government'
Paul
Lewis
Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/07/rand-paul-announces-2016-presidential-bid-website
2015-04-08
2010s

“As a doctor I will make it my mission to heal the nation, reverse the course of Obamacare and repeal every last bit of it.”

2015-02-27
Rand Paul Promises to Propose ‘The Largest Tax Cut in American History’ in CPAC Speech
Michael
Leahy
Brietbart
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/02/27/rand-paul-promises-to-propose-the-largest-tax-cut-in-american-history-in-cpac-speech/
2015-03-01
2010s

“In cases of rape, trying to prevent pregnancies is obviously the best thing. The morning-after pill works successfully most of the time. Ultimately we do better if we do have better education about family planning.”

US Senate hopeful Rand Paul visits Middlesboro
Lorie Settles
2010-01-26
Middlesboro Daily News
http://www.middlesborodailynews.com/view/full_story/5661743/article-US-Senate-hopeful-Rand-Paul-visits-Middlesboro
2010-11-17
Posed question: "What about instances of rape or incest or where the outcome may not be death, but severe medical problems for the mother or child. Do you think that in these cases the decision should be left to the government rather than the families?"

“I don't trust President Obama with our records. I know you gave him a big hug, and if you want to give him a big hug again, go right ahead.”

2015-08-06
To Chris Christie during Cleveland Republican Presidential Debate
CNS News
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-hunter/rand-paul-christie-if-you-want-give-obama-big-hug-again-go-right-ahead
2010s

“I'm tired of America always doing everybody else's fighting. I'm tired of America always paying for everybody else's war.
What is the one thing that brings Republicans and Democrats together? War! They love it. The more the better.”

4 February 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-hCP5Tp4Nw, excerpt from 5 February 2019 article on Reason https://reason.com/blog/2019/02/05/rand-paul-criticizes-bipartisan-support, there is a full transcript https://votesmart.org/public-statement/1319881/strengthening-americas-security-in-the-middle-east-act-of#.XKGWiJhKjIU from VoteSmart's list of his public statements https://votesmart.org/candidate/public-statements/117285/rand-paul
2019

“Yet it is groupthink around here. Everybody is so paranoid and saying: Oh, we can’t object to this lobby. Because this lobby is so powerful, we can’t object to them. Look, it isn’t about the ideas; it is about the freedom of speech.”

4 February 2019 https://mondoweiss.net/2019/02/combating-presidential-paranoia/ about jewish lobby in ‘Combating BDS Act’ in the Senate
2019

“I don't think either one of them literally want to incite violence. But they have to realize that when they tell people to get up in your face, that there are some crazy unstable people out there. There are truly people who have anger issues. The guy that shot over two hundred rounds from a semi-automatic weapon at us at the ballfield, was an angry guy. He was a guy that would go down to the city council and yell and scream and get angry and red in the face. He once hit a neighbor with the butt of his gun. He had all of these anger issues. But then when people stoke that and say "get up in their face", "go to Washington."”

He showed up at the ballfield that day, and as he started shooting at us he yelled "This is for healthcare!", and then when they were finally able to kill him in his pocket was a list of five or six conservative republicans that he came there intending to kill. So instead of saying "get up in their face", we should say let's have constructive dialog. Let's forcefully present our position in a verbal way and in an intellectual way.
2018-10-10
Rand Paul: There Will Be an 'Assassination' If Left Doesn't Ratchet Down the Rhetoric
Discussion on Fox and Friends
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/10/10/rand-paul-there-will-be-assassination-if-left-doesnt-ratchet-down-rhetoric https://video.foxnews.com/v/5847225479001/?#sp=show-clips

“It’s a minority position, yeah”

21 March 2017 https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/rand-paul-senate-backlash-obamacare-russia-236272 when blocking John McCain from bringing up a treaty to ratify Montenegro's membership in NATO
2017

“It's been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House
Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of liberty.”

3 February 2016 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rand-paul-suspends-2016-presidential-campaign/story?id=36674666
2016

“I’m for an independent, strong Israel that is not a client state and not a reliant state.”

2013
Source: 18 January 2013 https://www.timesofisrael.com/paul-cuts-to-israel-aid-would-not-be-immediate-dramatic/

“What I don't like from the president's administration is this sort of, 'I'll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.'”

I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business. I've heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it's part of this sort of blame-game society in the sense that it's always got to be someone's fault instead of the fact that sometimes accidents happen. I mean, we had a mining accident that was very tragic and I've met a lot of these miners and their families. They're very brave people to do a dangerous job. But then we come in and it's always someone's fault. Maybe sometimes accidents happen.
Good Morning America
ABC
2010-05-21
Why Libertarianism Doesn’t Work, Part N+1
Paul Krugman
2010-05-21
New York Times
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/why-libertarianism-doesnt-work-part-n1/
on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and 2010-05-05 explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine
reference to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar telling CNN on 2010-05-02, "Our job basically is to keep the boot on the neck of British Petroleum."

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