Sentimental Favorite

If I had to pick one candidate out of the pack of Republicans, it would be Rand Paul.  I admire what Walker has done in fighting the public sector unions in Wisconsin, but Paul is kind of a near-libertarian.  Like near-beer, he doesn't pack all that much of a wallop and tends toward blandness, but it's a start.

I suggest reading the transcript of his speech here.

He starts off well enough talking about taking our country back from ... "[t]he Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives...".

Smaller government is what a lot of us want, and Paul is probably the most sympathetic of all the candidates to that idea.  He speaks sensibly about the devastating nature of our national debt, though he offers no specific solutions.  I really would not expect him to do so in this kind of speech. 

He throws out a lot of libertarian talking points -- term limits for Congress, a balanced budget amendment.  We've heard that before -- in 1994.  They are still good ideas and still unlikely to be implemented. 

This is probably my favorite quote:

Self-esteem cant be given; it must be earned.

Work is not punishment; work is the reward.

Anathema to leftist because it is true.  A person who believes that is the anti-Obama.

This is another one that I agree with, and it's aimed at the heart of the interventionists in the GOP:

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 am tired of foreign wars.  Fighting them "over there so we don't have to fight them here" sounded pretty good -- except they are here, and we are not fighting them. 

Government is inept.  Like many, I used to say, out loud or under my breath, "... except for the military". Take a look at the boondoogle that is F-35 and the fact that the best ground support aircraft in history, the A-10, is being retired.  There is no military exception.  This is more obvious every year.

Paul also takes a shot at the NSA and other measures.  I wish he had mentioned the TSA and suggested shutting down Homeland Security.  Still, he does advocate respect for the Bill of Rights, the right to privacy, and the end of warrantless data gathering on those who have committed no crimes.

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.

I don't think Rand Paul is going to be president.  I don't think he is going to get the nomination, and I doubt that he makes much of a show in the primaries.  The GOP Establishment has too much control to let someone like him get a foothold.  I hope I'm wrong because I would like to see him get a chance to take on the juggernaut.