I think if we want to defeat terrorism, I think if we truly are sincere about defeating terrorism, we need to quit arming the allies of ISIS. If we want to defeat terrorism, the boots on the ground - the boots on the ground need to be Arab boots on the ground.
Rand PaulI'm a different kind of Republican. I've introduced a five-year balanced budget. I've introduced the largest tax cut in our history. I stood for ten and a half hours on the Senate floor to defend your right to be left alone. But I've also gone to Chicago. I've gone to Detroit. I've been to Ferguson, I've been to Baltimore, because I want our party to be bigger, better and bolder...
Rand PaulWhether or not regime change is a good idea or a bad idea. I don't think because I think the regime change was a bad idea it means that Hussein was necessarily a good idea.
Rand PaulJohn McCain's complaint is we're either not at war somewhere, or if we're at war, we leave too soon. So we're not there soon enough, and he wants us to stay forever wherever we send troops.
Rand PaulThe First Amendment says keep government out of religion. It doesn't say keep religion out of government.
Rand PaulAs commander-in-chief, I will do whatever it takes to defend America. But in defending America, we cannot lose what America stands for.
Rand PaulI'll tell you what a weakness is of this country [the USA]: there are a lot of people who are sick and tired because Washington does not play by the same rules that the American people have to play by.
Rand PaulI don't like the idea of telling private business owners. I abhor racism. I think it's a bad business decision to ever exclude anybody from your restaurant. But at the same time I do believe in private ownership. I think there should be absolutely no discrimination in anything that gets public funding.
Rand PaulWell, let's be clear, I'm the only one on the stage who actually has a five-year budget that balances.
Rand PaulThe question's whether or not there's an American interest in the Civil War [in Syria]. The question is whether or not a military strike on [Bashar] Assad will cause him to be encouraged to use more weapons or discouraged. It's easy enough to say - and the president [Barack Obama] says though this will teach him a lesson - but his military strike is intended not to target him individually, not to bring about regime change.
Rand PaulWe've had presidents that have put their stock into account and they didn't know what their stock mix was and I like that. And I think Donald Trump has agreed that he would do the same on his stock. He's either sold it or will do it.
Rand PaulWe shouldn't have a program where we just say that we're going to take care of the world's refugees. Nobody in the Middle East is doing anything. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait - all the Gulf nations are doing nothing.
Rand PaulI think it's a conundrum. If we have no laws on this, people take it to one extension further, does it have to be humans, you know?
Rand PaulWe should not have the U.S. government buying stock in American industries - the financial industry or any other industry.
Rand PaulThe U.S. should never get involved where we have no clear national interest. We should not intervene militarily in a country like Syria, where we can’t separate friend from foe and might end up arming the very people who hate us the most.
Rand PaulOf strong importance to me is the defense of minority rights, not just racial minorities, but ideological and religious minorities.
Rand PaulFor example, the use of chemical weapons [in Syria]- some on the Democrat side have said well, this encourages the North Koreans to use chemical weapons against our troops.
Rand PaulI would argue that the objective evidence shows that big government is not a friend to African Americans.
Rand PaulWe need a revival in the country,” Paul said. “We need another Great Awakening with tent revivals of thousands of people saying, 'reform or see what's going to happen if we don't reform.'
Rand PaulI have a message from the Tea Party, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We've come to take our government back.
Rand PaulI believe we should work to end all racism in American society and staunchly defend the inherent rights of every person.
Rand PaulI’m not for profiling people on the color of their skin or on their religion. But I would take into account where they've been traveling and perhaps you might indirectly have to take into account whether or not they've been going to radical political speeches by religious leaders. It wouldn't be that they are Islamic. But if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that’s really an offense that we should be going after. They should be deported or put in prison.
Rand PaulRepublicans traditionally say, 'oh, we'll cut domestic spending, but we won't touch the military.' The liberals - the ones who are good - will say, 'oh, we'll cut the military, but we won't cut domestic spending.'
Rand PaulTo put everyone in government housing and food stamps and bring them in from around the world I think is a mistake. To give of your own money, I've given to my church. My church has helped people that came from Bosnia. That's a good thing.
Rand PaulYou need to have people within your own party that have the wherewithal to stand up to you.
Rand PaulShould it be prohibited for private entities such as a church, bed and breakfast or retirement neighborhood that doesn't want noisy children? Absolutely not.
Rand PaulThe more we can have peaceful trade both with Russia, with China, and with others, you know, there's a self interest in this for everyone.
Rand PaulI think this sets a very bad precedent, the president unilaterally on his own starting war without any consent from Congress.
Rand PaulI think we need to get to the bottom of it. And I think there should be an investigation [of hackers attacks] because in order to defend ourselves against other adversarial countries, we have to protect our information.
Rand PaulI have a question, a question for the president: Do you hate all rich people, or just rich people who don't contribute to your campaign? Do you hate poor people or do you just hate poor people with jobs?
Rand PaulThe president wants more tax money in Washington. I want more money left in the communities, particularly poor communities, particularly communities that have high unemployment.
Rand PaulIn a free society we will tolerate boorish people, who have abhorrent behavior, but if we're civilized people we publicly criticize that and don't belong to those groups or associate with those people.
Rand PaulWhen you couple this militarization of law enforcement with an erosion of civil liberties and due process that allows the police to become judge and jury - national security letters, no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction forfeiture - we begin to have a very serious problem on our hands.
Rand PaulIn the aftermath of 9/11, the Patriot Act was rushed to the floor. Several hundred pages. Nobody read it ... But people voted because they were fearful and people said there could be another attack and Americans will blame me if I don't vote on this.
Rand PaulI think it's a huge mistake. I think regime change in Syria, and this is what - I've been saying this for several years now. In 2013 when we first went in, I said, you are going to give arms to the allies of al Qaida, to radical jihadists? That's crazy.
Rand PaulThere's a sense of urgency that the president does not possess, that there is a 9/11 in the making.
Rand PaulI don't think we're actually using the constitutional tools that we have in an appropriate fashion.
Rand PaulI will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of acts, go unchallenged. At the very least, we should debate. We should debate whether or not we are going to relinquish our rights, or whether or not we are going to have a full and able debate over whether or not we can live within the Constitution, or whether or not we have to go around the Constitution.
Rand PaulThe Bill of Rights existed long before President Obama was elected, and as long as I’m a U.S. Senator, I will fight to protect the basic rights and liberties that belong to all of us as American citizens.
Rand PaulI am pleased though that there's a possibility of a diplomatic solution [in Syria]. I remain somewhat skeptical, but I am pleased that it's a possibility and I think people like myself who've been arguing for delaying this bombing, have allowed this diplomatic possibility to occur.
Rand Paul