Calling the national debt a “great threat” and jabbing a Florida Republican and former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., made his case for limited government in Orlando on Saturday as he continued his presidential bid.
Paul spoke at the Republican Party of Florida’s (RPOF) Sunshine Summit and noted that military spending was helping increase the national debt.
“I don’t think we project strength from a bankruptcy court,” Paul said before turning to the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, saying it was a wakeup call on immigration.
Paul called out primary rival U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for not providing safeguards on immigration reform legislation on student visas. “I got some opposition....your senator in fact,” Paul said about Rubio’s role on the matter.
Saying there was a “secret deal” between Rubio and U.S. Sen. Chuck Shumer, D-NY, on the immigration bill, Paul said conservatives could not back that immigration bill.
Turning back to military spending, Paul said adding to it will not help. “I say spend it wisely but let’s not add to the national debt,” Paul said about military spending.
Paul said there was an “unholy alliance in Washington” between Republicans and Democrats on federal spending. Paul won cheers for reminding listeners that he filibustered efforts to raise the debt ceiling.
Noting that even with Republican majorities in Congress spending is on the rise, Paul called for ”term limits for everyone” and urged restoring the separation of powers.
“The president has a thousand fold more power than the Congress,” Paul said, accusing Congress of being “inconsequential.”
Paul urged Congress to let Planned Parenthood and other “useless programs” to be defunded by letting spending expire.
Calling the Obama administration’s handling of the Benghazi attacks the worst scandal of recent years, Paul slammed Clinton's, the favorite for the Democratic nomination, leadership and noted State Department expenses.
“By her inaction, by her dereliction of duty, she should forever be precluded from serving as commander in chief,” Paul said to applause.
Staying on foreign affairs, Paul showcased his call to end foreign aid to nations backing the death penalty to Christians, calling out Pakistan’s opposition to religious freedom.
Paul insisted there was a battle in the GOP between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians, saying he was a Jeffersonian who supported a fiscally responsible government and a balanced budget. The senator closed vowing to have an “optimistic message” which, he insists, will resonate with the voters and help make the GOP the “dominant party.”
While his standing in the polls has slipped from early highs, Paul has been included in the main event debates with the leading Republican candidates and his performance in the fourth debate earlier this week garnered him good reviews from the pundits.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
