Republican Candidate: Rand Paul

Randal Howard "Rand" Paul is an American politician and physician. Since 2011, Paul has served in the United States Senate as a member of the Republican Party representing Kentucky. He is the son of former U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas. Married with three children and currently running in the 2016 Presidential Primaries.

On The Issues:

It's complicated.
 
Abortion:

• Thousands of exceptions follow from maternal health. (May 2013)
• Coarsening of our culture led to 50 million unborn deaths. (Sep 2012)
• My opponents call me libertarian but I'm pro-life. (Feb 2011)
• Life begins at conception. (Jul 2010)
• Opposes federal abortion funding. (Aug 2010)
• Prohibit federal funding for abortion. (May 2011) 

 On the Economy:

• The sequester is the law of the land: can't compromise on it. (Oct 2013)
• We cannot continue to borrow $50,000 per second. (Mar 2013)
• Sequester doesn't cut spending; it just slows rate of growth. (Mar 2013)
• FactCheck: US borrowing $30,000 per second, not $50,000. (Feb 2013)
• Borrowing $50,000 per second is not sustainable. (Feb 2013)
• America needs Adam Smith, not Robin Hood. (Feb 2013)
• Penny Plan: Each $1 by one penny & balance budget by 2019. (Feb 2013)
• Keep the sequester, and increase it to $4T. (Feb 2013)
• Not every military dollar is necessary,nor every entitlement. (Aug 2012)
• Roll back federal spending to 2008 levels. (Jan 2012)
• We are borrowing $40,000 per second. (Jan 2012)
• Government not serious about controlling spending. (Feb 2011)
• Larger government is not a solution for economy. (Feb 2011)
• Bank bailout represented everything wrong with Washington. (Feb 2011)
• Debt crisis is approaching a point of no return. (Feb 2011)
• Bank bailout was bad policy & helped no banks in KY. (Oct 2010)
• No federal bailouts of private industry. (Jul 2010)
• Demand a Balanced Budget amendment. (Jul 2010)
• Limit federal spending growth to per-capita inflation rate. (Jul 2010)
• Sponsored bill increasing debt limit to $16.7 trillion. (Jul 2011)
• Supports the Cut-Cap-and-Balance Pledge. (Jan 2012)
• Disapprove of increasing the debt limit. (Jan 2012)
• Sponsored auditing the Fed & its actions on mortgage loans. (Feb 2013)
• Endorsed Liberty Candidate: End the Federal Reserve. (Sep 2010) 

On Social Security:

• Raise the retirement age to deal with Baby Boomers. (Feb 2011)
• Raise retirement age gradually; allow opting out. (Feb 2011)
• I've never challenged constitutionality of Social Security. (Oct 2010)
• Raise the retirement age for people under age 55. (Oct 2010)
• Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. (Aug 2010)
• Supports private retirement accounts. (Aug 2010)
• Rated 17% by ARA, indicating a mixed record on senior issues. (Jan 2013) 

On Civil rights:

• Women won the "war on women": they're no longer downtrodden. (Jan 2014)
• Redefining marriage leads to economic and moral problems. (Jun 2013)
• No national law on same-sex marriage; leave it to states. (May 2013)
• Let states decide same-sex marriage; don't federalize it. (Mar 2013)
• Illegal to impose racial segregation in the private sector. (May 2010)
• Opposes same-sex marriage. (Nov 2009)
• Voted NO on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. (Feb 2013)
• Opposes affirmative action. (Aug 2010)
• Supports Amendment to prevent same sex marriage. (Aug 2010)

 On Gun control:

• Don't let the liberals tread on the Second Amendment. (Feb 2013)
• Patriot Act violates your gun rights. (Feb 2011)
• 2nd amendment is only as good as the fourth amendment. (Sep 2010)
• Supports 2nd amendment; vote against restricting handguns. (Jul 2010)
• Voted NO on banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets. (Apr 2013)
• Opposes restrictions on the right to bear arms. (Aug 2010)
• Rated AQ by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record. (Aug 2010)
• Oppose the United Nations' Arms Trade Treaty. (Sep 2013)
• Endorsed Liberty Candidate: no point in keeping guns you can't access. (Sep 2010) 

On Drugs:

• Jailing people for 10 years for marijuana is ridiculous. (Nov 2014)
• War on drugs has unintentionally had a racial outcome. (Jun 2014)
• Don't promote marijuana but don't jail non-violent criminals. (Mar 2013)
• Tackle drug problem; no one cares where funding comes from. (Oct 2010)
• Community treatment instead of federal anti-drug programs. (Aug 2010)
• Drug abuse isn't a pressing issue; 10-20 years is too harsh. (Aug 2010)
• Favors legalizing medical marijuana. (May 2010)
• Exclude industrial hemp from definition of marijuana. (Aug 2012)
• Exempt industrial hemp from marijuana laws. (Feb 2013) 

 On Education:

• Allow school choice for everyone, white, brown, or black. (Feb 2013)
• Support homeschooling and parental responsibility. (Jul 2010) 

On Energy and Oil:

• Test older gas pipelines for explosion safety. (Sep 2012)
• Unelected EPA should not regulate greenhouse emissions. (Oct 2010)
• Energy crisis stems from too much government intervention. (Jul 2010)
• Voted YES on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. (Apr 2011)
• Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge by AFP. (Nov 2010)
• Supports renewable energy tax credits. (Aug 2010)
• Cap-and-trade has no impact on global temperatures. (Jul 2010)
• Explore proven energy reserves & keep energy prices low. (Jul 2010)
• Let states lease energy rights on federal lands. (Jun 2013)
• Endorsed Liberty Candidate: tax incentives for US-based alternatives. (Sep 2010) 

On The Environment:

• Our federal government regulates everything and anything. (Sep 2012)
• Citizens run afoul of vague definition of "wetlands". (Sep 2012)
• EPA regulations cost $15 trillion in 2012. (Sep 2012)
• EPA enforcement nullifies due process and judicial review. (Sep 2012)
• Land rules made by delusional government interventionists. (Sep 2012)
• Navigable waters should mean permanently flowing. (Sep 2012)
• Voted NO on protecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems. (May 2013)
• Rated 20% by HSLF, indicating an anti-animal welfare voting record. (Jan 2012) 

On Families and Children:

Volunteer eye surgery for blind kids in Guatemala. (Aug 2014)

 On Foreign Policy:

• Good idea to end Cuba embargo; it hasn't worked. (Dec 2014)
• Temporary stop on elective travel to fight Ebola. (Nov 2014)
• No quarantine on returning Ebola doctors unless symptomatic. (Nov 2014)
• Prioritize embassy security to avoid another Benghazi. (Oct 2013)
• No isolationism; but don't go abroad seeking enemies. (Oct 2013)
• Against terror but first comes preserving the Constitution. (Jul 2013)
• Stop sending foreign aid to people who don't like us. (Sep 2012)
• Freeze aid to Egypt until they release detained Americans. (Sep 2012)
• As only democracy in Mideast, Israel is important ally. (Feb 2011)
• Exit the UN; maintain US sovereignty. (Nov 2010)
• Rated 0 by AAI, indicating a mixed Arab/Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
• Endorsed Liberty Candidate: US abroad unconstitutional & unaffordable. (Sep 2010) 

On Free-Trade:

• Accompany free trade laws with other export inducers. (Oct 2013)
• Participated with Raw Milk Freedom Riders civil disobedience. (Sep 2012) 

On Government Reform:

• Supports early voting; but voter ID also ok. (Nov 2014)
• President should not bypass Congress with executive orders. (Jan 2014)
• Term limits if budget can't get balanced. (Feb 2013)
• Fund new programs by deleting existing ones. (Sep 2012)
• Conservatives should criticize GOP when they grow government. (Feb 2012)
• Our legislative victory: an end to earmarks. (Jan 2012)
• Federal contracts should include no-PAC clauses. (Feb 2011)
• Instead of bringing home the bacon, bring home politicians. (Feb 2011)
• FactCheck: No, Kagan never she'd regulate vegetable eating. (Feb 2011)
• Lobbyists' sole goal is to rip you off. (Jul 2010)
• No Pork Pledge: decrease earmarking; increase transparency. (Aug 2010)
• Identify constitutionality in every new congressional bill. (Jul 2010)
• Audit federal agencies, to reform or eliminate them. (Jul 2010)
• Moratorium on all earmarks until budget is balanced. (Jul 2010)
• Prohibit IRS audits targeting Tea Party political groups. (Feb 2014) 

On Healthcare:

• ObamaCare cuts hundreds of choices down to just four. (Nov 2013)
• It's Congress' job to fight to change ObamaCare. (Oct 2013)
• Protect vitamin manufacturers from unreasonable regulations. (Sep 2012)
• ObamaCare is still unconstitutional, despite Supreme Court. (Aug 2012)
• Restrain ObamaCare from using Commerce Clause. (Feb 2011)
• Obamacare will cost $3T & health insurance still goes up 15%. (Oct 2010)
• Replace over-regulation with free market principles. (Jul 2010)
• Voted NO on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts. (May 2011)
• Opposes government-run healthcare. (Aug 2010)
• Defund, repeal, & replace federal care with free market. (Jul 2010)
• Repeal any federal health care takeover. (Jul 2010) 

On Homeland Security:

• Multiple requests for security at Benghazi were ignored. (Jun 2014)
• Benghazi disqualifies Hillary from the presidency. (Jun 2014)
• Don't let people who make money off weapons define policy. (Apr 2014)
• National defense is important, but no blank check. (Apr 2014)
• NSA monitoring is an affront to 1776 sons of liberty. (Mar 2014)
• Allow challenges to NSA in open court, not FISA court. (Nov 2013)
• Give trials to Guantanamo detainees. (May 2013)
• Filibuster to establish no drones on citizens in America. (Mar 2013)
• 13-hour filibuster against drone strikes targeting Americans. (Mar 2013)
• Only Judiciary can detain and drone, not the President. (Mar 2013)
• Military sacrifice spreads flame of freedom around the world. (Sep 2012)
• Cut defense spending as part of cutting all federal spending. (Jan 2012)
• The Patriot Act is intrusive; it's what the Founders feared. (Feb 2011)
• Put defense spending on the table for reducing budget. (Feb 2011)
• Defense should be largest part of much smaller budget. (Feb 2011)
• How much of what is spent on defense is actual "defense"? (Feb 2011)
• Remove waste from last decade's doubling of military budget. (Feb 2011)
• Warrantless searches overstep Constitutional powers. (Sep 2010)
• Treat armed service members like heroes. (Jul 2010)
• Defense policy is influenced by the makers of weapons. (Feb 2010)
• Voted NO on extending the PATRIOT Act's roving wiretaps. (Feb 2011)
• Supports banning homosexuals in the military. (Aug 2010)
• Sponsored opposing the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. (Mar 2013) 

On Immigration:

• Status quo is untenable; we must do some sort of reform. (Jun 2014)
• Move beyond amnesty, but eventually to path to citizenship. (Jun 2014)
• Illegals are not bad people, but we have to control border. (Apr 2014)
• Legal status, but not citizenship, for illegal immigrants. (Mar 2013)
• We will find a place for illegal immigrants in America. (Mar 2013)
• Replace de facto amnesty with bipartisan reform. (Mar 2013)
• See immigrants as assets, not liabilities. (Feb 2013)
• Obamacare treats illegal aliens because it's illegal to ask. (Oct 2010)
• No amnesty; respect the law. (Jul 2010) 

On Jobs: 

• Unemployment insurance ok if fully paid for & short-term. (Jan 2014)
• Extending unemployment benefits does disservice to workers. (Dec 

On War and Peace:

• GOP is too eager for war; and so is Hillary. (Aug 2014)
• How many Americans should die to defend Iraq? (Jul 2014)
• ISIS are nasty terrorists but no clear-cut American interest. (Jun 2014)
• Iraq War gave Iran regional hegemony & caused Mideast chaos. (Jun 2014)
• Keep all options on the table, but don't declare war on Iran. (Apr 2014)
• Executive Branch can initiating war is a usurpation of power. (Mar 2014)
• No involvement in Syria, even if gas attack proven. (Sep 2013)
• No US interests in either side of Syrian war. (Sep 2013)
• No US weapons to kill Christians in Syria. (Aug 2013)
• It is unacceptable not to hate war. (Sep 2012)
• Opposed to Iraq War; no direct threat & no declared war. (Feb 2011)
• Would have voted against a declaration of war against Iraq. (Feb 2010) 

So there you have it, folks...

Next up:  Republican Candidate- Marco Rubio