SEATTLE — Rand Paul denounced his rivals in the pack of Republicans and Democrats running for president as warmongers and big-government enablers during a rally Wednesday in Seattle.
The junior senator from Kentucky railed against the “unholy alliance” in Washington, D.C., between the establishment of both parties he said has resulted in out-of-control domestic and military spending.
“Washington is horribly broken and you ask yourself whose fault is it. Well let’s see, Republicans, Democrats — let’s just say everybody in Washington ought to come home and we ought to start over,” Paul said.
Seeking to distinguish himself from the 2016 field, Paul hit politicians of both parties for being too quick to entangle the U.S. in overseas conflicts.
“If you’re eager for war there’s 10 other people I can recommend. If you’re eager for war there will always be a Bush or Clinton for you,” he said.
Paul spoke to about 500 supporters at Town Hall Seattle. It was a smaller crowd than those frequently drawn by his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who ran twice for president and had a strong volunteer cadre in Washington.
But those on hand cheered loudly for Paul’s half-hour speech as he name-checked several constitutional amendments and argued that the Republican Party needs to stand for “the right to be left alone.”
Republicans should be as firm in their opposition to civil forfeiture and warrantless phone-record snooping by the government as they are in their commitment to gun rights, Paul said.
“I tell people if you doubt me on the Second Amendment, come into my house unannounced,” he added.
He criticized his headline-grabbing GOP rival Donald Trump as a faux conservative who has sided with big government — citing the mogul’s endorsement of eminent domain powers by which private landowners can be forced to sell property for economic-development projects.
Paul also criticized Trump’s disparaging comments about immigrants in a brief interview with The Seattle Times before his speech. “I think it’s hard to have a serious discussion when you have a reality TV star in the mix. A lot of it becomes about celebrity and not about substance,” Paul said.
Paul also said he would defend Washington’s legal marijuana system if elected.
