Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul accused both Republicans and Democrats of being "guilty of spending too much" in his tea party response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday night.
"It is often said that there is not enough bipartisanship up here. That is not true. In fact, there is plenty of bipartisanship," Paul said in a speech for Tea Party Express that streamed live on the group's website shortly after Obama's speech. "Both parties have been guilty of spending too much, of protecting their sacred cows, of backroom deals in which everyone up here wins, but every taxpayer loses."
Despite being an elected member of the Senate, the junior senator from Kentucky at times spoke as though he were an outsider even using the word "they" when referring to other members of the institution to which he belongs.
Paul delivered his remarks following the official Republican response, given by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio from the capitol. Paul joined Rubio in accusing the president of working to undermine the "free market," but Paul's remarks also included a call for an amendment to the Constitution that would require the federal government to balance its budget every year, a tea party rallying cry.
"What the president fails to grasp is that the American system that rewards hard work is what made America so prosperous," Paul said. "What America needs is not Robin Hood but Adam Smith."
Paul advocated for term limits for members of Congress as punishment for not passing a budget and reining in spending.
"If Congress refuses to obey its own rules, if Congress refuses to pass a budget, if Congress refuses to read the bills, then I say: Sweep the place clean. Limit their terms and send them home," Paul said. "I have seen the inner sanctum of Congress and believe me there is no monopoly on knowledge there. If they will not listen, if they will not balance the budget, then we should limit their terms."
The speech gave Paul, who has said he's thinking about running for president someday, an opportunity to brand himself as an alternative to the party establishment. Because being an outsider, of course, is what being a tea party lawmaker is all about.
Blog List
-
Kaley Cuoco Shows Off Fit Physique In Skin-Revealing Yoga Outfit - By Suzy Byrne Kaley Cuoco leaving yoga class in L.A. on Monday. (X17online.com)Kaley Cuoco gave new meaning to hot yoga on Monday when she emerged from cla...12 years ago
Pageviews
Popular Posts
-
By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - The price of fame can be high with an international study on Thursday finding that people who enjoy...
-
BEIRUT (AP) The general who heads Syria's military police has defected and joined the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regi...
-
WEBSTER, N.Y. (AP) The ex-con turned sniper who killed two firefighters wanted to make sure his goodbye note was legible, typing out his des...
-
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) In the private hell of a mother's grief, the sounds come back to Judy Neiman. The SUV door slamming. The slight bum...
-
NEW YORK (AP) A pension fund for city teachers is pledging $1 billion in new investments toward repairing roads and bridges damaged by...
-
TORONTO (AP) Research In Motion 's stock plunged in after-hours trading Thursday after the BlackBerry maker said it plans to chan...
-
NEW YORK (AP) Radio talk show host Laura Ingraham will soon be back on the air after taking a short break. Courtside Entertainment Gr...
-
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former President George H.W. Bush remained in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital on Thursday, but his...
-
NEW YORK (AP) President Barack Obama has been named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2012. "We are in the m...
-
This week has been a very good one for Research In Motion ( RIMM ) and BlackBerry 10 news. First there was the teaser by...