cut medicare. now you go after the fraud and abuse but you don't cut it. we make the country rich again. we take back the jobs from china and other nations. nobody else is going to tell you that. we're 18 trillion in debt very soon going to be a lot more than that and we're going to reach 24 trillion dollars. that's a sacred number because it's a number from which there is almost no recovery. we better get going and we better get going fast. i just want to leave this with you. to be a winner you have to think like a winner. our country hasn't been thinking like a winner. we're totally on the defense. we're being laughed at all over the world for our stupidity. we're giving things away. isis, you know, we leave it for iraq and isis comes in and takes it. i see these trucks and beautiful tanks all american tanks. we have to use our head. we need brilliant leadership. we can make america great again. there is tremendous potential in this country. and my whole concept is make america great again. we can do it. thank you. thank you.

thank you. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. now we have sean hannity. where's sean? come on, sean. get out here, sean. >> give it up for mr. donald trump. you all doing okay? they have chairs. or do you want to stand? >> we'll stand. let's stand. >> ok. first question. it's great to see you. >> nice to see you. >> don't read into this. this is donald trump. do not take that as an indication that i am committed. you flirted with running the last time. >> i thought romney could do it

and he let us down. i'm building all over the world. i love it. i love this country. my children are grown people he are ensconced in the company. i have great executives. i can let them run things and i have no problem. when you're building it is very hard for a person like me to run because i have a lot of things happening. a politician, they run. what do they do? they run, they run. they lose. they win. they run. with me i give up a lot. i already told the apprentice people. nbc wanted to renew and i said i'm doing something else that is very important to me. i'm doing something very important. i am looking at it very seriously. i don't want what happened to mitt romney to happen again. that was a tremendous blow for this country. >> ok. if i have to ask you on a scale of 1 to 100 where are you on this scale in terms of where you think you are in deciding to run? >> 1 to 100 i would say 75 and 80. i am really inclined. i want to do it so badly.

you know, i have the theme. it's my theme. make america great again. that's what i want to do. we can do that in this country if we have people that know what they're doing if we have people that are confident. >> let's talk about -- i just had an opportunity to speak to this great crowd and i talked about the economic problems we have. you're known for being a businessman. >> correct. >> 50 million americans in poverty. 50 million americans, close to it. 50 million americans on food stamps. 92 million americans not working. we don't count them. >> >> as i said we don't count them. we have they say 5.3 and 5.6%. i think it's over 20%. >> how do we get them, how would donald trump as president get these people back to work? >> you have to take the jobs back from china. you have to take the jobs back from mexico. mexico, in iowa companies are leaving for mexico. you have to -- they give incentives to leave our country

and go to places like mexico. by the way, mexico is the next china. mexico, folks, is not our friend. i hate to tell you this. but mexico, and i'm not just talking about the border. mexico is ripping off the united states big, big league. and we better do something. but jobs going to china, to mexico, to brazil, they're going everywhere but here. we've lost our manufacturing and lost our manufacturing base. sean, you hear about as an example apple. sure it's based here but they do all their work, make all their products in china. a wonderful place. wonderful. i have tremendous experience with china. i've made a lot of money with china. i had some pretty hard times with china and i was the one that came out on top. believe me, this country can come out on top. >> ok. let me ask, i think everybody's got to have a vision. if i were to ask you, if you become president your top five agenda items what are they? >> well, i start with isis. you have to just hit them and

hit them hard. you have to get rid of that whole situation. if you were to ask me that question two years ago, three years ago probably it wouldn't have been the first thing on the agenda but right now it has become so severe, so bad. i always said take the oil. they have the oil. isis first. obamacare, i would repeal it and i would get something that would be so much better than obamacare. so important. you look at every aspect of government. you look at regulation. the e.p.a. you can't move. you can't do anything. everything you want to do is stopped. you have to do that. i would build a tremendously strong military. our military has been -- [cheering] -- has been let go and it's been let go badly. being in the real estate business, all the time i get these listings for army bases for sale. they're selling everything. i said aren't we going to have any army bases left? all the time so many bases for sale.

i say what are we going to do about it? the vets, i would straighten out the whole mess. these vets are great people. amazing people. i would straighten out that mess like you wouldn't believe and be in there really fast and i would be working on iran and i would be helping israel big league. there wouldn't be speeches made behind my back. i would be helping out israel big league. because they deserve the help. and iran has very, very bad intentions. when you look at, this is negotiating 101. you look at a president who's negotiating and he drops the sanctions. now i would have said, triple up the sanctions. so now they're not doing anything. they're not coming to a good conclusion. i hear the deal is terrible. so when he comes here it will be very interesting what happens. but we have a president that truly doesn't know what he's doing. >> let me go back to isis. let's get specifics here. we see what the jordanians are doing and the egyptians are doing. what would, specifically, you do to, a, stop iran's nuclear program and, b, defeat isis.

i don't hear you saying degrade them. i hear you saying defeat them. >> with isis, i would just hit them really hard to probably, a year ago you wouldn't have said it and nobody would like it. now everybody likes it. you may have to have some boots on the ground for a period of time until you get rid of the cancer. that is number one. you may have to have that. look. they're cutting off the heads of people, burning people at the stake. it's like we're living in medieval times. you have to do something. as far as iran is concerned, if they respected our leadership, they'd negotiate. if we put sanctions all over the place, they would negotiate. they were being very badly hurt by sanctions. now all of a sudden it's like they're not taking us seriously. with iran, sanctions all over the place. believe me. you can make a right deal if you have the right negotiator. part of the problem we have, sean, we have people that are diplomats doing -- they do

know nothing about negotiating. all they know how to do is keep their job. they know nothing about negotiating. if we had the right people, we could solve the isis problem and we could solve the iran problem. and a lot more quickly than you think. >> you made a statement about immigration where you said i'm great at building things. i'm great at building fences. >> i would build a wall. it all starts with a wall. you have to build -- first of all it also has to go with mexico having some respect for our country. they don't respect us whatsoever. people are flowing through mexico. and what a lot of people don't realize the hardest country, one of the hardest countries to become a citizen of, you probably couldn't do it, is mexico. the people flow right through mexico. they shove them through our borders. we have no idea. by the way, you don't know where those people are coming from. they could have very, very bad intentions. and they don't necessarily have to be from the areas that you think they are. >> mexico puts them in jail. or they tell them to go home immediately. >> mexico is one of the hardest countries in this world to become a citizen of but they

just flow them right through our border. i see it the other night on television. i'm watching and thousands of people they just walk across the border. you have guards standing there. they just walk right across. what are we, stupid? it's just hard to believe this can happen. >> there are so many young people in this room. obama has, well by the time he leaves office will have accumulated more debt than every other president combined. >> true. >> what do you say to them about how a president trump could balance the budget? >> i understand debt. i understand business better than anybody that's ever run in my opinion for office. nobody's had the success in a business sense that i've had. i know how to get rid of debt. i would get rid of that debt and i would do it quickly because it's sitting out there and it is a time bomb for this country. >> specifically though. this is important. i like the penny plan. cut a penny out of every dollar. >> fine. i like two plans.

i like making the country rich again taking in tremendous amounts of money. stopping china from ripping us etcetera, and also cutting costs. but not cutting them when it comes to the military. and not cutting them when it comes to social security either. >> all right. i see -- i always, every time i'm up here it says wrap up now. i don't know why. real quick. a lightning round. real quick answers. abortion. >> ok. well, i'm very pro life. [applause] feel strongly about it. with exceptions. life of the mother, etcetera. but i am pro life. >> rape and incestt, life and the mother. >> yes. life of the mother, rape, and incest. >> gay marriage. >> i am for traditional marriage. i think it is a states rights issue not a judge issue. it is a voter issue but a states rights but i am for traditional marriage. >> colorado, marijuana, good or bad experiment? >> i say it's bad. medical marijuana is another thing. but i think it's bad. and i feel strongly about that.

>> well hang on. what about the states right aspect of it if the people of colorado decide? >> if they vote for it they vote for it but they have a lot of problems right now in colorado. big problems. i think medical marijuana, 100%. >> let me mention some names to you. and just get a quick response. hillary clinton. >> like a one word response? i sort of think of benghazi. i think of a failed secretary of state. but benghazi was a disaster. amazingly, i don't think it resonated like it should have. but benghazi was a total disaster. >> we learned today in fact they knew from the first minutes of that attack that it was a terror attack which i think will become a bigger issue. bill clinton? >> nice guy. got a lot of problems coming up in my opinion with the famous island with jeffrey epstein. a lot of problems. >> barack obama. >> incompetent president. [applause] >> ok. you obviously, the american dream has worked in your life and your father's life, your family's life. i know a lot about your

background. we're now talking a lot about american exceptionalism. in donald trump's mind what makes america exceptional and why do you so love this country that you want to be its commander-in-chief? >> it's got a great fabric. they have phenomenal people like the people in this room. we have so much going. we need the incentives. we can't take away those incentives. but we have a country that can be so great again. we have a country that will be absolutely admired by everybody. right now it's not admired by other countries. and i deal with these countries. they talk to me, sean, and they say i can't believe it. chinese. they say, they're friends of mine. they say, i can't believe we're getting away with this. in saudi arabia they say i can't believe we get away with this. they don't put up the money. we fight wars for them. they don't put up the money. i know these people. i have nothing against china. their leaders are just much smarter than ours. if we bring our country back to the grass roots, if we keep the incentives going, i'm telling you the potential of the united states is so incredible. if we do it properly.

and if we have smart really smart leadership. >> one last question. you almost single handedly were out there questioning president obama's background. you said how can you not show a birth certificate? >> right. >> i'm not bringing up that issue as much. you also wanted to see his college records. >> right. >> some people have criticized you for asking those questions. what is your response? what i would still like to see his college records. i'm not looking at his marks. i'd like to see where he put often. look, he wrote a book when he was a young man and it said born in kenya. blah, blah. blah. i would like to see his college records. i think it's important. now as far as the birth certificate, hillary clinton wanted his birth certificate. hillary is a birther. she wanted it. but she was unable to get it. john mccain fought really hard and really viciously to get his birth certificate. john mccain failed. couldn't get it. trump comes along.

and i'm not a sitting senator. i'm not a sitting anything else. i'm a good businessman. but trump comes along and says birth certificate. he gave a birth certificate. whether or not that was a real certificate because a lot of people questioned it, i certainly questioned it. but hillary clinton wanted it. mccain wanted it. and i wanted it. he didn't do it for them. he did it for me. so in one sense i'm proud of it. now all we have to do is find out whether it was real. [laughter] >> cpac, give it up. donald trump. [applause] >> kentucky senator rand paul is considering running for president in 2016. he spoke friday at the annual conservative political action conference. this is about 20 minutes.

[applause] >> thank you, thank you. thank you. [applause] there comes a time in the history of nations when fear and forgetfulness causes a nation to hesitate, to waiver and perhaps even to succumb. when that time comes those who love liberty much rise to the occasion. will you, lovers of liberty, will you rise to the occasion? [cheers and applause] when politicians accept

censorship when politicians accept imprisonment without trial, when politicians accept torture, even of the innocent as necessary, then lovers of liberty must rise. [applause] we must rise and stand with our forefathers who stared down the king. we must rise as freemen and women and reclaim our birthright. we must protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. [cheers and applause] our freedom is at risk from a supreme court that fails to protect liberty. in the mistake of the century, justice roberts affirmed the power of the government to force

you to buy insurance. justice roberts argued we must presume obamacare constitutional. i have a better idea. why don't we presume liberty? [applause] just as we are presumed innocent so too we should be presumed free. president obama's fundamental promise that if you like your doctor and you can keep him was a lie. obamacare at its core takes away a patient's right to choose. i promise you this. as a doctor, i will take it and make it my mission to heal the nation, reverse the course of obamacare, and repeal every last bit of it. [applause]

we must remember our rights are unlimited and given to us by god . don't let anyone tell you otherwise. the ninth amendment says those rights not listed are not to be disparaged. you do have a right to privacy. your rights are who you are. your rights are what you are. your rights are in your d.n.a., and the government can quite frankly get over it. [applause] to defend our country, we need to gather intelligence on the enemy, but when the intelligence director lies to congress, how are we to trust them? are we to trust them to hold every american's phone records? i say your phone records are yours. [applause]

i say the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their business! [applause] from within, our freedom is threatened by debt and a government that regulates everything that moves. we borrow $1 million a minute. the president says he does not know where to cut. how about we start with the $2.4 million they spent on origami condoms? don't tell me there is no place to cut. our freedom is also threatened from outside our borders. we must protect ourselves from jihadists without losing who we are as a people in the process. we must think before we act. we should promote stability, not chaos.

in the middle east, one form of tyranny often replaces another. when secular despots are overthrown, chaos ensues and radical islam grows stronger. hillary's war in libya is a perfect example. hillary's were made us less safe . libya is less stable and radical jihadists run amok. hillary's war in libya allowed thousands of surface to air missiles to fall into the hands of radical islamists. as hillary was declaring victory in libya ambassador stevens was pleading for more security. when i asked secretary clinton if she read ambassador stevens' cables pleading for help, she answered currently n -- curtly no as if she had more important things to do,. i believe her abdication of

responsibility, refusal to provide adequate defense of benghazi should forever preclude her from higher office. [applause] it is time for hillary clinton to permanently retire. [applause] in the middle east, a dangerous and barbaric cult has arisen. isis has become a threat to our embassy in baghdad. isis grew in a safe haven created by arming islamic rebels in the syrian civil war. when i voted against arming the rebels in syria, i warned these arms might end up in the hands of jihadists and that one day we might be forced to go back to

fight against our own weapons. within a year, that prediction came true. without question, we must now defend ourselves and american interests from this barbarous aberration. but it troubles me that we must now fight against our own weapons. we need a national defense robust enough to defend against all attacks. modern enough to deter all enemies and nimble enough to defend our vital interests. but we also need a foreign policy that encourages stability, not chaos. at home, conservatives understand the government is the problem, not the solution. [applause] but as conservatives, we should not succumb to the notion that a government in a. home will somehow become -- inept at home

will somehow become successful abroad. [applause] that a government that cannot even deliver the mail will somehow be able to create nations abroad. [applause] without question, we must be strong. without question, we must defend ourselves. i envision an america with a national defense unparalleled, undefeatable, and unencumbered by nationbuilding. [applause] i envision a national defense that promotes, as reagan put it, peace through strength. [applause] we must realize we do not project strength by borrowing money from china to send it to pakistan.

it angers me to see mobs burning our flag and chanting "death to america" in companies that receive our foreign aid. [applause] i say it must end. i say not one penny more to these haters of america! [applause] at home, our nation needs new ideas and new answers to old problems. martin luther king spoke of two americas. he described the mystique of starkly different american experiences that exist side-by-side. in one america people experience the opportunity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. in the other america, people experience the daily ugliness

that dashes hope and leaves only the fatigue of despair. i was born into the america that experiences and believes an opportunity. but my trips to ferguson and detroit, atlanta and chicago have revealed what i consider to be an undercurrent of unease in our country. liberal policies have failed our inner cities. [applause] liberal policies have failed our poor communities. our schools are not equal. the poverty gap continues to widen. it is time for a new way predicated on opportunity and freedom. those of us who have enjoyed the american dream must break down the wall that separates us from the other america. the president's answer is to raise taxes again. i believe we should do the opposite.

i propose we cut everyone's taxes from the richest to the poorest. [applause] in the coming weeks, i will propose the largest tax cut in american history. a tax cut that will leave more money in the paychecks of every worker in america. [applause] my tax plan will get the i.r.s. out of your life and out of the way of every job creator in america. my plan will also cut spending and balance the budget in just five years. [applause] to fix washington, we can't have business as usual.

bills are plopped on our desk with only a few hours to review. no one is able to read what is in the bill. i propose something truly outrageous. congress should read every bill. [applause] congress should also live under the laws they pass. i have a constitutional amendment that says congress shall pass no law that exempts themselves. [applause] and finally, if they won't listen we should limit all of their terms and send the career politicians packing! [applause] and while we are at it, maybe we

ought to limit the terms of out of control federal judges as well. [applause] we need to return to our founding principles. stand up for the entire bill of rights. our future can include the road back to prosperity, back to respect at home and abroad. it should include a balanced budget and a simple fair tax system. it should include a government that protection rights and security. it should include a stronger better, more agile military. it is time for a new way, a new set of ideas, a new leader, one you can trust, one who works for you, and above all, it is time for a new president. [cheers and p applause] thank you.

>> president paul! >> i believe america has much greatness left, that we must believe in ourselves believe in our founding documents, believe in an economic system that creates more stuff for more people than any time in recorded history. american innovations have changed the world for the better. america is an idea factory. there are ideas yet to be born. you and your friends create those ideas. you are america's greatest hope, america's dream. our best days are ahead of us. it is not the desire for wealth that drives us. what drives this is the desire for freedom. the history of man is the history of men and women striving to restrain the hour of government and expand the realm of freedom. will you stand with me? will you fight for freedom?

will you vote for freedom? [cheers and applause] let us rise as one bench out from the top of our lungs for freedom now. let us stand together to make america once again the leading right for freedom and prosperity for all. thank you. god bless you and god bless america. [applause] >> senator. >> thank you. >> senator. >> thank you. thank you. >> senator i'm here standing to ask you a couple of questions which have come from the

audience and others throughout the building. we appreciate the fact you are taking the time to answer these questions from a live audience. first of all, what you think republicans have to do in order to win over libertarians moderates and independents voters? [applause] >> good answer. i think as republicans, we do a great job defending the second amendment. everybody knows that. i'm a great defender of the second amendment, but we have to defend the whole bill of rights. to defend the second amendment you have to defend the fourth amendment. if a government can come into your house without an appropriate or a judicial, constitutional warrant we don't have protection of the second amendment. you need the first amendment to protect the second amendment. if you want to talk about people who have not been concerned

about being a republican or listening to a republican, the fifth, the sixth -- we should have speedy trials in our country. kalif was a 16-year-old boy from the bronx, and african-american kid accused of a crime. he was sent to rikers. he has spent three years in rikers and was never tried of. . he tried to commit suicide four times. if you ask him or his mom or anyone who lives around them whether or not the bill of rights is being defended this is the other america martin luther king was talking about. if we want to get new people into the party and others to believe in privacy, what we have to do is we have to say to people like kalif that big government is not just a problem as far as regulations and taxes it is a problem with sometimes not giving justice to those who

deserve it. [applause] >> somebody sent us this follow-up question. if you can have just one constitutional amendment, what would it be? >> term limits. [applause] >> what is your biggest criticism of congress right now? >> they are dysfunctional. that even if we agree on things, we cannot get anything done. i had a bill last year with the majority leader and could not get it done. could not even get a vote on it. there was a dysfunctionality in place. after week after week and we don't get things done. one of the biggest problems we have is the debt. we are borrowing when million dollars a minute. it is growing because congress does not do their job.

we love all the spending bills together. we lurch from one deadline to the other and then when it comes, it is like harry. either the government is going to shut down or you have to package although spending bills together. why don't we passed each individual spending bill on its own and control the power of the purse? >> time for one quick one. how do you respond to some conservatives and republicans to say you are not tough enough in your stance on for policy? >> i think the question on foreign policy as a valid and important one. when i look at government, i think the most important thing we do at the federal government level is defend our country without question. national defense is a constitutional function. it is the most important function we have. when i look at spending, when i look at what we should spend money on -- this or national defense -- the priority is

always national defense for me. [applause] when we get the foreign policy, not all republicans are the same. there is a spectrum. on one end there are people who believe we should never be anywhere outside our borders. on the other end there are people that believe we should be everywhere all the time. i think really in the end we should obey the constitution. the constitution says of that war, when we go to war it should be declared and initiated by congress. [applause] >> final question, senator. we appreciate you being with us. your naturally curly hair. is that the best that you be anybody could have? >> people keep saying is that really his hair, could it be that bad?

i was at a rally in kentucky and a woman came up to me and grabbed me by the hair and said she wanted to see if it was real or not. [laughter] >> thank you senator. [applause] >> former senator rick santorum of pennsylvania was the presidential candidate in 2012 and reportedly is considering running again in 2016. he spoke friday at the annual conservative political action conference. this is almost 20 minutes. [applause] ♪ >> thank you very much. it is great to be back here at cpac. let me do what i always do first which is injured is my family who has joined me today. my co-author in life and our newest book, my wife karen.

the rest of our seven children. everybody here but bella are here today. thank you so much for welcoming us and them. thank you. [applause] three years ago, i stood on the stage and my family was behind me. we had just come from a few days before having swept missouri, minnesota and colorado in the 2012 primary election cycle. after that sweep, the wall street journal editorialized about my economic plan saying it was a surprise economic plan for the working men and women of this country. i talked about that we needed to unite america. with someone who is pro-freedom, profamily, pro-growth and also pro-worker.

[applause] we have seen ofthat wages over time have stagnated. the economy, median income is declining in america. we need someone who can unite this country aroudn and an economic vision that can pull us together. a vision that is focused on working men and women who are struggling in america today. a vision that says we can restore our manufacturing base. we can improve our infrastructure, we can increase our energy development. all to help the people in this country who are lagging behind and feeling like neither party really cares about them or talks about them. i talked about the 70% of americans who don't have a college education and what we need to do to restore vocational education in our high schools. to put parents back in charge, not the government. back in 2012, i was not for

common core and today, i am still not for common core. [applause] after the campaign, i wrote a book called "blue-collar conservative" for how we can unite america around those who are struggling in our society. i was doing a book signing in des moines at the republican state committee. i just happened to be in iowa passing through. and, a woman dropped a book in front of me and i said who would you like to make this out to and she said janice. i said it is nice to meet you, janice. she said that was not her name. she said that was her hairdresser. i said, your hairdresser? she said yeah, we don't agree on anything, but she loves you. i said really? why would your liberal hairdresser love me? she said because i am for the little guy.

[applause] of all the workers in america only 10% own their own business. 90% are little guys. pundits have often wondered how i was able to win 11 states even though i was outspent 4:1. they thought it was because i was simply the last man standing. they were wrong. i won because i stood for someone -- the little guy, the american worker. [applause] if we are going to win in 2016 we need to stand for the little guy, too. [applause] 2016 is going to be a different election though. the world has changed. we don't need just someone with a strong economic plan. thanks to the obama-clinton foreign-policy team, we have

gone from a policy of peace through strength to a policy of leading from behind and it has been disastrous for the american people and the world. in fact, the president's popularity is so bad around the world today that i heard this report from a source that the kenyan government is actually developing proof that barack obama was actually born in america. [laughter] [applause] the fact of the matter is we are in a very serious time. i was in israel six months ago and i spoke with prime minister netanyahu's senior adviser and he pulled me aside and he said in 2016 america needs to elect a wartime president. the world is a dangerous place. we need someone with real experience to be able to rebuild our military.

the likelihood we will face a former secretary of state means we need someone with a long and deep understanding of the threats that confronts us, particularly the threat of radical islam. [applause] to be clear, it wasn't just the president's liberal outlook, but his profound lack of experience that has created the problems for us in america. commander-in-chief is not an entry-level position. [applause] the oval office is no place for on-the-job training, not in times like this. [applause]

unlike the president, i have eight years of service in the senate armed services committee. we are overseeing science, technology, all of our ground and air forces. before and after 9/11, i worked to retool our military to something we call asymmetric threat we call terrorism. after 9/11, i took a deep dive to try to understand this new enemy of al qaeda. i found out it was not a new enemy. this is an enemy that has been attacking the west for over 1000 years. 1000 years. trying to expand their territory in the west. we need someone who understands that and understands the radicals today are simply working out of the playbook of over 1000 years ago. over the past few months, we have seen the american public rightly question the president

about his refusal to identify the enemy. they're asking the question -- how can we defeat what we refuse to understand? we cannot. we can't defeat somebody unless we understand them and fashion a plan to defeat them. refusing to embrace the reality of evil is nothing new. in the 1930's, winston churchill warned the world about the gathering storm and the world sat quietly by until it was almost too late. in 2006-2009, i traveled -- i gave my farewell address to the united states senate about the gathering storm of the 21st century -- the rise of militant, radical islam. i was called everything from chicken little to a warmonger. the first speech i gave was in the summer of 2006 after i had

worked to pass a sanctions bill on the iranian nuclear program. we failed by a few votes. at the beginning of the understanding of the development of the iranian program. i said in the speech that this is like defining world war ii as a war on blitzkrieg. terrors of tactics is not an ideology. we had the moral clarity and courage back in world war ii to call nazi germany nazi germany even though only 7% of germans were nazis. some have suggested that only a small percentage of islam is radical or militant. even if 1/10 of 1%, one in 1000

muslims are radical, violent islamists, that number is larger than the active duty military of our country. this is not a j.v. team. this is not a threat to be passed on. in the 1930's, we should have known, we could have known what the threat was. all we needed to do was read the book. hitler told us what he was going to do. we chose to ignore it. al qaeda, isis, iran, the muslim brotherhood -- all we need to do is read their books and we will know what they want to do to the west. [applause] isis wants to establish a seventh century caliphate. they want to behead, crucify burn, torture, enslave.

in response, the obama-clinton foreign-policy team refuses to acknowledge it but insist the threat to security is global climate change. ladies and gentlemen, we don't need a weatherman in chief, we need a commander in chief to run this country. [applause] we need to start by crushing isis now. [applause] we must start in iraq. we need to get isis out of iraq. we need to arm the kurds. [applause] instead of sending them bandages and body bags, we need to send them weapons to drive isis out of mosul and iraq.

[applause] we need to increase aid to jordan, egypt. they want to fight. they're warning us of this problem. america needs to engage. we need to engage with a two-prong strategy. number one, we need to put boots on the ground. [applause] 10,000 is what the general testified to. 10,000 to coordinate airstrikes, provide training and intelligence. yes, we need to do airstrikes. not five or 10 a day, not what the president is doing today but we need to be serious to destroy isis. we need to hit isis to defeat them. if isis wants to establish a

seventh-century caliphate, let us bomb them back to the seventh century. [applause] finally, i agree with prime minister netanyahu. even if the world bands together to defeat isis, if iran gains a nuclear weapon, we will have failed our time. in the end, prime minister netanyahu would not be coming to america. he would not be risking the most important national security arrangement that israel has if it wasn't for the fact he believes that iran and the united states nuclear negotiations will end up being a threat to his country. this is a dangerous time but here is the good news -- elections matter.

2016 is an opportunity just like 1980 was. in 1980, it took one election and one president to return america's standing and to defeat evil in the world. [applause] in 2016, we need another president prepared to make america, again, that shining city on a hill for all to see. thank you and god bless you. [applause] thank you. >> thank you, senator santorum. it is great to have you this afternoon. we are taking questions from conservatives all across the country at this time. the hashtag is #cpacq.

the media who considers any of the speakers presidential candidates will be subjected to this question-and-answer period. my question to you is given the world's current events, would you strengthen our military? >> i think that the most important job of the federal government is national security. i just listened to rand paul. we disagree on how we do that. i think we need a robust military to defend ourselves, to protect our security interests and to make sure we can be a reliable ally. if america does not lead the world, someone else will. look to what is going on in russia, what is going on in china, what is happening in the middle east and central and south america. other leaders are rising as we recede and the world is not a safer place, so america must be strong and it must lead. [applause]

>> thank you. do you think your strong religious beliefs will intimidate some of the more moderate voters? >> one of the great things about this country is we are a country that is passionate about freedom. passionate about people being able to live their lives. i find it somewhat disturbing that sometimes that is ok unless you are someone who happens to be religious in the world today. that somehow you are not allowed to be passionate about that. you are not allowed to stand up and articulate that. [applause] i will fight and i have fought for everybody to be able to come into the public square and make their case. i will fight to my dying day to make sure you have the right to do that. increasingly, we are finding a

less you of a particular point of view, you are not welcome anymore. that is a dangerous thing for america. separation of church and state is not in the constitution. freedom of religion is and that is what i will stand for. [applause] >> thank you. next question is what is the best way to dismantle common core? >> i think we are starting at it. we have a bill i have been supportive of in the senate. from the federal level, it would put the brakes on common core. i think it is important that since the federal government -- obama's programs to adopt common core, we should cut off that money and give the states the flexibility to use the money how they see fit, not how arne duncan sees fit. [applause]

>> we wish you the best of luck and god bless. >> thank you very much. god bless you all. [applause] ♪ >> another speaker at the friday session of the conservative political action conference was former florida governor jeb bush. he is not get announce whether he will run for president next year. here are his remarks. it is almost 30 minutes. [applause] ♪

>> how are you all doing? we are going to have a q&a with governor bush. by the way i got to start with, um, are you mad at your mom because she did say i don't know if we need another bush in the white house? >> i saw that on the today show when my brother was opening up his presidential library and my mom said it on national television. that was a little difficult. since that time, she has had a change of heart and that is all right by me. >> we had your dad and your brother as president. you made a statement and said it i am my own man. >> if i go beyond the consideration of the possibility

of running which is the legal terminology than many in the people here are probably using to trigger a campaign, i get beyond that and i run for president -- i have to show what is in my heart. i have to show i care about people and their future, it cannot be about the past or my mom or dad or my brother. i love them all. it has to be about the ideas i believe in to move our country forward so we can have economic growth and more people have a chance for success because more and more people do not think that system works for them anymore. for conservatives to win we need to give them hope that if we create the field of dreams that people can rise up again. >> the last time you are at sees back -- at cpac, you said all too often we are -- conservatives -- we are labeled and associated with being anti-everything. way too many people believe republicans are anti-woman,

anti-gay, anti-worker -- i want you to expand. >> i think the conservatives in washington have been opposing the overreach and have done a good job. the president jammed down the throat the affordable care act. ddodd-frank. he is now using his executive power to carry out his agenda. over time, we have to start being for things again. we need to be for a strong national defense where we are committed each and every day to protect the homeland with these new asymmetric threats that exist. these are threats that not just have an impact in the neighborhood in a middle east or israel, it impacts us as well. we need to stand for a strong national defense and the defense of the homeland. and we need to give people the sense of that if we start growing our economy again, the

middle will start having rising income again. what you do to do that is offer compelling alternatives to the failed tax policies, regulation policies, a broken education system and making sure people know we are on their side. it is good to oppose the bad things we need to start being for things. [applause] here is the deal -- there are a lot of committed conservatives in his room and this is why it is a spectacular gathering. there are a lot of other conservatives that have not been asked. if we share our enthusiasm and love for our country and believe in our philosophy, we will be able to get latinos and young people and other people that you need to win. [applause] >> governor, every article i have read talks about you and a divide with the conservative movement over to issues -- two

issues. it has to do with immigration and common core. let's directly deal with this. you said yeah, they broke the law. it is not a felony, it is an act of love. you also said you supported a pathway to citizenship. two other things -- when you were governor, you supported driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and you supported in-state tuition prices for those children of illegal immigrants that were not citizens. [boos] hang on. [applause] i want to give you an opportunity to address that. >> on immigration, i wrote a book about this and instead of people whining about what i believe, they might want to read the book. it is called "immigration wars." in that book, i talked about the need to enforce the borders. a great country needs to enforce

the borders for security purposes and the rule of law. first and foremost, we have to do that. secondly, we need a family petitioning so it is the same as every other country. now this broad definition of minor children, adult siblings and adult parents. we need economic-driven immigrants. those who want to come here to work, to invest in their dreams and for this country. [applause] that is what we need to get to. the plan also includes a path to legal status. i have not seen anybody, and i know there is disagreement here -- these people are angry about this and i feel your pain. i was in miami this morning and it was 70 degrees. the simple fact is there is no plan to the port 11 million people. we should give them a path to legal status where they work, don't receive government

benefits, don't break the law. where they learn english. and where they make a contribution to our society. [applause] that is what we need to be focused on. >> let me do a follow-up. senator rubio is a friend of yours and i asked him the same thing. we always hear about spending cuts and tax increases. we never get the spending cuts. the congress has tried comprehensive immigration reform and it has failed. we now have a crisis going on with the department of homeland security. my question is why not secure the borders first once it is verified secured first? >> let's do it, man. instead of having a political argument about this, the president did use of authority and the courts will overrule that.

let's control the border. that is what a great nation have to do. there is nothing that holdbacks the republican food but a comprehensive -- to put a comprehensive plan to do that. this nation needs to start growing at a far faster rate than we are growing today. we have to be young, dynamic again for all the people in this crowd to get a job with purpose and meaning. [applause] we need to change the subject. >> let me ask -- i don't want to spend all our time on immigration but i want a yes or no scenario for you. do you agree with conservatives that congress should not pass the homeland security funding bill that will fund the president's illegal and unconstitutional amnesty? >> i think the congress ought to pass a bill that does not allow him to use that authority. >> they should stand their ground? >> i am not an expert on the ways of washington. it makes no sense to me that we are not funding control of our

border which is the whole argument. i'm missing something. the simple fact is the president has gone way beyond his constitutional powers to do this and the congress has every right to reinstate their response ability -- responsibility. >> yes or no -- 100,000 people came from central america. should they be sent home? >> a thought they should have been sent home at the border because -- [applause] here's the deal -- the humanitarian thing to do would have been to consistently say from the beginning don't risk your lives crossing as young people. don't pay the gangsters in central america money from your family members in this country to come across and get into the country. now with our broken system, it might take three or four years to even begin the process. it sends a clear signal that this was a dangerous thing to do and it would have stopped the

flow. we did that as a relates to in miami and florida. that was exactly what bush 41 did as it related to haitians. people did not lose their lives trying to come to this country. >> let me ask you this -- ok. i mention this earlier when i had the opportunity to speak with this crowd and that is at this point in the country, at this moment in history, we have 50 million americans in poverty. nearly 50 million americans on food stamps. the lowest labor precipitation -- participation rate since the 1970's. i want you to connect this to immigration -- show the americans have a job opportunity first? if they get to go to the back of the line, they get the ability to stay and compete. >> you either believe the left one of you -- point of view. many on the right do not believe

in that. therefore, we are splitting up people. what we ought to be focused on his growing the economic pie. growing it at a rate that looks more like the 80's in america. growing you closer to 4%, not 2%. if we stay at this economic rate, your argument becomes valid but if we grow at 4%, there is going to be opportunity to grow. it is a zero-sum game. that is not how republicans think. we don't think it is all about the government giving it up. we believe we should pursue our dreams and the more people doing it with a capacity to achieve success, the more economic growth will take place for all. >> my last question on immigration is as governor, do you stand by the decision for driving licenses? >> it didn't happen. >> and the other decision about in-state tuition for children.

>> i do. [applause] in-state tuition was passed this year by one of the most conservative state legislatures and a conservative governor. it was signed into law this past year. >> the second biggest issue that always comes up -- when you read about governor jeb bush, the issue of common core. i did not know until i was researching you that you were the first governor to institute vouchers in the country. it was eventually overruled by the supreme court of florida. [applause] you were the first governor to allow a voucher system. i think a lot of conservatives believe in vouchers. i want you to address the common core issue. >> high standards by themselves are not meaningful. they're helpful but by themselves if there is no accountability, no consequence between mediocrity and failure, it won't work.

we did have the first statewide voucher program and we had more school choice in florida republican private than any state in the country and we had the largest virtual schools. [applause] we had the largest corporate tax scholarship program. we have 30,000 students that if their parents if the child has a learning disability, they can take the dollars and send them to many private school of their choice. we have all of that and that has improved public schools. we eliminated program in third grade. we did all of this and raise the standards. our standards have to be high enough where a student going through our system is college or career ready. that is not what is happening right now. [applause] >> is common core a federal takeover? >> know, and it should not be. here is where where we are concerned -- there is a risk that they will intrude and they

have as a relates to a race to the top. what we should say in the reauthorization of the law that may have actually been on the floor in the house of representatives today is the say the federal government has no role in the creation of standards either directly or indirectly. the federal government has no role in the creation of curriculum. the federal government should have no access to student id or student information. the role of the student -- of the federal government is to provide incentives for more school choice. take the title i money the states want to innovate with their programs, give them the money. that is a better approach. [applause] >> i want you to talk a little bit about your record as governor. as much as you privatized state jobs you vetoed $2 billion in spending in eight years as governor. you cut taxes $19 billion as governor. [applause] you ended affirmative action.

i want you to give -- i want to give you a chance to explain -- earlier today, i mentioned candidates. some people booed when i mentioned her name. i want you to give -- i want to give you a chance to talk about your record directly to the people of cpac. >> to those who made a "ooh" sou nd. i am marking you down as neutral and i want to be your second choice. it is a record that might be hard for people to imagine because it is a record of accomplishment of getting things done. taking conservative principles and having the courage to say i was for a statewide voucher program. i believe we should have cut spending and all of things we did. we created a world class business climate -- 1.3 million net new jobs were created in eight years. more than any state but one. do not sell rick perry, but more than texas. i left of the state with 3%

unemployment rate. we made florida business friendly and they came and they created jobs. our economy grew by something like 3.9% in the rest of the country was growing at 2.6%. we have reformed our education system. florida, it was not just -- we actually led the country in rising student achievement. kids in poverty are the leaders in florida. they outperform all of their peers and most categories. florida is a place where conservative principles of not just help republicans, but everybody. we litigated affirmative-action. [applause] i know there are people that come here and talk about the courage of their efforts. i eliminated affirmative action by executive order. trust me, there were a lot of people upset about this but through hard work, we have a system where they were more african-americans and hispanic is attending a university system

than prior to the system that was discriminatory. [applause] one more thing -- i left the state with $9.5 billion of reserves. no drunken sailors were around. we vetoed 2500 items in the budget. we left my successor $9 billion plus of cash for a rainy day and then we had the financial meltdown. conservatives need to be focused on not spending everything they had, but cutting taxes to stimulate economic growth so more revenue comes into people's pockets and the government gets their fair share as well. >> do you think you could lower taxes with $18.1 billion -- $18.1 trillion in debt we have now? >> you can lower taxes and create more economic opportunity that generates more revenue for government than any of the most exotic tax plans of that barack obama has. i believe that. [applause]

>> let me ask -- national security, national defense. your brother predicted in 2007 -- with pinpoint accuracy -- what would happen if we left iraq too early. now we have isis, people being beheaded. a war on terror that is being waged. my question is what would you do if you were commander-in-chief to defeat isis? >> mitt romney was right in the debate about putin. he was right about a lot of things that the president left off about not having a strong military. [applause] our position needs to be reengage with a strong military and strong presence. as we pull back, voids are filled. iraq is the best example of that. we need to reestablish relationships with countries that we have managed to mess up. we messed up almost every

relationship in the world, including canada, which is hard to do but we have done it. egypt, we got it wrong three times in a row. jordan, the king comes asking for support and i've yet to see. i have not heard anything. israel, for sure. turkey, all of these countries have doubts about america. we need to be engaged in the world, build a coalition to isolate and slip isis around a noose and take them out. [applause] that has to be done with american leadership. >> how would you do it specifically? >> i like the idea that senator corker is talking about about creating a saison for the creation of -- creating a safe zone for the creation of an army. i like the idea of not putting conditions of boots on the ground so we can have the intelligence capabilities and the special forces capabilities to make a difference. i like the the -- these ideas but all of them require

re-engaging with the neighborhood so they can be able to precipitate -- participate. the idea that we are going to be tripping over, finding a deal negotiating downward, creating an unsafe world and basically legitimizing the ayatollah and his nuclear capabilities is really troubling. >> all the reports are that this deal that is being negotiated that in fact people in iran that a friend -- threatened israel. they have uranium and the enrichment capabilities. as president, what would you say to any deal that was struck before you took office as a relates to -- >> hope the congress acts on this and requires this deal go back for april in the united states congress -- for approval in congress so we don't get to the point where the next president, because it will be done by executive order, is forced to undo that.

that would be the best thing to do but we need to be clear that there should be no light between us and israel and other discussions as a relates to iran needs to include the strategy of using surrogates to destabilize the region. now, negotiating downward, we are going to regulate it is just bad policy. >> what is your reaction to the president cannot regulate radical islam? >> this is all about economic uncertainty and if they can just get jobs. the jihadi that was identified in london was a college graduate. this total misunderstanding of what this islamic terrorist threat is is very dangerous because it is not allow you to have the right strategies and deal with this. me too high in awareness of what this record means and be honest about it -- we need to heighten

awareness of what this threat means and be honest about. the american people are going to reject what president obama is trying to do in iran. >> i am running out of time. i have asked every other candidate real quickly -- >> boxers. [laughter] >> that was not the question. >> thank god it was not. >> i believe that for nbc news. the top five agenda -- if you become president, what are your top five priorities? >> undoing the executive order -- and doing what the president has done and using the authority he has not had. regulating a reform agenda that allows for investments to take place in our country. presenting to congress a plan to reform our tax code so we can see inversions happen the other way.

where companies invest in our country to create jobs. we need to go back to high sustained economic growth and send a signal to the rest of the world that we will be their partner for peace and security. [applause] >> a lot has been written about terri schiavo. there was a license plate that said choose life. any regrets over that fight? >> we were the first state to have that license plate. [applause] i'm pro-life. i also believe the most horrible in our society -- vulnerable in our society need to be protected. in this case, this woman was vulnerable and the courts do not allow -- they were going to allow her to be starved to death. we passed a law that was a year later ruled unconstitutional. i acted on my core belief that the most vulnerable should be at the front of the line and receive our love and protection.

that is exactly what i did. [applause] >> there was an indication in an article today -- gay marriage. are you changing your stance? >> no, i believe in traditional marriage. [applause] >> there are numerous reports that you are telling people privately that you are a moderate -- i describe myself as a reagan constitutional conservative. how would you describe yourself? >> a practicing, reform minded conservative. >> marijuana in colorado -- legalization, good or bad idea? >> i thought it was a bad idea but states have the right to do it. >> i will mention a few things that we have gotten interesting answers. hillary clinton. >> foreign fund-raising. our be doing word association? [applause] >> bill clinton.

>> bubba. [laughter] >> that's pretty funny. i do an impression. i want to say hi to the cute chick in the back. [laughter] stay away from these radio and tv guys. barack obama. >> failed president. [applause] >> there has been such big debate about the issue of american exceptionalism. in your view, do you believe america is exceptional and why do you love this country enough that you are going to go through the difficulty and trials and tribulations of running for office? >> i do believe in american sex -- exceptionalism. i got to be chairman of the constitution center. it is a center that honors our constitution. it is a museum in philadelphia. i fell in love with the constitution being there in its presence.

this president has traveled over the constitution and is put aside -- the fact that he is disrespecting our history and the extraordinary nation -- nature of our nation by doing what he has done is deeply disturbing to me. i think restoring a love of our country and its heritage and its tradition and expanding that love in a way that draws people confidence that they can rise up, live the american dream has to be one of the prime responsibilities of the next president. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen governor jeb bush. [applause] >> thank you. ♪

>> former florida governor jeb bush from yesterday at the cpac

conference the conservative political action conference hosted by the american conservative union taking place over the last several days just outside of washington, d.c. we have been showing you some of the speeches from the first two days of the conference here on c-span today. we are just coming in a few minutes ago that rand paul has one for the third year in a row the conservative political action conference presidential straw poll. you see the results on your screen from just over 3000 respondents over the last couple of days. rand paul with almost 26% of the vote. wisconsin governor scott walker at 21% and then it drops off a bit. ted cruz at 11%. dr. ben carson at 11%. former governor bush at 8% of the vote. former senator rick santorum at 4%. marco rubio at 3%. also at 3%, donald trump and

carly fiorina. governor christie at 2%. there were other votes on the ballot coming in at about 1% was former texas governor rick perry. others under the 1% level work bobby jindal, sarah palin, mike huckabee. we would like to get your thoughts on what you have seen from the cpac conference and your response for rand paul winning the straw poll. the numbers are on your screen. as always, you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter as well. we will go right to the calls. we have one lined up for roger who was on the democratic line from palm beach, florida.

what do you think? caller: i watched the whole convention. you guys did such good coverage of it. i would have liked to been there. i like to hear both sides of the issue even though i am a democrat. i like rand paul. being from florida, i was rooting for jeb bush myself. i think donald trump is a most -- always entertaining. however, this is the one thing i have to say to republicans -- liberal issues always win out in the end. whether it was slavery, civil rights, women's right to vote -- liberal issues, like it or not, eventually win and immigration will be one of these things. like jeb bush says, there is no way we can deport 11 million people. i am all for border protection and whatnot, but i would like these republicans to just try to be less radical when it comes to

their issues. i appreciate you taking my call. host: thank you for calling. david for montana, republican caller. what do you think? caller: i listened to the whole speech that jeb bush gave. i think you hit it all on the nose. i really believe he would make a good president. especially when they asked him about immigration and keep our military up to par. i also agreed with if there is going to be boots on the ground, and i think we should do that -- but, i am for jeb bush. i think he would make a really good president. he hit everything right on the

nose. host: jeb bush was subject to some heckling. there were some folks walking out. it seemed to go off without a hitch with sean hannity offering up the questions to jeb bush. you see them on the screen now. let's continue taking your calls. john from fresno, california. what do you think about rand paul winning the straw poll? caller: can i have my mom talk? host: sure. caller: i was so excited about donald. first of all i'm a social worker so i have a piece of liberal in me that my doctor jokes about me. i'm not -- i'm middle. i just love rand paul from the past. walker i did not hear this time but i believe he is great. ted cruz is great.

then carson, i did not here today. jeb bush is good. he is ok, he is more liberal than me. i like donald trump. i have friends who are liberals back east. i was shocked to hear one of them say let's just find isis -- i'm going to say it. find the muslims. anyone who goes to mosques will never express empathy for what i have taught their people to do. in their culture, i will call it a culture, not a religion -- or a cult. anyone who taught that, that tells me that anybody who goes to mosques like mitt romney said d knows what they are teaching, they are killing. host: thank you for the call. i do want to show some tweets

describing the conference this week. ted cruz at cpac: beware the squishy moderate. "the capital journal" tweeting out -- chris christie attacked potential 2016 rivals and told conservative activists not to count him. let's go back to the cause -- roger is on the line. caller: i was watching a little bit of the cpac. i was watching what it was and i just wanted to say for eight years, we had president barack obama. we really do need a break. we really need a republican. now, for isis, if you ever saw the american sniper movie which i saw two nights ago. you got to feel what the late

chris kyle did. he protected american troops. he protected our allies and iraqis who are innocent. we need a break. we need someone who is strong on defense, good on immigration and so on. host: mike in jersey city, new jersey, you are next. republican caller. any of the cpac speakers stand out to you? caller: not really. i have to congratulate rand paul because he won. he joined a lot of people in the politically relevant people who won the award. he is not going to win anything as a candidate. it will probably be bush or christie. if they nominate ted cruz or rand paul, they will slit their throats again. they are continuing to run like it is 1980 every year. host: you talked about he is not

going to win everything -- anything, referring to rand paul who won the straw poll cpac. national journal writes the winner of the straw poll usually ends up drawing the shortest straw. in a foreign 20 success rate shows the straw polls are not a reliable predictor of who will map the gop nomination. presidential hopefuls who did capture it, ronald reagan, george w. bush, and mitt romney. back to the phone, jodi is on the line from orange, texas. go ahead. are you with us? we will move on then.

karen in pennsylvania, go ahead. caller: i just heard jeb bush and i am impressed. prior to this afternoon i had no one -- no desire to consider him for the presidential nominee on the republican ticket. i do now. host: was there anything in particular he said that swayed you? caller: quite a few things rang a bell for me. he's pro-life. i like his demeanor. he is honest. he didn't state this, but his wife is of hispanic background. as a result he can get some of that hispanic vote we are in need of. a former successful governor of the great state of florida, the

population -- that is an essential win for us. for that reason he is certainly among the primary candidates. i didn't feel that way about him. >> if you missed any of the speakers we covered over the last several days, go to our website. you can check for all of the speeches you may have just seen. quite a few speeches over the past couple of days. denise is in florida, in edgewater. what did you think of jeb bush at sees pack -- at cpac? caller: i'm really tired of the extremist left and the extremist right. host: who did you consider extremist? caller: huckabee, santorum, ted

cruz's to -- ted cruz scares the jesus out of him. isn't he canadian? host: he admits he was born in canada but he was born to an american mother. to him and many others that clears the way of the natural born citizen. caller: barack obama was born to an american mother. hypocrisy? i'm tired of the banks driven wall street crashing the economy. i like elizabeth warren because she seems to be more for the middle class. >> thank you for the call. ted cruz on your screen.

he came in third in today's straw poll with 11.5%. rand paul winning today's straw poll with almost 26%. then it drops back. this time for several more phone calls, debbie on the line for independencts. >> i am not surprised senator rand paul one. he is more of a moderate republican. ted cruz scares the crab out of me. he is just on crack. i think we need somebody in the white house that people are going to work with. no one wants to work with our president. >> do you think any of the folks

at sea pack our viable republican -- are viable republican candidates? [captioning performed by the national captioning institute caller: i think rand paul is at the top there. host: time for one more call. jc on the line. you will get the last word. caller: [indiscernible] considering he is more on the libertarian stance than the republican stance. my favorite speaker for this day was dr. ben carson. i like his more common sense approach rather than his failure to meet with political correctness, like much of these other candidates. i also like santorum. not a very strong leader.

i was surprisingly impressed. i like that he stood out for once and did not submit to some form of hierarchy. on a downside i wasn't a fan of cruise. it just failed to meet. i'm proud of rand paul. i'm not going to say he is my top favorite candidate. good for him. i am looking forward to seeing where this goals -- this goes. host: rand paul winning the straw poll today. third year in a rule that it takes the straw poll. we will talk about the sea pack convention and the result of the straw poll.

matt will be joining us to talk about the convention. and the conservative movements, legislative, and political agenda. the executive director ron pollack previews the supreme court oral argument. joshua may be joining us. he is with the atlantic council on the threat to the u.s.. washington journal sunday morning and every morning at 7 a.m. eastern here on c-span. now we are going to show you the straw poll winner. this is held just outside of washington dc and national harbor. we will show you senator rand paul's appearance at its ♪cpac.

thank you. there comes a time in the history of nations when fear and forget ole miss causes a nation to hesitate, to waiver and to even succumb. when that time comes, those who love liberty must rise to the occasion. will you, lovers of liberty, will you rise to the occasion? [cheers and applause]

when politicians accept censorship, when politicians accept imprisonment without trial, when politicians accept torture, even of the innocent as necessary, then lovers of liberty must rise. [applause] we must rise and stand with our forefathers who stared down the king. we must rise as freemen and women and reclaim our birthright. we must protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. [cheers and applause] our freedom is at risk from a supreme court that fails to protect liberty. in the mistake of the century, justice roberts affirmed the power of the government to force you to buy insurance. justice roberts argued we must presume obamacare constitutional.

i have a better idea. why don't we presume liberty? [applause] just as we are presumed innocent, so too, we should be presumed free. president obama's fundamental promise that if you like your doctor and you can keep him was a lie. obamacare at its core takes away a patient's right to choose. i promise you this. as a doctor, i will take it and make it my mission to heal the nation, reverse the course of obamacare, and repeal every last bit of it. [applause] we must remember our rights are unlimited and given to us by god.

don't let anyone tell you otherwise. the ninth amendment says those rights not listed are not to be disparaged. you do have a right to privacy. your rights are who you are. your rights are what you are. your rights are in your d.n.a. and the government can quite frankly get over it. [applause] to defend our country, we need to gather intelligence on the enemy, but when the intelligence director lies to congress, how are we to trust them? are we to trust them to hold every american's phone records? i say your phone records are yours. [applause] i say the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their business!

[applause] from within, our freedom is threatened by debt and a government that regulates everything that moves. we borrow $1 million a minute. the president says he does not know where to cut. how about we start with the $2.4 million they spent on origami condoms? don't tell me there is no place to cut. our freedom is also threatened from outside our borders. we must protect ourselves from jihadists without losing who we are as a people in the process. we must think before we act. we should promote stability, not chaos. in the middle east, one form of tyranny often replaces another.

when secular despots are overthrown, chaos ensues and radical islam grows stronger. hillary's war in libya is a perfect example. hillary's war made us less safe. libya is less stable and radical jihadists run amok. hillary's war in libya allowed thousands of surface to air missiles to fall into the hands of radical islamists. as hillary was declaring victory in libya, ambassador stevens was pleading for more security. when i asked secretary clinton if she read ambassador stevens' cables pleading for help, she answered curtly "no," as if she had more important things to do. i believe her abdication of responsibility, refusal to provide adequate defense of benghazi should forever preclude her from higher office. [applause] it is time for hillary clinton to permanently retire.

[applause] in the middle east, a dangerous and barbaric cult has arisen. isis has become a threat to our embassy in baghdad. isis grew in a safe haven created by arming islamic rebels in the syrian civil war.

when i voted against arming the rebels in syria, i warned these arms might end up in the hands of jihadists and that one day we might be forced to go back to fight against our own weapons. within a year, that prediction came true. without question, we must now defend ourselves and american interests from this barbarous aberration. but it troubles me that we must now fight against our own weapons. we need a national defense robust enough to defend against all attacks. modern enough to deter all enemies and nimble enough to defend our vital interests. but we also need a foreign policy that encourages stability, not chaos. at home, conservatives understand the government is the problem, not the solution. [applause] but as conservatives, we should not succumb to the notion that a government inept at home will somehow become successful abroad. [applause] that a government that cannot even deliver the mail will somehow be able to create nations abroad. [applause]

without question, we must be strong. without question, we must defend ourselves. i envision an america with a national defense unparalleled, undefeatable, and unencumbered by nationbuilding. [applause] i envision a national defense that promotes, as reagan put it, peace through strength. [applause] we must realize we do not project strength by borrowing money from china to send it to pakistan. it angers me to see mobs burning our flag and chanting "death to

america" in companies that receive our foreign aid. [applause] i say it must end. i say not one penny more to these haters of america! [applause] at home, our nation needs new ideas and new answers to old problems. martin luther king spoke of two americas. he described the mystique of starkly different american experiences that exist side-by-side. in one america, people experience the opportunity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. in the other america, people experience the daily ugliness that dashes hope and leaves only

the fatigue of despair. i was born into the america that experiences and believes an opportunity. but my trips to ferguson and detroit, atlanta and chicago have revealed what i consider to be an undercurrent of unease in our country. liberal policies have failed our inner cities. [applause] liberal policies have failed our poor communities. our schools are not equal. the poverty gap continues to widen. it is time for a new way predicated on opportunity and freedom. those of us who have enjoyed the american dream must break down the wall that separates us from the other america. the president's answer is to raise taxes again. i believe we should do the opposite. i propose we cut everyone's taxes from the richest to the poorest. [applause]

in the coming weeks, i will propose the largest tax cut in american history. a tax cut that will leave more money in the paychecks of every worker in america. [applause] my tax plan will get the i.r.s. out of your life and out of the way of every job creator in america. my plan will also cut spending and balance the budget in just five years. [applause] to fix washington, we can't have business as usual. bills are plopped on our desk with only a few hours to review. no one is able to read what is in the bill.

i propose something truly outrageous. congress should read every bill. [applause] congress should also live under the laws they pass. i have a constitutional amendment that says congress shall pass no law that exempts themselves. [applause] and finally, if they won't listen, we should limit all of their terms and send the career politicians packing! [applause]

and while we are at it, maybe we ought to limit the terms of out of control federal judges as well. [applause] we need to return to our founding principles. stand up for the entire bill of rights. our future can include the road back to prosperity, back to respect at home and abroad. it should include a balanced budget and a simple fair tax system. it should include a government that protection rights and security. it should include a stronger better, more agile military. it is time for a new way, a new set of ideas, a new leader, one you can trust, one who works for you, and above all, it is time for a new president. [cheers and applause] thank you.

>> president paul! >> i believe america has much greatness left, but we must believe in ourselves, believe in our founding documents, believe in an economic system that creates more stuff for more people than any time in recorded history. american innovations have changed the world for the better. america is an idea factory. there are ideas yet to be born. you and your friends create those ideas. you are america's greatest hope, america's dream. our best days are ahead of us. it is not the desire for wealth that drives us. what drives this is the desire for freedom. the history of man is the history of men and women striving to restrain the hour of government and expand the realm of freedom.

will you stand with me? will you fight for freedom? will you vote for freedom? [cheers and applause] lettuce shout for freedom now for our god-given liberty. let us stand together to make america the leading life for freedom and prosperity for all. thank you god bless you, and god bless america. >> senator? >> thank you. thank you. >> senator, i am here standing with ray and to ask you a couple of questions.

we are delighted to have the here and we appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to answer these questions from a live audience. what do you think republicans have to do in order to win over libertarians moderates, and independent voters? >> i think as republicans we do a great job defending the second amendment. i am a great defender of the second amendment. but we have to defend the whole bill of rights. to defend the second amendment you have to defend the fourth amendment. if the government can come into your house without an appropriate or judicial or constitutional warrant, then we do not have protection for the second amendment. if you want to talk about people who haven't been concerned or

listening to a republican, the fifth, the sixth, we should have speedy trials in our country. a 16-year-old boy was accused of a crime an african-american kid from the bronx. he spent three years in rikers and was never tried. he tried to commit suicide four times. if you ask his mom or anybody that lives around him in the bronx whether or not the bill of rights is being defended, he lives in that other america that martin luther king talked about. if we want to get libertarians and others who believe in privacy, what we have to do is we have to say to people that big government is not only a problem as far as regulations and taxes, big government is a problem with sometimes not

giving answers to those who deserve it. >> if you could have just one constitutional amendment, what would it be? >> term limits. >> what is your biggest criticism of congress right now? >> that they are dysfunctional. couldn't even get a vote on it. there is a dysfunctionality to the place. we go week after week after week and we don't get things done. one of the biggest problems is the debt. it continues to grow by leaps and bounds because congress doesn't do their job. we are supposed to have 12 individual spending bills.

we lurch from one deadline to the next deadline. either the government is going to shutdown or you have to pass all the spending in one package. why don't we pass each spending bill on its own and control the power of the first? , a quick follow-up howdy you respond to some conservatives and republicans who say you are not tough enough on your stand on foreign-policy? >> the question of foreign-policy is a valid one. i think the most important thing we do is defend our country without question. it is the most important function we have. when i look at what we should spend money on, this or national defense, or this or that, for me

the priority is always national defense. when we get to foreign-policy not all republicans are the same. there is a spectrum. on one end people believe we should net -- we should not be anywhere. there are people who believe we should be everywhere all the time. in the end what we should do is obey the constitution. the constitution says when we go to war it should be declared and initiated by congress. >> final question. and we appreciate your being with us. is naturally curly hair the greatest action with the lord could give anyone? >> people keep saying, is that really his hair? cannot it really be that bad?

she grabbed me by the here and said, i just wanted to see if it is real or not. thank you, everybody. >> the conservative political action conference held a ronald reagan dinner last night area his remarks are about 25 minutes. >> thank you. thank you for that warm introduction. good evening to you all, it is an honor to be with you in front

of a large group of so many americans. men and women who represent the bulwark of the leadership of the conservative movement in the united states of america. i appreciate that kind of introduction but the introduction i prefer is a little bit sure old -- shorter. a christian, a conservative, and a republican. in that order. [applause] there's an old saying when you see a box turtle on a fence post. you know one thing for sure. he didn't get there on his own. that is certainly true of my life. other than my faith, my family my beloved wife who is with me tonight, and my fellow hoosiers, i rise to pay a gratitude to all of you. i oh so much. and to cpac. the namesake of this dinner, the inspiration and opportunities i have been given. it is good to be back at cpac. the conservative gathering in