Exclusive: 10 Top Quotes from Rand Paul’s Book ‘Taking a Stand’

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), in the second part of his most recent exclusive interview with Breitbart News on the 2016 presidential race, discussed his most recent book Taking A Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America.

“A lot of what I’ve tried to do is talk about many of the things I’ve been talking about in different speeches across the country but it also has a lot of biographical detail and a little more about me personally and my family,” Paul told Breitbart News when asked about the book. “It shows a little about where I came from, studying to be a doctor and that sort of thing, and talks about Guatemala and some of the different battles we’ve had here in Congress to rein in big government. It has some anecdotes also from the things that have happened in the Senate, and sort of behind the scenes. It kind of also lays out a sort of a blueprint for how to make things better here.”

Paul’s team provided Breitbart News with a selection of quotes from the book, and here we reprint the top 10 excerpts from it.

1.) From Chapter 1,THE LONG STAND, p. 8 – “I believe the GOP brand is broken, that many young people and many people of color simply won’t even consider voting for or becoming a Republican. It’s time for change, and the first part of changing is admitting your mistakes. Remember when Domino’s finally admitted that it had bad crust? They got rid of the old crust and made a better pizza. I’m all for getting rid of the old crust in the Republican Party.”

2.) From Chapter 3, HEALTH CARE: A DOCTOR’S OPINION, pp. 30-31 – “In August 2014, I accompanied a group of some of the best eye surgeons in the United States to Salamá, Guatemala, to perform much needed eye surgery for that country’s poor … The news of our arrival spread quickly. Outside the clinic that fist morning the line stretched all the way around the building.”

3.) From Chapter 5, A NEW KIND OF REPUBLICAN, p. 65– “One of the most important reforms necessary to take our government back is term limits.”

4.) From Chapter 5, A NEW KIND OF REPUBLICAN, p. 68 – “People sometimes like to rail against Congress for not getting anything done, that not enough bills are passing. While I understand this point, after four years I can tell you that’s not the biggest problem in Congress. Not even close. The problem is in what they do pass, and that almost no one here has read the bill before it passes.”

5.) From Chapter 5, A NEW KIND OF REPUBLICAN, p. 69 – “Another change that has to be made is redistricting. When districts are gerrymandered, people are often elected for life, and sometimes in spite of behavior that would get them fired in any private business.”

6.) From Chapter 6, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?, p. 84 – “We are becoming what George Orwell once feared. The state is increasingly, and frighteningly, less respectful of the individual and more certain of its own omnipotence. This authoritarian trend has been as rapid as it is dangerous. Today the breath of government spying on citizens is without precedent in our history.”

7.) From Chapter 7, ON THE ROAD, pp. 106-107 – “I believe at its root the Republican Party, at least the Republican Party that I embrace, stands for self-reliance and individualism, both of which are the cornerstones of the proud tradition of African Americans. I also know my party has let the bond it once enjoyed with minorities fray to the point that it is nearly beyond repair. I don’t believe it’s beyond repair. What I believe is that the Republican Party needs to bring our civil rights agenda into the twenty-first century. We need to be the champions of voting rights restoration, sentencing reform, and school choice.”

8.) From Chapter 12, THE WAR ON CHRISTIANS, p. 189 – “Any country that fosters the war on Christianity or, for that matter, any country that allows an unchecked hatred for the United States should be excluded from receiving foreign aid. They got not one penny. Period.”

9.) From Chapter 13, DEFENDING AMERICA, p. 208 – “There is no greater priority for the federal government than national defense … [But] I believe a strong foreign policy should consist of fundamental beliefs – for example, that war should be the last resort.”

10.) From Chapter 18, A LOOK FORWARD, p. 285 – “A plurality of Americans are no longer Republicans or Democrats. These Americans want a new combination of beliefs. These Americans are fiscally conservative and also concerned with personal liberty. A philosophy hat joins economic and personal liberty becomes a potent political force. Such a philosophy transcends typical political labels and parties – and crosses all classes. A candidate who defends liberty can unify the country.”