At SXSW, Rand Paul makes play for leave-me-alone coalition
While many of his rivals spent the weekendscoutingfor support in the traditional electoral hunting grounds of New Hampshire, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul headed south by southwest, instead.
Interviewed Sunday at the South by Southwest technology conference by Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, Paul did his best to woo younger, tech-savvy voters and what he called the leave me alone coalition of libertarian-leaning Americans.
I think some people think tech is this miracle thats going to transform politics and if you just know the secret tech code that you can get all these new voters. Tech is important, but so is substance, Paul, who sported brown cowboy boots and jeans, told the Austin, Texas, audience. I think if you have something to say that is unique, that you can find other people that may agree with that unique message.
So, Im trying to find and I think youre a potential voter in Texas that might be registered as a Democrat, might be an Independent, or a Republican, but I think you might be coming our way.
Asked what specifically characterized someone who might be interested in Pauls message, the senator emphasized libertarian values.
Its not just that youre into tech that makes you open to our message, its if youre part of the leave-me-alone coalition. The leave-me-alone coalition thinks that government doesnt know everything, that government really shouldnt be telling us what to do, for the most part, and that we want to be left alone, whether its our economic lives our our personal lives, Paul said to scattered applause.
After weeks in which Paul seemed to intent on siding with members of theconservative wing of the Republican party on issues like nuclear negotiations with Iran and support of the government ofIsrael, the senator fully embraced hisrole as a GOPiconoclast, pointing out what distinguished him from his possible presidential rivals.
Im the only candidate who thinks that the NSA program on bulk collection of your phone records should be shut down, Paul said. So, for example, if any of the people who like that look online for an article that says the NSA shouldnt be doing that, it may well be that they see an ad from us, and thats the way the Internet works, is liking and tagging your ideas to other ideas out there that people are interested in.
As if to prove his point, seconds after Paul spoke that line, a version of it appeared on the senators Twitter feed.
Paul lambasted President Obama for not stopping the NSA collection of the phone records of American citizens, and called his administration worse on civil liberties than that of George W. Bush. And on the topic of Hillary Clintons use of a private e-mail account and server during her tenure as secretary of state, Paul said Clinton broke the law.
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At SXSW, Rand Paul makes play for leave-me-alone coalition