Rand Paul at CPAC: The government can quite frankly get lost!

Rand Paul has always been somewhat of a rock star at the Conservative Political Action Conference which, in past years, has shown a decided libertarian bent.

This year, Paul is hoping for more of the same. The Republican senator from Kentucky will address the conference Friday, laying out more of his signature message of small government and personal freedom.

"We must remember that our rights are unlimited, un-enumerated, and given to us by God," Paul will say, according to excerpts of his speech. "Your rights are who you are. Your rights are what you are. Your rights are in your DNA and the government can -- quite frankly - get lost!"

The potential 2016 presidential candidate has been widely embraced at the conference, bringing in throngs of supporters wearing "Stand with Rand" gear and handily winning its straw poll for the past two years. The conference has been a family affair of sorts; Paul's father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, won the straw poll in 2010 and 2011.

Rand Paul cited familial ties on Fox News on Wednesday - but not his own. Instead, he took aim at former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a rival who will be looking to solidify his standing among the Republican base at the event.

Paul said that Bush's having a father and brother who were both president "tends to draw some attention," but he believes that Bush may have some issues at CPAC.

"We think there will be a lot of friendly faces for us. There's definitely a place for moderates, but it may not be the same level of enthusiasm for moderates at this conference," Paul said on "The Kelly File."

Paul has made clear that one of the core audiences he is trying to attract both at the conference and beyond is young people. Paul said that he can't predict the poll but that he has spent a "lot of time going to universities, talking to young people" about how the "government ought to stay out of their lives." It's a message, he said, that resonates with them.

Referring to another potential GOP presidential candidate. Paul said he did not know much about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but he continued to hit Bush, saying that young people are "not very tolerant of hypocrisy." The idea that Bush admitted that he smoked marijuana while "in an elite prep school" but is "willing to put somebody in jail for medical marijuana," Paul said, won't play well among young people.

Katie Zezima covers the White House for Post Politics and The Fix.

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Rand Paul at CPAC: The government can quite frankly get lost!

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