Ron Paul photo

Remarks in Henderson, Nevada Following the Florida Primary

January 31, 2012

Thank you. Thank you. [cheers and applause]

Thank you very much. [cheers and applause]

Thank you.

CROWD: Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul.

PAUL: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Well, if enthusiasm wins elections, we win hands down. This is great. This is very nice. Thank you very much for coming out. Just a little while ago, I called Governor Romney and congratulated him. No, we had a friendly conversation. I honestly congratulated him. He ran a good campaign, but also said I would see him soon in the caucus states.

You know, we've been having a fantastic trip and not too long ago, a few days ago, we were up in Maine, fantastic reception up in Maine. Today we had three visits in Colorado and they were fantastic. We visited with and we probably had attendance well over 5,000 today in Colorado.

You know, it looks like we have a few hundred here tonight to say the least, a thousand people. You know, a few months ago, there were nine, we're down to four. But tonight, we're in third place when it comes to delegates and that is what really counts.

We've only gotten started. Now, the -- and we will spend our time in the caucus states because if you have an irate minority, you do very well in the caucus states.

There is something else that the caucus states lend themselves to, because if you have an energized group of people that are working in a campaign and actually believe in something, it's better to work in the caucus states.

This is what has been so fantastic with the campaign. I've been doing a little bit of campaigning for liberty for a long time. Let me tell you something big is happening in this country and it's all very favorable.

The mess up in Washington they have created a mess that has given a lousy foreign policy. They have given a lousy budget and lousy recession, but wonderful thing that is happening in the grassroots.

People are beginning to realize that the problem is too much government. We need more personal liberty! This is where we're winning the hearts and minds of people. The numbers are growing. I tell you what. There are many brush fires of freedom being lit across this country today. We don't even know where they are there are so many.

It's being translated to great enthusiasm and change, the change that we need. We don't need to have more government. We need to get rid of some of the process of government. For instance, don't you think it's about time we have a new monetary policy.

And all we have to do is read the constitution, they tell us exactly what we're suppose to have. What about a foreign policy? We need a foreign policy, but do we have to inconvenient it?

No, all we have to do is read the constitution we need a strong national defense. We don't need to be the policemen of the world. Very simply we should not engage any wars that are not declared properly and supported by the people. I've gotten some advice on the internet every once in a while. And the advice is, Ron, if you would just change your foreign policy, you would get a few supporters. If they only knew that the support for the freedom movement comes with a sound economic and a sound foreign policy that makes sense.

Very simply, it means bringing our troops home and stopping all these undeclared, unwinnable wars. What would it do for our economy? I would like to see troops spending their money at home. In the last 10 years, fighting these unwinnable and undeclared wars we have spent over $4 trillion.

More in the debt for this so at a cost of life and limb, but there is an economic cost, as well and the American people are tired of it. They are ready because they know this country is bankrupt. All great nations go down because they overextend themselves overseas.

It's time for us to wake up, don't wait for an economic crisis to hit when we have to come limping home. We ought to rise up, spend our money wisely and defend this country and don't present fend to tell other people how to live.

The greatest danger when we accept the notion that the government is supposed today take care of us and we're supposed to policemen of the world all is done at expense of personal liberty. The purpose of the government is the protection of individual liberty for each and every one of us.

We need to reverse this trend on the attack on our civil liberties. We need to repeal the Patriot Act. We need to repeal the provision that the president has the authority to assassinate American citizens without trial.

We need repeal the provision that says the president can use the military to arrest and deny them a trial. Very simply, send only people to Washington, send only people to the White House that know and understand and read the constitution and enforce the constitution.

Then there would be, then you would have the full understanding how you would have a peaceful thriving nation if you enforce the concept of liberty, enforce the liberty for each and every one of us equally.

This brings people together because people will use their liberty in different manners, but we don't have to fight over how they use their liberty as long as they assume responsibility for themselves and consequences of all their actions.

It also very simply suggests the fact if we have a right to life and liberty we should have a right to keep the fruits of our labor as well. So we don't have to reinvent something, we can improve on our past but we had a great constitution and a great middle-class, biggest middle-class ever.

We've undermined it with excessive taxation and a monetary system that is flawed and foreign policy is flawed. So all we have to do is return to our roots and in a short time, we could have our peace and prosperity and our reliance on ourselves for our personal liberty.

Not only has this been a great day for campaign for liberty and this process, but it's been a great week for the campaign. Believe me it's been a great past four years because five or six or seven years ago, they really didn't know exactly what was happening.

But with the crisis that that hit, both the economic crisis we had four years ago, the realization of the significance of our Federal Reserve system as well as flawed foreign policy, the people know about it. They are awakening to this. They are listening to this message. It's up to us to do something about it.

The message is loud and clear the enthusiasm is here, but it has to be translated to proper political action. Attending the caucuses send a powerful message to this country that we want our freedoms back. We don't want more government! Thank you very much!

Ron Paul, Remarks in Henderson, Nevada Following the Florida Primary Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/299238

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