In an ever-more-crowded GOP presidential field, Rand Paul is attempting to distinguish himself as a defender of civil liberties,
The New York Times reports.
In campaign speeches, the Kentucky senator has stepped up to decry government intrusion, using profanity as he slammed spying and private communications.
"The right to be left alone is the most cherished of rights," Paul told supporters attending a fiery stump speech last weekend in San Francisco, the Times reported.
"There’s not one other candidate on the Republican side or the Democratic side who’s willing to say: ‘On Day 1 I’d stop it all. I would end all bulk collection of records,’" Paul said.
His comments come as Congress begins debate on extending the Patriot Act, which conservatives have said has expanded government controls too far.
Paul told the Times in an interview that he was working on amendments that would limit government surveillance tactics, adding that "someone has got to defend the Constitution."
Paul, noted MSNBC, was not met with deep engagement in Silicon Valley, even as he opened a new campaign office there. His remarks on net neutrality to let the market set usage rates — "The market’s always differentiating on amounts, and it’s always differentiating on speed" — were met with awkward silence from the tech crowd,
MSNBC reported of his reception.
Paul added of his position: "If I’m driving from Nashville to Louisville and I want all the road, you might have to pay extra for that. If you’re talking about banning the marketplace, that’s a mistake."
He poked fun at a conservative coming into the tough and deeply liberal territory.
"Some people want to know what the hell is a Republican doing in San Francisco," Paul told a group of emerging young entrepreneurs gathered at a tech incubator,
the San Francisco Chronicle reported. "What we want is a government that leaves us alone."
At least one attendee gave him props for venturing out to share his message, the Chronicle noted.
"It takes a bit of guts to come to this neighborhood and meet with these folks," noted entrepreneur Jan Samzelius.