Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) declared President Obama’s healthcare law “still unconstitutional” in a red-hot address Wednesday night at the Republican National Committee.
The Tea Party favorite told the convention crowd the Supreme Court was wrong when it ruled this summer that "ObamaCare" is permissible under Congress's taxing powers.
“I think if James Madison, himself — the father of the Constitution — were here today he would agree with me: the whole damn thing is still unconstitutional!
"This debate is not new and it's not over,” Paul said to applause.
The senator said the only way to fix the "travesty of justice” that is the Affordable Care Act is to elect Mitt Romney, telling the crowd that Obama has taken the country "dangerously" off course.
“The republic of Washington and Jefferson is now in danger of becoming the democracy of debt and despair,” Paul said. “Our great nation is coming apart at the seams and the president seems to point fingers and blame others.”
The freshman senator said Obama has added $6 trillion to the national debt in just a single term.
“This explosion of debt is unconscionable and unsustainable,” Paul said. “Mr. President, we will not let you bankrupt this great nation!
“Republicans and Democrats alike must slay their sacred cows. Republicans must acknowledge that not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well-spent, and Democrats must admit that domestic welfare and entitlements must be reformed.”
Paul, a Tea Party favorite and the son of retiring Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a presidential contender in the 2012 election, said Americans should remember the rights that were instilled in the country by the Founders.
“Republicans and Democrats must replace fear with confidence, confidence that no terrorist, and no country, will ever conquer us if we remain steadfast to the principles of our Founding documents,” Paul said. “We have nothing to fear except our own unwillingness to defend what is naturally ours, our God-given rights. We have nothing to fear that should cause us to forget or relinquish our rights as free men and women.”
Paul gave a ringing endorsement to Romney, his father's former rival in the presidential race, calling him the man to lead America forward.
“To lead us forward, away from the looming debt crisis, it will take someone who believes in America’s greatness, who believes in and can articulate the American dream, someone who has created jobs, someone who understands and appreciates what makes America great, someone who will lead our party and our nation forward,” Paul said. “I believe that someone is our nominee: Governor Mitt Romney.”
— This story was updated at 8:40 p.m.
