Rand Paul blasts GOP: 'We’re in danger of becoming a dinosaur'

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Published time: November 28, 2012 16:04
Edited time: November 28, 2012 20:04

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) may quickly be making a name for himself within the Republican Party, but the libertarian-leaning lawmaker warns that the GOP isn’t quite so grand anymore.

Speaking to CNN this week, the junior senator said the United States needs a “new type of Republican” that will be able to keep up with the pace of the rest of the nation.

“I think my party, the Republican Party, is shrinking,” he said. “We’re in danger of becoming a dinosaur.”

In an interview earlier this month with ABC News, Sen. Paul said, "I'm not going to deny that I'm interested” in running for president in 2016. His father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), ran unsuccessfully several times in the past, but although Sen. Paul has failed to divulge much more about any potential plans for an Oval Office bid, this week he did spend a moment to say he hasn’t exactly changed his mind just yet.

“Well, what I have said is I won’t deny that I’m interested, a little bit different from I’m interested,” Sen. Paul said. “I want to be part of the national debate.”

According to Sen. Paul, the GOP has been weakening in recent years because it can neither sell itself in areas where it needs to nor make an impression on a large chunk of the US population that sees no point in voting Republican.

“We’re not competitive in huge areas of the country. Some of the biggest states: California, New York Illinois, we’re not competing anymore, in fact, we don’t even advertise there,” Sen. Paul told CNN. “So, we need a new type of Republican. I think that involves some of the ideas of Libertarian-leaning Republicans; people who believe in a less aggressive foreign policy; people who believe that we’re not gonna deport 12 million Hispanic folks.”

In his previous interview, the senator said, "I think we have to go a different direction because we're just not winning and we have to think about some different ideas.” In order for the Republican Party to pull in some more members, he suggests the rest of the GOP rethink their stances on drug laws, immigration and defense spending.

"Republicans who think military spending, myself, who think national defense is important, should compromise and say, you know what, not every dollar spent on the military's sacred, we can reduce the military spending, that's a compromise. Democrats should compromise also – entitlements and welfare, the spending can come,” he told ABC. Catching up this week, he added, "The way I look at it is entitlements are broken, and it's not my fault, it's not Democrats' fault, it's because your grandparents had too many babies. It's because we're living longer. These are just facts.”