CPAC 2016-2019: on War & Peace


Mike Pence: America stands up to North Korea and murderous dictatorships

You know, for all the media fawning over the sister of the North Korean dictator, I think it's important that every American knows who this person is and what she's done. The sister of Kim Jong-un is a central pillar of the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet--an evil family clique that brutalizes, subjugates, starves, and imprisons its 25 million people. I say: The United States of America doesn't stand with murderous dictatorships. We stand up to murderous dictatorships. And we will keep standing strong until North Korea stops threatening our country, our allies, or until they abandon their nuclear and ballistic missiles once and for all.
Source: Speech at the 2018 CPAC Convention Feb 22, 2018

Donald Trump: North Korea has no economic future if they retain nukes

We've made a lot of progress, and we'll continue to make progress. And I really think what we're doing there is very important. But we actually had to walk, but I think we had a very good meeting. In fact, when I came home, they put out a statement that, actually, they were willing to do much less on the sanction front. But you see, that's not what happened there. So already, I think we're negotiating. And I'll tell you this: North Korea has an incredible, brilliant economic future, if they make a deal. But they don't have any economic future if they have nuclear weapons. It's really a bad thing for them. So we'll see how it all goes. But I think it's going well. I think we learned a lot over the last couple of days.
Source: Speech at the 2019 CPAC Convention Mar 2, 2017

Donald Trump: Trillions have been wasted on protecting other countries

For too long, we've traded away our jobs to other countries. So terrible. We've defended other nations' borders while leaving ours wide open, anybody can come in. We're going to build a wall, don't worry about it. We're building the wall. We're building the wall. In fact, it's going to start soon. Way ahead of schedule, way ahead of schedule.

We've spent trillions of dollars overseas, while allowing our own infrastructure to fall into total disrepair and decay. In the Middle East, we've spent as of four weeks ago, $6 trillion. Think of it. And by the way, the Middle East is in--I mean, it's not even close, it's in much worse shape than it was 15 years ago. If our presidents would have gone to the beach for 15 years, we would be in much better shape than we are right now, that I can tell you.

Source: Speech at the 2017 CPAC Convention Feb 24, 2017

Rand Paul: Executive Branch initiating war is a usurpation of power

It isn't so much what President Obama has done, although he's done a lot, none very little good, but it's not what he's done with his usurpations of power as much as it is the precedent that it sets for lawlessness that may follow. If the Executive Branch can initiate war, if the Executive Branch can detain citizens without trial, if it can amend legislation, if it can declare to Congress that Congress is in recess, then government, unrestrained by law, becomes nothing short of tyranny.

Montesquieu recognized this. He wrote that when the Executive Branch usurps the legislative authority, when the president says, "I can write the laws, watch me," he's got a pen, he's got a phone, he doesn't care what the law is, a tyranny will ensue and we must stop this president from shredding the Constitution.

It isn't just the harm that this president is causing, it's the future harm that he allows by destroying the checks and balances that once restrained each of the branches of government.

Source: Speech at 2014 CPAC convention Mar 8, 2014

  • The above quotations are from Speeches at Conservative Political Action Conferences (2016-2019).
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2020 Presidential contenders on War & Peace:
  Republicans:
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Bill Weld(MA) 		Democrats:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Larry Hogan (D-MD)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
V.C.Arvin Vohra (L-MD)
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Page last updated: Jul 26, 2019