CPAC Ronald Reagan Address

March 4, 2016
Text as prepared for delivery

I want to begin tonight by putting your minds at ease: I am not here to hurl insults, nor to discuss the finer points of spray tans or excessive perspiration. And while I also have very small hands, I have a really big…phone. That’s the good news. I come here tonight not in heated campaign mode but to pause and reflect. My purpose rather is to help us remember who we are, to remind us of all that binds us together — as Americans and conservatives, and perhaps to suggest a path forward. Here’s the bad news: having studied history and philosophy, I need to go back in time and place. In times of danger and discord, of controversy and consequence, it is especially important to think about where we come from so that we can see more clearly where we need to go. So grab your wine!

The study of history is the study of power — the ebbs and flows of military, territorial, personal and economic power. Much of our history and most of the philosophy that has shaped our union, is all about the power of the individual in relation to the power of the state and the power of the divine.

Our founders were consumed with concern about power. They had seen first hand the abuse of power when concentrated in the hands of the few, whether in markets or in politics. Our Constitution therefore enshrines individual liberties and rights. Perhaps even more importantly, if faithfully executed, our Constitution protects against the abuse of power, the collection of power, the concentration of power by the few. It is why the powers of the Federal Government are enumerated. It is why the 9th and 10th Amendments spell out that powers not enumerated to the federal government, belong to individuals and the states.

In other words, this nation was built on the principle that power — whether economic or political — power dispersed into the hands of the many is wiser, more compassionate, more competent, more just, more effective, than power concentrated in the hands of the few. This is why our Founders designed a citizen government, of the people, by the people, for the people. They were smart enough to realize “we the people” can sometimes be swayed by fears and passions instead of guided by reason; in short, wrong. But they were also absolutely convinced that power concentrated in the hands of the few would always lead to abuse and ultimately, a far worse outcome. And so, amazingly, although they were the ruling elite of their nation, they limited their own power.

In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he spoke about the dangerous rise of political parties. His point was political parties by their nature create tit for tat, back and forth bickering and focus people more on winning for their team than on governing for their republic. It is why we are here united by our conservative principles not by a political party. In other words, 220 years ago, Washington was worried we would cease to be a citizen government and instead be ruled by a political class most concerned with their own power, privilege and prestige. Maybe he was on to something!

This election, like every election, is about power. Who has it, who wants it, who keeps it, who loses it. While the media elites and the political establishments of both parties think they know best, citizens out there are standing up and demanding a restoration of their own power.

As I ran for the Presidency, I had the privilege to talk to citizens all across this great nation. My message was that as citizens, we must take our country back — from the elites, the establishment, the ruling class of both parties. And what I heard, from people of all kinds in all places, was a feeling of powerlessness over their own lives. Feeling powerless should not be part of the American DNA. And so, knowing this, people are angry or fed-up or afraid or worst of all, apathetic.

I have met veterans who, with tears in their eyes, tell me how powerless they feel when they have to fight for the care they have earned; students who feel powerless to chart their futures; parents who feel they have lost control over how to educate their children; lots of people scraping by and wondering when they lost the sense of opportunity and possibility that has always powered this nation. Here’s a shocking statistic: 80 percent of Americans believe the government is corrupt and that the media and political establishment is focused squarely on the preservation of its own power and position. That 80 percent means Democrats, Independents, Republicans and I all agree on something — this isn’t working for us anymore. I’d say the American people are pretty smart. I’ve met lots of people who have quit voting, quit following politics — not because they do not care, but because they think they do not count. Too many Americans have come to believe that nothing they can do will make any difference at all.

Against this backdrop of dismay and discontent, the political establishment decided it knew what to do this political cycle. It’s always fun at these gatherings to pile on Democrats, so let’s start there.

The Democrat establishment, aided and abetted by the media establishment, decided that it is now Hillary’s turn. At last year’s CPAC, many in the media called me “mean” because I said “Flying is an activity, not an accomplishment. Mrs. Clinton, please name an accomplishment.”

During my campaign I was taken to task by Chris Matthews and others for saying that Hillary Clinton had lied about Benghazi — something everyone now says and knows is true. I was criticized for suggesting that Mrs. Clinton — far from being a trail-blazing woman who has risen through her merit and accomplishment — is in fact someone who has used her husband’s name, fame and charisma to get ahead, and has been willing to say and do anything, sacrifice everything, in the service of her own ambition. This is the Clinton Way.

I often joked on the campaign trail that while Hillary aims for the White House, she is better suited for the Big House. 2,000 of Hillary’s released emails were deemed some level of classified. That’s 1 out of 14. Here’s another way to think about that: Imagine that every other Friday, every single email you sent that day endangered our national security. I have held the highest clearances available to a civilian and worked closely with the CIA, NSA and DOD. I cannot imagine ever sending classified material over a private server. Most of us cannot.

We all know why she did it. Hillary Clinton has waited her whole life to be President. Even Saturday Night Live gets the joke. “Citizens, you will elect me!” And, by the way, I hope you enjoy the little towel we left for each of you. And just in case no one has told her, no, Mrs. Clinton, you cannot wipe a server with a towel.

Despite the misgivings or at the very least, the lack of enthusiasm from rank and file voters, Hillary Clinton will be her party’s standard bearer. The establishment knows that Hillary will never loosen their grip on power.

The establishment is, however, a bit worried about this lack of enthusiasm — particularly among women. And so, now they are reminding people of the historic nature of her candidacy. That she is a woman after all, and therefore women must vote for her. I’ve got news for you Hillary Clinton. I am a woman. And I am not voting for you. To all the women and girls across this country, regardless of your ideology or your party, let me say this: do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you are a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn’t shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And, as a feminist, I will spend the next six months making sure Hillary Clinton is not our next President.

As easy and as satisfying as it is to criticize the Democrat party establishment, let’s be honest enough to look ourselves in the mirror. Over half of the Republican electorate feel “betrayed” by their party. That is a big number and a strong word.

The Republican establishment thought it too knew just what to do after the 2012 election. First, they decided, we needed comprehensive immigration reform. Then, we needed to talk less about “the social issues”. And there were too many candidates in the 2012 primaries, and too many debates. So, let’s limit the number of debates. In fact, let’s condense the whole primary calendar so our presumptive nominee can roll up delegates faster. Let’s make sure that the primary voters know who the establishment thinks should be the nominee. Let’s have all the pundits and the money make the case right from the start about who’s up at bat next.

Republican voters said: no, we need to secure the border. No, citizenship in this country must mean something. No, our religious liberty is at stake. No, we don’t want who you want, we want to choose for ourselves and the more choices we have, the better we like it. Many pundits and not a few current and former politicians, now decry the wisdom of these same voters. They don’t like how they happen to be voting right now. But, these voters look at what the Republican Party has produced and think they can do better deciding for themselves.

Who can blame them? The border is not secure. 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Spending increases every year and has year after year, for over forty years. Despite promises made every election, Republicans have not stopped the inexorable march of government over-reach, or over-regulation, or over-taxation. Entitlements have not been reformed. Government is incompetent and corrupt. While the establishment now expresses its horror over the choices of millions of voters at the ballot box, these same voters are asking: “What have you done for me?”

Do not misunderstand me. I am no Donald Trump fan. I did not vote for him in the Virginia primary. Nevertheless, I understand and respect the people who did vote for him. I know many of them. They are not racists, or crazies, or stupid. While many people call the Donald a fraud, a con-man, there are a lot of voters out there who think they have been conned election after election. They know what it is to be promised something and delivered nothing.

Tip O’Neill famously remarked that all politics are local. Actually, I believe politics is personal. People vote based on their own lives, their own experiences, their own beliefs and hopes and dreams. If we want to defeat Donald Trump, we cannot turn to the establishment once again and ask them to guide the citizenry to the right answer. If we want defeat Donald Trump, we must defeat him at the ballot box, by offering citizens conservative solutions to the problems in their lives.

We must remember who we are. These are perilous and pivotal times in our nation’s history. It is precisely at these kinds of times that we must put our faith in the system that our Founders’ created. Ours was intended to be a citizen government.

And it is technology that gives us the tools to truly deliver a citizen government. There are no more excuses. We actually can allow citizens to see every regulation before it passes. We actually can get control over the money of government by going to zero-based budgeting. We can engage citizens in the process of their government as never before. Individuals can be empowered to push back against the power of the state and the establishment as never before.

One of the things you learn when you study history and philosophy is that the fundamentals of human nature do not change. People yearn for meaning, for dignity, for purpose in their lives. Power struggles are a part of human nature. And so, the Constitution is as vital, vibrant and relevant a document today as it was the day it was written. This is why I am a Constitutional conservative.

I have travelled and lived and worked all over the world. I know, that it is only in this country that a young woman can start as a secretary, go on, one day, to become the CEO of what we turned into the largest technology company in the world, and run for the Presidency of the United States. Anyone who doubts the exceptional nature of our country need only travel the world and read its history.

I will work hard between now and Election Day to ensure that we have conservative representatives up and down the ballot. I will also dedicate my time, my voice, my energy to restoring a citizen government to this great nation.

My fellow citizens. My fellow conservatives. It is time. Let us remember who we are. We believe that no one of us is better than any other one of us; that each of us is gifted by God. We believe that everyone can live a life of dignity and purpose and meaning. We know that our principles, our values and our policies work best to lift people up regardless of their circumstance.

It is progressives who believe that some are better than others, some are smarter than others, so some should decide and choose for others. That’s not who WE are.

We are an exceptional nation because we were founded on the bedrock principle that every individual has inalienable rights and that power must not be concentrated, but always constrained. Let us not forget these principles in the heat of an election battle. Let us instead rely upon them.

Let us stand with the American people. Let us make our case and speak to peoples’ lives and then deliver for them. My fellow citizens, my fellow conservatives. It is time. Let us together, take our politics and our government back. Together we can take our country back.