--- title: Rick Perry's Speech At CPAC 2014 | TIME description: Texas Gov Rick Perry gives a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, calling for "a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas." canonical: https://time.com/video/PGaK9STq/ og:title: Rick Perry's Speech At CPAC 2014 og:description: Texas Gov Rick Perry gives a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, calling for "a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas." og:url: https://time.com/video/PGaK9STq/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PGaK9STq/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rick Perry's Speech At CPAC 2014 twitter:description: Texas Gov Rick Perry gives a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, calling for "a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas." twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PGaK9STq/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Rick Perry's Speech At CPAC 2014 > Sponsored content. 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Texas Gov Rick Perry gives a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, calling for "a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas."_ --- Jul 27, 2023 4:17 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Gov. Rick Perry Presidential Announcement](/video/8p9WGJ5W/) ### Gov. Rick Perry Presidential Announcement [Conservatives Come To Perry’s Defense After Indictment](/video/94Sww1MP/) ### Conservatives Come To Perry’s Defense After Indictment [Watch Rick Perry's History Of Talking About Gays](/video/qX5oTiir/) ### Watch Rick Perry's History Of Talking About Gays --- ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] Let's go. Come on. Get [00:04] it up. Good morning. Yes, it [00:08] is a good morning in America. [00:12] And the best part about it [00:16] is that we're getting to be in the presence, and stand [00:20] in the presence of American patriots. [ SOUND ] Yeah, [00:25] I'm reminded this morning of words that speak to the [00:29] American soul, words spoken by Thomas Jefferson, [00:33] who said, a little rebellion [00:37] now and then is a good thing. [ SOUND ] [00:41] My friends, our country is in peril. Our debt's at a [00:45] record amount. Our, our economy, and this [00:49] economic recovery is absolutely stagnant. Our place [00:53] in the world is weakened. So I have [00:58] a simple solution. It's time for [01:02] a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas. [ SOUND ] [01:11] But instead of looking to Washington to find the front [01:14] lines of the battle, I ask you to look to the states. [01:19] Where we find the laboratories of innovation, and 50 [01:23] different experiments in democracy taking place. Now, [01:27] among the states, we see two visions for [01:32] America. There's the vision common in blue [01:36] states, where the state plays an increasing role in the [01:40] lives of its citizens. In these states, taxes [01:44] are on the rise, pension programs are out of control, [01:47] and jobs are leaving by the truckloads. And then [01:53] there's the vision common to American, red America, [01:57] [ LAUGH ] if you will. The red state America [02:01] vision. Where the freedom of the individual comes first. [02:05] The reach of government is limited. In these states [02:10] taxes are low. Spending's under control, jobs [02:14] are on the rise, and opportunity is being sought far [02:18] and wide. We see opportunity flourishing in [02:23] states led by governors like Nikki Haley, Bobbi [02:27] Jindal, Scott Walker, Rick Scott. [ SOUND ] And for [02:30] instance, [02:35] under governor Haley, South Carolina moved 20, 000 [02:39] citizens from welfare to work. Under Bobby Jindal, [02:44] Louisiana has become competitive for jobs by [02:47] implementing smart regulations. And under Scott [02:51] Walker, red state principles have been brought [02:55] to Wisconsin. You see, the the public union leaders, [02:59] they bought and they instigated this massive disruption [03:03] of government, but because Scott Walker, he [03:07] had the courage to reform pension programs fairly, the [03:11] people of Wisconsin didn't recall him, they stood [03:14] behind and they reelected him. [03:18] [ SOUND ] [03:21] And, [03:23] and under Rick Scott, Florida's unemployment rate [03:27] has dropped for three straight years. When [03:32] just four years ago, four years ago, his predecessor [03:37] presided over the loss of more than 800, 000 jobs. [03:41] And now that guy wants his job back. And with a [03:44] record like that, appropriately he is running this time [03:47] to seek it as a Democrat. [ SOUND ] [03:52] So [03:54] you, you gotta ask yourself, what is the common [03:57] denominator In these states? It's [04:01] conservative governors, who cut taxes, who control [04:05] spending, who invest in jobs. It is conservative [04:08] governors who trust the people more than the [04:11] machinery of government. It's conservative governors [04:15] who know the freedom of the individual must come [04:18] before the power of the State. [ NOISE ] And, [04:24] the contrast, the contrast with blue states is crystal [04:27] clear. Let's pick any two, heck, let's pick [04:32] the two biggest, New York and California [ LAUGH ] [04:36] From the east coast to the west coast, no two [04:40] states have lost more personal income to other states [04:43] than New York and California. If, if, you, if [04:47] you rent a U- Haul to move your company, it costs [04:51] twice as much to go from San Francisco to Austin than [04:55] the other way around, because you can't find enough [04:58] trucks to flee the Golden State. [ LAUGH ] [05:06] And New York has got this new advertising campaign. [05:09] The new, New York. But they're implementing [05:14] the old tired recipe of backbreaking taxes and yeah, [05:19] you guessed it, regulations that are larger than a 30 [05:23] ounce Big Gulp. Now, [05:26] now, [05:28] let's pick a large red state. Shoot, [05:32] let's pick Texas! We cut taxes. We [05:39] didn't spend all the money. We created fair and [05:42] predictable regulations. And we stopped personal [05:44] injury trial lawyers from filing frivolous law suits. [05:46] [ SOUND ] We [05:51] have created almost 30 % of the nations jobs, [05:55] while keeping taxes among the nation's lowest. We [05:59] have presided over, not only an energy boom, but the [06:03] nation's largest population boom, and an economic [06:06] boom of monumental proportion. We have, we [06:10] have demonstrated that no state can tax [06:14] and spend its way to prosperity. But with the right [06:17] policies, you can grow your way there. The, the [06:21] red state, blue state debate, debate, this debate [06:26] really matters. Because it's about the future of [06:29] America. And, and the vision that wins out, either [06:34] this big government protectionist, nanny state version [06:38] offered by liberal leaders, or the limited government, [06:44] unsubsidized, freedom state offered by conservative [06:47] leaders, will determine the future of our nation. [06:49] [ SOUND ] [06:55] America, America cannot sustain its current fiscal [06:59] course. We cannot continue to borrow trillions of [07:02] dollars from bankers in Beijing, and Brazil, and Tokyo. [07:05] And the downgrading of our credit for [07:10] the first time, two years ago, it shouldn't have [07:13] surprised anyone. Our leaders were, were fighting [07:17] over a few billion dollars in spending cuts. While our [07:20] debt has soared by trillions, in the last five years. [07:25] How can the net, how can the greatest [07:29] nation on earth, continue to spend its way to [07:33] astounding debt, without the bill ever coming due? [07:38] How can we explode federal and state budgets, with [07:41] unreformed entitlement programs, without the bill ever [07:45] coming due? How can we appease [07:50] a Syrian tyrant, and embolden his Russian ally, [07:55] without the bill ever coming due? [07:59] There is a price to be paid for policies that [08:03] destroy our economy and embolden our foreign [08:07] enemy. And I am here today to [08:11] say, we don't have to accept recent history, [08:16] we just need to change the presidency. [ SOUND ] [08:28] It's not too late for America to lead in the world, but it [08:32] starts by leading at home. And it starts [08:36] by returning to the founding principles of democracy, [08:41] found in our Constitution. Among the [08:45] enumerated powers of Congress are, the power to lay [08:49] and collect taxes, to pay debts, and provide for the [08:53] common defense. To regulate commerce with foreign [08:57] nations, to declare war, to [09:01] raise and support armies, to provide and maintain [09:05] a navy. But nowhere [09:09] does the constitution say we should federalize [09:11] classrooms. Nowhere. Nowhere [09:17] does it give federal officials, [09:21] nowhere does it give federal officials primary [09:23] responsibility over the air we breathe, the land we [09:26] farm, the water we drink. And nowhere does it say [09:29] Congress has the right to federalize health care. [09:32] [ SOUND ] [09:36] You [09:39] see, [09:43] it is inherent in human nature, once [09:48] given power, to never give it back. And let [09:52] me tell you something, this human tendency is a [09:56] bipartisan offense. That is why, that [10:01] is why we must elect the right kind of leaders to [10:04] represent us in Washington. Leaders who devolve [10:08] power to the states, and not rob them of it. Leaders [10:12] who believe in free markets, and not a bigger Federal [10:16] Government. Leaders who respect the freedom of the [10:19] individual instead of depriving them of the power to [10:23] realize a dream. It is time for [10:27] Washington to focus on the few things the Constitution [10:31] establishes as the Federal Government's roll. Defend [10:35] our country. Provide a cogent foreign policy. And what [10:39] the heck, deliver the mail, preferably on time and on [10:42] Saturdays. Get out of the healthcare business! Get out [10:42] of the [10:52] education business! Stop hammering industry. Let the [10:52] sleeping giant of American enterprise create prosperity [10:53] again. My fellow conservatives, the future of this nation [10:54] is upon you. It belongs [10:58] to you. You have the [11:03] power to change America. You [11:08] have the power to speak to our newest [11:12] hopes. And in addition to our age- old dreams, you [11:12] are the path to the future. A light on a distant shore. [11:15] And you represent the renewed hope that America can [11:18] be great again. God bless you. And God bless this [11:28] great country we live in. 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