Rand Paul, a Bowling Green eye doctor and political outsider, won a decisive victory over GOP-establishment candidate Trey Grayson in the Republican primary in Kentucky for the U.S. Senate. The race wasn’t even close. Paul defeated Grayson 58% to 35%.

The Tea Party movement that began a year ago has become a powerful political force. In most races, one cannot win if they ignore the Tea Party message. But here’s the thing about Rand Paul that makes his victory in the primary so huge — he did not have to win over Tea Party voters. He was one of them.

Notice what he said in his acceptance speech: ”I have a message. A message from the tea party. A message that is loud and clear and does not mince words — we’ve come to take our government back.”

During his acceptance speech (full video here), Paul outlined a basic platform that has been at the heart of the Tea Party message. It is this kind of platform we need from our elected officials if we hope to get this country back on the right track.

• Represent the people, not the special interests. In the quote above, Paul said we’ve come to take our government back. Elected officials are to represent us — We the People. As is stated in the Declaration of Independence, government derives its powers “from the consent of the governed.” When a government does not represent the people there is tyranny.
• Reduce the national debt. Our present course is unsustainable. If we want to keep from descending into chaos (see Greece), our government needs to stop its out of control spending.
• America is a great nation. The reason America is a great nation is because it has a great system — capitalism. “Capitalism is freedom.” This freedom allows us to be successful, which puts us in the position to be the most generous people on earth.
• We need a government that protects our freedoms, not a government that gives us something for free. Entitlements are crippling this nation. Government’s primary responsibility is to provide and maintain an environment of both freedom and security.
• Term limits. There are too many career politicians that have been in Washington so long they have lost touch with the needs of regular Americans.
• Balanced budgets. No spending money we don’t have. No more government programs where the current benefits will have to be paid for in the future by our children and grandchildren (taxation without representation).
• Reading the bills. There is no excuse for a Congressman who votes for a bill without carefully reading it.
• Congress shall make no law they do not make applicable to themselves. They are not above us, they are of us, and are simply in Congress to represent us.
• All laws must derive their authority from the Constitution. The Constitution was written in order to restrain the federal government so that the citizens could maintain their freedoms. Congress needs to legislate within those restraints.

Rand Paul’s quest for the U.S. Senate is not over. He still needs to defeat Democrat Jack Conway in November. But his message is what we need to look for from candidates this fall. Limited government, reduced spending, lowering the national debt, free market solutions, and a return to the Constitution. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we need to take our government back.