A Word's-Eye View of Presidential Candidates in 2016: Campaign Announcements

When we get serious about limited government, we can pursue the great and worthy goals that America has gone too long without. We can build our future on solvency instead of borrowed money. We can honor our commitments on the strength of fiscal integrity.
— Gov. Jeb Bush

Counteracting excessively burdensome government regulations has become a centerpiece of my tenure in Washington...
As President, I will cut regulations and take power away from unelected bureaucrats who are trampling our freedom and rights. I will place common sense and reasonable limitations on a bureaucracy that seeks to target well-intentioned businesses with burdensome regulations.
— Dr. Rand Paul

The American Dream — the idea that anyone, through hard work and determination, can achieve anything — is under assault like never before. Obamacare, an overreaching federal government, and out of control spending threaten the ability of small businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and innovate.
— Sen. Ted Cruz

And if America accepts the mantle of global leadership, by abandoning this administration’s dangerous concessions to Iran, and its hostility to Israel...by giving our men and women in uniform the resources...and gratitude they deserve; by no longer being passive in the face of Chinese and Russian aggression; and by ending the near total disregard for the erosion of democracy and human rights around the world; then our nation will be safer,...and our people more prosperous.
—Sen. Marco Rubio

This is a very difficult time for the United States of America. We face daunting challenges at home and unprecedented challenges abroad. It’s time for new leadership. It’s time for a fresh start.
...Each generation’s greatest responsibility is to pass on a greater opportunity to the next generation. Our generation is failing in this regard. A Balanced Budget Amendment to our Constitution will lead to a better future for our grandchildren.
— Dr. Ben Carson

Our founders never intended us to have a professional political class. They believed that citizens and leaders needed to step forward. We know the only way to reimagine our government is to reimagine who is leading it... If you're tired of the sound bites, the vitriol...the corruption, if you believe it's time to declare the end of...lowered expectations...if you believe that it's time for citizens to stand up to the political class and say "enough"... then join us.
— Carly Fiorina

I will never apologize for America, ever...But we have lost our way morally...We are now threatening the foundation of religious liberty by criminalizing Christianity and arguing that we should abandon biblical principles of traditional marriage. Many of our politicians...would allow unelected judges to make laws as well as enforce it, upending the balance of powers essential to the constitution.
— Gov. Mike Huckabee

I offer a bold vision for America, one that is clear and conservative. It has plans of reform and a proven track record from my time in service... Let's grab the corrupt Federal Tax Code and the I.R.S that goes with it. I stand for you, the American worker.
— Sen. Rick Santorum

Washington politicians and bureaucrats believe they know better than us and can tell us how to live our lives from what health care each of us must have to trying to dictate to every child in every school what they must learn. A young mother seeking to start a small business is inundated with oppressive paperwork and regulations and gives up. Too many Americans feel the path of opportunity is closed to them. We must make sure it’s not.
— Gov. George Pataki

Strong families, constitutional liberties, and the sanctity of life form the bedrock on which our nation was founded. As president, I would protect our nation’s values. Our future prosperity depends on our commitment to bold action and practical solutions on everything from energy independence to preparing for the retirement of the Baby Boomers.
— Sen. Lindsey Graham

We have the power to make things new again. To project American strength again, to get our economy going again...It's time for a reset, time to reset the relationship between government and citizen. Think of the arrogance of Washington, DC, representing itself as some beacon of wisdom, with policies smothering this vast land with no regard for what makes each state and community unique. That’s just wrong. We need to return power to the states, and freedom to the individual.
— Gov. Rick Perry

I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again.It can happen. Our country has tremendous potential. We have tremendous people.
We have people that aren’t working. We have people that have no incentive to work. But they’re going to have incentive to work, because the greatest social program is a job. And they’ll be proud, and they’ll love it, and they’ll make much more than they would’ve ever made.
— Donald Trump

We will make the necessary investments in infrastructure, research, and education to put people to work today and grow our economy for tomorrow. Increased investment will lead to economic growth, that in turn will increase wages and boost bottom lines for both families and American businesses. Too many working families are struggling. We will provide tax relief to help those families keep up with...rising costs. After decades of stagnant wages, Americans need a break.
— Sec. Hillary Clinton

The American people must make a fundamental decision. Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all? Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class, or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy?
—Sen. Bernie Sanders

Americans are working harder but earning less than they did 12 years ago, and wealth has concentrated in the hands of the very few as almost never before. We must fight for better wages for all workers, so that Americans can actually live on what they earn. That means raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, increasing the threshold for overtime pay to $1,000 a week, and restoring workers’ collective bargaining power.
— Gov. Martin O'Malley

The tragedies of the Iraq War are manifold; lost and injured lives, hundreds of billions of squandered tax dollars, the difficulty of providing just and proper care for our brave veterans, but maybe the most tragic, the loss of American credibility...Our credibility will be restored when we respect our world partners and truly listen when they speak. In a world of nuclear weapons, the United States must make international decisions with brains and not biceps.
—Sen. Lincoln Chafee

I will secure our borders; I will replace Obamacare with a health care system that focuses on reducing costs and restoring freedom; I will grow the private sector economy by shrinking the size... and reach of the federal government; And I will rebuild America...and restore our standing on the world stage...I’m asking you to join a cause. If you are looking for a candidate who will politely manage America’s descent into mediocrity, I’m not your man.
— Gov. Bobby Jindal

The job of a leader, the job of a governor, the job of a president, is to get the people in the room and bang enough heads together and rub enough arms and cajole enough to have them put the country and the state's greater interest ahead of their own personal partisan interest. That's what we did in New Jersey and that's the model for America.
-- Gov. Chris Christie

Let’s work to restore true economic fairness in this great country, starting with finding the right formula for growing our national economy while making our tax laws more balanced and increasing the negotiating leverage of our working people. Our doors will be open to everyone who wants to work with us to find real, lasting solutions, from either party and from all segments of the American economy.
— Sen. Jim Webb

I don't want massive layoffs of anyone - public or private. We are planning on shrinking government through attrition and reform, not through random pink slips.
—Gov. Scott Walker

When we give a subsidy, the benefits to the public ought to exceed the benefits to the company. When it doesn't, that's our definition of corporate welfare.
—Gov. John Kasich

"I signed the partial-birth abortion ban. And I think I have furthered our pro-life movement very substantially, even though not everybody would agree with every nuance of my position.”
—Gov. Jim Gilmore

The core principle of representative democracy is that we are all equal citizens. Corruption creates 2nd class citizens. The Citizen Equality Act of 2017 would fix that, and a referendum president would have the mandate to pass it. Once it is passed, we could begin to rebuild a democracy that inspires free people everywhere, and gives us a government that works again.
— Lawrence Lessig