Tea Party Backlash Unites CPAC 2010
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Mitt Romney, second in CPAC polls
The few controversial parts of CPAC 2010 were outweighed by the momentum driving the various factions on the right together – opposition to the federal government’s spending, bailouts, and attempted takeover of healthcare.
10,000 turned out for CPAC 2010 this year, 1500 more than last year. With Republicans out of power in Washington and Tea Partiers revolting against the Obama administration’s massive spending and bailouts, conservatives are coming together stronger than ever. Although there was a National Tea Party convention earlier this month in Nashville featuring Sarah Palin, attended by 1500, it was clear that Tea Partiers were unified with conservative Republicans at CPAC. Rumors of a Tea Party protest at CPAC never materialized. The wide variety of Republicans and Tea Partiers who spoke at CPAC – from Michelle Bachman to Ron Paul to Mitt Romney – were evidence that the right is united.
CPAC has become the most powerful national annual convention for conservatives. It has finally shaken off its reputation as the convention for stodgy Republicans. It now features a regular bloggers’ row, with over 150 bloggers. Bloggers were treated even better than the mainstream press, with a large room located on the balcony overlooking the main auditorium. The mainstream press was limited to a small room on the opposite side of the auditorium facing the audience, not the speakers. Blogger Ed Morrissey from HotAir.com won the blogger of the year award.
RaiseDigital provided an iPhone application dedicated to CPAC. Hip lounges included Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough’sXPAC for the younger generation, and Victory Solutions’ VoIP technology lounge. Its VoIP technology for phone banking contributed to recent Republican victories like Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts. Both organizations ran two of the most active twitter feeds covering the conference, #xpac and #thevso.
There were a few controversial incidents, but no major divisions at the conference. GOProud, a gay Republican group, had a booth in the exhibition area and one of their representatives participated on a panel. The John Birch society was finally permitted to have a booth, perhaps because William F. Buckley, Jr., who originally kicked them out of mainstream conservative circles, passed away in 2008. The immigration speakers and panels featured mostly pro-illegal immigration viewpoints. Linda Chavez, who was forced to withdraw in 2001 from her nomination by Bush for Labor Secretary due to hiring an illegal immigrant nanny, devoted her entire to speech to criticizing the conservative base’s view that opposes illegal immigration.
Andrew Breitbart, a leader on the right in new media,confronted liberal journalist Max Blumenthal when he showed up at the convention. Blumenthal, who writes for Salon.com, had accused James O’Keefe, the videojournalist who exposed ACORN and who is working with Breitbart, of racism. Salon.com was forced afterwards to issue a partial retraction. Code Pink protester Medea Benjamin attended the conference, but was surrounded by loud booing wherever she walked.
There was a strong Ron Paul presence at CPAC; many of his supporters were featured as speakers. Most CPAC attendees I spoke with agreed with with Paul on every issue except foreign policy. As expected, his disciplined, organized supporters made sure he won the straw poll. Mitt Romney came in second place, followed by Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich, and Mike Huckabee.
JD Hayworth, who is running against McCain for Senate, felt quite comfortable at CPAC, whereas McCain was nowhere to be seen, he was back in Arizona trying to explain to Tea Partiers why he voted for several of the TARP bailouts.
The biggest speakers at CPAC provided a hint as to who will be the hottest conservative leaders over the next couple years. They were Marco Rubio, Glenn Beck, Mike Pence, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ann Coulter. Dick Cheney made a surprise showing to thunderous applause.
Some major conservative leaders were noticeably missing. Sarah Palin chose to make a statement by speaking at the Tea Party convention earlier this month instead. Mike Huckabee boycotted the convention, saying it had become too libertarian. He apparently based this perception on the pervasive Ron Paul presence, and the lack of speakers or sessions addressing social issues. Rush Limbaugh was absent, probably because he was the keynote speaker at CPAC last year.
Overall, the conference was a tremendous success, bringing various factions on the right together due to a common aversion towards the current federal government bailouts, spending, and takeover of healthcare.
Rachel Alexander is the editor of “Intellectual Conservative” and an attorney practicing law in Phoenix, AZ.
I’m glad the article mentioned Linda Chavez and GOProud. The media as a whole left them out and focused only on the negatives.
I watched your CPAC pow wow, Sam. I watched the Tea Party Convention. I don’t remember GOPride getting a chance to speak. But, I remember this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZF1WWZqRB8
It’s about time conservs come to terms with your own speakers and stop blaming others.
Ryan Sorba was booed ipastor. You just proved my point. Change does not happen overnight.
Are you for a repeal of DADT, for gay marriage, because if you are not and on top of that you invite Ryan Sorba, well I just don’t see how can you blame the big bad media or me for that matter. Vitriolic is the best way I could describe CPAC, did you hear Ann Coulter and his revised ” John Edwards is gay routine” ? Change never happens with you guys. In fact, don’t you advocate for constitutional amendments for the definition of marriage, does it not the GOP platform makes no provision for abortion even in the case of rape and incest, didn’t the John Birch Society sponsor CPAC 2010 after more than 40 years of being to right-wing even for the right wing?
one section of the movement advocates for the things you just mentioned. Others do not. I take the position of Individual rights. So therefore I support a repeal of DADT and I support gay marriage. FYI so does Dick Cheney and Colin Powell last time I checked they were both conservatives also. And GOProud was another sponsor of CPAC a long with the Birchers. It is unfortunate that the Birchers are back but it is a free country. If Fannie Lou Hamer had the mind set you have then the Democrats would look a lot different than they do today. Conservatism is a movement and like any other movement it has its extremists. Also your rhetoric confuses me. This is a big tent website you have articles on this website that clearly are supportive of gay rights and immigration reform. Why you continue to assert that everyone in this movement is racist and homophobic when clearly that is not the case on this site puzzels me. In order for your logic to work your better off commenting on Stormfront or other extreme right wing racist sites because that is not the case here.
I thought we were talking about CPAC the Tea Party, I never said everyone is racist or homophobic in the GOP, TPM, or CPAC. Just some of your most prominent conservatives. Tom ” English Only” Tancredo, Cheney is for torture as well, and how courageous is it to support the life of your own daughter now that he out of power? When before he would take offence at subject being brought up. Lets see, your last speaker at CPAC, Glenn Beck, said that the conservative movement didn’t need a big tent because it was not ” a clown circus”? Joseph Farah from Worldnetdaily, speaker at the TPC, uberbirther, Michele Bachmann, where to start with her? I won’t. By the way, and this goes to all who take the time to read the stuff I write. I’m an Independent.
“website that clearly are supportive of gay rights and immigration reform”
We can agree to a certain point here. And it’s surprising given the well known rhetoric that exist in the Conserv movement against both, bilingual education and immigration reform. Reagan went against his own party when he passed true and meaningful amnesty back in the 80′ and he should be commended for that. I think you are more of the libertarian point of view Sam. We already agree in some points, but if we are going to be honest, so called moderates, like Newt, are being targeted in the GOP by groups like Club for Growth and Sarah PAC, like they did in ny23. If I made it seen as if a label all Conservatives as racist and discriminatory, I regret it and wish to make it clear that I don’t believe that.
Jajajajaja… ahora dice este cantamañanas que es un independiente. Lo que es ud. es un animador de foros y lo hace muy bien, pero de independiente nada. Ya quisieras tú conocer a Bachmann y ser Glenn Beck. Ud. lo que es es un aficionadillo… y lo de la tortura, da risa, amigo. Le vamos a enviar a ud. al circo ese del que hablaba Beck. Venga, a dormir que es hora.
Colin Powell conservador? jajajajaja. A ver Samuel, mire ud. bien las cosas. Estoy de acuerdo con lo que dice en general, pero para qué discute ud. con el pastor este. No ve que se dedica a escribir para generar polémica? The Americano es un digital serio, honesto y abre las puertas a las opiniones de todos. Pero sus principios están muy claros y los puede ud. leer. Saludos y no pierda ud. más tiempo con el cuidaovejas este.
“pero para qué discute ud. con el pastor”
Ahora te sientes las mama de los pollitos? Por favor Odessa, todos aqui ya estamos grandes. Ocupate que tu familia no hable con la chusma y dejanos en paz. Metiche.
Pastrocillo, no se meta ud. con Odessa que le ha sacado los colores. Ademas, piense ud. que no es “estamos grandes”, sino “somos grandes”. No confunda el “ser” y el “estar” que eso es de Spanish 101. Venga, cuide ud. también a su familia y no se la mencione a Odessa no sea que le vuelva a soltar un latigazo…
Juana la LOCA?
A ver listillo, cuál era el nombre real de Juana la Loca? Si respondes en 2 minutos vale, si no es que lo has mirado en google. Qué pena da ver cuando vas de enteradillo por el mundo y eres, por lo que te he leido, un tipo bastante pobre intelectualmente.
Bueno ya veo que no tienes ni zorra idea, iPastor. Por si no lo sabías es Juana de Trastamara, pero la llamaba Juan la Loca. Para ti, que hablas muy bien inglés, Joan the Mad (casi como tú). En alemán, Johanna die Wahnsinnige (German) y en holandés Johanna de waanzinnige. Hala, a cuidar las ovejas.
Y Odessa? De verdad te llamas haci o es codigo para algo? Que bien que eres multilingue, Aleman tambien, ojala hubiera apoya si quiera para eso en su campo, pero si te oye Tom Tancredo, no le va a gustar.
A Tancredo lo conozco personalmente, pastorcín. Y no es lo que ud. dice que es. Tancreo no tiene problemas con las personas que en este país viven y trabajan dentro de la legalidad. Su familia también es inmigrante, pero defiende los principios de la legalidad, nada más. No vaya ud. ahora a meter la pata que lo hace cada vez que escribe aquí. Haci, no es haci, sino “así”. Venga, ánimo.
Tom “English Only” Tancredo, no me sorprede en lo minimo. Gracias por las clases y el animo que me ofrece, eso si se lo agradesco. Asi que digame. Por que es que muy pocos immigrantes se identifican con sus ideologia? Y por favor, si vee mas errores de ortografia, digame.
Quise decir “agredezco.” Por eso es que me gusta The Americano, el reto.
Enhorabuena Juana! Ya era hora de que alguien le hablara claro al iPastor este que se está apropiando de la zona de comentarios. Pero ud. siga, siga, iPastor, que nos interesa leer sus opiniones de “independiente al dente”.
Y tu por que no Miguelito? Aqui estoy.
Miguelito será su padre, iPastor. Yo soy Miguel, amigo. Miguel Rindos, con apellido, no como ud. que usa pseudónimo. No se enfade que la vida es corta y tiene ud. muchas cabras que cuidar.
Mike, me la estoy pasando super hablando con ustedes. Hasta mejoro mi Castellano. Aun cuando tu te limitas a hablar de “cabras.”
No hablaba de ti y de tu rebaño. A seguir bien.