CPAC generates enthusiasm for conservatism
By Andrea Scott
Staff Writer
Thursday, March 3rd, 2010
Progressivism is to
blame for America’s problems and it needs to be eradicated, said
Glenn Beck to a roaring crowd at the Conservative and Political Action
Conference in Washington, D.C.
“Progressivism is the cancer in America,” he said. “It’s eating our Constitution and it was designed to eat our Constitution.”
The Fox News personality denounced progressivism and also made critical remarks to both Republicans and Democrats as he gave the closing speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 20.
Beck was the keynote speaker at the annual conference, known as CPAC, hosted by the American Conservative Union. CPAC brought in 10,000 registered participants to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel from Feb. 18 - 20 to discuss conservative issues and give opportunities to meet and mingle with conservative leaders.
Sophomore Dan Woltornist, the president of Franciscan University’ of Steubenville's College Republicans, got to experience this firsthand when he met Newt Gingrich in the hallway by chance.
“CPAC is such a good experience to get to see and meet first-hand so many people who are so influential, and the fact that they will take time to talk to you for 30 minutes,” Woltornist said.
Franciscan's College Republicans took about 15 students to the conference.
From Beck to presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and outspoken television star Ann Coulter, the event was full of conservative celebrities.
Each day of the conference was lined with seminars whose topics ranged from “Saving Freedom on College Campuses” and “Defending the Constitution” to “Obamanomics: the Left and Corporate America.” Surprise appearances made by former Vice President Dick Cheney and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown kept the crowd on their feet and their enthusiasm levels even higher than when they came in.
Differences within the conservative spectrum seemed to create most of the controversy surrounding the conference. Criticism from some Republicans was made about GOPride, a pro-gay Republican group, which co-sponsored the event.
When Ryan Sorba, an organizer from California’s Young Americans for Freedom, took the CPAC stage, he was already met with some disapproval from the audience because of his involvement in the ACORN video stunt. When Sorba condemned CPAC for bringing GOPride to the event, the boos only intensified.
This didn’t seem to faze Sorba, however, who kept asking the crowd to “bring it.”
“Guess what? Civil rights are grounded in natural rights,” he said. “Natural rights are grounded in human nature. Human nature is a rational substance in relationship. The intelligible end of the reproductive act is reproduction. Do you understand that?”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee decided to stay away from the event this year, telling Fox News that one reason is because it has become “more libertarian and less Republican.”
The record level of participants in both the conference and the straw poll, and the overwhelmingly obvious enthusiasm from the audience, however, makes it clear that these conservatives are excited about politics.
Amanda Boyek, a senior political science major, said she found the speakers to be both inspiring and encouraging as they motivated the crowd to take action on the campaign trail.
“I was impressed with the attitude of CPAC this year — instead of focusing on defeat, the speakers expressed anticipation of change,” she said.
Boyek said that many of the speakers stressed the need for a reawakening of morals in American society, along with a “renewal of good, old-fashioned patriotism.”
The symposium concluded with the 2010 presidential straw poll, naming Ron Paul the winner by a landslide. The surprising victor won 31 percent of the votes, while Mitt Romney trailed in second with 22 percent, followed by Sarah Palin with 7 percent and Tim Pawlenty in fourth place with 6 percent of the votes.
Only 2,395 participants, 48 percent of those being students, cast ballots in the poll. Of those polled, 53 percent said they wish the GOP had a better field of potential candidates for the 2012 election.
“Progressivism is the cancer in America,” he said. “It’s eating our Constitution and it was designed to eat our Constitution.”
The Fox News personality denounced progressivism and also made critical remarks to both Republicans and Democrats as he gave the closing speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 20.
Beck was the keynote speaker at the annual conference, known as CPAC, hosted by the American Conservative Union. CPAC brought in 10,000 registered participants to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel from Feb. 18 - 20 to discuss conservative issues and give opportunities to meet and mingle with conservative leaders.
Sophomore Dan Woltornist, the president of Franciscan University’ of Steubenville's College Republicans, got to experience this firsthand when he met Newt Gingrich in the hallway by chance.
“CPAC is such a good experience to get to see and meet first-hand so many people who are so influential, and the fact that they will take time to talk to you for 30 minutes,” Woltornist said.
Franciscan's College Republicans took about 15 students to the conference.
From Beck to presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and outspoken television star Ann Coulter, the event was full of conservative celebrities.
Each day of the conference was lined with seminars whose topics ranged from “Saving Freedom on College Campuses” and “Defending the Constitution” to “Obamanomics: the Left and Corporate America.” Surprise appearances made by former Vice President Dick Cheney and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown kept the crowd on their feet and their enthusiasm levels even higher than when they came in.
Differences within the conservative spectrum seemed to create most of the controversy surrounding the conference. Criticism from some Republicans was made about GOPride, a pro-gay Republican group, which co-sponsored the event.
When Ryan Sorba, an organizer from California’s Young Americans for Freedom, took the CPAC stage, he was already met with some disapproval from the audience because of his involvement in the ACORN video stunt. When Sorba condemned CPAC for bringing GOPride to the event, the boos only intensified.
This didn’t seem to faze Sorba, however, who kept asking the crowd to “bring it.”
“Guess what? Civil rights are grounded in natural rights,” he said. “Natural rights are grounded in human nature. Human nature is a rational substance in relationship. The intelligible end of the reproductive act is reproduction. Do you understand that?”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee decided to stay away from the event this year, telling Fox News that one reason is because it has become “more libertarian and less Republican.”
The record level of participants in both the conference and the straw poll, and the overwhelmingly obvious enthusiasm from the audience, however, makes it clear that these conservatives are excited about politics.
Amanda Boyek, a senior political science major, said she found the speakers to be both inspiring and encouraging as they motivated the crowd to take action on the campaign trail.
“I was impressed with the attitude of CPAC this year — instead of focusing on defeat, the speakers expressed anticipation of change,” she said.
Boyek said that many of the speakers stressed the need for a reawakening of morals in American society, along with a “renewal of good, old-fashioned patriotism.”
The symposium concluded with the 2010 presidential straw poll, naming Ron Paul the winner by a landslide. The surprising victor won 31 percent of the votes, while Mitt Romney trailed in second with 22 percent, followed by Sarah Palin with 7 percent and Tim Pawlenty in fourth place with 6 percent of the votes.
Only 2,395 participants, 48 percent of those being students, cast ballots in the poll. Of those polled, 53 percent said they wish the GOP had a better field of potential candidates for the 2012 election.