CPAC 2013 opened Thursday with much hype at the Gaylord National Resort in Oxon Hill, Md., just over ten miles southeast of the White House. American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas opened the event, and the first speaker of CPAC 2013, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, got things started.
Cuccinelli, a republican, is seeking the party nomination for governor in the Old Dominion because fellow republican Robert F. McDonnell is term limited. He will likely face former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe.
Fresh off joining with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for a filibuster of CIA Director John Brennan's nomination, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey set the jubilant mood for CPAC 2013 by stressing "how important it is that we [conservatives] engage in this fight" for what we believe. A large part of CPAC's attendance is an enormous amount of young people from across the nation who are eager to both meet their conservative heroes and do exactly what Toomey conveyed, get involved in the conservative movement.
One of the most anticipated CPAC visitors, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, has drawn criticism lately from some that though he is Cuban-American, his political views allegedly clash with those of the Latino electorate.
"Just because I believe that states have the right to define marriage in a traditional way does not make me a bigot," Rubio said of some detractors. "The only real approach that solves [our debt problem] is the combination of fiscal discipline and rapid economic growth. There is no tax increase in the world that will solve our long-term debt problem," Rubio said Thursday afternoon at CPAC.
Friday at CPAC is a day traditionally associated with a docket chock full of Congressional leaders and rising political stars, mostly due to the regularity with which the Capitol takes the final day of the workweek off. In election years, it is not uncommon to see what often becomes a future list of republican primary contenders making bombastic speeches endorsing personal liberty and how to combat the ever-expanding government.
Cardenas and his CPAC organizers did not disappoint this year. However, the first man to the stage at National Harbor on Friday was not a politician. Many say he's far from one. Billionaire developer Donald Trump made the trip from New York to take the CPAC stage to the tune of the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money"; the theme song to his "Apprentice" program. He was greeted by cheers and a standing ovation.
Trump began his CPAC speech by remarking on the hardships conservative activists often encounter when trying to convey their message to the public: "The President has been granted unprecedented media protection ... [With] the republicans ... especially as you get more and more conservative ... it's the opposite," Trump said.
"The Donald" soon turned to warning those in attendance about the pitfalls set up by the opposition in Washington: "The 11 million illegals, even if they're given the right to vote ... the fact is, 11 million people will be voting Democratic," he warned, saying that President Obama may be using the topic of immigration reform as a way to procure new allegiances to future democrat tickets. He advised that activists and politicians on the right must tread extremely carefully in the area of immigration reform, calling it a "suicide mission" for republicans.
Never at a loss for words, the always outspoken Trump called out some chief figures in republican leadership, saying that conservatives must even go as far as vetting their own colleagues before making a collective statement about an issue or candidate. Without mentioning him by name Trump criticized former Bush advisor Karl Rove and his American Crossroads PAC, asserting Rove's millions spent attacking Obama during the campaign fell on deaf ears and possibly hurt his own movement's mission.
"When you watch someone who spends $400 million on campaigns with perhaps the worst ads I've ever seen," Trump quipped incredulously. "They did ads on Obama I thought were being paid for by the Obama campaign."
In closing his CPAC address, Trump touched on a topic many found controversial during the period which Trump was toying with a run for the White House: how to reimburse America for the cost of the War on Terror.
"We spent $1.5 trillion on the Iraq War and got nothing ... we should take it and pay ourselves back," he said, referencing the amount being a fraction of the Arab nation's oil wealth. "What the hell are we thinking! We should pay those families [of fallen soldiers] that money."
Trump sparked criticism when he first breached the topic last year. Nonetheless, many Trump supporters said they agreed that the Iraqi government owed America at least a piece of the amount our taxpayers spent overseas.
"We have to make this country incredible," Trump said as he walked offstage.
The first major conservative leader of the day at CPAC was Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader.
"Let me tell you a dirty little secret about liberalism -- it can't last," he said, remarking his belief that an ever-expanding government will ultimately prove fatal to quintessential American society.
The next CPAC guest didn't even need to take the stage or have his name announced before cheers erupted in the Potomac Ballroom. When the emcee said the words "Janesville, Wisconsin," the noise level immediately rose among applause as Paul Ryan took the stage.
The Wisconsin Congressman, Mitt Romney's vice presidential nominee and a devout Catholic, took the stage remarking how "great a week" it had been in his mind: "White Smoke from Vatican, budget from the Senate, I feel like saluting already," he remarked. He then turned his speech to the common theme of criticism of the democrat leadership: "The Vatican's not the only place blowing smoke this week," remarking his displeasure with the democrat-led Senate budget proposition. The House budget author, Ryan told the large CPAC crowd that under the democrat's plan, he believed that in 10 years, "the economy will be at a crawl."
Following Ryan and strategist Michael Barone, the man seen as one of CPAC's most controversial guests arrived in the hall. Wayne LaPierre, of the National Rifle Association, began his speech by addressing his organizations' detractors. The organization has been criticized in recent weeks for fighting against proposed gun control legislation that came about following the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Despite nationwide criticism, he thanked his equally strong nationwide support: "We will not back down ... ever!" he exclaimed to the CPAC attendees. "Without the second Amendment, all of our freedoms would be in jeopardy."
Cheers followed.
"School children deserve same protection as jewelry stores and banks," LaPierre said, referencing his demand for armed guards or police in the nation's schools. He continued on the topic of proposed gun control, criticizing Vice President Joe Biden's recent comment that citizens would be better served "firing a shotgun" through a doorway at an intruder than utilizing high-capacity magazines, one of the items a pending Senate bill would outlaw.
Following LaPierre, CPAC welcomed a familiar face among fervent conservatives; one whose outspokenness has often garnered detraction from his opponents and even some within his own party.
Former Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa., set a slightly different tone at CPAC as opposed to the fanfare of Trump and Ryan. He began his speech with a heartfelt reference to the death of his nephew Thursday night. He expressed the importance that prayer had in his nephew's passing, urging CPAC attendees to remember the importance that God has in their lives.
"America is a moral enterprise," he said. "[America is the] only country in the history of the world that based its premise on rights given to each and every one of us by God ... not from a king. Because of that we have strived and done great things ... been able to prosper ... "
Santorum has often drawn criticism of his strong social beliefs. He is steadfastly against abortion, gay marriage and what he calls the "secularizing of America."
"We can be the ones who not only save America but preserve that last great hope," Santorum said as he closed his CPAC address.
The next guest was one that made his first public appearance since his election loss. Former Governor Mitt Romney, R-Mass., began by lamenting that fact.
"I'm sorry I won't be your president," he said to the CPAC crowd, "but I will [continue to] be your co-worker and work shoulder-to-shoulder alongside you."
Anticipating the CPAC attendees wanted to hear his prediction on the next election, he said simply: "We will win: because our cause is just and it is right."
Former Governor Jeb Bush, R-Fla., will be holding a book signing Friday evening at CPAC. While rumors have circled regarding his candidacy for a 2016 run for the White House, Bush declined to participate in the annual CPAC Straw Poll, which gauges attendees' thoughts on likely candidates. The CPAC Straw Poll results will be announced to close CPAC Saturday evening by pollster Tony Fabrizio.
Due to its increasing popularity, CPAC has moved three times in recent years. In 2009, CPAC was held at the Omni-Shoreham Hotel near the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Then it was moved the following year across the street to the larger Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. It now takes place for the first time outside the beltway, at the Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md.
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