McConnell and Gingrich Criticize Dems' Use Of Reagan
Both Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Newt Gingrich tore into Democrats today for what they view as the opposition party's embrace of former President Ronald Reagan. Talking Points...
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GOProud And The Tea Party
HuffPost blogger Alex Becker sent us this photo he took at CPAC of a member of the controversial group GOProud speaking with a member of the Tea Party.
View ArticleDonald Trump 2012?
The Daily Caller reports that Donald Trump's appearance at CPAC this afternoon likely hints at increased Presidential ambitions for 2012: Trump has been hinting at his desire to run for months. “For...
View ArticleDick Cheney Makes Surprise Cameo; Audience Member Yells "War Criminal"
Michael Falcone of ABC News (@michaelpfalcone) tweeted that "Rumsfeld get a mix of boos and applause at #CPAC", and shortly afterward, he tweeted "Dick Cheney surprise #CPAC appearance. On stage w/...
View ArticleTrump: US Is "Laughingstock"
Donald Trump, discussing a potential Presidential run, said that the United States is becoming "the laughingstock of the world." Full story here.
View ArticleSantorum: Obama Doesn't Believe In American Exceptionalism; Won't Say...
Rick Santorum had plenty of harsh words for President Obama in his speech today, especially regarding "evil." Talking Points Memo reports: One theme of Rick Santorum's CPAC speech was that President...
View ArticleRumsfeld Blasts Defense Earmarks And Implies Military Spending Is Too Low
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld took the main stage at CPAC -- to loud applause, some booing, and an introduction by former Vice President Cheney -- to receive the "Defender of the...
View ArticleAudience Member Shouts "War Criminal" At Dick Cheney During Speech
Here's video of Dick Cheney making his surprise appearance today at the CPAC conference. After Cheney arrives on stage, an audience member shouts "war criminal" at him. That moment occurs at about 1:25:
View ArticleRand Paul Rails Against Defense Budget In CPAC Speech
Rand Paul proposed controversial cuts to the defense budget in his CPAC speech yesterday. He said, "we will have to look long and hard at the military budget," continuing, "the most important thing...
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Where In The World Is Sarah Palin?
Probably the most notable absent party from this year's CPAC conference is former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. ABC News asked several CPAC attendees where she might be. The results were quite...
View ArticleGOProud Criticized By Prominent CPAC Sponsor
CNN reports on some tension between a prominent sponsor of CPAC and GOProud, the conservative gay-rights group whose participation at CPAC caused some socially conservative groups to boycott the event....
View ArticleRand Paul: Large-Scale Wars Not Necessarily The Way To Fight Terrorism
Rand Paul spoke to CBS News and bucked traditional Republican-party orthodoxy with some further comments about American defense. Paul explained, "I think you can still protect a country against...
View ArticleSteve Kings Proposes Shutting Down Government To Kill Health Care Bill
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) took the opportunity at CPAC to propose shutting the government down as a means to defund the Health Care law. Talking Points Memo explains: The reform law signed by Obama last...
View ArticleFormer New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson Proposes Marijuana Legalization
Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, proposed marijuana legalization during his CPAC speech today. After laying this on the table, Politico reports that the crowd "cheered loudly." They also...
View ArticleScott Brown Notably Absent From CPAC
The HuffPost's Sam Stein reports that although Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was hugely popular at last year's CPAC following his upset victory in a special election, he is not even in attendance this...
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Romney Attacks Obama: Let Them Eat Organic Cake
Politico's Ben Smith tweets about a snarky comment Mitt Romney made in his CPAC speech today about Barack Obama: @ benpolitico : "Organic" really a dirty word here. Romney on Obama: "Let them eat cake?...
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Romney Calls Unemployment Lines and Job Fairs Obama's "Hooverville"
Mitt Romney continued going on the offensive against President Obama in his speech today. He called the nation's unemployment lines and job fairs Obama's "Hooverville." Hooverville refers to the shanty...
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RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Reflects On His CPAC Speech
@ ReincePriebus : Just spoke at #CPAC. Looking forward to working together to make @BarackObama a one term President and get back to fiscal conservatism.
View ArticleFake Sarah Palin Causes A Stir
Apparently a Sarah Palin impersonator walked through the halls of CPAC and temporarily caused some false excitement. Alex Seitz-Wald of ThinkProgress caught the Palin look-a-like on video. WATCH:
View ArticleRomneycare Absent From Romney Speech
One of Mitt Romney's potential weaknesses as a 2012 candidate is his seemingly contradictory support of his own Massachusetts-state Romneycare vs. his opposition to Obamacare. Although many were eager...
View ArticleRomney: "Cause Of Liberty" In Danger If Obama Reelected
Mitt Romney made President Obama a central figure in his CPAC speech today. The text was full of attacks, such as a line about how the "cause of liberty" is in danger if Obama wins reelection in 2012....
View ArticleIs GOProud's Run At CPAC Over?
It looks like the flare-up between the American Conservative Union and GOProud may be worse than initially reported. The Hill reports: The new president of the American Conservative Union, Al Cardenas,...
View ArticleMichelle Bachmann's Questionable Health Care Claims
Michelle Bachmann used her CPAC speech yesterday as an opportunity to rally against the Health Care bill. She spouted various pieces of data regarding taxes relating to the bill and came to the...
View ArticleRep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) Goes After Net Neutrality
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) had some harsh words for Net Neutrality policies that are intended to provide all data on the Internet equal access. She made an unsubstantiated claim that blogs and...
View ArticleRomney Drops Not So Subtle Hints About Presidential Run
Mitt Romney's CPAC speech contained multiple hints that he was readying a 2012 Presidential run. His wife even gave a choice quote about the matter. The Daily Caller reports: “If I were to decide to...
View ArticleA Trump Presidential Campaign? We'll Know By June
The Atlantic quotes Trump's CPAC speech from yesterday: "While I am not at this time a candidate for the presidency, I will decide by June," the wealthy New York businessman said, declaring himself fed...
View ArticleRand Paul Hits Back At Donald Trump
In his CPAC speech yesterday, Donald Trump made a comment that was not well received by Ron Paul supporters. Regarding a potential Ron Paul Presidency, Trump stated that Paul "has zero chance of being...
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Olympia Snowe To Be Challenged By Tea Party Member In Primary
TPM reports: Maine moderate Olympia Snowe, whose Senate seat has long been considered vulnerable in a Republican primary, has a new Tea Party challenger: Andrew Ian Dodge. The state coordinator for the...
View ArticleHouse Republicans Decline To Address Divisions Between Tea Party And Leadership
HuffPost's Amanda Terkel: A handful of freshmen House Republicans stopped by CPAC Friday morning for a mimosa reception with attendees, sponsored by the Institute for Policy Innovation. They all...
View ArticleRomney As "The Anti-Palin"
Sam Stein reports that Mitt Romney could find value as a candidate in being something of an "anti-Palin": "Intelligence versus not-so-intelligent," was the pitch by Ken Merritt, a Virginia-based Romney...
View ArticleSen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) Unclear On Whether He'll Endorse Orrin Hatch
If Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is looking for support in his upcoming primary battle, he won't find it from fellow Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee. TPM reports: Lee said that he could endorse Hatch --...
View ArticleSinger Has A Thing For Sarah Palin
Speaking to former RNC Chairman Michael Steele at a CPAC party, singer Sophie B. Hawkins had some interesting things to say about Sarah Palin. "I'm not a conservative," said Hawkins, "but I'd like to...
View ArticleRumsfeld/Cheney Hecklers Raise Concerns From CPAC Organizers
In addition to eliciting some boos yesterday during their speeches, one audience member yelled "war criminal" at Dick Cheney. CNN reports that event organizers have expressed some concern about these...
View ArticleJohn Thune: CPAC "Important" Event As He Mulls Presidential Run
CPAC could be a turning point in Senator John Thune's (R-S.D.) decision-making process as he mulls a Presidential run. He spoke to HuffPost's Sam Stein about the significance of the event: "This is, as...
View ArticleJohn Thune: "It's Right" That Mubarak Stepped Down
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) gave his two cents on today's Egypt developments. He told TPM today at CPAC that he thinks "it's right he [Hosni Mubarak] stepped down."
View ArticleMore On Romney's CPAC Speech
Mitt Romney didn't pull any punches against President Obama in his speech today. Per CBS News: Romney called the current economic situation a "moral tragedy of epic proportions," arguing that "liberals...
View ArticleMatt Kibbe, Head Of FreedomWorks, Says 2012 Election Will Be "Firestorm"
Matt Kibbe, President & CEO of FreedomWorks, just told the crowd during his CPAC speech that he hopes the 2012 election will be a "firestorm" for conservatives that will make the 2010 election look...
View ArticleGary Johnson Talks Marijuana Legalization, Same Sex Marriage
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson talked to CBS News today. He said, "I advocate legalizing marijuana. Control it. Regulate it. Tax it." He also discussed his support for same sex marriage,...
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Orrin Hatch Booed Over TARP Vote
Beth Reinhard of National Journal tweets that Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) expressed regret for his TARP vote: @ bethreinhard : With a target on his back, Orrin Hatch says he "probably made a mistake"...
View ArticleTim Pawlenty: Obama Like Carter, Not Reagan
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is currently speaking at CPAC. Pawlenty said about President Obama, "he's been really good at duping the mainstream media." He said that the media has been fooled...
View ArticlePawlenty Takes More Jabs At Obama
Tim Pawlenty's latest: "We need more common sense, and less Obama nonsense."
View ArticleRepublicans At CPAC Discuss Afghanistan War
HuffPost's Amanda Terkel: There was a rush of excitement when Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) arrived at CPAC on Friday, with a huge crowd of people trying to push in and meet the prominent libertarian. When...
View ArticlePawlenty Goes After Obama's Foreign Policy, Tells President To "Stop...
Tim Pawlenty aggressively attacked what he views as President Obama's foreign policy failures. "Bullies respect strength, they don't respect weakness. So when the United States of America projects its...
View ArticleCrowd Boos Patriot Act During Ron Paul's Speech
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) just went after the Patriot Act. The crowd booed the law when he initially mentioned it. And when Paul went on the attack against the legislation, calling it the "destruction of...
View ArticleRon Paul Talks Foreign Policy, Bipartisanship
Ron Paul, who won the Straw Poll at last year's CPAC convention, has been getting a huge response from the crowd during his speech this year. The crowd excitedly cheered as he bucked party orthodoxy on...
View ArticlePawlenty: I'm Not A Birther, But What Planet Is President From?
The Washington Post reports on a birther-related joke that Tim Pawlenty made during his speech: Pawlenty, like Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) yesterday, also cracked a birther joke: "Now, I'm not one who...
View ArticleTexas Governor Rick Perry Talks EPA
Governor Rick Perry (R-Texas) just spoke about the EPA. He said that the EPA is punishing Texas, which he said already has an effective clean air policy. Perry stated that the federal government should...
View ArticlePerry Goes After Health Care Bill
Rick Perry attacked the health care bill in his speech, saying, "that bill will bankrupt our states, and in turn bankrupt our country." He explained, "it is wrong for the federal government to force...
View ArticleRon Paul Talks To The Huffington Post
In an interview with The Huffington Post today, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) explained that "big government is alive and well." See what else he had to say by checking out the full story here.
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