I tuned into the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) live feed at 4:30 to get the results of their straw poll. Personally, I was unhappy with some of the things being said and the mentality of the crowd. I didn’t take notes, but here’s what I learned:
- 95% of the attendees are unhappy with President Obama
- A majority of attendees are happy with republicans in congress (sure, the republicans are doing such a great job … they share equal blame for getting us into this mess)
- Mitt Romney won the straw poll for who the candidate should be in 2012. He garnered 20%, followed by Gov. Jindal and Sarah Palin. Mike Huckabee earned 7%. Pretty typical for Romney to win straw polls at these events … not that it has ever done him any good.
- An overwhelming percentage of the conference attendees said their favorite conservative media personality is Rush Limbaugh. Well, congratulations people for blindly following the biggest mouth and biggest embarassment in the GOP. Right behind Rush was Glenn Beck (who has become such a fear monger that I have an anxiety attack if I even hear a commercial for his program). Mr. Limbaugh was taking the podium to speak at the conference right after the straw poll results, but I really couldn’t stand to listen to him.
- When asked what one issue is most important to them, they strongly selected a return to small government (this was about 74% if I recall correctly). OK, I’m all for smaller government, but what troubled me was the very low percentage (10% maybe?) that identified the protection of the unborn.
I truly feel like I don’t belong anymore. Not in the GOP and certainly not with the democrats. I also feel like social conservatives are losing their voice. I feel very unsettled right now.
OneMom
(CNN has part of the results HERE)
Update: You can download the powerpoint slides of the straw poll results HERE
Kerry,
I don’t always agree with every point or nuance you make in some of your posts. I do share your concern when you say,
“I truly feel like I don’t belong anymore. Not in the GOP and certainly not with the democrats. I also feel like social conservatives are losing their voice. I feel very unsettled now.”
From my youth–a long time ago now–I have been by nature and Christian conviction a moralist, a social, cultural, political conservative.
I got involved in the Right-to-Life movement in the summer of 1972. That January day in 1973 when the Supreme Court in the Roe vs. Wade decision legalized abortion was the single worse day of my life as regards national affairs. For several years afterwards a small group of devout Catholics and an even smaller group of mostly conservative protestants such as myself labored just to keep the Right-to-Life issue alive. Gradually more persons got involved and through the years some victories were won amidst further set backs. Pro-life and pro-family groups are now institutionalized.
Unfortunately we have never been able to change most of the major institutions or the predominant liberal/humanist/hedonistic culture of our society. And now with the hard core leftist Obama administration and a very liberal legislature in control of Washington, D.C., we are under heavy siege and bombardment. And yes, it does seem to me also that the pro-life, pro-family movement is being shunned anew by many Republicans and conservatives just now. And that our movement is somewhat exhausted and “old hat.” But I cannot recall any time through the years when we were really popular in the broad culture or in the political power structure. Although I do not have documented statistics, I doubt that the Right-to-Life issue has ever been the number one issue to a significant number of persons attending the annual CPAC meeting. But if we can maintain a dedicated minority we can still wield considerable influence.
I continue to hope that the liberal and humanist philosophy and culture that dominates our society will be exposed as a failure to many people in our country. I continue to hope that the Spirit and grace of God might bring conviction and renewal to our nation. No matter what happens, I am glad that there are still people such as yourself that are pressing on in the battle and that the Lord “God is ultimately in control.
Raymond, the battle is our mission, the Lord is our keeper, long suffering is our Spirit. The day will come when the earth will cleanse itself or the Lord will ride! In any event, the lost souls of this planet will be like the sands of the sea in their following of the dark one.
The battle for the GOP is in full Kerry. If Danael Steele and Saul hold to their convictions, we will prevail over that evil elitist power in Washington that has pushed for Romney to be their boy. My first thought to the CPAC vote is that it is fixed. But reading your thoughts makes one think that there was a stacking of the audience. Knowing Romney , he probably paid their way.
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Well I totally agree with your whole analyst. This has to be one of the best blog posts you ever posted.
I can’t stand Romney. I will never vote for him for anything.
The social conservative movement is completely dead. This scares me and saddens me to think that we are no longer a big part of the conservative movement. Without the social conservatives the Republicans are nothing.
The south doesn’t give its electoral votes to the GOP every election because we all want small government. Half the people down here can’t even spell government. We are in the Bible belt. This area clings to traditional Biblical values that are held in the social conservative movement.
As the social conservative keep getting pushed out of the conservative movement the Republican Party will continue to die. We will be no different than the democrats when it comes to morals. This is obvious to me for the simple fact that the chosen speaker of CPAC is a known drug addict. The party is still headed in the wrong direction. We need to keep loosing elections till Fox News and Sean Hannity realize that they are not what we want.
Several things about the CPAC poll.
One: here’s my post explaining Ron Paul’s high percentage. Look at the demographics of the attendees – they’re mostly young, male college students with a libertarian bent. After all, Ron Paul’s ‘Campaign for Liberty’ and the Libertarian Party were sponsors at CPAC. This wasn’t a strictly Republican conference.
Social conservatism is alive and well in the GOP – please don’t take CPAC as a valid cross-section of the Republican Party nation-wide. CPAC’s attendees were (most likely) disproportionately from the D.C. area and the northeast, the more libertarian, less pro-life/pro-family values areas of the country.
If this was taken at the Republican National Committee, we would have cause to worry. However, it was not; again, this was a more libertarian conference than socially conservative. (<– and those folks are more attracted to a Romney or Ron Paul)
Also, CPAC’s straw poll is notoriously inaccurate. In 2008, it was Romney, McCain, Huckabee and Paul (Romney dropped out in the middle of balloting). In 2007, the results were Romney, Giuliani, Brownback, Gingrich and McCain. 2006 was Allen, McCain, Giuliani, Rice, Frist, Tancredo, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Pataki. In other words, you don’t want to be the winner, because they didn’t end up winning.
I’m with you, Kerry.
I’m generally for smaller government, but that is far below on my list of priorities.
I’m afraid that all the talk now is money policy. Limbaugh doesn’t even pretend to nod in the direction of social conservatism anymore. Beck makes lewd jokes all the time, and Hannity is such a follower that he might as well just get on the air and say, “Yeah. Ditto what Limbaugh said” and free up the air space for someone else.
Part of this was to make room for the pro-abort Giuliani to run for President, or to excuse Romney’s position on abortion — whatever it is today — but partly it’s just because the rich guys took over the party again. They think that the South will just go for them because the Dems are worse.
At least I live in NH, where the open primary means that I can be an independent (and thus have a clean conscience) and still weigh in on the nomination process. I don’t know if you have that option.
Good morning Wickle – I don’t know how, but in the last few weeks Limbaugh has been crowned “king” of the GOP. Not my king to be sure.
I don’t know where we’ll be living when the next primary rolls around … maybe we should move to NH?
You are correct that money is driving everything. I believe that if this nation would turn it’s priorities around and be the protectors of life instead of casually throwing lives away (a little repenting wouldn’t hurt either), that all these other troubles would subside.
There is more to the world than just preventing abortion.
GFY – really? Wow, I had no idea.
In reality, I never said that preventing abortion is all there is. However, if you’ve read any of my writings here, you would know that I believe the right to life – the sanctity of all human life – is foundational to everything else.
I agree with you. I don’t really belong in either party. In fact, I’m unregistering Republican. I had thought that I had to in order to vote in the primaries, but that’s not true. So I’m correcting my voter registration to the more appropriate “unaffiliated.”
Raymond,
It is good to hear your comments. It is good to hear from someone who has been in the fight for life for a long time.
Kerry,
I am glad that you posted this. As I don’t listen to Rush or Hannity, you and other bloggers are my political eyes and ears.
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I too worry about Limbaugh’s influence in the GOP. But Muskogee Politico is right CPAC is hardly the image of the GOP as a whole. Take me for example: I’m a Pro-Life and Pro-Flat/FairTax but otherwise I’m either a “liberal” Republican or a “conservative” Democrat – in other words a centrist.
Don’t worry about Romney, he may have money but he’s fudged too much on too many important issues (Abortion significantly among them)
I am very strongly pro-life and pro-family and I also feel like the social conservatives are loosing their voice in general, not because of CPAC, but because my generation (mid-20s) has grown up with abortion being legal. I have been involved with the pro-life movement since I was in 6th grade, but most people I know my age have accepted it as a “necessary evil” type of thing – and too many of them also are placing themselves in positions where they don’t want that to not be a legal option just in case.
I think however, that religious freedom is very much under attack – bigger government and restricted liberty, also means restricted ability to raise your children without the government interferring. I have a 3yr old, and I am very concerned about the direction this country is going as far as mandating involvement in government run “service” projects, and other areas where it is easy to indoctrinate children with a liberal agenda against a parent’s wishes. So, while I have never voted for someone I did not think was strongly pro-life, and that is the most important issue to me, my conscience demands it, if we don’t keep government small and limited, then our ability as social conservatives to raise our own children as social conservatives will be in jeopardy, making the fight for all socially conservative causes more difficult to win.
Glad to come across your blog and find someone with similar views. And remember, ever single life that is saved from being aborted is a great blessing and great achievement, and I use that to help keep me from being discouraged. God will never fail us, although His answers to our prayers are not always what we expect or understand at the time.
Oh, and I am seriously considering switching from Republican to a Third Party Candidate for 2012, like the Constitution Pary.
Take Care!