Constitution reigns at CPAC

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Constitution reigns at CPAC

Conservatives from across the nation gathered for the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C., this past weekend.

The three-day conference, which was occasionally interrupted by Occupy D.C. protesters, saw more than 10,000 people fill the hotel to hear speeches by leading conservatives including presidential candidates, congressmen, pundits, and others.

The theme of the conference was taken from author and constitutional scholar Matthew Spalding’s book “We Still Hold These Truths.” Speakers rebuked the current administration’s policies and called for a return to Constitutional principles.

Hillsdale College sophomore Melika Willoughby made the trip to CPAC

“There was such an emphasis on social issues,” she said, “which really surprised me because it’s not something that has been in the forefront this election cycle.”

A straw poll sponsored by The Washington Times was conducted during the convention. The results were announced in the afternoon of Feb. 11. Mitt Romney came in first, with 38 percent, Rick Santorum second with 31 percent, Newt Gingrich third with 15 percent, and Ron Paul, who was the only candidate not to speak at CPAC, received 12 percent of the votes.

The three candidates who attended CPAC spoke on Friday.

Rick Santorum focused on social issues and American exceptionalism. The former congressman from Pennsylvania said that while social conservatism is often considered superfluous to fiscal conservatism, the former is just as important as the latter.

“People…that believe in that very basic network of family, community, and self — that’s what makes America the greatest country in the world,” Santorum said. “These are the issues that hold us together, and these are the issues we cannot back down on.”

Mitt Romney pointed to his record as governor in the Democratic state of Massachussetts as proof that he is ready to lead the country. Romney was specific about reform plans that he would execute while in office — including a defense of traditional marriage, entitlement reform, and protection of unborn children.

“It’s not enough to show how [the Obama administration] has failed,” Romney said. “We need to show how we can lead.”

Gingrich was the most specific about what he would do if elected and recalled how the media often called Ronald Reagan’s goals “unrealistic,” though they were ultimately successful. He rattled off promises for campaign finance reform, balancing the federal budget, ending American funding of abortion overseas, and removing Ben Bernanke from office, among other things.

His proposed solutions were an attempt to deal with what he called the “greatest challenge of [the] campaign.”

“We have virtually no discussion about what does it really take to take the most complicated society in the world, the largest economy in the world, and move it back to being the most successful, most prosperous, safest and [most free] country in the world,” Gingrich said.

Although the candidates’ speeches differed, each wanted to see Obama ousted.

Romney spoke for all when he voiced their hope that “history will record the Obama administration as the last gasp of liberalism’s great failure and a turning point for the conservative era to come.”

Although Willoughby enjoyed watching many of the speeches, she said that CPAC was not just a chance to see famous conservatives but an opportunity to network with Washington organizations.

More than 100 booths from different organizations were featured at the convention, and on Saturday a room was reserved specifically for a job and internship fair. The room was packed with students looking to connect with various think tanks, newspapers, and non-profit organizations.

“Networking is an immeasurable benefit of going to CPAC,” Willoughby said.

Throughout it all, members of Occupy D.C. made sporadic appearances. A small group of protesters blocked a TV airing Romney’s speech to an overflow crowd. At lunch on Friday, a large group gathered in the street outside the hotel and erected a 20-foot-tall inflatable “fat cat” holding a consumer by the throat.

Occupy’s most ostentatious demonstration came Friday evening. More than 100 protesters gathered outside the main entrance of the Marriott, preventing the conference goers from leaving the building.

“Hey, hey, ho, ho, CPAC has got to go,” the group chanted.

Police with riot shields eventually pushed the group away from the entrance and down a hill before the occupiers dispersed.

On Saturday, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wrapped up the conference — to an excited and packed Marriott ballroom — with a rousing speech calling Republicans to “stand united,” no matter who becomes the nominee.

“Competition [between the GOP presidential candidates] strengthens us,” she said. “Competition will lead us to victory in 2012.”

Palin’s speech was Hillsdale sophomore Brianna Walden’s favorite.

“The excitement was palpable,” she said. “It was electric…the experience of a lifetime.”

Hillsdale College Republicans President sophomore Max Kleber said he felt the conservative base was “really energized” after attending the conference.

“In spite of the fact that there are vast differences between the candidates, I think the things they agree on tell a lot about where the conservative base is this year,” he said. “[W]e have our eyes set on great goals and the right things, and if we can carry that into November, I think we’ll have a great year.”