by Luis Carlos López
Schwarzenegger at CPAC
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Feb. 18-20 Conservative Political Action Conference ushered in some of the nation’s top leaders in the movement, media personalities and frustrated taxpayers to talk about a wave of resurgence for the Republican Party and conservative values.
With sights, sounds and seminars calling for limited government and a halt on federal spending came hints of a GOP effort to win a larger share the growing Latino vote.
Ex-Vice President Dick Cheney, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Attorney General John Ashcroft and commentators Leslie Sánchez and Glenn Beck were among the high-profile conservatives in attendance.
Columnist and political pundit Ann Coulter tapped the mood and sentiment of the crowd by sharing, “For the first time in my life I am sometimes not proud of my country,” mocking First Lady Michelle Obama’s one-time comment, “For the first time in my adult lifetime,
I am really proud of my country.”
The 37th annual CPAC event attracted a record turnout of nearly 10,000 to the Marriott Wardman Hotel in northwest Washington. It emphasized the movement’s influence as the GOP builds momentum for a congressional comeback in November.
Although Latinos and other persons of color were sparse in the crowd, the program did touch on ethnic involvement and empowerment, as well as immigration — issues of concern to a Latino constituency.
“The Rise of Latino Conservatism,” a onehour seminar sponsored by the American Principle Project along with Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, cited the strong connection between the Hispanic culture and conservative values.
Partnership senior fellow Alfonso Aguilar said the Obama administration is promoting a “policy of entitlement,” countering that Latinos believe in a “policy of aspiration.”
Ron Paul at CPAC.
He said his organization has half a million dollars to help conservative candidates who are for immigration reform.“For the conservative movement to grow, want us to work together. If they are working to defeat radical Islam, they want us to work together. However, if the goal is to abandon our free enterprise economy… if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of the international community… if the goal is not to fix America, but rather to “change” America… the American people are looking for leaders that will fight those efforts.”
Economy: “This severe economic downturn is a perfect time to reinvigorate, not abandon, America’s free enterprise system.”
Jobs: “Jobs aren’t created by politicians. They are created by people willing to use their money to start a business or expand an existing one.”
National Debt: “The expansion of government at home has implications for America’s interests abroad. This growth is being funded with borrowed money. Almost half of our debt is now held in foreign countries. And one of them, China, reminds us of this every time the U.S. says or does something they do not like… [Voters] are looking for clear signs that Washington is serious about creating growth, controlling spending and ending the monetization of our budget shortfalls… let’s show we are serious about getting control of our national debt.”
Taxes: “Let’s reform the tax code and reduce tax rates. Let’s eliminate double taxation by abolishing the taxes on capital gains, on dividends, on interest, and, yes, on death. Let’s significantly lower the corporate tax rate to a rate that makes us competitive with the rest of the world.
Alternative Energy: “Let’s stop big government energy mandates like cap and trade, and instead rely on the American innovatorto make us energy independent.”
Health Care: “Instead of having the federal government open up a new health insurance company, let’s make some simple changes that put the consumer in charge of health care spending. And while we are at it, let’s pass lawsuit abuse reform.”
National Security: “There is no greater risk to our security than radical Islamic terrorists… They attack us because they want to impose their world view on others. We will do whatever we have to do to defeat terrorism. We will punish their allies like Iran and stand with our allies like Israel. We will destroy terrorist cells and their leaders. We will capture the terrorists that survive and, after we get useful information from them, bring them to justice by trying them before military tribunals in Guantanamo, not in civilian courts in Manhattan.
Role of Government: “Almost every other country in the world chose to have the government control the economy. They chose to decide which companies should survive, 1which industries should be rewarded… Americans have chosen differently. America chose individual liberty instead of the false security of government. America chose a limited government – one that exists to protect our rights, not to grant them. And America chose a free enterprise system – one that aims to provide equality of opportunity, not compel equality of results… But now some of our leaders are asking us to choose something very different.”
