State of Conservatism

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American Conservative Union (ACU) chairman David Keene addressed the National Press Club as part of the club’s Newsmaker series on the “State of Conservatism.”

Keene said “in 2006-2008 the public was convinced it was time for a change and in 2008 the Republican brand was hurt because Republicans acted like moderates and liberals.” Keene said, “I don’t hope Obama will fail but I know his policies will fail because they are wrong.” He said Republicans need to get their policies together and not criticize a popular president. He argued that the American people are realizing debts aren’t good for them and they aren’t good for the government either. Keene also believes “the future for conservatives is a bright future indeed and that regaining trust in the party will take time.”

After Keene discussed the state of conservatism, he then previewed the Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC, hosted annually by the American Conservative Union Foundation, is the largest annual gathering of conservative leaders.
Keene said that “this will be an exciting conference after defeat; last year there were about 7,000 attendees and this year we’re expecting 9,000.” He said the change in number shows that conservatives are sticking together because they believe the message will be delivered more successfully. He also said that at this year’s CPAC, Republicans need to focus and they need someone who appeals across the board. Keene also touched on the economic stimulus bill and said “the spending package includes political pork and the way spending will take place in the future.” He said most of the projects that are included in the bill are projects no one wanted and weren’t in the budget.

Keene went on to say that “if the economy does recover we will have to deal with double-digit inflation and high interest rates.” He went on to say, “liberals are idealistic and are attracted to image and message, but will be disappointed.” He said conservatives are behind on communicating with youth and technology and have to stand behind values in order to regain trust in the party and come back in four years.

This year’s CPAC featured a galaxy of speakers which included Rush Limbaugh, Mitt Romney and Joe Wurzelbacher. Events at CPAC ranged from speakers and workshops to book signings and receptions. Of the 9,000 attendees 4,500 were under the age of 30. At the Conservatism 2.0 Conference sponsored by Pajamas Media the crowd applauded and cheered when Michelle Malkin said “too many Republicans are out of touch with conservatism.”

Alanna Hultz is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.