2008 Watch: CPAC Wrapup Edition
As mentioned in the previous post, this is post two of four on CPAC, and as indicated in the title, this one will focus on the 2008 elections and the ramifications of CPAC.
First, the John McCain no show. He claims a calendar conflict, but I don't buy it. Everyone else made the time to be there, and this would have been an important venue for him to attempt to rebuild some political capital with the grassroots.
Duncan Hunter I thought spoke well, though he is still an unknown Congressman from San Diego. The other Delawareans I was with had generally favorable things so say.
Mike Huckabee was the candidate that impressed me the most. I was not expecting much, if anything out of his speech, and had sort of forgotten he was even running. He gave one of the better speeches I saw at CPAC this year, and perhaps the best by a presidential candidate. He has agreed to sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to not raise taxes, which is good news for fiscal conservatives. Of the other Delaware people I was with, he seemed to garner the most favorable opinion post-speech, and several voted for him in the straw poll. They said he had realistic ideas, seems a solid conservative, and has an identity outside being a conservative. He is also the first governor in the nation to have a concealed carry permit, which is pretty cool.
Rudy Giuliani seemed to position himself as a leader in the Reagan model (though he might have mentioned Reagan least of all the people who spoke). Rudy said that we need leaders, not commenters, and promised fiscally conservative, optimistic leadership with a "peace through strength" foreign policy. He spoke to a packed audience, possibly the most packed of the entire weekend. I thought his speech was pretty good, but I think it probably came across better on television.
I saw Tom Tancredo at a reception Thursday evening with Ron Paul. Tancredo acted as if he were among friends, and was fairly candid for someone running for president. His feelings on Iraq aside, I really don't like Ron Paul. He's tried to combine Austrian economics with protectionism, I just don't think you can do that. As for Tanc's speech, I thought his little riff on "hyphenated" conservatism was interesting, and I liked it. So much for the paleocons who want to claim him as their own.
I don't like Mitt Romney. I really just can't think of one positive that he has. He acts too much like a politician for his own good. His speech was lame, and he only won the straw poll because he had the most paid staff in attendance. As for his association with Ann Coulter, he gets what he pays for.
First, the John McCain no show. He claims a calendar conflict, but I don't buy it. Everyone else made the time to be there, and this would have been an important venue for him to attempt to rebuild some political capital with the grassroots.
Duncan Hunter I thought spoke well, though he is still an unknown Congressman from San Diego. The other Delawareans I was with had generally favorable things so say.
Mike Huckabee was the candidate that impressed me the most. I was not expecting much, if anything out of his speech, and had sort of forgotten he was even running. He gave one of the better speeches I saw at CPAC this year, and perhaps the best by a presidential candidate. He has agreed to sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to not raise taxes, which is good news for fiscal conservatives. Of the other Delaware people I was with, he seemed to garner the most favorable opinion post-speech, and several voted for him in the straw poll. They said he had realistic ideas, seems a solid conservative, and has an identity outside being a conservative. He is also the first governor in the nation to have a concealed carry permit, which is pretty cool.
Rudy Giuliani seemed to position himself as a leader in the Reagan model (though he might have mentioned Reagan least of all the people who spoke). Rudy said that we need leaders, not commenters, and promised fiscally conservative, optimistic leadership with a "peace through strength" foreign policy. He spoke to a packed audience, possibly the most packed of the entire weekend. I thought his speech was pretty good, but I think it probably came across better on television.
I saw Tom Tancredo at a reception Thursday evening with Ron Paul. Tancredo acted as if he were among friends, and was fairly candid for someone running for president. His feelings on Iraq aside, I really don't like Ron Paul. He's tried to combine Austrian economics with protectionism, I just don't think you can do that. As for Tanc's speech, I thought his little riff on "hyphenated" conservatism was interesting, and I liked it. So much for the paleocons who want to claim him as their own.
I don't like Mitt Romney. I really just can't think of one positive that he has. He acts too much like a politician for his own good. His speech was lame, and he only won the straw poll because he had the most paid staff in attendance. As for his association with Ann Coulter, he gets what he pays for.
Labels: 2008 Watch, CPAC, Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Tancredo
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