The annual Conservative Political Action Conference came to a raucous and buoyant end Saturday as thousands of tea party activists cheered on former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who closed the gathering with a full-throated denunciation of President Obama and urged conservatives to embrace their views more fiercely than ever.But over the course of its three days, the event put on display how factions within the Republican Party are still struggling to find a path out of the wilderness, illuminating the gap between the GOP's resolutely conservative grass-roots and a party leadership eager for a more moderate approach.
I bet they agree that Champ and his ilk need to go.
What more unity do we need right now?
Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, a Republican and actor who appeared on a panel, said the gathering was especially indicative of growing tensions on immigration reform and foreign policy, and one of many meetings in the past year where the GOP's base has met to toast their favorites while remaining unsettled on an agenda.
Start with what most folks do agree on. Set some priorities. Immigration is more crucial than defending marriage, isn't it?
"CPAC doesn't make any pretension of speaking for the party, but we're seeing these fluid debates and there is no clear consensus," he said. "The attitude here is: Let a thousand flowers bloom."
On immigration, CPAC organizers, led by pro-immigration-reform attorney Al Cardenas, held sessions encouraging continued reform efforts on Capitol Hill. But they also quarreled with critics of reform, irking grass-roots leaders who attended but were not invited to speak.
"You don't have to read the tea leaves," grumbled Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group opposed to the Senate's bill. "Immigration skeptics have been pushed out."
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) was greeted with roaring approval Saturday when she warned conservatives not to engage with Democrats seeking a bipartisan immigration plan. "The last thing conservatives should do is help the president pass his number-one goal, and that's amnesty," she said.
Immigration reform = Amnesty = permanent dem control
But Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), in a Thursday speech, explained away the tumult seen at CPAC and within the Republican Party as part of the party's recovery process following the 2012 election, saying it's a sign that in spite of its difficulties, the GOP is searching for answers."The way the left tells it, the Republican Party is in this big, massive civil war," he said. "Look, I'm Irish. That's my idea of a family reunion."
Like Palin or no, she did it right. Attempting to appeal to the 'low info voter' with a