Conservatives met in Washington, D.C. for the 34th Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel from March 1-3, the conference “was the largest in the 34-year history of the event,” states a press release issued by the American Conservative Union, one of the main organizers.
An estimated six thousand conservative leaders, politicians, intellectuals, activists, and university students gathered to discuss current political, economic, and social issues, and strategize about the future. From speeches delivered by most 2008 Republican presidential hopefuls to campus activism training given by the Leadership Institute, the schedule was packed.
In the exhibit hall, members of TFP Student Action manned a lively information booth, which attracted a steady stream of visitors who eagerly filled out a survey that posed challenging questions: “Should Catholic politicians with a track record of voting for abortion be denied Holy Communion?” and “Do you think Islam is really a ‘religion of peace’?” and “What do you understand by the word ‘conservative’?”
The results of this survey are posted below.
College students appeared to comprise the bulk of those in attendance, which indicates how conservative and traditional values are gaining traction among the youth.
However, many in the gathering — including TFP Student Action members — questioned the presence of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a group well known for its anti-conservative agenda. “Why do they have a booth here?” “Who let them in?” and “Kick them out!” were remarks heard in the exhibit hall. Libertarian attendees, confused about the true nature and limits of liberty, did not object to their presence.
Results of TFP Survey
Participants: 495
1. Should politicians allow moral values to govern their public lives?
Yes 68%
No 7%
Undecided 25%
2. Is a political leader trustworthy when he disregards his sense of right and wrong in order to garner votes or gain popularity?
No 80%
Yes 15%
Undecided 5%
3. What single issue will most impact the 2008 presidential election?
War in Iraq / Foreign policy 61%
Economy 10%
Immigration 9%
Abortion 6%
Culture War 6%
Same-sex “marriage” 2%
Other 6%
4.(For Catholics only) Should Catholic politicians with a track record of voting for abortion — e.g. Speaker Pelosi, Senator Kerry, Senator Kennedy — be denied Holy Communion?
Yes 43%
Undecided 25%
No 21%
Excommunicate them 11%
5. If the Supreme Court were to reverse Roe v Wade, and restrict abortion, the moral climate in America would:
Improve drastically 33%
Improve slightly 27%
Stay the same 22%
Undecided 18%
6. Do you think Islam is really a “religion of peace”?
No 60%
Yes 20%
Undecided 20%
7. What do you understand by the word “conservative”?
Restore Christian culture 29%
Conserve only what is good 24%
Return to the 50’s 6%
Keep things the way they currently are 5%
Find common ground with the liberals 2%
Other 34%
8. Does it please you that the ACLU is an exhibitor at CPAC?
No 50%
Yes 27%
Undecided 23%