6:45p: Another standing O and with that CPAC officially ends. Signing off.
6:44p: Palin: Stand up, stiffen your spine, you have to fight for America.
6:42p: Palin: The age of Obama is almost over.
6:40p: Palin: If men won’t lead, conservative women are happy to. Not hear to rebrand a party, but rebuild a country.
6:39p: Palin: Democrats can’t sing “I am woman hear me roar.” Democrats just bray, Mama Grizzlies roar.
6:37p: Palin to women: Don’t let them use you. “Honey that isn’t liberation that is subjugation and this sisterhood fights against that.
6:36p: Palin: Conservatives are accused of treating wome poorly. She said the Democrat leaders treat women as a cheap date.
6:35p: Palin brings up Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty as an example. “His fight was our fight. We pushed back and we one.
6:33p: Palin: Liberals want to shut up people who don’t toe the line, who are not PC or their words are twisted.
6:32p: Palin: There isn’t enough low information voters to save the other side if they GOP takes a stand.
6:30p: Palin: GOP establishment needs another come to Jesus meeting. American can’t afford for the GOP to blow it. Criticizes recent establishment votes on debt ceiling, etc. That 2010 sweep? You didn’t build that. The tea party did.
6:28p: Palin: The only rising in Obama’s La La land is the Russian empire. I mean I shouldn’t be so hard on him, like who could have see this coming. Standing O.
6:27p: Palin: I feel sorry for SecState Kerry… he looks disheveled. Bless his heart.
6:26p: Palin: We must interrupt when they are destroying our country. Crowd members yell “Run, Sarah run!” Palin responds, “I didn’t get a run in this morning.”
6:25p: Palin: Instead of putting the fear of God in our enemies, peace through strength, we lose respect internationally.
6:23p: Palin: I do believe the eyes of America are open. There are some that want them to go back to sleep. Some of those are in the GOP establishment.
6:21p: Palin cites tea party members of Congress (Cruz, Lee, Paul, Gowdy, et al.) “We need to send them reinforcements.
6:20p: Another standing O for Palin as she finishes Seuss parody – “I don’t like this hope. Nope. Nope. Nope.”
6:18p: Palin talks about Cruz filibuster citing his reading of Dr. Seuss. Reads parody: “I do not like this Uncle Sam, I don’t like this health care scam…” Standing O.
6:16p: Palin: Thank you Texas because Liberty needs a Congress on Cruz control.
6:14p: Palin: There is no free rides, someone pays, someone always pays. If you don’t know who that someone is, it’s probably you.
6:12p: Palin: Americans doubled down on hopey changey. We were told to abandon principles. Slogan changed from “Yes we can” to “No you can’t” log on to the website, keep your healthcare, etc.
6:11p: Palin: Across the Potomac they see the young people here as the Obamacare suckers. They attracted you with “change,” but it’s obvious you were the “change” ($$) they were looking for.
6:10p: Palin: If you love your freedom, thank the vets.
6:09p: Sarah Palin gets standing ovation coming in.
6:06p: Cox of the NRA. One thing we all love about Sarah Palin is because she drives liberals crazy. She stands firmly between our freedom and what liberals would like to do with our country.
6:04p: Cruz came in 2nd with 11%, Carson was 3rd with 9% and Christie 4th with 8%.
5:50p: Straw Poll results: CPAC continues to be dominated by young people. 42% were students. Most important issue was limiting the size and scope of government and stopping its intrusion in out lives. No surprise from walking around here.
5:37p: Benji Backer, a young conservative activist from Wisconsin, received a standing ovation. Graham Ledger who is speaking thanked CPAC for putting him between Miss America and Sarah Palin.
5:35p: Just shy of 30 minutes until Sarah Palin speaks and seats are running out. People are still pouring in.
5:30p: Harold: We can not wait our turn. It is always our turn when it comes to protect our freedoms and uphold the Constitution.
5:29p: Harold: I want to see a limited form of government maintained and our freedoms respect.
5:26p: Erika Harold, Miss America 2003, is a 10 under 40 honoree. She is a Harvard Law School grad who now represents faith-based groups on 1st Amendment issues. She also is involved with Prison Fellowship.
5:20p: Marilinda Garcia is running for Congress in New Hampshire. Also Obenshain encouraged men to allow conservative women take the lead on issues like birth control, etc.
5:17p: Crystal Wright (conservativeblackchick.com) said that conservatives have to support women, in particular women candidates, who are being attacked. Also she said women need to hear what conservatives are for.
5:09p: Kate Obenshain: No stupid comments from male candidates this year that will feed into the War on Women narrative.
4:37p: Cadell: If the Republican Party doesn’t reform it will go the way of the Whigs.
4:31p: Cadell predicts a good year for Republicans if they appeal to common sense and ignore beltway consultants.
4:19p: Pat Cadell, Democratic pollster, said that Republican consultants and lobbyists stand for nothing. Their strategy is to say nothing “which is the hell of a way to lose.”
4:01p: Zeldin: If you want to keep your healthcare, you may have to change your Congressman. We need higher education standards, but Common Core is not the answer (applause!).
3:58p: State Senator Lee Zeldin from New York is another 10 under 40 nominee. He’s the author of a bill that addresses the Common Core State Standards in his state.
3:54p: State Senator Jim Banks from Indiana is a 10 under 40 honoree. He said Hoosiers are choosing freedom. Talks about tax cuts, choosing right to work, the voucher system, charter school expansion, etc. No mention of the Common Core repeal.
2:56p: Checking out for a little while. Back in a little while.
2:55p: Cox: 9 out of 10 retired law enforcement officers support the right to carry.
2:54p: Chris Cox of NRA – former Mayor Bloomberg is a hypocrite since he hired away his entire armed security detail when he left office.
2:51p: Miller: Mass shootings have not increased. Only 18 deaths a year are from mass shootings. They are on TV because they are rare. All of the recent mass shootings (except Gifford shooting) were in publicly declared gun free zones.
2:49p: Clarke: gun free zones get people killed. Somebody should be there, somebody has to be there, to stop the threat. Gun free zones signs invite criminals.
2:46p: Clarke: We need to focus on criminals, not law-abiding citizens.
2:42p: FYI, this is a bipartisan issue. Sheriff Clarke is a Democrat.
2:42p: Clarke: You don’t need to be a constitutional scholar to understand the 2nd Amendment…. “Armed citizens made this country free, armed citizens will keep this country free.”
2:40p: May issue states don’t allow anyone to carry. Supreme Court needs to weigh in. – Emily Miller
2:37p: Clarke: We don’t take driving rights away when someone drives irresponsibly, why do we do that with gun rights?
2:36p: Clarke: I see law-abiding citizens with firearms as people who can assist law enforcement.
2:35pMilwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke: I trust law-abiding citizens with firearms. I don’t trust criminals.
2:33p: “Feel good” laws will only impact law-abiding civilians, but will be ignored by criminals – former Congresswoman Sandy Adams. She was a former law enforcement officer.
2:30p: Emily Miller, Senior Opinion Editor with the Washington Times, had a run-in with a home invader. Now owns a gun, legally, in DC. Never fired a gun until two years ago.
2:27p: I’m back… we have a panel that is up entitled More Guns, Less Crime: How Law Enforcement is Beginning to Embrace a Well-Armed Civilian Population.
1:39p: Review for UnFair is up. DeMint is done. I’m taking a break for a bit.
1:38p: DeMint: Need to return from Federalism…. if we let states compete for the best education, best healthcare, etc…. This will expand opportunity, economy, etc.
1:36p: Heritage President, Former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, is speaking. “Solutions will not come from Washington, but form the little platoons around us that must be freed from big government.
1:23p: Carson: If you don’t believe America is exceptional you can go jump in the lake…” “Remember we can not be the land of the free if we are not brave.”
1:22p: Carson: Read stories in his book – One Nation. “The left will say ‘he’s just trying to hawk his book so he can get money.’ I don’t need money, I’ve got plenty of money. We need action steps.”
1:20p: Carson: Many more things to say, but my time is almost up. Crowd – “NO!!!!!!” Closing statement – we are like a ship that is heading toward the Niagara Falls. Many of us are worried about scraping off the barnicles, but we can’t focus on that. We need to turn the ship around. He encouraged people to get elderly people out to vote as many have given up.
1:18p: Carson: our national debt is where it is at because our dollar is basis of international reserve currency and we can print money. It will take 4700 years to pay off debt. Need to remove members of Congress who continue to vote for raising our debt ceiling.
1:17p: Carson: Sign petition re. Obamacare at American Legacy PAC.
1:16p: Carson: Starting magazine… I’m going to the “47%”. I’m going to go there.
1:14p: Carson: Has been labeled as giving poison…. poison of teaching one they don’t need to be dependent… poison of saying that one needs to put what God says before man says?
1:13p: Carson: progressives twist his words and repeat lies because they can not combat actual facts. This comes straight from Rules for Radicals. Don’t have a conversation with opponents – that would humanize them when they are to be demonized.
1:12p: Carson: Obamacare has been the largest shift of power that has ever occured. We need to place the power back into the hands of the people.
1:10p: Carson: “I’m not a fan of political correctness. I hate political correctness. I will continue to defy the PC police.” I still believe marriage is between one man and one woman. Of course gay people should have the same rights as everyone else, but they don’t get extra rights.
1:09p: I don’t miss what medicine has become (just retired). Government can not be in charge of our healthcare.
1:08p: Carson: It’s time to stand up and proclaim what you believe. We must not allow ourselves to be bullied.
1:07p: Carson: Here’s the good news, the majority of people in this country have common sense, but they have been beaten into submission.
1:06p: Carson: I had the career I had because we live in a land of opportunity, and because of a mother who was “no excuses” and because I believe of God.
1:05p: Seeing a lot of “Ben, run Ben” signs. Great welcome from crowd.
1:02p: Ben Carson is up… the size of this crowd may be due to his upcoming speech as well.
12:59p: Gingrich: “Defending” President Obama’s trip to Key Largo during Ukraine crisis —->> The President has taken the past couple of weeks proving he is effective. “I believe he can be just as ineffective in Key Largo as he can the White House.” Laughter and applause…. Done, standing O.
12:58p: Gingrich: Through our natural gas production we can weaken Russia by driving down the price of oil. “An impoverished Putin is not a dangerous threat.”
12:57p: Gingrich: What we stand for is an effective, accountable limited government under the Constitution.
12:56p: Gingrich: We can come along side of youth – how would you like the Federal government slowing down the number of apps is available to you? FDA wants to regulate medical apps. He brings up Khan Academy that has free apps (education).
12:55p: Gingrich: they key to this is a smartphone.
12:53p: He trying to start a conversation among our side to make Hillary Clinton “the leading prison guard of the past.”
12:52p: Gingrich: Discussing our ability to be innovative. Bashing mayor of New York for closing charter schools.
12:51p: Gingrich: We can’t just be an anti-Obama movement.
12:50p: Gingrich is up, a larger crowd, “I’ve come to reinforce Governor Rick Perry’s speech when he said, ‘It’s time for a rebellion on the battlefield of ideas.’ It’s time for a big rebellion.”
12:46p: A longer break than what I expected. Our website was down temporarily. The UnFair movie screening was excellent. Will have a review posted this afternoon. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich will be up soon, his wife Callista introducing him.
9:40a: Media is way scaled back today. Likely by 75%. Probably will pick up afternoon. Not many big name speakers today. I will have gaps in my coverage this morning when I go for a screening of Unfair.
9:39a: Hannan warns if we vote for candidates who promise to give us money, don’t complain when they give other people our money, etc.
9:29a: Bachmann is done, nice reception. A pretty good group. Dan Hannan, Member of European Parliament and Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, is up. Going to see if I can catch Bachmann.
9:28a: Bachmann: The path the President has put us on is transforming our nation before our eyes. It has become a nation that most of us no longer recognize.
9:27a: Bachmann: Government shouldn’t be in our churches… or doctor’s office.
9:26a: Bachmann: It will be sweet to take the gavel out of Harry Reid’s hand on the 2nd Tuesday of November.
9:25a: Bachmann: We need to stand with the middle class, not the consultant class. Will we be a country of opportunity or dependency?
9:23a: Bachmann: Everyone who comes to the United States should follow the rule of law. She said conservatives should reject amnesty.
9:22a – Congresswoman Bachmann dinged Hillary Clinton for Benghazi, as well as, what is currently going on in Russia. She noted that we’ll eventually have a woman President, but it will be the “right woman.
9:18a – Getting a late start at CPAC. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is up. Refresh for updates throughout the day.