CPAC has become the place where conservatives scrutinize their presidential lineup, creating the closest thing to a White House job interview. Since the Reagan era, the CPAC straw poll has helped forecast who conservative activists want as a nominee. The Conservative Political Action Conference gathers some of the most engaged and informed in the Republican Party and is a required stop for any serious presidential contender.
The conference this year seemed to radiate with an unprecedented aura of confidence, owing to strong Republican wins last November.
Here is a quick look at how some of the top contenders performed:
Jeb Bush
Q&A, Jeb stated his goal was to be skeptics’ “second choice if I go beyond this.” His apologetic tone was clearly intended more to nullify opposition rather than win support. Defending his positions on a path to citizenship and immigration were the most controversial, splitting the room with boos and cheers.
Later, Bush spoke more as a pragmatic businessman than a Republican primary candidate on the need for immigrant workers to sustain US demographic and economic growth, which also didn’t jive well with CPAC’s more activist atmosphere and received mixed reactions.
Verdict
About as good a performance as Jeb could have hoped; still unacceptable for many.
Ben Carson
Soft-spoken Ben Carson was the most in depth outlining his underlying rationale for conservative positions from healthcare to foreign policy. His remarks, which felt more like a doctor presenting research findings to colleagues, triggered affirming, but not rousing, applause. The way he quickly retreated offstage, shaking no hands, at the end of his speech, seems a good indicator of being far from campaign mode.
Verdict
Succinct, carefully and well-informed arguments are welcome and valued, but are not a campaign driver.
Chris Christie
If caution breeds blandness, this was abundantly clear with Chris Christie’s awkwardly low-key and policy-heavy interview with radio host Laura Ingraham. Although Christie seemed to exert great pains in controlling his notoriously volatile temperament, he still could not conceal a chip on his shoulder, reacting sharply to a question regarding his diminishing polling results.
Verdict
Lackluster, unconvincing and mostly forgettable, but forgetting about him for while may be a gift in the long run.
Ted Cruz
Cruz is certainly among the leading CPAC stars appearing confident as he unrelentingly strutted the stage.
His speech was well synced with the audience, and clearly passed the CPAC test with flying colors. Nevertheless, the crowd seemed more enamored with the political stances he takes than with him personally. And, could this support evaporate if Cruz is compelled to alter views in broadening his base of support?
Verdict:
Relishing the moment and completely in his element; not going away soon.
Scott Walker
Embracing the role of outsider like no other, Walker characterized Washington as “68 square miles surrounded by reality.” With his track record of fighting the unions in Walker’s home state of Wisconsin, which he referenced multiple times, has also solidified his position as the fighter for the people. In this speech, Walker built on his recent momentum, and currently there does not seem to be an end in sight.
Verdict
The more people get to know Scott Walker, the more they like him, and this matters quite a bit in politics.
Rand Paul
The near absence of emotion in Rand Paul, as he delivered a full-bore presidential stump speech, was revealing. He appeared like a candidate speaking to a hometown crowd whose votes are secured, while being more worried about gaining outside support. He did win the straw poll, for the third consecutive year. Paul’s most presidential moment seemed to be masterfully infusing ideas of inclusion of minority groups to the Republican banner in arguing for privacy and justice.
Verdict
Measured, presidential, but overly preoccupied with limited appeal.
Marco Rubio
Rubio opted for a slow building and more reaffirming and less stirring speech. It also wound up being the shortest speech from the presidential hopefuls, leaving the Q&A portion to take up the majority of his 20-minute block. This being Rubio’s fifth appearance at CPAC since 2010, it does seem questionable how heavily he still relies on his family coming to the US story.
While Rubio’s story is still compelling, politics appears to be a vehicle for selling books or launching new opportunities. While stressing American exceptionalism, he plugged his book twice and joked about owning a professional sports team if he loses in 2016.
Verdict
Still a compelling life story and still little substance.
Carly Fiorina
The Former Hewlett Packard executive is shaping up to be the sleeper that may surprise. Fiorina’s carefully crafted life story engaged the crowd. Her campaign platform and cleverly woven attacks on Hillary drew eruptions of applause and hushed respect. Her keen mind and sense of humor shined brightly at the start of her speech, claiming that her degree in medieval history has come in handy recently as President Obama “keeps talking about the crusades.”
Wearing the hat of former business executive, however, she struggles. During a discussion of the economy, she sounded self-conscious and unaccustomed to speaking about political ideology in everyday language.
Verdict
Smart, fascinating narrative, and still adapting to life outside the boardroom.
