InsideSources

President Donald Trump is on the right track with his first year now complete, according to guests at a major conservative conference outside of Washington D.C.

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) attracts many attendees from conservatives, libertarians, and others on the political right. Politicians and pundits give speeches in a large auditorium while groups set up booths so guests can learn about their organizations and sometimes collect merchandise.

The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center hosted the conference for four days starting Feb. 21. Trump addressed attendees on the third day – focusing on his accomplishments over the last year like passing comprehensive tax reform, reducing regulations, and furthering job growth.

“We’ve all come a long way together,” Trump said during his speech. “We’ve come a long way together. I’m thrilled to be back at CPAC, with so many of my wonderful friends and amazing supporters, and proud conservatives. Remember when I first started running? Because I wasn’t a politician, fortunately. But do you remember I started running and people would say, are you sure he’s a conservative? I think now we’ve proved that I’m a conservative.”

President Trump has had a very eventful first year between his aggressive agenda and fierce opposition from the left. He has used his executive powers to reduce regulations and worked with congressional leaders to pass tax reform. He has also been tied to an alleged attempt by Russia to rig the election – which is being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Overall, though, conservatives at the conference seem to like the path the president has taken them on.

“I loved the president’s speech today,” CPAC guest Rodney DeShong told InsideSources. “He was right on topic for everything. If we can’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of anyone else. Same thing with guns. You can’t only have bad guys with guns because they’re going to get them whether there are laws or not.”

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act became the first major legislative accomplishment for the president when he signed the plan into law Dec. 22. The law lowers business and individual rates while getting rid of certain deductions and exemptions in order to simplify the tax code. Democrats have contested the law is really intended to help the wealthy and large corporations.

The business community responded positively to the tax reform law with some large corporations offering raises and bonuses to their employees. Many taxpayers are also reporting their paychecks have grown with the lower rate on their income taxes.

“Right now I’m on disability and as of this month I get an extra $35 a month in my check,” DeShong said. “That doesn’t seem like much to most people, but when you’re living on a fixed income, $35 that you weren’t expecting, that adds up. It’s deeply appreciated. It’s just baffling how these politicians can have a lifelong career, be paid, and nothing gets done. It’s ridiculous, it’s a joke.”

ExxonMobil, Pfizer, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and many other companies have also announced plans to reinvest more into their domestic operations in response to the tax reform bill. Washington state radio host John Carlson believes these successes have helped to bring conservatives together.

“I only come [to CPAC] every few years to take the temperature of what’s going on,” Carlson told InsideSources. “In the past, there has been a lot more division and a lot of fragmentation and this year there seems to be a lot more unity, a lot less controversy from within. I think a lot of people are pleasantly surprised at Donald Trump’s record for his first year.”

Carlson notes the president brought a unifying message during his conference speech by focusing on issues that conservatives generally agree on. The president spoke about tax cuts, foreign policy, border security, gun rights, and the decision to move the American embassy in Israel – while avoiding more divisive issues like trade.

“Conservatives are used to electing people and being disappointed,” Carlson said. “You can probably say the same thing about liberals. They want someone who is a progressive and get let down from all the compromising and everything. But Trump has actually been a pleasant surprise.”

Carlson adds that his approval rating is rising as people figure out his tax reform law is actually helping them. Some other guests believe there are divisions forming within the conservative movement, but that basic principles like limited government and free markets remain strong.

“I see the Republicans splitting,” University at Buffalo student Shamus McGovern told InsideSources. “There is an establishment GOP and a punk rock version of conservatism. When I say punk rock conservatism, I mean it’s been detached from Christianity and religion but still holds the basic principals of conservatism. You know, limited governments, free markets, so on and so forth.”

McGovern adds it’s understandable with religion being on the decline in the country. He notes that while he is a Christian conservative he has a lot of friends who are not. McGovern thinks the president is doing well, but still has a few major issues he should resolve.

“I would love to see an infrastructure bill happen,” McGovern, who is also a member of the youth conservative group Young Americans for Freedom, said. “I think that’s a bipartisan bill that Democrats can hop on board. I think he has to deal with DACA, that’s huge, and maybe takeaway from some of the entitlement programs. He wants to do the Blue Apron program, which I think is a fantastic idea.”

The CPAC straw poll found that 93 percent of conference guests approve of the job the president is doing. The poll also showed that 79 percent of attendees want the House and Senate to do more to support the president.

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Conservatives are generally supportive of right-to-work laws, but some are expressing concerns over whether it should be a national policy.

Congressional Republicans introduced a measure Feb. 1 with the aim of making right-to-work a national law. Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) attendees stated support for the policy as a whole. Nevertheless, some questioned whether it should be decided by the federal government.

“It sounds to me like something like that ought to be a states level issue,” CPAC attendee Fran Finnegan told InsideSources. “Let the states compete with each other based on stuff like that. That would be my opinion.”

Finnegan adds that hopefully states will adopt the policy once they see it’s successful. Federal law currently allows states to decide on their own whether they want to be right-to-work or not. The national right-to-work bill would end that choice by making the policy national law.

“I’m conflicted between two different impulses–which is the idea is right in principal; on the other hand, I’m not thrilled with forcing uniform national legislation,” CPAC attendee Jonathan Rodney told InsideSources. “How to resolve that conflict, I’m not entirely sure.”

The bill is likely to face fierce opposition as it works its way through the legislature. Nevertheless, Republicans hold a congressional majority, making its passage a possibility. President Donald Trump has already stated his support for right-to-work laws and is likely to sign such a bill.

“I have a hard time with someone forcefully taking money out of my paycheck, and then using that money to lobby for things that I don’t believe in,” CPAC attendee Ghenna Rankin told InsideSources. “I believe it definitely needs to be left to the states.”

Rankin adds national policymakers could advocate for states to adopt it. But she believes it ultimately should be left to the people to decide locally. The passage of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act first allowed states to decide whether they want to be right-to-work or not.

“I’m a big supporter of right-to-work,” Gays For Trump co-founder Scott Presler told InsideSources. “The one thing I’m not sure about is, should it come from the federal government or should this be a states rights issue because I do consider myself a federalist, therefore, having things come down from the federal government worries me.”

Some conference attendees weren’t as opposed to the policy becoming national law. Pam Roehl notes the country seems to be going that direction anyway with most states adopting the law already. She also believes people shouldn’t be forced into a union.

“There are situations where people are forced to have a union,” Roehl told InsideSources.”It seems to be the direction the nation is going. I’m from Chicago, and the unions–what was a good idea at one point with meat packing plants, has now become a negative.”

Unions and other critics of the law argue it will make it more difficult for workers to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions. Those in support of the policy contest it merely gives workers a choice. They also believe it helps to attract business.

Americans generally support the policy, despite its very adamant opponents. Gallup found in a 2014 poll the policy has 71 percent support.

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Ken Bone discussed the current state of politics Friday, in an interview with InsideSources, and how he believes we can heal the political divide.

Bone became a nationally recognized figure after asking a question during the second presidential debate. His name and red sweater made him an instant internet sensation. He believes the best way to make politics less toxic is to recognize what makes us the same.

“We just need to focus more on what makes us the same instead of what makes us different,” Bone told InsideSources. “Unless we stop throwing those kinds of barbs at each other and assuming everyone who might be a Republican is the same or everyone who is a Democrat is a crazy liberal, we’ll never be able to get along.”

Bone is now using his internet stardom to help promote the political analytics and digital company Victory Holdings. The company set up a booth where people could meet him at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Many conference attendees waited in line to meet him and take a picture.

“We need to stop that personal craziness,” Bone said. “It doesn’t begin with the government, it doesn’t begin with the president saying that message. It begins with us just getting along with each other, and when we have different political ideas, talking them out, shaking hands at the end, instead of stopping being friends just because you don’t agree.”

Bone adds that some people even attacked him for attending CPAC. He says he is politically moderate, but some people called him a neo-Nazi and bigot when he announced he would be at the conference. Bone believes those type of generalizations of different political views is a big part of the problem.

“Really I think we’re accountable for that on a personal level,” Bone said. “We can’t blame the media as if they’re some kind of villain, and we can’t blame our leadership. We can really only blame ourselves, and the only way to stop it is to stop doing it yourself and hope everyone else does too.”

Bone says that the internet adds to the problem because it allows people to post hateful comments with anonymity. Comment sections and online forums are often littered with divisive comments. Bone thinks that people should take personal responsibility, and engage in a more civil conversation.

Victory Holdings announced Tuesday that Bone would be its chief people officer. The company aims at using technology to give average people a larger voice in politics. Bone, in a sense, was the quintessential average person who had his voice amplified.

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British political figure Nigel Farage expressed his hope Thursday, in an interview with InsideSources, that recent political shifts demonstrate the reemergence of national sovereignty.

Farage became a well-known international figure for his support of the Brexit movement. The movement has argued that the United Kingdom should withdraw from the European Union. Farage is optimistic that support for his movement, and the election of President Donald Trump, demonstrates a political shift back to national independence.

“I guess in terms of this global revolution, in terms of this more conservative approach to life, believing in the nation state, believing that immigration actually does matter for the shape of our communities, I guess normally we follow America, but for once I think America has followed us,” Farage told InsideSources. “So that’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m a part of it.”

The Brexit movement became a highly controversial debate in the U.K. and abroad. U.K. voters, however, backed the movement during a national referendum last year. The American people soon after voted to elect Trump, who also championed the idea of national independence.

“I’m fascinated to watch the parallels going on in this city compared to London in the sense that we now have a government that wants to put Brexit into plan, but we have a bureaucracy, and a civil service, and media that is trying to stop us,” Farage said. “That is exactly the same here. We have a president here that is trying to put in place the things that he was elected, and everyone is trying to stop him.”

Farage is a longtime member of the European Parliament. He is also a member and vocal advocate for the U.K. Independence Party. He served as party leader for several terms but eventually resigned last year. He discussed his views during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington D.C.

“This concept of sovereignty, of nation-state democracy, this mattered to our forebears so much, they went to war over it,” Farage said. “We fought two world wars to preserve liberty, freedom, and democracy, and yet the social democratic politics that have overtaken Britain, Europe, and America were happy to give that all away.”

The political shift back to national sovereignty comes at a time of increased globalization. The debate has primarily centered on immigration, trade, and national security. Trump has made immigration a cornerstone of his presidency. He has called for increased border security and an immigration system that prioritizes domestic workers.

“The opposition may be noisy, but what I’m seeing in England with the polls, and what I’m seeing with Trump’s approval ratings is actually fair minded people in the middle are increasingly saying, we have a democratic result, let’s go with it,” Farage said. “Let’s give the man a chance.”

Those in support of globalization argue it will yield better economic and social results. New technologies, trade deals, and immigration have eliminated many barriers that once existed in the international markets. They believe it will open up better opportunities for companies as well as domestic and foreign workers alike.

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