| − | '''CPAC''', Conservative Political Action Conference, is a predominantly libertarian conference consisting of overwhelmingly white male college students, many of whom attend for free or at heavily discounted rates. CPAC historically met in Washington, D.C., in February or March, with attendance increasing beyond 10,000. CPAC outgrew the largest hotels in D.C., and in 2014 through 2017 convened outside of D.C. in the massive Marriott Gaylord hotel in National Harbor, Maryland. In recent years CPAC has been dominated by impostors who are not really conservative, and [[Donald Trump]] even canceled his appearance at CPAC in early March 2016 to avoid a [[Leftist]]-type walkout plot against him. CPAC has largely abandoned its tradition of being the largest annual gathering of [[conservatives]]. | + | '''CPAC''' (Conservative Political Action Conference) is a predominantly libertarian conference consisting of overwhelmingly white male college students, many of whom attend for free or at heavily discounted rates. CPAC historically met in Washington, D.C., in February or March, with attendance increasing beyond 10,000. CPAC outgrew the largest hotels in D.C., and in 2014 through 2017 convened outside of D.C. in the massive Marriott Gaylord hotel in National Harbor, Maryland. In recent years CPAC has been dominated by impostors who are not really conservative, and [[Donald Trump]] even canceled his appearance at CPAC in early March 2016 to avoid a [[Leftist]]-type walkout plot against him. CPAC has largely abandoned its tradition of being the largest annual gathering of [[conservatives]]. |
| | Students for Life is largest annual conservative conference that has balance between men and women in attendance. It sells out with its annual conference of 2000 in D.C., around the time of the [[March for Life]]. It also succeeds without the libertarian and big money dominance that increasingly plagues CPAC. But CPAC does remain a good counterweight to the [[neocons]] who dominate the [[Fox News Channel]]. | | Students for Life is largest annual conservative conference that has balance between men and women in attendance. It sells out with its annual conference of 2000 in D.C., around the time of the [[March for Life]]. It also succeeds without the libertarian and big money dominance that increasingly plagues CPAC. But CPAC does remain a good counterweight to the [[neocons]] who dominate the [[Fox News Channel]]. |
| | There was, however, virtually unanimous opposition among attendees to the policies of the [[Obama Administration]]. | | There was, however, virtually unanimous opposition among attendees to the policies of the [[Obama Administration]]. |
| − | [[Ron Paul]] won the straw poll among attendees for president in 2012, but [[Mitt Romney]] came in a close second. Romney won the Republican nomination for president, and then lost the general election. | + | [[Ted Cruz]] and [[Marco Rubio]] finished 1-2 in the straw poll for president at CPAC in 2016. [[Donald Trump]] finished in a distant third place, but then won the [[Republican]] nomination and the presidency. [[Ron Paul]] won the straw poll among attendees for president in 2012, but [[Mitt Romney]] came in a close second. Romney then won the Republican nomination for president, but lost the general election. |