CPAC recap: As much talk about big-hatted Pilgrims as the economy
After a parade "of Republican politicians including high-flying Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, House Speaker John Boehner, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former "Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC).
Mr. Cameron spent about 15 minutes tracing the plight of the original Pilgrims, spanning their journey from England to Holland and finally to the United States. His discussion was capped off with a movie trailer for his new film, 鈥淢onumental,鈥� coming out in March.
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Wait, what鈥檚 this about Pilgrims?
All together, CPAC attendees heard roughly as much about America鈥檚 big-hatted forefathers as they did about the current state of the American economy.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) spent her speaking slot slamming President Obama for giving the Middle East over to Islamic radicals and turning away from Israel.听 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky focused on the Democratic party鈥檚 cynical political calculations. Governor Perry got resounding applause for his criticism of Mr. Obama鈥檚 鈥渨ar on religion鈥� over contraception.
RELATED: 10 economic protests that changed history
How rapidly the political conversation has changed. Since the Republican presidential candidates hammered Obama over the August jobs report showing the United States generated no new jobs in that month, the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.3 percent from 9.1 percent and the economy has added an average of 183,000 jobs a month. On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that unemployment assistance had fallen to a four year low.
Indeed, Perry harnessed the contempt some conservative 鈥� and particularly tea party 鈥� Americans feel toward the Wall Street bailouts in an applause line that was every bit as harsh on America鈥檚 financiers as the language used by many Democratic politicians.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, 鈥渢hose paying the price are not the large banks who were over-leveraged, not the insurance companies who took on too much risk, not the executives who continued to reap these large bonuses even after the walls came a tumbling down,鈥� Perry boomed. 鈥淣o. It was people like you and me鈥� Main St., businesses, our children, who stand to inherit the worst financial disaster this country has ever seen. And it鈥檚 wrong.鈥澨�
Many speakers did briefly check in on the economy, however.听
On a panel about the Arab Spring, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) argued that America needed to bolster its economy for foreign policy purposes.
鈥淭he most important mission of the United States is to repair our economy,鈥� Gilmore said. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to be prepared to take any kind of action, either economic or military, we鈥檝e got to do something about that. And that means we must dedicate ourselves to the growth of the United States economy in the years ahead.鈥�
Senator Rubio talked only in gauzy terms about the power of the free enterprise system and the importance of entrepreneurship.
Former presidential candidate Herman Cain took a swipe at economic concerns in his speech, accusing the government of deceiving the American people with economic statistics. He even got in a plug for his 鈥�9-9-9鈥� plan, urging the audience to promote the plan to candidates before they get into office.
Most powerful 鈥� and extensive 鈥� on the subject was Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. Mr. Brooks argued it is time for conservatives 鈥渢o take back the definition of fairness.鈥�
鈥淓very day we鈥檙e building a crushing debt for our kids 鈥� that鈥檚 not fair,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e creating a tax and regulatory burden on new businesses that makes it impossible for poor people to get ahead on their hard work and merit. That鈥檚 not fair. And most unfair of all, in my view, is the special access and bailouts to crony corporations who have clever lobbyists and access to the government. That鈥檚 not fair.鈥�
What accounts for a general de-emphasis of economic issues? To some extent, that change rests on issues beyond the control of the Republican presidential candidates and the GOP. Obama鈥檚 decision to mandate contraceptive coverage for health-care plans at religious institutions and the overturning of a California law outlawing gay marriage, for example, pushed social issues to the political fore. And that may be no accident, one conservative commentator argued.
鈥淩epublicans did not intend to make this a campaign year where social issues were front and center,鈥� said John Gizzi, the political editor at , a conservative web site.
In the early primary and caucus states from Iowa to Florida, MR. Gizzi said, 鈥渢he social issues were almost never brought up. I submit to you that they have been injected into the political debate by Barack Obama, not the Democratic Party, but Barack Obama.鈥�
Friday, all the GOP presidential candidates save Texas Rep. Ron Paul (whose son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, spoke Thursday) will take to the stage at CPAC to make their case to the assembled activists and volunteers听 鈥� and to the nation at large. More than 1,200 media members are registered to attend CPAC and network TV coverage means the GOP听 candidates will have an enormous stage to talk about the economy.
Thursday,, however, such issues took a back seat to pumping up the conservative base with only a salting of economic topics.
RELATED: 10 economic protests that changed history
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