Romney Wins CPAC Straw Poll, Giuliani’s Second

The Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) is a pretty big deal in the Republican Party and American conservative movement. Over the week-end, it held its annual conference that featured the usual lectures to the faithful and cheerleading panel discussions. During the meeting, the paid registrants got to express their opinion on who should be the GOP’s standard-bearer in 2008. Ex-Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney earned a plurality of 21%, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani came second with 17%. Apparently, conservative is a fluid term.

The straw poll doesn’t mean very much in practical terms; rather like a doctor taking a temperature, it’s merely an indication of general conditions. That said, it shows that CPAC is a bit confused. Mr. Romney and Mr. Giuliani are hardly rigid ideologues. Of course, fire and brimstone rightists don’t get elected in Massachusetts or New York City either.

Mr. Romney is already wearing the “flip-flopper” tag that John Kerry had all through the 2004 race. He was friendly to gay rights and a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy, sort of. He speaks of having positions that have “evolved” or that he has “grown,” and in a fair and decent world, such statements would be grounds for applause. One hopes to awaken every day wiser than the day before. Still, in the rat pit that American electoral politics can be (both on the right and the left), changing one’s mind based on new data or greater reflection is seen as a sign of weakness, insincerity or both. A fair question is whether he is pandering to CPAC and its fellow travelers or whether his conversion is genuine.

Meanwhile, Rudy “911” Giuliani is definitely not a conservative. He is very much part of the New York City Republican Party, which is too progressive for some New Yorkers – hence the New York State Conservative Party and the New York Right to Life Party. The former mayor is on record as supporting gay rights, abortion rights and gun control. His campaign, thus far, has decided to play the security card as if somehow he made New York safe on September 11.

The real conservative in the race was Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, who managed 15% of the 1,705 votes cast. He’s a right-winger’s right winger, and there is no doubt of his sincerity or dedication to the conservative cause. He probably isn’t a winner, though, due to a lack of charisma and a habit of straight-talking. It says a great deal about the conservative movement in general and CPAC in particular, when he finishes third to men like Messrs. Romney and Giuliani. Specifically, it says, “power is more important than principles.”

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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