A Renewed Reagan Conservatism

By Paul G. Kengor
 

Editor’s note: This article first appeared at TheBlaze.com. 
 
A rudderless Republican Party, afraid to assert itself in the face of a rising liberal/progressive onslaught. A confident Democratic Party in the White House, undermining the nation, its economy, and its foreign policy, with timid Republicans feckless in response. A battle for the heart of the GOP and the next presidential nomination among conservative Republicans and liberal Republicans.

Sound familiar? Of course. But I’m not just talking about March 2014. I’m also talking about March 1977, when a genuine conservative Republican named Ronald Reagan surveyed the political landscape and saw something hauntingly similar. Reagan resolved to do something about it, and he laid out that vision 37 years ago, at CPAC, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. What Reagan said in that speech remains crucial for conservatives and the Republican Party today.

Ronald Reagan began speaking at CPAC in 1974, its first gathering. He addressed the faithful 13 times through his final year in the White House. But perhaps his most vigorous defense of conservative thinking came in his remarks delivered on February 6, 1977, his 66th birthday.

Nikki Haley Introduces and Praises Mitt Romney at CPAC

South Carolina's Governor, along with State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, was an early and ardent supporter of Governor Mitt Romney's candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  This past week she introduced her candidate to the annual convention of the conservative movement known as CPAC.

Haley praised Mitt Romney as a "leader" who "fights to make a difference in the country."  But there's the rub.  It's the "difference" Mitt Romney made, his record, that caused conservatives throughout South Carolina to feel betrayed by their elected Republican (RINO) "leaders," and it was that record that caused millions of conservative, Republican voters to stay home or vote for third party candidates.

Yes, Governor Haley, Mitt Romney has fought, indeed he has been the foremost leader in advancing same-sex "marriage" in the United States, in authoring the prototype for Obamacare, in establishing taxpayer-funded $50 abortions on demand as a “healthcare benefit,” and in establishing a permanent government seat on the state-run health care board for an unelected representative of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.  

Conservatives also know that Romney repudiated Ronald Reagan when he ran for the United States Senate in Massachusetts; we remember that he promised to be "better than Ted" Kennedy in advancing the radical homosexual agenda; and we remember the outlandish lies he told about conservatives seeking the presidency in 2008 and 2012.  Conservatives also know that as Governor of Massachusetts, Romney took the same position the Obama administration has taken in its denial of religious conscience rights when he ordered that all hospitals provide rape victims the "morning after" abortifacient pill.  His lies, even about small and personal things, along with endless flip-flops on every major social and economic issue point to a deeply flawed character that resulted in most GOP primary voters supporting other candidates in the race, and his loss to a weak and unpopular incumbent.

But we're glad you reminded us of your support for the great chameleon, Governor Haley.  We just can't believe you and your fellow RINO, Mitt, had the nerve to peddle your poison at CPAC, of all places.

GOProud Out at Annual Summit of Conservatives

We resolved to ignore the annual CPAC meeting this year, which was hijacked by  libertarian and homosexual organizations.  We are pleased that steps are being taken to restore this meeting to authentic conservatives in the mould of Burke and Kirk.  But it has been illuminating to see which organizations and candidates will stand for principle and which will go with the flow. 

We salute Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality and Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel for leading the opposition to the inclusion of groups antithetical to the conservative movement.  Organizations that boycotted this year's meeting include The Heritage Foundation, Media Research Center, Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, American Principles Project, American Values, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, and the National Organization for Marriage.

As our friend Gary Glenn, President of the American Family Association of Michigan, points out, marriage protection has been on the ballot in 30 states and has passed in every one, with an average margin in support of nearly 70%.  Why would conservative organizations want to alienate the broad mainstream of the American public?

Conservative principles have never been an obstacle for Mitt Romney

From WorldNetDaily

The homosexual activist group GOProud, whose inclusion in the Conservative Political Action Conference here last year and last week stirred controversy within the largest annual conservative gathering, will not be welcomed back next year, sources tell WND. 

Some of the nation's biggest conservative organizations withdrew from participation over the inclusion of GOProud and other factors. Those groups include the Heritage Foundation, Media Research Center, Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America. 

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Live Video: CPAC Conference Today

See the Annual Convention for Conservatives Live

Saturday's schedule includes: Sen. Santorum (9am), Gov. Pawlenty (9:30am), Bill Bennett (11:15am), Ann Coulter (12:30pm), Rush Limbaugh (5pm)