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February 10, 2012 9:25 AM Candidate Day at CPAC

By Ed Kilgore

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Today has officially been set aside as the segment of the three-day CPAC conference when the remaining presidential candidates get to strut their stuff, in anticipation of tomorrow’s straw poll. As noted yesterday, Ron Paul is a no-show, so the day will belong to Ricky Santorum at 10:25, Mitt Romney at 12:55, and then Newt Gingrich at 4:10.

Obviously Santorum and Gingrich know exactly how to work this sort of crowd: it’s like cooking on a grill, with the keys being intense heat, savory smoke, and lots of fatty red meat. They’ll probably get so worked up claiming to represent Christians in the “war on religion” that the appearance on the stage of a life-size cross is not out of the question. But the bigger questions are about Mitt. Does he robotically deliver his stock speech (dressed up with a few Reagan or Thatcher or William F. Buckley quotes), overtly pander, or even attempt a Sister Souljah? This last approach can confidently be ruled out; it’s been a long, long time since a GOP presidential candidate has dared taunt “movement conservatives” about their extremism, like Nelson Rockefeller did in the clip below.

Ed Kilgore is a contributing writer to the Washington Monthly. He is is managing editor for The Democratic Strategist, a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and a Special Correspondent for The New Republic.
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Comments

  • mellowjohn on February 10, 2012 9:31 AM:

    maybe we'll see ex-senator frothymix actually ON the cross.
    i wouldn't put it past him.

  • T2 on February 10, 2012 9:41 AM:

    "claiming to represent Christians" - well, that leaves Mormon Mitt out, doesn't it?
    This CPAC hate-fest must generate a lot of head-scratching in Europe. My god, these GOPer crazies would be ten times worse is Hillary was president. Can you imagine.

  • revchicoucc on February 10, 2012 9:51 AM:

    I used to be a Christian. Now, because of this people having corrupted the word and made it synonomous with a politics characterized by mean-spiritedness and hate, I refer to myself as a follower of Jesus. I have any number of Christian friends who have undergone the same conversion.

  • revchicoucc on February 10, 2012 9:52 AM:

    that would be "because of the way these people." Captcha confused me and made me use bad syntax.

  • docdave on February 10, 2012 9:54 AM:

    Another reminder of the void left by the near-as-dammit extinction of "Rockefeller Republicans."

  • Hedda Peraz on February 10, 2012 10:05 AM:

    Regarding that life size cross; we have a wager goin' on down here in Texas, if it will Obama up there, or Mitt.

    My pool boys says they oughter be doin' that Salem thing instead, 'cause Mitt is toast!

  • Lucia on February 10, 2012 10:14 AM:

    I'm with the commenter the other day who said calling Santorum "Ricky" is juvenile. It's also annoying and distracting. Please stop.

  • Anonymous on February 10, 2012 10:17 AM:

    I vote for overtly pander and epic fail. Really Mitt doesn't have a chance at this hate fest as a Mormon. His supremacy in lying is simply not enough to win him their support. Watching tape of Cal Thomas suggest world world be better if that "evil" Rachal Maddow had not been born, cheered on by those good Christians gives one the flavor of good will that permeates CPAC.

    I know Hitler references are frowned on but it's hard not to see similarities.

  • Kathryn on February 10, 2012 10:20 AM:

    anonymous was me, got ahead of myself.

  • j on February 10, 2012 10:27 AM:

    Love it when they talk about Rubio as VP, I seem to remember that he was an original 'anchor baby' also that he has mega money problems - like a mortgage he could not afford and a second mortgage, both underwater!

  • T2 on February 10, 2012 10:31 AM:

    when a person repeatedly makes juvenile statements, I don't care how old he/she is, they are juvenile. Rick Santorum said yesterday he was afraid that if Obama remains president, there is a threat that American citizens will be beheaded. juvenile.

  • jcricket on February 10, 2012 10:41 AM:

    CPAC is when this country's conservatives get together and demonstrate their zeal to live their lives as if they were characters in Lord of the Flies.

  • T2 on February 10, 2012 11:03 AM:

    jcricket...here's my take: CPAC is when this country's conservatives get together and demonstrate their zeal to live their lives as if they were characters in the Confederate States of America.