If you are a Conservative, it is one of the high points of the year. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is a safe space for the right where Republicans can go and enjoy a steady diet of politics and policy from a broad array of speakers.
CPAC 2023 is being held outside of Washington, DC and 19FortyFive will provide exclusive coverage of the entire proceedings.
CPAC Begins
This is the first main session of the four-day conference that will be headlined by former President Donald Trump who is scheduled to speak on March 4.
A closely watched straw poll of Republican White House hopefuls will be held. Presidential candidates besides Trump who are scheduled to speak are former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The crowd has been somewhat subdued so far and there may be fewer people attending this year. But more people are filing into the main hall, and they will be fired up as the speakers give raucous addresses. The media section is packed with journalists from numerous outlets across the political spectrum.
House Judiciary Chair Says Liberties Are Under Assault
Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio was the first speaker. Jordan is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and will lead oversight and various investigations into the Biden administration. Jordan told attendees that the Republicans on his committee will help shield Americans from the excesses of the left.
“The liberties we enjoy under the first amendment have been assaulted by the government. The most important liberty you have is the right to talk if you can’t speak then they go after freedom of the press. They are going to call you a fascist or racist. This committee will protect conservatives,” Jordan said.
Jordan also discussed the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic based on recent intelligence reports that the coronavirus may have started from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.
“The truth has a way of eventually getting out there. Covid has started in a lab. We want to know the information on how this has started in a lab. Why did they lie to us about the origin? Why did they lie to us about gain of function research? The Biden administration – were they guessing or lying? Tell us the truth. We are Americans. Tell us the truth. The truth in the end will win. Despite the media and big tech censoring it.”
Tennessee Senator Wants Border Secured
Next up was Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Blackburn focused her comments on the dangers of the Southern Border.
“I have been to the border several times. The people that are arriving from many different countries. See the connection the that is there and the cartels that are in charge and the way they are using human trafficking. People are being poisoned. Our children are dying because of fentanyl coming across the border. It is the fastest growing killer of children under 18.”
Folksy Louisiana Senator Was in His Element
Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana is known for his fiery and humorous lines. He did not disappoint.
“God is great, beer is good, and the USA is star-spangled awesome. America is not perfect, but we are good, and I cannot imagine the world without America. Common sense is illegal in Washington, DC. I wonder how some people in Washington, DC actually made it through the birth canal.”
Kennedy had strong words for Joe Biden.
“The Biden administration sucks. Look at Covid, the economy, inflation, the debt, crime, the border, cancel culture, Afghanistan, and energy independence. Biden has been spectacularly awful. If he was in charge of the Sahara Desert, he would run out of sand. If aliens landed and said take me to your leader, it would be embarrassing.”
We will have complete coverage of CPAC with speakers such as Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Donald Trump Jr., his father Donald Trump, and many others.
Author Expertise and Experience
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.