CPAC 2011 Chair :: David Keene

Oh how we have grown.  Today we kicked off the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC.  This annual gathering of concerned conservatives is always a bellwether of the state of the conservative movement in general, and the American Conservative Union specifically.  And I am happy to report that both the movement and the ACU are stronger than ever.

The 2011 CPAC will host more attendees, more exhibitors, more participants and a wider spectrum of voices and views than any past year.  Many dynamic conservative leaders in the nation will be speaking to the more than 11,000 attendees – sharing ideas and receiving feedback and support.  In this centennial of the birth of President Ronald Reagan – a conservative icon above all other – it is good to see so many still rallying to a cause he helped take mainstream.

With the election in November 2010, we were heartened to see conservatism triumph by such resounding margins at the ballot box.  Many conservative champions and friends of the ACU, like Congresswoman Kristi Noem, Congressman Tim Scott and Senators Pat Toomey and Mike Lee among many, many others, were elected nationwide, giving our movement more advocates in elected positions than we have seen in a decade.  At times it seems as if the numbers and strength of commitment of our conservative leaders nationwide are expanding every trip to the ballot box.

Additionally, our conservative coalition is growing.  We have found over the last few years that we have lots and lots of friends; individuals who support traditional conservative values of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and the founding documents of our nation. While we don’t, and never have, agreed on every important conservative issue, as President Reagan said “If you agree with me 80 percent of the time, you are my friend.”  Including these varied groups in our movement has made us better and more influential.

Our range of influence is also growing.  As evidenced by our recent delegation to the Republic of China, we have expanded from a focus on conservatism domestically, to a desire to see conservative values blossom globally.  We have also taken steps to better reach past the traditional power corridor of the beltway and out into local communities – the real foundation of conservativism – to better reflect our commitment.  These efforts have lead to more people hearing our message and more people joining our cause.

When I look toward the next few of years, I am excited to see Al Cardenas take over as Chairman of the ACU to continue the work we started twenty-seven years ago and that many of you have so generously supported throughout my tenure.  I expect great things from Al and I know you do as well, especially at such a pivotal time. With important issues like the debt, immigration reform, entitlement reform and healthcare all to be debated this year we must continue to influence the debate.

Additionally, we all know 2012 will be an exciting year for conservatives.  These elections, with the potential to set the political and social agenda for the future are so important that we are fortunate the ACU and the conservative movement is so healthy.

The ACU is growing.  We are winning the battle for American values.  The last twenty-seven years for the ACU have been ones of tremendous achievement.  I expect the next quarter century to be even better.

Thank you for your support and God Bless America.

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