Last weekend, I attended a Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.
CPAC was one of the best political experiences I’ve had, and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and network with other conservatives from around the country, but also met some of my favorite personalities from the world of conservative politics.
There were several fascinating speakers, from experts, journalists, congressmen and senators to presidential candidates.
Because of the election year, the presidential candidates naturally took center stage.
One thing I will say is that for a political junkie like me, watching the candidates speak was an incredible experience.
Of the remaining Republican candidates, I was most impressed with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s address.
His speech was dynamic. He was eloquent in his address, and as an audience member, I genuinely felt like Cruz understood the problems that faced the country in the coming cycle.
He clearly outlined his policies, and he had the crowd on its feet for several different points that he made.
I was also impressed with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
In comparison to Cruz, Rubio’s address was more personal.
Rubio addressed issues that the millennial generation wanted to hear about.
At the convention, the Millennials I’d spoken with almost universally supported Rubio.
This showed during his address.
The room was packed to the brim with standing room only. During the speech, the crowd was electric.
Rubio commented on how he felt that Donald Trump was doing so well because the media continuously directs attention to him. He called for it to end.
I was amused with Ohio Gov. John Kasich as well.
Kasich’s speech wasn’t as dynamic as Cruz’s or Rubio’s, but Kasich was quick to point to his proven conservative track record and his history of gaining results using conservative policy, even when the odds were stacked against him.
At the end of the day, though, Kasich’s address wasn’t engaging enough in my opinion, but he did make some good points throughout.
Dr. Ben Carson’s dropped out of the presidential race during his address.
I thought it was really neat to experience this in person.
Trump, who is not a conservative, was scheduled to speak.
However, Trump canceled his speech at the last moment because there was a protest planned during his speech.
The straw poll taken during the convention was won by Sen. Ted Cruz, unsurprisingly, with a total of 40 percent of the vote.
Rubio took second with 30 percent of the vote. Trump only received 15 percent.
I also had the pleasure to meet conservative media personalities, such as Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin and Guy Benson.
Thousands of students from around the country flocked to CPAC as well, and I made some valuable connections that may have ended up helping me down the road.
I encourage any person who has conservative principles to attend CPAC in the future, especially young conservatives.
It was a wonderful experience for me, and I plan to attend for years to come.
staranyi@indiana.edu
