ACU Chief on Palin, Huckabee: 'Not Serious' [David Keene's replacement speaks]

National Journal Hotline ^ | February 11, 2011 | Lindsey Boerma

[Al B.]

Take Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee out of the 2012 presidential mix, says Al Cardenas, new chair of the American Conservative Union: If they were serious about running, "they'd probably be here."

Interviewed at the end of the second busy day of his organization's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Cardenas dismissed the chances of the two high-profile no-shows.

"Both Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin would be formidable contenders, but are unlikely to be nominees," he told On Calll. "But my sense I they're not serious about running because I would think they'd probably be here if they were."

[NoLibZone]

Orin Hatch was there.

So he must be “sensuous”.

[NoLibZone]

Orin Hatch was there.

So he must be “serious” too!

[Al B.]

Ping.

Cardenas headed up Romney's '08 campaign in FL and is close to Jeb Bush. He is the new ACU (and CPAC) honcho.

[NoLibZone]

Ron Paul was there!

LOL

[hinckley buzzard]

Someone should gently break it to this doofus: Nobody cares about CPAC any more. Or the ACU. Time has passed them by. Lumping Huckleberry and Palin together is a good illustration as to why.

[rob777]

"Cardenas confirmed that he'll be reconsidering the ACU's relationship with GOProud, whose participation set off a boycott by some conservative activists and whose leader, Chris Barron, had to apologize after calling ACU board member Cleta Mitchell "a nasty bigot" for opposing the gay rights group's participation."


Finally, a little bit of progress.

[rob777]

"Nobody cares about CPAC any more"


Given their record turn out this year, that would not seem to be a very accurate assessment.

[Doc Savage]

Cardenas is NOT an American name! FH!

[OldDeckHand]

"Given their record turn out this year, that would not seem to be a very accurate assessment."

Then, change that to "No one who is conservative cares about CPAC anymore"

Yes, there were a lot of people there, but a good portion of them aren't conservative, and probably never will be.

[DJ MacWoW]

Was it because of GOProud? ;-)

[Diogenesis]

CPAC [ = Obama Republicans] supports the Islamic invasion, CAIR, Mitt Romney and antiSemitism.

---

CPAC/ACU/CAIR is run by Al Cardenas/David Keene
involved in Palin-bashing and Romney-care polishing.

""Palin-bashing CPAC/ACU Chair donated $2,000 to Arlen Specter, endorsed Romney""

""Exclusive: Conservative group offers support for $2M"

""Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene""

"Washington Insider David Keene Disses Governor Palin, Claims to Speak for Grassroots
"Keene's ACU also puts on the annual CPAC conference in Washington.

.In the last three years CPAC has devolved into nothing more than
an annual love fest for the most established of establishment
Republicans, Mitt Romney. It should come as no surprise that David
Keene supported Mitt Romney in 2008. "

---

"David Keene Endorses Romney"

---

"ACU President David Keene Endorses Romney
Long courted by Romney, Keene agreed to formalize his endorsement of
the former governor during a face to face meeting in Florida on
Tuesday, according to knowledgeable sources."

---

"David A. Keene (born May 20, 1945) is the current chairman of the American
Conservative Union, a position which he has held since 1984. Additionally, he is the
managing associate at the Carmen Group Lobbying, a lobbying firm based in
Washington, D.C. In December 2007, Keene endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. "

---

"(at CPAC 2010, the) message there was that "real conservatives" don't support the war
on terror because it is a creation of the "Israeli lobby" - which coalesces with the left-
wing's new anti-Semitism against neoconservatives. Karen Kwiatkowski is a darling of
both the leftist Huffington Post and the anti-Semitic paleocon site Antiwar.com.


…is a board member of the ACU, and from the looks of CPAC's
covered topics and omission of discussion of jihad, it looks as if he exerts enormous
influence over David Keene, the ACU's nominal leader. Norquist and his ally Suhail
Khan seem to be in charge at CPAC - no CPAC event goes on that doesn't reflect their perspective. ….
Grover Norquist's troubling ties to Islamic supremacists and jihadists have been known
for years. He and his Palestinian wife, Samah Alrayyes, who was director of
communications for his Islamic Free Market Institute until they married in 2005, are very
active in "Muslim outreach." …..
It was Norquist who ushered these silver-tongued jihadists into the Oval Office after the
worst attack ever on American soil. ….
Grover Norquist was on the jihad payroll before and after the carnage and death of
September 11….
Norquist also introduced Nihad Awad, cofounder and executive director of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations, to President Bush. ….
It is no surprise that CPAC 2010, like CPAC 2009, had nothing addressing the war we
are actually engaged in. This is due to the influence of Norquist, Keene, and Suhail Khan,
a CPAC board member. According to Gaffney, Khan "has repeatedly been a featured
speaker at MSA, ISNA and CAIR events" - that is, Muslim Students Association, Islamic
Society of North America, and Council on American-Islamic Relations, three groups
linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, the international Islamic organization dedicated to
establishing the rule of Islamic law and the subjugation of infidels worldwide."

---

CPAC's Grover Norquist Joins Obama Push For Illegal Alien Amnesty - FR

CPAC's Grover Norquist Joins Obama Push For Illegal Alien Amnesty

[LibFreeUSA]

Palin is going to go directly to the ‘people’. She doesn’t need any ‘annointing’ and ‘kow-towing’ to these ELITISTS!

Who the hell do they think they are? “She must not be serious, if she’s not ‘here’”!?!

[Antoninus]

Given their record turn out this year, that would not seem to be a very accurate assessment.

I'm sure they did get a record turn out. That's what happens when you make the tent bigger.

The problem is that the people in the tent are now fighting with each other. A tent divided against itself can not stand.

[rob777]

Then, change that to "No one who is conservative cares about CPAC anymore"


That is not true. Here is an e-mail I got from someone I know who is there now:

"Subject: prayers for CPACers

Somehow we have gotten ourselves back into the activism business - God doesn't let go sometimes! We went on the CPAC cruise in December with some of the influential in the movement such as David Keene and Alfred Regnery (publisher of American Spectator). I had written up a little piece on social conservatism vs. economic. to show a few people. Which I did. Of course, some disagreed with me -nicely.

Recently we found out that Goproud is a sponsor for CPAC (we are down in DC now for CPAC), so we wrote another piece to three of the board members we knew personally. We heard back from Donna Keene (who is not a board member but who I have gotten to know). She and I will probably meet to talk about conservatism.

Anyway, we want prayers as we talk to these people and others who will be shaping the agenda of the conservative movement. May we say the right things - may God give us wisdom and the words. This is critical.

Love, Judy and Dave

Strength and endurance are needed also."


Given the comments about reconsidering their relationship with GOPPround, it appears that Judy and Dave were not the only ones there who felt that way. They had a record of 11.000 people turn out, so it is possible that they were not swayed by the boycotts. The more likely explanation for their revisiting of this issue is that numerous attendees agreed with arguments like Judy and Dave are making.

[DJ MacWoW]

GOProud isn’t their only problem. It’s a biggie but not the only one.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Lousy start by this creep.

[richardtavor]

What an arrogant ass.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Your friends sound like good people. I hope they are not casting there pearls before swine.

[gov_bean_ counter]

sorry. "their".

Mrs GBC sat in the chair with me and distracted me...