Why didn't you get to listen to any of the speeches? Why else would you GO to CPAC?
Habit.
Fun.
Harem.
I really only listened to the speeches on my first CPAC. Since then I have talked to the grassroots people there and to the groups represented there. Only rarely do I find a speaker worthwhile. Not that they aren't good, but that they have nothing new to say. It's the same thing over and over that I can here on FOX or my local VRWC radio station, but at CPAC I can talk to the people on the street. I learn more about attitude and opinions and what passes for conservatism these days.
Frankly, this year I came away with very mixed emotions. There is a lot to be happy about -- seemed to be more young people than in the past and a HUGE increase in the number of Blacks in attendence. Both are important for the future. Sadly, there is also much to be disturbed about -- so many people like the power of government to enforce their values, their will, and their vision on the rest of us.
As I get older, I find myself getting more libertarian and more distrustful of government. I don't want the government to have the power that these people are willing to cede to it. The government big enough to give you everything that you want is big enought to take anything that they want.