Free Republic

David Keene, the longtime chairman of the American Conservative Union, stepped down on Wednesday as the leader of the organization, one day ahead of the first of its annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Keene had chaired the organization since 1984 and will still preside over the annual conservative gathering. His impending exit had been anticipated, but not the timing. Al Cardenas was selected to succeed Keene. Cardenas was born in Cuba in 1948, and has been a player in conservative politics since the Reagan presidency. “I look forward to taking advantage of the new energies we see today in...

"When you’re dealing with something as fractious as the conservative movement — I mean, when there were only five of us we were arguing — that dissent is really part of the energy. And that’s the difference between conservatives and all the rest. They go home invigorated after their arguments are over,” American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene tells Inside the Beltway. “At CPAC, they meet new people to work with and work for, they parse out the politics. And they end up with renewed energy to pick up the cudgels for the next fight...I'm the designated pinata."

Feb. 24, 2010 Have Gays Found Their Place in the GOP? Dramatic Moment at Conservative Confab Could Be a Sign of Change Within Republican Party When It Comes to Gay Rights A memorable moment at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference could mark a turning point in the long-fraught relationship between gays and the Republican Party. CPAC is perhaps the nation's premiere conservative gathering, a convivial opportunity for impassioned right-wing activists to network, plan for upcoming elections and listen to the biggest names in the conservative movement. It's the sort of atmosphere in which the casual observer might expect someone...

With attendance bursting at the seams, this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference clearly benefited from the new recruits and fresh energy stirred up by the nascent tea party movement. But the secret ingredient to the enormous success of this year’s largest-ever CPAC was the steady hand of experienced leadership behind the scenes that ensured everything went smoothly. It is precisely that kind of skillful guidance that will be needed for the tea party movement to coalesce and realize its enormous potential. Spontaneous, grassroots uprisings are exhilarating and the tea parties and health care townhalls last year helped flatten the Democratic...

The few controversial parts of CPAC 2010 were outweighed by the momentum driving the various factions on the right together - opposition to the federal government's spending, bailouts, and attempted takeover of healthcare. 10,000 turned out for CPAC 2010 this year, 1500 more than last year. With Republicans out of power in Washington and Tea Partiers revolting against the Obama administration's massive spending and bailouts, conservatives are coming together stronger than ever. Although there was a National Tea Party convention earlier this month in Nashville featuring Sarah Palin, attended by 1500, it was clear that Tea Partiers were unified with...

With CPAC 2010 finished, media reports are swirling discussing Governor Palin’s absence from this event, which they billed as “mandatory” for conservative candidates for anything. Was it? SRLC the Real Proving Ground for Gauging A POTUS Run...

Ron Paul out-polled Sarah Palin almost 5 to 1 and keynoter Glenn Beck got huge ovations as he disavowed any conservative ascendency within the Republican Party. So someone please tell me - just what the heck happened to a convention that was off to such a wonderful conservative start? Where is the momentum from the Marco Rubio speech and the Dick Cheney "Obama is a one term President" moment? Perhaps David Keene of the American Conservative Union will be a bit more careful when picking keynote speakers from now on. What happened was predictable, given that the man he picked...

Sarah Palin’s plan to deliver the keynote address – for a fee – at next month’s first-ever National Tea Party Convention is getting renewed attention in light of her rejection Thursday of an invitation to speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. The decision to blow off CPAC – traditionally seen as the year’s must-attend event for the conservative establishment – in favor of a little-known convention is prompting some soul-searching among CPAC supporters, and is being interpreted as a calculated play by the former Alaska governor to cast herself as the potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate of the...

John Ziegler posted an editorial on his website highlighting Gov. Palin's decision not to accept an invitation to attend this year's CPAC conference (see yesterday's excellent post by TR and Doug for more on the background to this decision). You may remember that Ziegler confronted David Keene about his anything-but-conservative record as ACU chairman during last year's WCPAC conference, leading him to conclude that [T]he vast majority of the conservative “movement” is “led” by fakes, flakes, freaks, frauds, phonies and sell outs who are far more interested in protecting their own little thiefdoms than promoting the cause. It seems Gov....

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Pain is turning down an invitation to speak at one high-profile conservative gathering while accepting another. Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said, she does not want to be affiliated with the longtime organizer of the traditional movement confab. At issue is the role of David Keene, head of the American Conservative Union which organizes CPAC. In September, POLITICO reported that Keene asked FedEx for between $2 million and $3 million to get the group's support in a bitter legislative battle with rival UPS. ***A...