Young Republicans at CPAC

This blog had an intrepid reporter peaking over the fence at CPAC, the annual convention of young conservative activists. It's a bunch of 18-24-year-olds who are rabid republicans, so it's a very atypical cross-section, but can be telling for understanding a Republican primary election.

First of all, anti-McCain sentiment ran high. A lot of people did not like McCain at all. Before McCain spoke the audience was warned not to boo. (They still did.) Second, none of the speakers Friday to Saturday were pro-McCain. However, all the speakers beat the common drumbeat of voting for McCain. "This is the real world. You're not going to get the perfect candidate. We have to support McCain. It's too important. Anywhere from one to three Supreme Court Justices will be appointed in the next presidential term." This was the common drumbeat every speaker returned to again and again. (Except for Ann Coulter.)

Thirdly, there was a lot of Romney support. A lot. He won the straw poll taken before he exited the race. The poll was done after he exited, and he only dropped five points. (That's hard-core support.) Those five points went to McCain. Romney supporters spoke of voting for McCain. Not liking it, but voting for McCain. The Romney supporters were the most conservative of the bunch.

Other Notes:

The #1 issue was the War on Terror, which was separate from the Iraq War. #2 was illegal immigration. Abortion didn't even get 2%, and "values" got 7%. 80% of those polled said they wanted to withdraw from the UN.

Every time Ron Paul supporters would ask a question, they'd get shouted down. There was lots of enthusiasm today for Huckabee, the day he spoke.