Values Voter Summit

[erowe1]

Among those Republicans (mainly social conservatives) who think that CPAC has gotten too libertarian and too socially liberal (which they usually consider two ways of saying the same thing), the consensus seems to be that the Values Voter Summit has taken over CPAC as the premier conservative gathering. Comments I've seen at Redstate frequently assert this, and the lineup of speakers and groups represented there, including all the big-name ones that skipped CPAC seems to confirm it. They're all waiting to see who wins the Values Voter straw poll so they can say two things: 1) The fact that Ron Paul won CPAC and candidate X won the Values Voters poll only proves how irrelevant CPAC has become; and 2) The fact that Ron Paul only won CPAC and lost the Values Voter poll only proves that he's not the pick of a significant number of conservative activists.

We need to do at the Values Voter Summit what we did at CPAC. It's Oct. 7-9. It's heavy on social conservatism, but that's not it's only issue. It's four planks are: Limit Government, Reduce Spending, Champion Traditional Values, Protect America. I think the case is pretty strong that Ron Paul represents all 4 of those better than any 2012 presidential candidate. And I know we have enough Christians and social conservatives among us to get a good group who would fit in well there.

I don't know if Ron Paul will go, or if CFL and YAL will put forth an effort to be well represented there like they did for CPAC. But we can still do that whether they do or not. We'll also have the advantage of Ron Paul having recently won the Iowa straw poll when this occurs.

I didn't go to CPAC. But at this early date, I'm tentatively planning on going to the Values Voter Summit.

[sailingaway]

The more votes Ron gets the better, but if we aren't going to make a REAL push, I would rather not raise its profile. Social cons are the only ones who attend. I don't think most of our students WANT to go there, and if we 'try' and don't win, that would be bad. The fact is, it is a factionalized group where people like Sorba are well loved.

Still, a good showing will remind people Ron IS a social conservative, he just isn't shoving it down people's throats all the time.

[muzzled dogg]

Yeah anyone on the east coast especially if you lean social conservative and especially if you couldnt make cpac please consider
Going to this. I can't imagine c4l cosponsoring this and offering reduced
Ticket prices but we could ask them. I'll go if
I feel like I have to

[specsaregood]

But do you really want to support this group? Increasing their #'s and giving them money seems like a big downside to this plan.

[erowe1]

The more votes Ron gets the better, but if we aren't going to make a REAL push, I would rather not raise its profile. Social cons are the only ones who attend. I don't think most of our students WANT to go there, and if we 'try' and don't win, that would be bad. The fact is, it is a factionalized group where people like Sorba are well loved.

Sure, it's a factionalized group. But it's a faction that is possibly more representative of the GOP than CPAC is.

We also probably wouldn't need as many people to go. I'm having trouble finding the number of people who have voted in past years, but it looks like total attendance has been around 2,000. We can assume the number that votes is less than that. Winners have typically been around 25% of the vote.

I think the risk of RP looking like a loser if he tries and doesn't win is only a risk if his official organizations are involved. If it's just a bunch of us individual supporters, then trying and not winning (but still making a strong showing) wouldn't give any opponents any ammunition, and would do more good than harm. On the other hand, if RP's official organizations really did put forth an effort to win it, I'm pretty sure he'd win it.

[muzzled dogg]

Columbus day weekend

[sailingaway]

Sure, it's a factionalized group. But it's a faction that is possibly more representative of the GOP than CPAC is.

We also probably wouldn't need as many people to go. I'm having trouble finding the number of people who have voted in past years, but it looks like total attendance has been around 2,000. We can assume the number that votes is less than that. Winners have typically been around 25% of the vote.

I think the risk of RP looking like a loser if he tries and doesn't win is only a risk if his official organizations are involved. If it's just a bunch of us individual supporters, then trying and not winning (but still making a strong showing) wouldn't give any opponents any ammunition, and would do more good than harm. On the other hand, if RP's official organizations really did put forth an effort to win it, I'm pretty sure he'd win it.

I'm not against this, but I actually think their numbers are dwindling. The flip side to that is that we do need others besides ourselves, and our candidates should appeal to these people, at least if their already chosen 'first choice' doesn't get anywhere.

[erowe1]

I'm not against this, but I actually think their numbers are dwindling. The flip side to that is that we do need others besides ourselves, and our candidates should appeal to these people, at least if their already chosen 'first choice' doesn't get anywhere.

I actually think that the most likely people Ron Paul has of building bridges with is a significant portion of the religious right. There's a lot to be gained by reaching out to them, and he can't win the primaries without them.

The big-government "compassionate conservatives" like Huckabee won't back RP. But the more old school religious right, as exemplified by groups like the Eagle Forum (http://www.eagleforum.org/) definitely should. I also think Huckabee draws a lot of his support from people who aren't on board with him on his fiscal liberalism, but who just see him as a fundamentalist Christian who's outside the GOP establishment (kind of like what RP is) who seems uncompromising on the issues they care about the most. A lot of Huckabee supporters backed Hostettler for Senate in Indiana last year.

[Chieppa1]

Yeah anyone on the east coast especially if you lean social conservative and especially if you couldnt make cpac please consider
Going to this. I can't imagine c4l cosponsoring this and offering reduced
Ticket prices but we could ask them. I'll go if
I feel like I have to

Where is it? I'm in New Jersey and would go...but honestly, I'm socially liberal, so I'll bring headphones.

[specsaregood]

//

[Matt Collins]

Will they even put Ron Paul on their straw poll?

[erowe1]

Will they even put Ron Paul on their straw poll?

They have in the past.

[Matt Collins]

I am willing to guess that their parties won't be as fun lol

[Chieppa1]

I am willing to guess that their parties won't be as fun lol

You'd think that. But I bet we'd be wrong.

[Chieppa1]

I might have to get on this. Columbus Weekend...as long as the Yanks playoff game is on in the bars afterward, I'm down.

[TomtheTinker]

They have to make the playoffs 1st.

[Chieppa1]

They have to make the playoffs 1st.

ssshhh, its in the bag.

[stefank]

And given the fact that the Ron Paul-toting, uber-disrespectful and, in many ways, disruptive ballot stuffing has wrecked the straw poll results, pinging completely unelectable candidates in two of the top three slots, perhaps more significance should be paid to the straw poll to be conducted by the conference that happens in the fall called the "Values Voters Conference. If social conservatives are the largest portion of the conservative discussion, no attention should be paid to a poll that virtually eliminates their presence all together."

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/02/14/disrespectful-libertarians-hijack-cpac-poll-mission/

By October I am sure everybody who decides to run for president would announce by then lets just wait and see since its still like 8 months away

[specsaregood]

The main argument for this IMHO is that it is so late in the year, that it is right in the 7th inning of the primary season.

[Chieppa1]

The main argument for this IMHO is that it is so late in the year, that it is right in the 7th inning of the primary season.

The 7th inning is usually where everything blows up in your face. Suck it GOP.

[specsaregood]

If we do this, I'd like to see C4L with a booth and we need materials specially geared towards the limited government argument. That taking the power away from the govt is the only way to have a socially conservative govt, because otherwise the power you give them gets used against you when the godless heathens get into power.

[stefank]

http://www.valuesvotersummit.org/exhibitors
booths are 1000$-5000$ and tickets are only 50$ and less then 2000 people showed up last year this should be a lot cheaper then going to cpac and hopefully fox news would take ron's win more seriously

[Agorism]

If we get put on the ballot that is.