posted by the american conservative union. the 40th annual conference. they just held their straw poll. marco rubio came in second to rand paul, followed by rick santorum and new jersey governor chris christie. you can see more details. here's the "huffington post" story. we also heard from sarah palin, and political commentator ann coulter. all the c-span coverage you can find at our website, c-span.org. a caller on independence line. gradeependent's line .aller: ♪ caller: it was excellent. i enjoyed rick santorum. socialble to tie in the issues of abortion, illegal immigration, and traditional marriage with our fiscal situation. a lot of people don't see the connection between the two. there is, especially the illegal immigration. i enjoyed ted cruz, because he gave an overview of -- overview of everything. but we need to do right now especially is make sure that we follow our immigration laws, and we do not have immigration reform. we have enforcement. if we don't, and these people stay in our country, we are going to have a continuing administration

the young americans for freedom forum at bill buckley's home in connecticut. stan evans, who is with us this weekend and received an award the other evening, and is a former chairman of the american conservative union, authored the statement at that organizing meeting, the statement which to this day stands as the best and most concise statement of conservative values written in the modern times. the movement was growing. at that year's convention, there was an attempt to nominate arizona senator barry goldwater for vice president. goldwater was the new conservative hero. he had written a conservative political manifesto called " conscience of a conservative," and like some today had the courage to stand up on the senate floor and say what he believed. he became a hero to the right when he described the domestic program of the eisenhower establishment as nothing more than a dime store new deal. goldwater withdrew his name that year but delivered a speech in which he challenged conservatives to grow up, sees the republican party, and turn it into a vehicle for conservative victory -- grow up, seize the republican party. four years later, date did -- they did just that by nominating goldwater himself

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the former chairman of the american conservative union and the presidente national rifle association, a great american and fellow cheese cheesehead, please welcome my friend david keene. [applause] >> i'm going to talk about some of the same things that you just heard, but i want to say at the outset from the remarks that you just heard, this is a guy that gets it. >> thank you, david. >> this is a guy who helped elect the people that electrified the crowd today. remember, our state was a blue state, but it is not any more. [applause] this guy deserves a lot of credit for that and for the approach that he has taken. >> thank you, david. you need both. mechanics and great candidates. thank you. god bless you. [applause] >> our movement and the republican party are not the same, but for many of us, the republican party is the vehicle we have chosen to accomplish our political and policy goals. therefore, the way that party operates and the way it looks at the world is important to us because without it, we do not have a viable vehicle at this point in our hi

americans, what ronald reagan used to do. the asiannot going to american community, the african- american community -- i am proud to be the first hispanic american charity american conservative union has ever had. is first rule of engagement to engage. i do not think we have done that well. the reason why we are losing ground with the growing demographics of america is a failure of giving american people and a -- a taste of that. host: what does engaged mean? tost: it means taking cpac the inner-city and discussing why our way of thinking and our way of bringing america forward is in their best interests. we have tried it their way for the last few years. america is going through one of its most difficult economic recessions ever. if you look at our states, the states that were run by folks who have a liberal mind-set, the states who are prospering r- texas, florida. but that communities. prospering,ho are texas and florida. u.s. census,t the there is a dramatic shift in population of people moving to areas that have lower taxes, less regulation, more freedom. if you want to have the ultimate litmus test as to whether the liberal way or the conservative way it works, look at the c

i would first like to thank the american conservative union for selecting me to speak in front of youeople today. it is with great honor and pleasure that i am able to represent the next generations of americans who aspire to recapture the american dream that those before us have had the opportunity to pursue and achieve. today, this dream is under attack -- an attack not by a foreign threat but a more domestic threat, a government that has overstepped its constitutional and rightful limits. i an informed young american, add my name to the collective call for a more transparent government, which both recognizes and abides by the constitution of the united states, which is to limit government, not the people. it has been our very reason that i wholeheartedly believe in the conservative movement. i believe that it will be a movement for young americans and by young americans, a movement that takes back our american dream that we hold so close to our hearts. " has an "conservatism old and honorable meaning, but can we as conservatives all agree on the same definition? conservatism, in my

ladies and gentlemen, join me in thecoming millie hallow, vice chair of the american conservative union♪ >> hey cpac. saturday morning. we made it. welcome to president obamas's prayer breakfast. it is a clever title -- president obama's prayer breakfast. this will be a conversation between two extraordinary men. i would like to begin with the 12:47. from luke so much is given, so much build -- will be requiring. to whom men have committed much, much of him they will ask more. ladies and gentlemen, we will have an unprecedented opportunity to listen to two extraordinary man to whom much has been given. if you know dr. ben carson's, some of you might dispute the much has been given. raised by a single parent, a mother not well educated in circumstances will find -- where financial distress was the norm. academic troubles in elementary school. how is that much has been given? by all accounts, much has been given with his mom. him a mom who knew his guests and instill in him a discipline to realize his -- his him aand instilled in discipline to realize his gives -- gifts. yale and the univ

conservative. you might remember the transvaginal probes and all of that last year. even that is not conservative enough for cpac. i want to start with al who is the chairman of the american conservative union and how the slate of speakers was supposen. he said c spak is like the all-star game for profoegzal athletes. you have been invited when you have an outstanding year. hopefully he will have another all-star year in the future at which time we will be happy to extend an invitation. the all stars are sarah palin, the donald? i don't know. for bob donald and chris christie, it's no loss. it elevates both of them in a way. this is not the year to be associated with cpac or with the national conservative movement if that's what it represents. cpac seems to be doing everything it can to make it seem like an out of touch relic of the past. the only thing is they both committed two cardinal sins against conservatism. kristi by embracing the president and donald by funning infrastructure in the states. that explains the snub. >> clinging to vestages, that sounds like the gop in general. let's move forward and let's cling to the old messengers who will perport the messages and move us forward.

the chairman of the american conservative union talks about the future and challenges of the conservativeovement. then, bob edgar, president and ceo talks about how advocacy groups are moving to

up next, we'll get a full explanation from the head of the american conservative union, al cardenas. ing joe" brewed by starbucks. [ male announcer ] ok, here's the way the system works. let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much you think. except it's 2% every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch. over time it really adds up. then go to e-trade and find out how much our advice costs. spoiler alert: it's low. really? yes, really. e-trade offers investment advice and guidance from dedicated, professional financial consultants. it's guidance on your terms, not ours. that's how our system works. e-trade. less for us. more for you. that's how our system works. it's not what you think. it's a phoenix with 4 wheels. it's a hawk with night vision goggles. it's marching to the beat of a different drum. and where beauty meets brains. it's big ideas with smaller footprints. and knowing there's always more in the world to see. it's the all-new lincoln mkz. it fills you with energy... and it gives you what you are looking for

al is chairman of the american conservative union, the group that puts on cpac, and former national chairmanrepublican party, michael steele, an msnbc analyst. it's great to have you on. i want to ask you something very positive and nice to warm you up before we get started here. how happy are you we have a hispanic pope? >> oh, boy, i'm glad you asked. as a practicing catholic, i got on my knees yesterday and i was so happy. i think the world will love this pope. america will love this pope. other than cardinal o'malley. i think he'll make a big difference. 500 million catholics in latin america, chris. i think we he can be a great vo. >> we can agree on something. now to the issue of donald trump. boosted your ticket sales. could it be overshadowed by his birther talk? let's take a listen to trumpy. >> i would like to have him show his birth certificate, and can i be honest with you? i hope he can. because if he can't, if he can't, and if he wasn't born in this country, which is a real possibility -- i'm not saying -- i'm saying it's a real possibility. much greater than i thought two or t

the republican party decided to specifically empower the conservative movement. >> and kowtow to them. >> right, kasie, al cardness, in charge of the american conservative union that puts on cpac, he had an interesting quote when he talked about whether or not the republican party even wants to be a big tent. what he said is i'm a firm believer that if the republican party going to have success, it will do so by being a conservative party and not a home for everybody. that's how you grow, you grow your tent by convincing others and persuading others that yours is the way and you build your tent by reaching out to the new demographics of americans not with a watered-down version of who we ought to be, but with a true, real solid version of who we are. the idea being, the idea at cpac is not to grow the tent by bringing in people who have a different view, it's to basically browbeat the existing view of conservatism until somehow they convince others to join what they believe. is that the sense you get from people on the ground? or are they saying no, we want a bigger tent? >> there's a lot of tension here between the activists, the folks that show up at a conferenc

primary lugar was regularly described as a moderate and i looked up their rating from the american conservative union. the american conservative rating is 77%. if that is moderate that is a spectrum pretty skewed to the right because she is already more than three-quarters of the way over to the right and that struck me that fought very language the reporter's use in that being a concession to radically change the situation and it doesn't even acknowledge it. so it would like you to think about that. >> i want to say good things about the panelists -- [laughter] it is a thrill to have these people here with us. they are role models. and i could add to that pentium of heroes from the time he was in congress to the time he was a country and because he stood up for the constitution and for article 1 the word trashing it for their own public local purposes so he really is a true conservative and the kind to solve problems and susan as the journalist we used to have a lot more of. having said that a lot of what mckee said is true there are no angels. democrats have manipulated the process, dispensed with

al cardenis, the chairman of the american conservative union said, "there is no more glaring example of misguided government power that when it taxes or regulates" -- "or when taxes or regulations affect two similar businesses completely differently." the head of the american conservative union says that. he goes on to say, "over time, the company that has to comply with a tax or a regulation will lose market share to its competitor, who has carved out from this government interference." that's what this is about. i had a news conference on this in st. louis a year or so ago. and as soon as the camera was turned off, the person interviewing me says, you know, one of my wife's friends has a wedding dress shop and she sees people come in all the time who are clearly there to try on a wedding dress, get the number off the wedding dress, order it on the internet. madam president, if the only difference in the cost of that wedding dress -- and, you know, i guess there are lots of variation in wedding dresses, but, say, 8% or 10%, if the only difference is the sales tax? that's not a fair c

and the irony i think is further under scored that the guy who is running cpac, the american conservative union alcardenas was once the guy who recruited marco rubio, pushed him to run for senate. when charlie crist jumped in jumped to tkhar lee crist and urged marco rubio to get out. conservatives would do a lot better if there was less finger pointing and morro bus discussion of the issues. jon: steven hayes i know you'll be watching today and we will as well. >> thank you, jon. jenna: a local station goes from reporting the news to actually being a big part of it. what this man did that put a tv station in the middle of a murder investigation. the pentagon raplg up our defense system after new threats from north korea. general jack keane will join us with his take on the rising tension between our two countries. [ whistle blows ] hi victor! mom? i know you got to go in a minute but this is a real quick me, that's perfect for two! campbell's chunky beef with country vegetables, poured over rice! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. bill: right now new information

al cardenis joins us, from national harbor, maryland, chair of the american conservative union. welcome, al. >> just a mithank you, carol. great to have cnn. >> glad are you speaking with us this morning. some conservatives have talked about being more inclusive and yet gay republican groups like go proud aren't included in cpac. rob portman and dick cheney have come out in support of same-sex marriage. will the gop change position? will cpac ever change position and allow gay republicans to sit at the table? >> look, there are a few ground rules here at cpac. one, we discuss all of our serious subjects with civility. we love and respect each other, and we have had two panels yesterday, almost back to back. we had a panel post hosted by our friends involving advocates of the gay meaning movement and another panel arguing in favor of tradition aal marriage. >> were there gay people included in the panel discussions? >> of course. the executive director of go proud was in that panel. here at cpac, ample conversations on the issue. there is a good, common denominator, including our

sponsored by the american conservative union on the board of which of course, sits grover norquist.y are trooping out there. and they decide this is their showcase? right? where they bring all of the people that they think are the leading conservatives of the country together to do their little song and dance routine in front of a great big haulll of whackjobs, whacko. >> whacko-birds. >> what cano-birds. it was kind of funny. the candle value of clowns includes sarah palin, clown, the biggest of all. well, i don't know. maybe donald trump is the biggest of all. he will be speaking. rick perry spoke yesterday. mitt romney is going to speak today. today. i look forward to seeing the reaction to the crowd to mitt romney because, first of all, they didn't like him in the first place. they didn't want him as their nominee. they got stuck with him. they didn't really do much to help him win the presidency. they don't like him. they don't like his politics but they invited him today. they did not invite two leading conservatives because they think they got too buddy buddy with bill clinto

the american conservative union has been fighting for freedom for almost 50 years. in the house of representatives today, the fight continues. the democratic senate has not passed a budget in four years. next week the house will pass one that balances. budget will grow the economy. theirs is going to raise taxes by $1 trillion. we do not even know what is in the president's budget. it is late, again. get anything done in washington when common ground is held hostage by tax hikes, and that the -- and if the other side does not show up for work. despite these odds, i am hopeful. i look around this room and that hope grows. we can pursue an agenda that is founded on the values that we share, an agenda that applies a conservative solution to the challenges faced by so many working families. and, yes, part of that agenda must include school choice. this is an idea whose day has finally come. acu 65, the newly founded demanded that lyndon johnson include an education tax credit in place of his education subsidy plan appeared conservatives knew that federal subsidies would

friend,o thank my old al for his selfless dedication to the american conservative the union and to the conservative cause. pleasure to be here tonight honoring one of america's greatest presidents, ronald reagan. i would like to begin by expressing my deepest appreciation for the kind of thoughts and prayers for my dad. he got out of the hospital about six weeks ago and as he so happily said, put away the harps. he is back home he is back at home. he is doing on. that is the good news. that is the good news. the bad news is, he is no longer pampered by the nurses at memorial hospital in houston. he has a new caregiver. her name is barbara bush. she is really tough. you see, this is true that no matter what your age, even if you were the leader of the free world, life has a way of keeping us humble. sometimes, we even get to cross the thin line between humbling and downright humiliating. a couple of weeks ago, peter handy tweeted a picture of me from 1970, with what appeared to be a catcher's mitt on my head. i still have that sportcoat by the way. he felt compelled to comment on my hai

the conservative political action conference. he gave remarks at the national fire breakfast in washington. he introduced by the american conservative unionis is under an hour. ♪ [applause] >> hey, cpac. saturday morning. we made it. welcome to the prayer breakfast. this is going to be a great spiritual conversation between two extraordinary men, dr. ben -- on and i would like to begin with a 47.sage from luke 12. for whom unto much is given, so much is required, to whom men have committed much of him, theyw will ask more. ladies and gentlemen, we will have an opportunity to listen to to extraordinary men for whom much has been given. if you know dr. ben carson story, some of you might dispute the lessons that are given. raised by single parent, circumstances were financial distress was the norm. academic struggle in elementary school. how is that much has been given? god gave himts, him him that knew his gifts -- god gave him his gifts and knew his gifts and help to realize how much he had been given. i know you want to hear his story in his own words. and the university of michigan medical school became part of his journey. eric grew up

well, the head of american conservative union, al cardenas, defended the decision to snub christie sayingote, governor christie was invited to cpac last year because he did a great job in nj. this past year he strongly advocated for the passage of a 60-plus billion dollar pork barrel bill, and he signed up with the federal government to expand medicaid at a time when his state can ill afford it. so he was not invited back to speak. christie responded to the noninvitation in typical christie fashion. here he is. >> i didn't know that i hadn't been invited to cpac until like two days ago when i saw it in the news. so, yeah, apparently i haven't been invited. i wish them all the best. they will have their conference, a bunch of people speaking there. they don't want to invite me, that's their call. it's their organization, it's their business. and they get to decide who they want to have come and not come. it's not like i'm lacking for invitations to speak both here and around the country. it's not like i have a whole lot of openings in my schedule. i can't sweat the small stuff. i got a sta

american family to the united states senate. kentucky is a conservative state, and mitch, again, does a wonderful job representing his constituents. he's the most conservative senate leader in history. and the american conservative unione him 100% score over his legislative record. there were only four other senators besides him who received 100%. stove rather than going after his record -- >>steve: rather than going after his record, they go after his wife. it's awful. >> they question his patriotism because he's married to me. i think that's pretty sad. >>steve: it is outrageous. thank you for joining us from d.c. what do you think about that? e-mail us right now. that is crazy. >>> remember when janet napolitano said the media were making up stories about illegals being released from jail? now the head of i.c.e. said she lied. then nancy pelosi said george washington reminded us about the evil of republicans. really? george washington himself [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego. prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonderhat other questionable choices i've made? [ club scene music ] [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. >> announcer

he was invited by al cardenas, now head of the american conservative union. s when he extended the invite to governor bush. he said repeatedly, it is too early to think about 2016. but we should also include the context here which is that there are a lot of ron paul supporters who attend this. ron paul has repeatedly won this evented in the past, and of course, rand paul seen as a new generation. so possibly there was some self-interest in there as well. >> he'll do well, rand paul, in the straw poll. >> absolutely. let's talk about rand paul. he's been getting a lot of attention over the past week or so. and of course, more so amongst the conservative base. he had pretty strong words today at cpac. let's listen to a little bit more of it. >> the gop of old has grown stale and moss-covered. [ cheers and applause ] i don't think we need to name any names, do we? >> then there were cheers after he said that. so it's clearly a swat at someone, or some more than one. who do you think it was? >> well, i spoke to mr. paul and he said it was just meant about the esta

the head of american conservative union defended cpac.ernor christie wasn't invited last year bauds he did a great job. this past year, he strongly add voe kalted for a pork barrel bill. so he was not invited back to speak. >> i didn't know that i hasn't been invited to cpac until two days ago when i saw it in the news. yeah, apparently, i hadn't been invited. listen, i wish them all the best. they don't want to invite me, that's their call. it's their organization. it's their business. it's not like i'm lacking free invitations to speak here and around the country. it's not like i have a who i will lot of openings in my schedule. i can't sweat the small stuff, i've got a state to rebuild. >> he had that one ready, i think. i don't think he thought of that one on the spur of the moment. you know, i have to say, michelle, you're up in new york right now. where are you right now? >> i'm in new york. >> you should have shared the media market. 11% of people watching in new york, basically. he eets big. he's big in connecticut. he's big in je

that is the convservative political action conference hosted by the american conservative union. find all the coverage online at our website c-span.org. this morning businessman donald trump spoke about manufacturing in the u.s. here is a brief look. >> by fixing the economy we're able to solve the problems that we really do need to solve and immediately as a nation. medicare, medicaid, social security. they all become affordable when we become a wealthy country again. you know, part of the reason that the republicans and even the democrats, they're all talking we have got to cut, we have got to cut, because our country isn't doing it. we're not cutting the mustard. we're not doing it. new technology has shown that we have tremendous wealth right under your feet in the form of energy. right under our feet. north dakota is a great example. [applause] we're not allowed to go and get it. so we go to the opec nations that think we happen to be, because, they're all friends of mind. i know them all. they think they're stupidest people on earth. they can't believe they're getting away w

the head of the conservative union says donald trump is an american patriot and success story with a e following among republican conservatives. he also led the birther movement which lost steam when president obama released his birth certificate. we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball." what are the odds that we could wake up in november of 2016 to the news that the next president of the united states has a very familiar last name? as in bush? well, the election is still a long way off, of course, but the prospect that another bush might at least run for the highest office seemed a bit more likely after a recent round of interviews in which jeb bush was talking about his new book. take a look at what he said to nbc's chuck todd. >> you're being much more open about considering national office than i have ever heard you before. what's different this time? >> well, i'm not saying yes. i'm just not saying no. >> that's what's so different. you used to be pretty definitive. >> so 2008 i was asked about it, and i said, heck, no. it wasn't the right time. in 2012 is wasn't eith

the head of the conservative union says donald trump is an american patriot and success story with a e following among republican conservatives. he also led the birther movement which lost steam when president obama released his birth certificate. we'll be right back. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy. we've shared what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. bp's also committed to america. we support nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. yeah. then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands? >>> welcome back to "hardball." what are the odds that we could wake up in november of 2016 to the news that the next president of the united states has a very familiar last name? as in bush? well, the election is still a long way

after the episcopal church consecrated an openly gay bishop and approved blessings for same-sex unions. some african and asian jurisdictions accused the u.s. church of heresy. many conservative americanongregations have broken away from the episcopal church and aligned themselves with african anglicans. there have been a series of contentious lawsuits over church property, and some congregations are now worshipping in schools. bitterness still prevails in many quarters throughout the communion. welby concedes in such circumstances, it's difficult to even think about reconciliation. >> reconciliation is extraordinarily painful for those involved in the conflict. >> some people have a fear maybe that when one talks about reconciliation, what they might really mean is just papering over differences in order to -- >> yes, absolutely. >> ju get along you know, the most important thing is that we get along. >> oh, fuzzy wuzzy tolerance, sort of fluffy, where it would all be nice if we were nice to each other sort of rubbish. yes, that's, that's not at all what we're talking about. it's not a magic wand that you wave over people and suddenly everyone's happy, and when they are i'm usually s

americans. bringing mark rubio hispanic votes, it is not going to work. nuts.uz, that guy is if the republican party wants good advice from mexican american conservatives, maybe the conservative columnist for the san diego union. i would like to have an answer on that. thank you very much. guest: i disagree on your point that cuban-americans cannot connect. there are many political refugees from coming out -- from cuba who escape communism, including mark rubio's parents. they were never able to return back because of castro. as a, i do not see him cuban american figure. i see him as a national figure, an american figure who has to appeal to all demographic groups, mostly because he is able to take political risks. was heican politics, willing to take a risk in the senate? whether you agree with this immigration position, when it comes to politics, he's able to stand out there and do something on immigration that is not want to be popular with every element of the party. i sat down with rubio a few times and talked with -- talked with him about immigration, and he always says, it is not amnesty. that is the core argument. he wants to have a path, not necessarily to citizenship, but to legitimacy for illegal w

what's fair is allowing a state, not washington -- listen to the chair of the american conservative union. he says when it comes to state sales taxes, it's time to address the area where federally mandated prejudice is most egregious. the policy toward internet sales, the decades-old inequity between online sales and in-person sales is outdated and unfair. that means that if i am trying to run the national boot company, i have got to pay a 10% penalty to somebody who is out of state. if somebody is out of state and by catalog or by internet they want to sell to the six million people in tennessee, they don't have to do that. they can sell in kentucky, they can sell in ohio, everywhere else, but if they want to sell in our state, mr. president, they should live by the same rules that tennesseans do. we don't believe in picking and choosing winners or losers. we don't believe in treating one taxpayer this way, another taxpayer that way. we don't want to pick one business this way and another that way, and we don't like the idea of washington making us play mother may i to come up here and a