“CPAC” on The Daily Caller

White nationalist Jamie Kelso went to CPAC last week hoping to get some converts. Instead, he got an earful from some conservative activists who sent him packing. In a video shot by Eddie Becker, Kelso engages in a lively discussion with younger CPAC attendees and Ron Paul supporters who let him know that racism is not welcome in the conservative movement. (more)

Where was the love at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference? (more)

This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference hosted many popular conservatives including Donald Trump, Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann, commentator Ann Coulter, and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, but the three-day event also attracted a large number of colorful characters that made headlines with their goofy costumes and appearances. (more)

Grover Norquist told Tea Party and Republican activists to stay away from would-be liberal allies Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), warning that they would only leech off conservative values and federal dollars. (more)

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels took the CPAC stage Friday night with a brainy, intense speech that explained the debt crisis as the “new red menace” and challenged activists to unify and sacrifice to defeat it. (more)

Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican, got the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) crowd’s biggest and most animated reaction of any speaker at the event – and took the stage saying: “I’m glad to see the revolution is continuing.” Paul applauded new House freshmen GOP members for blocking the extension of the PATRIOT Act. (more)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry showcased his affection for the 10th amendment, and a bit of tech-savvy in an animated speech to CPAC Friday — the first speech by a major speaker to include an explicit text message pitch from the podium. (more)

Jimmy McMillan, the former New York gubernatorial candidate best known for his mantra “The rent is too damn high,” took the Conservative Political Action Conference by storm Friday, giving impromptu speeches in hallways as reporters trailed him through the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. (more)

When an audience member questioned Orrin Hatch’s conservative principles because he voted for the 2008 TARP bailout, the Republican senator from Utah said he may have made a mistake with that vote. Hatch was sitting on a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) panel on whether there should be a constitutional amendment to force a balanced budget, and defended his decision as one made under pressure. (more)

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty railed against President Barack Obama, like every other Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) speaker, but the likely 2012 presidential candidate surprised the audience with his high-energy delivery. (more)

Patti Lyons, an impersonator of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday bearing such a striking resemblance to the former vice presidential candidate that many wondered if Palin had actually decided to make a surprise visit to the conference. (more)

A slew of possible 2012 Republican presidential candidates including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and businessman Donald Trump took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, and all took jabs at President Barack Obama. (more)

At CPAC, where he was almost shut out, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson seems to be enormously popular. The annual conservative confab in Washington is known as a testing ground for potential presidential candidates, and this year, it appears Johnson is passing with flying colors. (more)

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, called for cuts to the Department of Defense budget and entitlement reform in his Thursday afternoon speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). (more)

Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul has had some success in presidential politics, especially during his 2008 attempt and in the early stages of the 2012 election cycle. He raised $20 million last time around and won the 2010 CPAC straw poll looking forward to the next presidential campaign. But none of that matters according to real-estate mogul Donald Trump. (more)

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) previously kept gay conservative group GOProud, the John Birch Society and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson’s Our America out of its annual conference, but not this year. And representatives from the groups tell The Daily Caller they’re doing just fine so far. (more)

CPAC has a long history of being a showcase for conservatism’s brightest stars and most important priorities. Yet the inclusion of organizations that are working to undermine core conservative principles, even as sponsoring members of the event, has resulted in many longtime participants withdrawing from this year’s CPAC. (more)

In her Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) speech, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, told event attendees she’s picking up a bar tab for a party at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. She said she’s holding it because conservatives deserve time to “party hardy” after the major victories in the recent midterm elections. (more)

Sarah Palin reiterated her support for including GOProud, a self-identifying gay group, into the Conservative Political Action Conference that starts today, a rebuke to social conservatives who have actively been trying to push the organization out of the conservative movement. (more)

The cloud of controversy surrounding this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference continues to swirl, with the Washington Times reporting on Tuesday that a memo featuring several high-profile signatories had been sent to the American Conservative Union specifically protesting the acceptance of Republican gay rights advocacy group GOProud as an event sponsor. Among those named were prominent conservative figures Phyllis Schlafly, Ken Blackwell, Brent Bozell, and Colin Hanna. (more)