The American Conservative Union‘s (ACU) annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has a new chairman, a new director and — if their first video trailer is any indication — a renewed focus on the basics.
The video wastes little time making two things about February’s coming conservative conference clear: The center-right conference will be undeniably conservative, and its new director — political activist and movement historian Christopher Malagisi — is firmly conscious of the philosophical, as well as the political, aspects of this conservatism.
“The video is in three parts,” Malagisi told The Daily Caller. “The first is to remind people about the last three years [of Obama’s leadership]. The second part is about the sun coming up — we’ve been here before, we have solutions and there is a heritage of conservative ideas. The third part is a commercial for CPAC and what it is.”
Beginning with a TPaw-esque view of the United States, complete with thunderclaps, midnight moons, ominous clouds and President Barack Obama’s 2009 oath of office, the video quickly gains speed. Statistics of soaring unemployment and reminders of Obamacare grow nearly frantic with images of plunging stock tickers and burning dollars. As it reaches its pitch, the video shows the common man definition of insanity — “doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_AFS15SSgQWith that, the frantic energy fades, and the second part begins. Reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s famous “Morning in America” campaign ad, the sun is seen rising over a hill as conservative philosopher king William F. Buckley’s oft-quoted line, “A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling ‘Stop!” eases onto the screen.
Here, in the second part, is where the video takes a turn from a typical campaign ad, and moves in a new direction: Quotes from famous men such as Buckley and Reagan, but also lines from less popularly known, yet still intellectually significant, men, glide onto screen. Philosophers Russell Kirk — “To seek for utopia is to end in disaster” — and Whittaker Chambers — “Human societies, like human beings, live by faith and die when faith dies,” it seems, will be a defining force for CPAC 2012.
“Getting back to the ideas of Buckley, Kirk, [economist Milton] Friedman and Chambers is the direction we want to go,” Malagisi told TheDC. “There will be a political element at CPAC — there always is — but we want to focus on ideas and, at the end of the day, that’s what matters.
As triumphant violins begin to pick up pace, images of CPAC 2011 flash by, interspersed with the values CPAC 2012 will champion: Constitutionally limited government, individual liberty, free markets, strong national defense and preserving traditional values.
“The message of CPAC 2012,” Malagisi said, “is ‘We Still Hold These Truths:’ We still hold these core principles as the way to get out of the mess we are in now. If that draws people into the fold, great: We want as many people who believe in conservative philosophy — and people who are interested in conservative philosophy — to participate.”
In the wake of scandals that plagued CPAC 2011 — co-sponsorship by gay Republican group GOProud and the inclusion of once-expelled conspiracy theorists John Birch Society — the reaffirmation and return to conservative roots evident in the first 2012 conference commercial will be welcome news for participants.
“We may disagree on different issues,” Malagisi said, “but at CPAC, it’s the ideas we want to talk about and uphold.”
