February 07, 2008
McCain At CPAC: Joy, Boos, But Mostly Joy
Just a few hours after Mitt Romney announced he was pulling out of contention, a swarm of conservative activists were pushing and shoving their way into a hotel ballroom to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be-officially-anointed Republican presidential nominee, John McCain. Much like the Arizona senator's revived White House hopes, the sight of hundreds of attendees brandishing "McCain for President" shirts, buttons and placards was a stunning turnaround.
The ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington was filled beyond capacity. After making the mistake of wandering around to interview attendees, this Gater was nearly shut out, along with fellow reporters from AP, the Financial Times and Time magazine. Hotel staff weren't even cracking the doors for NPR's Mara Liasson and the New York Times' Maureen Dowd.
After mistaking this Gater for one of CPAC's College Republican organizers (humph!), Liasson was squeezed in, along with some of the rest of us -- including yours truly.
The fire code-violating excitement surrounding McCain's address was to be expected. After being CPAC 2007's persona non grata, McCain was riding into this year's conference as the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. The McCainiacs were everywhere. Last year, we didn't see so much as a McCain bumper sticker.
There was booing, to be sure, just as there is in every conservative grassroots gathering whenever McCain's name is mentioned. He's synonymous with amnesty, campaign finance reform and an at-times contentious relationship with President Bush, particularly over those tax cuts. Does being the GOP nominee mean all is forgiven? Of course not. But amends are being made.
As one attendee told us, "McCain's got the best chance of beating out Democrats." That may smack of cold-hearted pragmatism, but there is nothing cold or calculated about conservatives' passion for keeping the White House. Along with "the best chance" of taking out Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama in the general election comes something that's been missing from the Republican field since last year: hope and enthusiasm. McCain may not have won over everyone at CPAC, but he's given conservatives a reason to relish a fight against the Democratic nominee this year.
President Bush appears before his base tomorrow. Check back then for our full write-up on CPAC.
Posted at 5:30 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, WH 2008
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