Carrie Prejean Stars at Conservative Summit
Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mike Huckabee and Bill O'Reilly are just some of the big names that are gathering for the "Values Voters Summit 2009" in Washington, D.C. this weekend.
On the first day of the summit, however, a beauty queen was the talk of the event.
Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California who blames her loss in the 2009 Miss USA contest on the fact that she stated her opposition to same-sex marriage, told attendees that "even though I didn't win the crown that night, I know that the Lord has so much of a bigger crown in heaven for me."
She said Friday morning that "God had a plan for me that day" that she lost the beauty contest because "he knew I was strong enough to get through all the junk that I've been through." Added Prejean, who is releasing a book in November: "I was a woman who stood up for the truth and people don't want to admit that. I had the courage and the bravery that a lot of people don't have."
Prejean became a conservative hero after her answer prompted criticism from liberal commentators. She was introduced today by the leader of a group that opposes same-sex marriage as "our Miss America."
The ideological underpinnings of the Values Voters Summit, which goes through Sunday, can be divined from the names of the breakout sessions: "Speechless - Silencing The Christians, "Thugocracy - Fighting The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy," "The Threat Of Illegal Immigration," "Global Warming Hysteria" and "Obamacare: Rationing Your Life Away" among them. It is co-sponsored by a number of heavy-hitters in the social conservative movement, including the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family Action, the American Family Association and the Heritage Foundation.
4620389Huckabee, the 2008 presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor, also spoke Friday morning. He said President Obama's "audacity of hope" had become the "audacity of hypocrisy," the New York Times reports.
Huckabee said he had not decided if he would run for president in 2012. But he did take a shot at his 2008 rival Mitt Romney, attacking the universal health care system the former Massachusetts governor orchestrated as something that is "going to bankrupt their entire budget," as CNN reports.
Huckabee also told attendees that "life begins at conception and ends when God calls us home, not when Ezekiel Emanuel calls us home," the Wall Street Journal reports, a reference to the Obama administration advisor (and brother of White House chief of staff Rahm) whose writings have attracted the ire of conservatives.
McConnell, the Senate minority leader, said the "grassroots activism" of the attendees "started at your kitchen tables; and your living rooms," according to the Times.
Countering claims by Democrats that some of the opposition to health care reform efforts had been orchestrated, he said instead "it was born out of a sense of urgency about the future, and it was underwritten by you, not a public relations firm in Washington."
He added that "the organized left has attempted to dismiss you as cranks, as scare-mongers or worse."
Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican representative who has often raised hackles from liberals, suggested in reference to Democrats' health care reform efforts that "a two trillion dollar monstrosity" is poised to destroy "the greatest health system there's every been in the world," the Star Tribune reports. She also criticized the House for voting to expand government student loan programs.
Cantor, the House minority whip, said many Americans don't "recognize their country anymore," according to the Journal. He said summit attendees are "fighting on the front lines in a battle that is truly for the future of our democracy."
Actor and conservative talk show host Stephen Baldwin, meanwhile, told ABC News at the summit that former president Jimmy Carter "is a dum-dum" for suggesting that racism plays a role in criticism of the president.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are among the few social conservatives who are skipping the event, the Washington Times reports, with Palin opting to welcome her son Track home from Iraq.
The summit will include a "2012 Presidential Straw Poll," the results of which will be announced Saturday. Gingrich, Huckabee, Palin, Pawlenty, Romney, Bobby Jindal, Ron Paul, Mike Pence, and Rick Santorum are on the ballot.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. On the first day of the summit, however, a beauty queen was the talk of the event.
Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California who blames her loss in the 2009 Miss USA contest on the fact that she stated her opposition to same-sex marriage, told attendees that "even though I didn't win the crown that night, I know that the Lord has so much of a bigger crown in heaven for me."
She said Friday morning that "God had a plan for me that day" that she lost the beauty contest because "he knew I was strong enough to get through all the junk that I've been through." Added Prejean, who is releasing a book in November: "I was a woman who stood up for the truth and people don't want to admit that. I had the courage and the bravery that a lot of people don't have."
Prejean became a conservative hero after her answer prompted criticism from liberal commentators. She was introduced today by the leader of a group that opposes same-sex marriage as "our Miss America."
The ideological underpinnings of the Values Voters Summit, which goes through Sunday, can be divined from the names of the breakout sessions: "Speechless - Silencing The Christians, "Thugocracy - Fighting The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy," "The Threat Of Illegal Immigration," "Global Warming Hysteria" and "Obamacare: Rationing Your Life Away" among them. It is co-sponsored by a number of heavy-hitters in the social conservative movement, including the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family Action, the American Family Association and the Heritage Foundation.
4620389Huckabee, the 2008 presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor, also spoke Friday morning. He said President Obama's "audacity of hope" had become the "audacity of hypocrisy," the New York Times reports.
Huckabee said he had not decided if he would run for president in 2012. But he did take a shot at his 2008 rival Mitt Romney, attacking the universal health care system the former Massachusetts governor orchestrated as something that is "going to bankrupt their entire budget," as CNN reports.
Huckabee also told attendees that "life begins at conception and ends when God calls us home, not when Ezekiel Emanuel calls us home," the Wall Street Journal reports, a reference to the Obama administration advisor (and brother of White House chief of staff Rahm) whose writings have attracted the ire of conservatives.
McConnell, the Senate minority leader, said the "grassroots activism" of the attendees "started at your kitchen tables; and your living rooms," according to the Times.
Countering claims by Democrats that some of the opposition to health care reform efforts had been orchestrated, he said instead "it was born out of a sense of urgency about the future, and it was underwritten by you, not a public relations firm in Washington."
He added that "the organized left has attempted to dismiss you as cranks, as scare-mongers or worse."
(AP)
Cantor, the House minority whip, said many Americans don't "recognize their country anymore," according to the Journal. He said summit attendees are "fighting on the front lines in a battle that is truly for the future of our democracy."
Actor and conservative talk show host Stephen Baldwin, meanwhile, told ABC News at the summit that former president Jimmy Carter "is a dum-dum" for suggesting that racism plays a role in criticism of the president.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are among the few social conservatives who are skipping the event, the Washington Times reports, with Palin opting to welcome her son Track home from Iraq.
The summit will include a "2012 Presidential Straw Poll," the results of which will be announced Saturday. Gingrich, Huckabee, Palin, Pawlenty, Romney, Bobby Jindal, Ron Paul, Mike Pence, and Rick Santorum are on the ballot.
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Looks like a bloodbath in 2012. The democrats can run virtually anyone against that list of incompetent losers, and win easily.
Obama will crush any of them by 15% or more.
The truely intelligent can see past your name calling and sense a feeling of frustration in the attempt to win over people by boiling everything down into "christian values", "commonsense" and "morality". Keep up this negative approach(i.e "do-do bird","demonut") to reach out for support of the "ideals of freedom" you speak of and you'll find less people will listen to what you have to say........
Conservatives currently contribute very little to the national debate, have few constructive ideas, but insist on running the show. Sorry, that train left the station with Bush/Cheney and a $3 trillion war debt.
Conservatives want their country back. Which country are they are talking about, specifically? The rest of America seems to be moving ahead, finally in the right direction. I hope these folks can provide something positive as things move forward.
As far as Carrie Prejean is conserned, if I have to listen to idiotic babble, at least with her I have something to look at that's easy on my eyes.
While straw polls this early don't mean very much, this one does tell me that Sarah Palin isn't even going to be a viable candidate in the 2012 GOP primaries against other Republicans that conservatives also like. If Palin has all but dropped off their radar screen, she's not on anybody's radar screen. The way I see it, the best that Sarah Palin can accomplish in 2012 will be to raise money and rally support for other potential conservative candidates.
I'm not sure what this poll means for Mitt Romney...but I don't see this as very good news. I don't know if it means that Romney's Mormon religion remains a problem for some religious conservatives or if they would switch their support to him if he ultimately becomes the GOP nominee in 2012 because they would support anybody but President Obama..
Governors Palenty and Jindal had pathetic showngs.
I don't see former Governor Mike Huckaby as being electable in the 2012 general election, but he could win the primaries, given the strength of religious conservatives in the GOP. To me, Huckaby is more of a regional conservative candidate. Unless the economy goes totally south (which I don't think it will), that would all but hand re-election to President Obama in 2012.
I still see former Governor Mitt Romney as the best candidate for the GOP in 2012.
I mean, It's not a slam dunk, eh?
According to the fairy tale, there a judgement procss to go though.....