When is cpac 2011

He and Romney appeal to the same set of Republican voters, and so far, Romney is winning them over. Still, he's a top tier candidate, particularly if Republicans opt for electability over fiery dogma. Gingrich is always an impressive speaker, and here at CPAC, he demonstrated his command of a wide range of issues. I particularly liked his aggressive challenge to Obama on energy - a winning issue for the party that other Republicans should embrace.

I liked his proposals on energy, but he seemed to wholly ignore issues such as social security and healthcare reform. Also, I've heard him make an almost identical speech before. Katie Connolly: Gingrich is an idea machine and Republicans harbour nostalgia for his time as Speaker, but a fiery temper and messy divorces won't help his cause.

He's flirted with running for president before but never made it official. An outside chance. Mike: 4. Though he was scripted, like Romney, Daniels's speech had a more natural - dare I say Reaganesque - feel to it.

He incorporated sly humour and some clever analogies into what was primarily a speech on the nation's financial state. I was impressed with his pitch to grow the party and his command of facts and figures. Very presidential. If he can cultivate a bit more charisma, My Man Mitch can truly become a competitive candidate. His track record as a fiscal conservative - balancing budgets and turning the state of Indiana around - is a great starting point for a presidential campaign.

Katie Connolly: Daniels is fast becoming the darling of the Republican Party's fiscal conservatives but has yet to captivate social conservatives. He has trouble mustering passion for issues like abortion and gay marriage. But if the economy is still the dominant concern come primary time, Daniels will be in an enviable position.

It was primarily an autobiographical talk about how his family came over from Norway to the US and how he unseated Democratic Senate minority leader Tom Daschle in The latter was a clever hint that he is "giantslayer", the former really didn't resonate. Definitely has the most presidential looks of the potential Republican candidates, and he struck a chord challenging the Washington DC way of doing things. Thune came across as an agreeable candidate. He gave careful attention to balanced budgets, the constitution, and international relations.

His rhetoric at times seemed familiar, but he received a warm reception. Katie Connolly: The chiselled South Dakotan could be cast as president in a film, but in the real world he lacks a national profile - he's unknown.

Republican bigwigs have high hopes for him, but his vote for President George W Bush's economic bailout package may prove toxic for Republican primary voters. A serious contender - but with a long road to the top of the pack, he may have a better chance in Mike: 2.

I liked Barbour's argument that fighting entitlement fraud is a means of saving money and that this could save billions at a national level. He spoke slowly, in his thick southern drawl, and seemed to be running out of steam towards the end of his speech. Overall, at CPAC he was a bit flat and did little to help his presidential chances. Charlotte: 2 out of 5. Barbour deserves great respect for carrying out "dangerous" spending cuts as opponents describe them and ensuring that government benefits only are received by those who are genuinely eligible.

But this speech was long and drawn out, and many struggled to pay attention. Worse yet, Trump was booed and jeered by Paul fans for declaring that the Texas congressman had "zero chance" of being elected president. Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney The ex-defense secretary was presented with a "defender of the constitution award" by former Bush administration colleague Dick Cheney — amid crowd jeers of "war criminal!

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum suggested she might be too busy looking after her children to attend, while Sen. John Thune R-S. Palin was further upstaged by a convincing lookalike , who became a mini-sensation at the conference.

Lacking the "right papers," Dowd was forced to work in the "tiny, overcrowded, poorly-equipped 'Media' room," instead of the "large, lavish, candy-filled 'Blogger' room. Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer Winners and Losers. Steve Bannon's contempt case assigned to Trump appointee. Luck of the draw. Chris Christie is happy to spar with Trump, may support him in Trump told an enthusiastic crowd at CPAC that he was debating whether to run for the Republican presidential nomination, and that if he did run, "our country will be great again.

The speech largely focused on economic issues, including trade, taxes, and oil prices. Trump promised to crack down on China and other foreign countries that he said were taking advantage of multinational trade deals and making the US a " laughingstock" and the "whipping post for the rest of the world.

We'll be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars from other countries that are screwing us," Trump said, to cheers. And we'll rebuild our country so that we can be proud. Trump's promise to raise tariffs on imported goods and bring manufacturing jobs back to rust belt communities became a cornerstone of his campaign, and, his administration says, remain central to his agenda as president.

At the very end of his speech, seemingly assuring the crowd of his conservative credentials, Trump ran through a checklist of his non-economic positions. I'm against gun control," Trump said. Trump did not miss the opportunity to self-aggrandize, boasting to the crowd that Steve Forbes had called him " one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the history of free trade.

He spoke of his own popularity in the third person, " Bloomberg Business said in a vote of its readers that Donald Trump was the world's most competitive businessperson," Trump said. He argued that America needed a "highly competent person" like himself to lead it through tough times.