What Blacks Should Watch for at CPAC
Will CPAC send Blacks a message they can relate to?
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It's That Time of Year - March marks the Republican Party's annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which takes place March 14-16. This year, the branch undergoing a public identity crisis could clash with the one that thinks the GOP should stay on the same track. This year, CPAC's theme is "America's Future: The Next Generation of Conservatives. New Challenges, Timeless Principles" and several minorities will be speaking. You may not agree with what they have to say, but you should at least listen. – Joyce Jones (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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The Way Forward - CPAC will provide an opportunity for the Republican Party to look both back and forward. In its "autopsy" of the 2012 election and other panel discussions, will they offer ideas about how to fix past mistakes to change the way the party engages communities that have not traditionally embraced its policies? (Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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Affirmative Action - CPAC has expanded the number of women, African-American and Latino speakers this year as part of its effort to give them a bigger voice. Approximately 15 Blacks and 18 Latinos are on the roster, including Allen West, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott; Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mayor Mia Love and former Democratic congressman Artur Davis.(Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst /Landov)
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Young Voices - Young voters gave President Obama a tremendous boost in 2008 and 2012, which has not gone unnoticed. CPAC will feature an array of several impressive young Black Republicans, including Chelsi Henry, outreach chair of the Young Republican National Federation; Sonnie Johnson, founder of “Did She Say That”/Breitbart News Network; and Wayne Dupree, who runs the web site Newsninja2012.com. (Photo: chelsi henry/Facebook)
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They're Looking at You - Some of the panels will explore ways to open the tent to minority and young voters, including "A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of the Movement: Winning With Generation X/Y" and "Conservative Inclusion: Promoting the Freedom Message to all Americans." Does their message resonate? (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Ben Carson's Debut - Pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson made headlines during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in February in which he criticized President Obama, who was there, and Obamacare, earning conservative celebrity status. Carson, who is retiring from his job at Johns Hopkins Hospital in June, will speak about the nation's health care system, but is he setting the stage for a political career?(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Jackie Robinson Foundation)
Photo By Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Jackie Robinson Foundation
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In With the Old - CPAC organizers snubbed popular conservatives like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in favor of tried-and-faileds like former Florida congressman Allen West, Sarah Palin and presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Will they acknowledge past mistakes and offer new ideas? (Photos from left: AP Photo/Mel Evans, AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
