CBS: Conservatives realize Bush years hasn’t worked out that well for their ideals [View All]

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/01/politics/main2529835.shtml

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David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union and the key organizer of the CPAC event, told reporters that while nearly everyone at the conference are clearly affiliated with and work through the Republican Party, “there has always been a question of, how do you do that without just being relegated to the back of the bus and taken for granted?”

When conservative author and direct-mail guru Richard Viguerie addressed the conference Thursday morning, he made a point of congratulating organizers for not inviting the chairman of the Republican National Committee to speak – something that has been done in years past. Keene said the reason RNC General Chairman Mel Martinez was not included in the program was not meant to send any message. Martinez had not yet been elected to the post last month when the schedule was firmed up. Still, Viguerie’s glee signaled how far conservative activists want to stay from the party establishment at this point in time.

Keene indicated that conservatives were weary of being taken for granted. “What you see now,” he told CBSNews.com, “is a reaction to Bush and the congressional leadership over the last few years, where there was always a reason to say, ‘well, we need to go along with this because these are our guys.’” Keene indicated that relationship hasn’t worked out that well for conservative ideals. “Pretty soon, incrementally, you do all that and you wake up one morning and not only does it turn into a political disaster but it wasn’t all that good” for conservatives. “How do you influence without being co-opted or being so outside you can’t? It’s a balancing act.”