Eastern Students participate in CPAC 2017

In late February the Eastern Conservative/ Libertarian Club attended the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor Maryland

just outside of Washington DC. Having also attended the conference last year there are some similarities and differences between the two conferences for several different reasons. The highlight of this trip by far was being able to see President Trump and Vice President Pence speak. We also got to see several other good conservative speakers and had the chance to meet some of the speakers.

As far as differences between last year's conference and the conference this year was that this year felt more like a victory rally for conservatives while last year there were several Republican Presidential Candidates still competing for the nomination, this year, there was much more unity within the party having won.

The Trump speech was by far the highlight of the Conference. He came out to a strong ovation by the crowd. The speech however, felt more like a rally than a speech from the President. President Trump was very engaged with the crowd and in his speech highlighted what he is going to do in his Presidency. President Trump addressed several policy areas including immigration and the Middle East. President Trump also addressed the media and how the media has treated him.

Besides the speeches by both Trump and Pence, there were also several other great speakers worth noting. One really good panel discussion was a discussion of the Constitution with Senator Ted Cruz and Radio Host Mark Levin. They discussed the importance of protecting the Constitution. There was also a very good discussion about Women and Politics with Trump's Campaign manager Kelly Anne Conway and Mercedes Schlapp. Furthermore, there were several other panel discussions and speeches concerning several different issues including, Abortion, Defense and The Second Amendment.

The conference also had an anti-establishment feel and a new Republican feel to it. There were very few establishment speakers at the conference this year and the Majority of the Speakers supported Trump during the General Election. This overall was a great week and our club is fortunate to have the opportunity to attend this conference every year. We are also grateful to our Advisor, Professor Vasillopulos for attending this conference with us every year. It is very beneficial to our Political Education and we are able to meet many amazing people at this conference every year.