CPAC Live: Watch Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz and Scott Walker Live on Townhall

The Conservative Political Action Conference will draw to a close today, as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Scott Walker headline an all-star day.

Watch the entirety of the final day of CPAC live on Townhall!

Scott Walker kicked off the festivities for CPAC and granted Townhall's Guy Benson an exclusive interview. Guy writes that Walker's an underrated force for the national scene - and someone conservatives should watch out for. Walker also refused to explicitly rule out a presidential run in 2016:

On stage this morning, Walker demonstrated why he could be formidable on the national level. Speaking without notes, he gently chided Republicans for relying too heavily on cerebral policy arguments and neglecting to speak to people's hearts. On that front, Walker described his effective Badger State budget reforms, illustrating each success with empirical statistics and evocative personal anecdotes.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gave the featured speech yesterday evening at CPAC's dinner, following a long day of speeches from conservative luminaries like Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Nikki Haley, and Mitch McConnell.

Townhall's Guy Benson emcee'd the afternoon, and had a dynamite introduction of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Watch the entirety of Benson and Santorum online now!

In Addition, former governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressed the conference. He had a message of resilience and endurance for the assembled crowd of conservatives while acknowledging the disappointment at his November loss. He was introduced by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Watch Mitt Romney's speech in its entirety on Townhall!

Senator Mike Lee stopped by the Townhall booth to chat with Townhall's Kevin Glass. He discussed his participation in the Rand Paul filibuster and the possibility that a humble and skeptical view of government might be returning to the Republican Party.

Watch the entirety of Sen. Lee's interview exclusively on Townhall!

CEI Weekly: CEI Goes to CPAC

March 15, 2013

Feature: CEI participated in several CPAC events this week and also hosted the above event.

FEATURE: CEI Goes to CPAC This year's Conservative Political Action Conference opened yesterday and continues through Saturday. CEI, a co-sponsor of the conference, is represented on every day of the event. Yesterday, CEI's Myron Ebell spoke at a panel on "Re-energizing America" and Iain Murray spoke at a panel on "Europeanization of America." Also, yesterday evening, CEI used its co-sponsor privileges to host a panel discussion on "Bringing Tolerance Out of the Closet." Today, Angela Logomasini is speaking at a panel about GMOs, plastic, and sodas. Tomorrow, CEI President Lawson Bader is speaking at a panel with the heads of other think tanks on the future of the movement. SHAPING THE DEBATE JOBS Act Successes John Berlau's letter to the editor in The New York Times Internet Sales Tax a Bad Idea Jessica Melugin's op-ed in The Washington Examiner EPA Nominee Gina McCarthy Has History of Misleading Congress Marlo Lewis & Anthony Ward's op-ed in Forbes  A Contentious Generation of Conservatives Brian McNicoll's op-ed in The Washington Times The Semi-Virtue of a Balanced Budget Ryan Young & Wayne Crews' op-ed in The Daily Caller Bee-ing Smart: Regulators Distinguish Activists' Bad Dreams From Good Evidence Henry I. Miller's op-ed in Forbes  CPAC Organizers Confront Critics Over Vision of Mainstream Conservatism Fred L. Smith's citation in The Hill GoProud Chief Agrees With Marco Rubio: Opposing Gay Marriage Doesn't Make you a Bigot CEI's cited in New York Magazine Gay Republicans Find a Venue at CPAC CEI's citation in ABC News CPAC Diary: Showdown on Gay Street CEI's citation in Slate

CEI PODCAST March 12, 2013: Sunshine Week This week is Sunshine Week. According to itsofficial website, Sunshine Week is “a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.” Myron Ebell, Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment, is here to talk about CEI’s efforts to increase government transparency. BEST OF THE BLOGS SEC Charges Illinois With Securities Fraud and Lets It Off With a Warning By Ivan Osorio More Censorship to Prevent 'Bullying' By Hans Bader Will Regulators Fail to Learn From Past Mistakes of Raiilroad Regulation? By Marc Scribner EPA Dithers While Ethanol Kills By Adam Sandberg

ALG's Daily Grind - Germany's Green Energy Disaster: A Cautionary Tale For World Leaders

March 15, 2013

Germany's Green Energy Disaster: A Cautionary Tale For World Leaders

Because renewable power sources have been so unreliable, Germany has been forced to construct numerous new coal plants in an effort to replace the nuclear energy it has taken offline.

It's not 'wacko' to question the government

Conservatives shouldn't just question why Obama should have the authority to use military force against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, they should question why any President should have that authority.

What will the debt be in 2042?

If the debt continues growing faster than the economy, we're in trouble.

Breitbart.com: Caddell Unloads on 'Racketeering' GOP Consultants

Pat Caddell rakes the Republican consultancy class over the coals at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

YRNF leads at CPAC

YOUNG REPUBLICANS ON STAGE

Several Young Republicans are featured at CPAC:

• Chelsi Henry, Outreach Chair for YRNF, will participate in a panel at CPAC. Friday, March 15th at 3:00 EST. Chelsi was also highlighted by PolicyMic's "11 Black Conservatives Speaking at CPAC"
• Lisa Stickan, YRNF Chairman, will emcee proceedings Friday afternoon starting at 1:15 EST, including introducing Rep. Michael Burgess (TX), Rep. Sean Duffy (WI) and Rachel Campos-Duffy, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Rep. Diane Black (TN), Rep. Tim Huelskamp (KS) and others. 
• Florida State Representative and Young Republican Jose Felix Diaz emceed Friday morning, introducing US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH), and Rep. Paul Ryan (WI).
• Other YR members such as Laura Chambers and Francesca Chambers appeared on panels

REAGANPALOOZA

YRNF is a sponsor of the ever popular Reaganpalooza again this year. Here are the details so you can join us in style (cocktail attire!)

WHEN: Saturday, March 16, 2013 – 8:00pm-2:00am
WHERE: LOOK (formerly Teatro Goldoni), 1909 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 — [METRO: Farragut North (Red Line) & Farragut West (Blue/Orange Line)]
RSVP: Please RSVP on the Facebook Event page — or email RSVP.
EVENT - The longstanding CPAC tradition continues with the largest young professional conservative event of the year! (over 900+ attendees last year) The theme will be a unity rally for young conservatives and to celebrate the great legacy of President Ronald Reagan

Get more details on Facebook or visit the Young Conservatives Coalition website.
ENTRANCE FEE is $10, and 10% of all proceeds go to charity. There will be a dance floor and drink specials.

We hope to see you at CPAC! Please participate in one of our events, tweet on the #YRNF hashtag or just stop by our booth to say hi!

CEI Today: Legal Immigration, Sunshine Week, CEI at CPAC, and more!

IMMIGRATION - EVENT

March 20 Hill Briefing: Getting Legal Immigration Right

The immigration debate in Washington needs to move past the current illegal immigration problem to the future. If Congress is to seriously consider comprehensive immigration reform, it must address America’s broken legal immigration system. The system is beset by arbitrary restrictions, time constraints, and quotas. Real reform must address these issues.

SUNSHINE WEEK - Chris Horner CEI.org: Administration Brags About FOIA; CEI Experience Tells Different Story This week is "Sunshine Week," a national initiative dedicated to open government. In the spirit of the occasion, the White House is publishing a series of posts demonstrating "the Obama Administration's continued commitment to open and accessible government." Interestingly, Monday's post focused on "progress made improving the administration of the FOIA [Freedom of Information Act]." As detailed here, CEI is currently receiving tranches of emails from the EPA as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request (and subsequent lawsuit) targeting emails from now-former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's alias "Richard Windsor" email account. Most of the emails we have received are heavily redacted.

CEI at CPAC - MARCH 14 - 16 CEI is a co-sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), March 14-16 near Washington, D.C. CEI scholars will participate in four CPAC panels and other events. THURSDAY 2:00 pm - Book signing - CEI Vice President Iain Murray will signing copies of his best-selling book, Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You 3:00 pm - Re-Energizing America - energy policy 3:00 pm - Lessons They Have Learned and We Haven’t: The Europeanization of America - intersection of American and European politics and policy 6:00 pm - A Rainbow on the Right: Growing the Coalition, Bringing Tolerance Out of the Closet FRIDAY 11:00 am - How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love Plastic Water Bottles, Fracking, Genetically Modified Food, & Big Gulp Sodas - political attacks on consumer choice and economic freedom SATURDAY 10:45 am - In the Tank: The Smartest Guys in the Room - the future role of think tanks in America's changing political landscape > cei.org/events > facebook.com/ceidotorg

More in the news... More Calls For Censorship To Prevent “Bullying” Human Achievement Of The Day: Bionic Eye Restores Sight To The Blind Federal Pay Freeze Was Really A Pay Slowdown

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website, cei.org, and blogs, Globalwarming.org and OpenMarket.org.  Follow CEI on Twitter! Twitter.com/ceidotorg.