CPAC 2015: What you need to know about America's conservative jamboree
Establishment favourites like Jeb Bush will be testing their messages while Tea Party rabble rousers like Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin will be rehearsing their best applause lines. Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader, will also be making a guest appearance.
Sarah Palin (AP)
Who isnt going?
Now that his presidency-seeking days are over, Mitt Romney, never a hit with the grassroots, probably relished checking No on his invitation. The top two Congressional Republicans, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, have also declined. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as two figures the Right most loves to hate, will certainly be coming up in conversation.
Whats on the agenda?
In addition to bashing the aforementioned Democrats, the speakers will tout their pro-gun, anti-abortion bona fides.
More divisive will be immigration, with relative moderates like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio flouting the party line. Gay marriage is increasingly accepted by the country at large but still riles up the conservative base, and on defence Rand Paul, the libertarian with isolationist instincts, may take some flak from his more hawkish rivals.
Why is Nigel going?
To commune with kindred conservative spirits and to get some international exposure before his own party conference, which opens in Margate on Friday. Mr Farage shares the small-government ideology of libertarians like Mr Paul, although he admits he is less sure footed with the Evangelical Christian crowd.
His message to groups like the Tea Party will be that UKIPs surge in Britain is a sign that they will not have to remain on the fringe forever.
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CPAC 2015: What you need to know about America's conservative jamboree