WASHINGTON — Tea Party darling Marco Rubio raised the roof. Presidential aspirants Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty tested campaign themes. Dick Cheney and John Boehner had their say, too, at this week’s big gathering of conservatives. Not to mention TV’s Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter.
Other GOP stars, including 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and radio personality Rush Limbaugh, didn’t attend the Conservative Political Action Conference — but no one doubts their words carry considerable weight in the Republican Party.
Among the cacophony of voices, just who speaks for the GOP? That is the question Republicans are asking.
“It’s a good one. And I don’t think there’s an answer yet,” said Frank Thomas, 64, a Republican from Nashville, Tenn., who stopped by the Tea Party convention there last weekend.
These days, everyone seems to be the GOP’s spokesman, intentionally or not.
There’s a vacuum that has existed since George W. Bush, the head of the party for eight years, left the White House, and since 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s brief — and rocky — tenure at the top.
The result is a leaderless party, and a mishmash of people offering a mishmash of messages to the public heading into critical midterm elections this fall.
“We lost our way,” the Washington gathering was told by Mike Pence, an Indiana congressman who is beloved on the right and eyeing a presidential run. Now, he said, “Republicans are back in the fight!”
There were plenty of people at this week’s annual gathering of conservatives offering their takes on how to bring the GOP back to lasting prominence.
“Government is not the solution to all our problems,” declared Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. He laid out three pillars of a traditional conservative agenda: “Strengthen the economy, strengthen our security and strengthen our families.”
Pawlenty mapped out his own vision of limited government and strong defense. The Minnesota governor also trumpeted individual responsibility, free markets and the rule of law.
For now at least, Republicans seem to be taking comfort in the size of the chorus. As Thomas, the Republican from Nashville, put it: “A lot of voices are better than none!”
