12 Things We Learned From the CPAC Straw Poll

Were you to listen exclusively to the liberal mainstream media, you would believe that even a majority of Republicans have already grown tired of President Donald Trump’s antics and that it’s time for the more compromising GOP establishment leadership in Congress to steer the nation’s course for the next four years.

Then the American Conservative Union released the results of its CPAC 2017 straw poll, conducted in conjunction with The Washington Times, and torpedoed that entire narrative.

Here are 12 things were learned from the poll:

1. America’s still headed in the wrong direction: In the traditional “right direction/wrong track” question, CPAC attendees were nearly evenly split, but a plurality believe the U.S. is still on the wrong track:

• • Right Track: 44 percent
  • Wrong Direction: 47 percent

2. An overwhelming majority of conservatives support Donald Trump and the job he’s done so far: The president’s job approval rating among CPAC attendees is astoundingly high:

• • Strongly Approve: 55 percent
  • Somewhat Approve: 31 percent
  • Somewhat Disapprove: 6 percent
  • Strongly Disapprove: 6 percent

3. The conservative movement is being realigned: CPAC attendees were asked about the notion that President Trump is “realigning” the conservative movement by appealing to conservatives and rank-and-file Republicans alike:

• • Strongly Agree: 42 percent
  • Somewhat Agree: 38 percent
  • Somewhat Disagree: 10 percent
  • Strongly Disagree: 5 percent

4. Jobs and the economy are most important: CPAC attendees were asked to pick from among several choices about what issue they believed was most important, and here’s how they voted:

• • Economic issues (jobs, taxes, government spending): 46 percent
  • National security (defeating radical Islamic terror and ISIS): 29 percent
  • Social issues (life, family, religious freedom): 13 percent
  • Maintaining honesty and integrity in government: 11 percent

5. Tax reform is the top priority: CPAC attendees were asked which of President Trump’s campaign promises was most important, and tax reform was the clear choice of nearly a third of those who voted:

• • Tax reform: 33 percent
  • Repeal/replace Obamacare: 28 percent
  • Building “the wall”: 17 percent
  • The “immigration and refugee pause”: 12 percent
  • Developing a “massive” infrastructure package to spur job creation: 8 percent

6. Congressional Republicans could be doing more to support the president: CPAC attendees were gave a resounding consensus on whether or not establishment Republican leadership has been doing enough to support President Trump:

• • Could be doing more to support:67 percent 
  • They’re doing enough: 22 percent 
  • Could be doing more to oppose: 8 percent

7. Judge Neil Gorsuch was a “home run” pick for the Supreme Court: An overwhelming majority of Americans support the president’s nominee to succeed the late Antonin Scalia on the high court:

• • Strongly Approve: 83 percent
  • Somewhat Approve: 11 percent
  • Somewhat Disapprove: 1 percent
  • Strongly Disapprove: 1 percent

8. Senators need to get behind the Gorsuch nomination and make it happen: CPAC attendees were asked how vote against Gorsuch’s confirmation would impact their vote the next time their senators come up for re-election and the results were powerful:

• • Much less like to vote for their re-election: 75 percent
  • Somewhat less likely to vote for their re-election: 11 percent
  • It will have no impact: 5 percent
  • Somewhat more likely to vote for their re-election: 2 percent
  • Much more likely to vote for their re-election: 3 percent

9. Mitch McConnell needs to “go nuclear” in the Senate: If Democrats continue to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination, CPAC attendees were clearly in favor of removing the 60-vote cloture requirement on Supreme Court nominees:

• • Strongly Favor: 53 percent
  • Somewhat Favor: 22 percent
  • Somewhat Oppose: 8 percent
  • Strongly Oppose: 8 percent

10. Cut off so-called “sanctuary cities” from all government funding: CPAC attendees were asked if they supported the proposal to “defund” all sanctuary cities, counties and college campuses, and the response wasn’t surprising:

• • Strongly Support: 79 percent
  • Somewhat Support: 12 percent
  • Somewhat Oppose: 4 percent
  • Strongly Oppose: 4 percent

11. President Trump’s immigration and refugee pause were the right things to do: A large majority of CPAC attendees supported the president’s decision to halt immigration and the refugee program temporarily to ensure proper vetting of those coming into our country:

• • Strongly Approve: 59 percent
  • Somewhat Approve: 22 percent
  • Somewhat Disapprove: 9 percent

12. Keep on tweeting: Most CPAC attendees said they had absolutely no problem with President Trump’s use of Twitter and social media to communicate directly with the public:

• • Strongly Approve: 41 percent
  • Somewhat Approve: 29 percent
  • Somewhat Disapprove: 17 percent
  • Strongly Disapprove: 11 percent

Bob Eschliman

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