Attacking President Obama and dealing up ways to shape American values are red meat for the table of the Western Conservative Summit in Denver this weekend. The convergence brings more than 2,500 conservative “delegates,” many with tea party ties, together to hear from stars of the political right such as Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Ted Cruz and Allen West.
In its fifth year in Denver, the Western Conservative Summit continues to gain stature as a national event for Republicans to address the party’s base and raise ideological spirits.
The event, to run Friday through Sunday, features some 20 speakers and 30 workshops on such conservative values and strategies as “How Culture Drives Politics,” led by Ralph Reed and a Sunday morning panel discussing “Which Way Millennials, Left or Right?”
The summit at the Hyatt Regency and Colorado Convention Center culminates Sunday with a straw poll to gauge attendees’ early choices for a 2016 presidential nominee.
Despite a lineup of famous names, the most celebrated attendee this year could be Ben Carson, the keynote speaker Friday night, said John Andrews, the former Colorado state senator, Nixon speechwriter and founder of the sponsoring Centennial Institute in Lakewood.
The retired Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon first drew the attention of leading conservatives after the National Prayer Day breakfast in Washington in 2013. With President Obama sitting at his right, Carson’s speech was widely deemed critical of the administration, including Obamacare.
At a later conservative conference Carson called the Affordable Care Act “the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.”
Thursday, the Washington Times reported that a Draft Ben Carson for President Committee raised about $3.4 million in the last quarter, while the Democratic Ready for Hillary PAC raised $2.5 million.
At the Western Conservative Summit, Carson’s remarks are titled “Now is the Time.” He is to be preceded by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Utah Sen. Mike Lee.
Palin is expected to speak Saturday afternoon. Her address is titled “Seize the Day.”
The former Alaska governor and vice-presidential pick in 2008 called for Obama’s impeachment in a column on a conservative website earlier this month because of his immigration policy.
“President Obama’s rewarding of lawlessness, including his own, is the foundational problem here,” according to the column on Breitbart.com.
Bachmann is scheduled to appear at the “Gold Banquet” at later Saturday afternoon.
Friday afternoon, tickets were still available online, but summit spokesman Z. James Czupor said the event is expected to sell out at 3,000 delegates. Admissions ranging from $55 for people younger than 30 up to $650 for full access to all events and speakers for those older.
Video of events will be available on the Centennial Institute’s Livestream page.
Gubernatorial nominee Bob Beauprez is tapped to introduce Jindal, and Beauprez’s running mate, Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella, was set to introduce Lee.
U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, a candidate in the Senate race against Mark Udall, was on the schedule to welcome guests to the Friday evening session.
The GOP candidate running to replace Gardner in the House, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, is scheduled to introduce conservative radio host Dennis Prager Saturday night, according to summit organizers.
Sunday morning, Principles of Liberty Colorado will present awards to Colorado legislators who support the group’s values. The recipients are all Republicans: Rep. Perry Buck of Windsor; Rep. Justin Everett of Littleton, Rep. Stephen Humphrey of Severance, Sen. Randy Baumgardner of Hot Sulphur Springs, Sen. Vicki Marble of Fort Collins and Sen. Kent Lambert of Colorado Springs.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174, jbunch@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joeybunch
