Among the Young Conservatives

It's 9:15 a.m. on Friday morning. Most college students across America are still hitting the snooze button. But here, in the ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., thousands of young people are standing and cheering for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "Some people call this the conservative spring break," said the 67-year-old senator from Kentucky.

I am at the second day of the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The conference, which began in 1973, is hosted by the American Conservative Union. This year's events are anticipated to draw some 9,000 people, up from 7,000 last year, which would make this the largest CPAC in history. The series of lectures, panels, film screenings and receptions is ground zero for young conservatives. While Obama claims the majority of hearts and minds at many universities, here the fashion du jour includes PRESERVE TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE stickers and DON'T BLAME ME—I VOTED FOR SARAH! tote bags. They've come from all over America to listen to the likes of Ann Coulter, Mitt Romney and Rush Limbaugh sing the praises of conservatism and set the Republican Party's agenda for the coming years.

At CPAC, 19-year-olds unironically wear bowties and snap photos with their cell phones of Rep. John Boehner and former governor Mike Huckabee, as if they were prepubescent girls at a Jonas Brothers concert. In droves, college students attend panels like "Al Franken and ACORN: How Liberals Are Destroying the American Election System," and, a rebuttal to a recent NEWSWEEK cover story, "Bailing Out Big Business: Are We All Socialists Now?"

Over half of the conference's registrants are college students. Although many of the conference's speakers and attendees noted that this statistic was a happy surprise, the overwhelming presence of young people is no accident. The event's Facebook group boasts 2,886 members. Special students-only events, including a reception with Karl Rove, pepper the weekend's agenda. CPAC offered heavily discounted student rates and scholarships to attract young conservatives to the conference.

With the Republicans soundly defeated in both Congress and the White House last November and Obama approval ratings maintaining impressive heights, the party has appeared weak and divided. However, the conservative coalition at CPAC is both boisterous and united, and none are more enthusiastic about the party's future than its youngest members.

"We're coming up," said CPAC attendee Olivia Offner, 21. "We're not the candidates, but we're the speechwriters, the campaign staffers, the journalists."