At CPAC, Humor Prevails Among Former Presidential Candidates
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., jokes were a common thread between the speeches of former GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry.
Bachmann and Perry each received warm receptions at the conference, being held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in downtown D.C. Their speeches were short and addressed different policies of the Obama administration that they believe to be failures.
Perry’s speech focused on domestic issues, drawing heavily upon his identity as a “10th Amendment conservative,” a reference to the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which stipulates states have powers not specifically allocated to the federal government. Bachmann focused her speech on the Obama administration’s foreign policy, specifically its policy regarding Israel.
The two former presidential candidates overlapped in their respective introductions. Both Bachmann and Perry started off their remarks with jokes about their failed bids.
“Running for president of the United States is really one series of humiliations after another,” Bachmann told the crowd.
The Minnesota congresswoman went on to lay out the three lessons she’d learned on the trail — where John Wayne was born, when Elvis Presley was born and to never forget the three things you’ve learned.
Rick Perry also embraced the idea that one must be able to joke about himself in his remarks.
“As many of you know, I had certain ideas about putting an end to this president’s failed administration, but the people of Iowa and New Hampshire had a different idea,” Perry said. “But back at Texas A&M, my alma mater, we had a very unique way of addressing defeat: Aggies never lose, we just run out of time. So you can say that my presidential campaign ran out of time.”
Neither candidate made reference to the current GOP field. Rick Perry has endorsed Newt Gingrich, but he did not mention the former House speaker while speaking to audience. Michele Bachmann has not endorsed a current candidate yet.
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