>> Sreenivasan: JOINING US NOW
FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., IS OSITA
NWANEVU, A REPORTER FOR THE "NEW
YORKER" WHO COVERS POLITICS AND
POLICY AND WHO HAS BEEN COVERING
THE EVENTS AT THE CONSERVATIVE
POLITICAL ACTION CONFERENCE.
WHAT WAS THE BIG THEME THIS
YEAR?
>> WELL, THE BIG THEME THIS YEAR
I THINK WAS BASICALLY SOCIALISM.
THAT WAS A THROUGHLINE THROUGH
EVERY MAJOR SPEECH THAT YOU
HEARD, NOT ONLY FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND VICE PRESIDENT PENCE,
BUT ALL OF THE SORT OF "B-LIST"
SPEAKERS, AS WELL.
THERE WAS A BIG INTRO VIDEO THAT
THEY SHOWED MULTIPLE TIMES
DURING THE CONVENTION THAT
FEATURED CLIPS OF BERNIE
SANDERS, ALEXANDRA OCASIO-CORTEZ
AND OTHER DEMOCRATIC FIGURES WHO
THEY THINK ARE EMBRACING
LEFT-WING POLICIES THAT ARE
GOING TO BE TOO FAR LEFT FOR THE
ELECTORATE.
WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OBVIOUSLY
REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
>> Sreenivasan: THE REPUBLICANS
HAVE BEEN DOING THAT AND USING
SOCIALISM AS A MEANS TO TAR THE
LEFT WITH FOR A LONG TIME.
NOW, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
THAT THEY HAVE EVIDENCE?
THAT THEY HAVE MEMBERS OF THE
OTHER PARTY CLAIMING MEMBERSHIP?
>> WELL, THEY DO HAVE SOME
CANDIDATES LIKE BERNIE SANDERS,
OBVIOUSLY, WHO ACTUALLY STARTED
HIS CAMPAIGN WITH AN EVENT IN
BROOKLYN TODAY, WHO'S GOING
AROUND CALLING HIMSELF A
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST FOR A
LONG TIME.
PEOPLE LIKE ALEXANDRA OCASIO-
CORTEZ.
I PERSONALLY WOULD BE VERY
SKEPTICAL THAT THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT'S GOING TO SEEM NEW AND
FRESH TO THE ELECTORATE WHO
HEARD THESE KINDS OF CLAIMS.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT
THE RECORD OF PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS, THE PAST THREE, THEY
CALLED OBAMA "TOO FAR LEFT" IN
2008.
DIDN'T WIN.
THEY CALLED HIM THE SAME IN
2012.
THEY DIDN'T WIN.
BY CONTRAST, TRUMP, WHO DID
SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME
CALLING HILARY TOO FAR LEFT,
ACTUALLY FOCUSED MOST OF HIS
CAMPAIGN IN CALLING CLINTON
CORRUPT AND A MEMBER OF SORT OF
THE POLITICAL ELITE-- IF
ANYTHING, TOO CLOSE TO THE RICH.
TODAY, HE TALKED ABOUT THE
RULING CLASS IN HIS SPEECH TO
CPAC, AND THAT KIND OF APPROACH
SET HIM APART FROM OTHER
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.
AND HE DID, OBVIOUSLY, WIN THE
ELECTION.
SO, IF I WERE TRUMP OR PEOPLE
ADVISING TRUMP, I'D BE VERY
SKEPTICAL OF DITCHING THAT KIND
OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE.
>> Sreenivasan: THE
CONSERVATIVES HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT
TO CELEBRATE.
I MEAN, THEY CAN LOOK AT THE
ADMINISTRATION'S RECORD ON
DEREGULATING THINGS.
THEY CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THE
SUCCESSFUL NOMINATION OF TWO
SUPREME COURT JUSTICES NOW THAT
THINK A LOT MORE LIKE THEM THAN
THE PREVIOUS APPOINTEES.
>> I THINK THAT'S TRUE.
OBVIOUSLY, THE TAX CUTS, AS
WELL.
THEY TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT
DURING THE CONFERENCE.
THERE ARE THINGS THEY CAN TICK
OFF.
I THINK THE REAL QUESTION NOW
IS, WITH THE DEMOCRATS IN
CONTROL OF THE HOUSE, HOW MANY
MORE VICTORIES ARE THERE GOING
TO BE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION?
SO, IT WILL BE REALLY
INTERESTING TO SEE HOW TRUMP
CONTINUES TO TRY TO STOKE
HIS BASE AND THE ABSENCE OF REAL
VICTORIES HE CAN DELIVER THEM.
OBVIOUSLY, HE'S TRYING TO DO
THAT WITH THE NATIONAL
EMERGENCY HE DECLARED OVER THE
WALL.
WE'LL SEE IF THAT ACTUALLY PANS
OUT INTO ANYTHING THAT'S GOING
TO GET SECTIONS OF THAT WALL
REALLY BUILT.
BUT HE'S REALLY GOING TO
STRUGGLE TO DELIVER NOT ONLY
CAMPAIGN PROMISES BUT SORT OF ON
THE MOOD THAT HE TRIED TO
CULTIVATE HERE AT CPAC.
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S GOING TO BE CENTRAL IS,
AGAIN, THIS IDEA THAT THERE IS
A RISING TIDE OF SOCIALISM ON
THE LEFT THAT CONSERVATIVES HAVE
TO SORT OF BAND TOGETHER AND
COMBAT.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN A MORE
COMBATIVE MOOD, AND MAYBE THAT
SORT OF TAKES THE PRESSURE OFF
TRUMP TO ACTUALLY DELIVERS
THINGS.
>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY, I
WANT TO ASK, YOU SPENT SEVERAL
DAYS THERE TALKING TO YOUNG
PEOPLE, YOUNG CONSERVATIVES.
WHAT'S YOUR SENSE?
IS THERE A NEWFOUND ENERGY
BECAUSE OF TRUMP?
DO THEY... ARE THEY MORE
OPTIMISTIC OF THEIR OWN FUTURES?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE IS A LOT
OF ENERGY BECAUSE OF TRUMP.
I THINK THAT HE SEEMS LIKE A
DIFFERENT KIND OF REPUBLICAN
POLITICIAN TO YOUNGER
CONSERVATIVES, CAMPUS
CONSERVATIVES, SOMEBODY WHO'S
WILLING TO POKE LIBERALS IN THE
EYE.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG
CONSERVATIVES WHO REALLY ENJOY
THAT.
ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING
PRESENCES, I THINK, AT THE
CONFERENCE THIS YEAR WAS A GROUP
CALLED TURNING POINT U.S.A.,
FOUNDED IN 2012, THAT'S EXPLODED
OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND THEIR AGENDA IS BASICALLY
SORT OF RIBBING LIBERALS ON
CAMPUS IN A WAY THAT IS FRANKLY
QUITE SIMILAR TO THE KIND OF
JOUSTING THAT TRUMP DOES
RHETORICALLY ON THE NATIONAL
POLITICAL STAGE.
CHARLIE KIRK IS THE GROUP'S
FOUNDER.
HE HAD A BIG, BIG SPEAKING SLOT
AT CPAC THIS YEAR, AS DID
CANDICE OWENS, THEIR
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF
INTEREST IN THAT GROUP.
AND IT, YOU KNOW... IT WAS GIVEN
A LOT OF SPACE, AND CERTAINLY A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE JOINING.
>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT,
OSITA NWANEVU, A REPORTER FOR
THE "NEW YORKER."
THANKS SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.