Students for Life of America

2008 straw poll omits social values as choice of most important issue for nominee to focus on this election; dishonest when questioned about this exclusion at event.

ARLINGTON, VA - On February 9, to wrap up the 2008 CPAC at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Tony Fabrizio of Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates, Inc. presented the straw poll results that had been gathered during the conference. After the presentation, Fabrizio and David Keene, President of the American Conservative Union, took questions about the results from the audience. The last questioner asked why “social values” were not options for the section about most important issues for a nominee to focus on. Watch the video here.

Fabrizio responded promptly by claiming that illegal immigration was a social value, and “social values” were an option “at the end of the list”. Fabrizio insisted that the results for it were simply too low to be shown in the results presentation. The audience member asked if “social values” then had less than 2% turn out; Fabrizio explained that, “When we ask them to divide up and say ok, what was more important to you, economic issues and reducing the size of government versus moral issues, it was better than a three to one margin.”

This new explanation was in reference to another slide and question, which showed that at least 22% of CPAC respondents said they consider traditional values like marriage and the life of the unborn most closely in line with their core beliefs and ideology. This was the second highest chosen response for this question, showing that, contrary to what Fabrizio is trying to say, a large number of attendees would have likely picked issues to reflect this when asked which issues are most important for a presidential nominee to focus on.

Students for Life of America obtained a copy of the straw poll from Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates, Inc. The section in question did not, in fact, include any response choices along the lines of “social values,” or any commonly recognized issues of this kind, such as abortion.

Students for Life Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said, “It is laughable that a ‘conservative’ poll taker would say that illegal immigration is a social value issue. Reagan himself said that the conservative movement was based on three legs, and this omission chops one of those legs off for CPAC poll takers. We would strongly encourage CPAC to consider employing a polling firm which understands conservative beliefs for next year.”

Charissa Lloyd (Chairman of the UNC-Chapel Hill College Republicans, Co-Director of Outreach for Carolina Students for Life, and repeat CPAC attendee) said, “As strong supporters of CPAC, we cannot help but feel as though it does the conservative movement an injustice to ignore this essential part of the conservative ideology. Leaving this option out for CPAC attendees renders the poll results skewed, as attendees could not voice their opinion in favor of some of the most paramount issues of our time, such as abortion. I had to write it in as my choice, as did several others I know who took the poll.”

Students for Life of America was founded in 1987 as American Collegians for Life. It is the only pro-life organization which focuses on organizing college students at the grassroots level. With six full-time staff members, Students for Life of America has started 154 campus pro-life groups in the past 18 months. There are now 405 active pro-life college groups in 46 states across America.