'Promises Made And Promises Kept': Pence Puts CPAC Crowd on Their Feet in Charged Speech
Vice President Mike Pence proclaimed at the 45th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday that 2017 under President Donald Trump has “been the most consequential year in the history of the conservative movement.”
Pence first addressed the current Second Amendment debate happening in the country in the wake of last week’s high school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
“In America, we mourn with those who mourn and grieve with those who grieve,” the vice president said.
“We’ll make the safety of our nation’s schools and our nation’s students our top priority,” he promised.
Pence then launched into his list of why 2017 was so consequential for conservatives, which included appointing the most conservative judges of any administration in U.S. history, signing a bill that allows states to defund Planned Parenthood, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, rescinding 22 regulations for every new one added, ending the Obamacare individual mandate and capping it off with the largest tax cuts in American history.
“Promises made, promises kept,” Pence said.
He added that the administration plans to continue down that same path.
“President Trump promised to enforce our laws, secure our borders, and today illegal crossings at our Southern border have been cut nearly in half and make no mistake about it, we’re going to build that wall,” Pence added.
Another line that brought the CPAC crowd to its feet was when Pence spoke of his unwillingness to greet North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un’s sister at week’s Olympic Games opening ceremony last week.
“For all those in the media who think I should have stood and cheered with the North Koreans, I say the United States of America doesn’t stand with murderous dictatorships, we stand up to murderous dictatorships,” said Pence.
“We will keep standing strong until North Korea stops threatening our country, our allies, or until they abandon their nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, once and for all!” the vice president stated.
Looking to the future, Pence promised, “the best is yet to come.”
He cited the growing economy, with the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years, and the over 4 million Americans who have received pay raises and/or bonuses from the new tax reform law.
Pence closed his address with thoughts of the importance of faith in God, quoting from a biblical passage that former President Ronald Reagan often cited, 2 Chronicles 7:14.
The vice president said: “And if His people, who are called by His name will humble themselves and pray, He’ll hear from heaven and He’ll heal this land.”
“This one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
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