Mia Love, the Republican mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, and a rising star in a conservative movement that is still somewhat over-excited by its own occasional diversity, spoke to the CPAC throngs this afternoon.
She really wanted those in attendance to be confident. Like, really, really a lot.
To be sure, Love's career looks bright. In 2012 -- a year in which she was honored with a prime time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention -- she came within a hair of winning her 2012 race to represent Utah's 4th District in the House of Representatives, losing to Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson by less than 800 votes.
"November 6 was a tough night for conservatives," Love said, urging the attendees to neither give in to demands to rebrand their movement or go into hiding. "If we have confidence in our principles," she said, "that will allow us to get up and climb again."
Love continued in this vein, offering little more than a distillation of the themes that most of the speeches thus far have already hit. "Persevere," she said. "Be confident. My message for you ... is that there is great cause for confidence."
"Confidence means you stand up," she helpfully suggested. Basically, if you came into CPAC Saturday determined to drink every time you heard variations on the word "confident," then you are in deep trouble right now.
"I have confidence," she said, wielding a hammer and seeing only nails.
In a way, Love gave a small-ball version of former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's own speech to the CPAC crowds. To paraphrase: "2012 was tough. Sorry you didn't get everything you wanted. I have a lot of good memories from the campaign. They provide me with confidence. Some people say that we should be pessimistic." And so on.
"I believe that it is this type of confidence that Ronald Reagan had," Love said, "when he declared that it is always 'morning in America.'"
No other CPAC speaker used the word "confidence" more than Mia Love. Of that, I am confident.
Before You Go
