Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Chairman David A. Keene has issued a special message in the wake of the disappointing outcome of the Presidential election:

At CPAC 1975, one speech initiated the conservative comeback. At that CPAC, Ronald Reagan told the audience:

“Since our last meeting we have been through a disastrous election. It is easy for us to be discouraged, as pundits hail that election as a repudiation of our philosophy and even as a mandate of some kind or other. But the significance of the election was not registered by those who voted, but by those who stayed home. If there was anything like a mandate it will be found among almost two-thirds of the citizens who refused to participate.”

CPAC students, it’s imperative that we continue to fight for conservative principles despite recent losses. We face new challenges, but our principles are timeless. Liberals will say that this election signalled the end of the conservative era. Please join me in continuing the fight at CPAC 2009. Our voices must be heard and a huge turnout at CPAC will send the message that conservatives are still here and ready to fight. Please go to www.cpac.org for registration information. Together we can initiate the next conservative comeback at CPAC 2009!

Further, Michelle Malkin has said with superior clarity that which I tried to articulate earlier:

What do we do now? We do what we’ve always done.

We stand up for our principles, as we always have — through Democrat administrations and Republican administrations, in bear markets or bull markets, in peacetime and wartime.

We stay positive and focused.

We keep the faith.

We do not apologize for our beliefs. We do not re-brand them, re-form them, or relinquish them. We defend them.