In addition to Ron Paul’s victory in the 2012 straw poll at CPAC, there were also these interesting results, which seem to show that mainstream conservatism may be moving in a move libertarian direction:
First, this shows that limited government is at the core of the attendees beliefs:
And, this chart shows that the primary concern among attendees was reducing the size of government while hot-button issues like immigration, “traditional values,” and gay marriage were in the low single digits and even abortion wasn’t seen as a major issue:
Of course, this party is a reflection of the times and the fact that economic issues are the predominant issue on people’s minds today. Whether it represents something more, though, like a return of American conservatism to the libertarian roots of the Goldwater era remains to be seen.
H/T: The Crossed Pond and United Liberty
[...] and radically pro-liberty political figure of any significance on the Republican scene—a poll of CPAC attendees reveals encouraging facts about their general political attitudes: 80 percent claimed their “most [...]
All the hot button issues you mention are the product of a meddling government. A smaller government is less likely to meddle in our every day lives.