>> the conservative movement is saying no. stop. gipg rich is not going to be our final choice, but we are not handing this off to mitt romney right now. >> why do you think mccain was forced to take palin on as his vp? he wanted joe lieberman but knew that would never sell. ted troouz has won over the most dominant faction of the party before anything else. republican candidates are lining up to his get endorsement because they know it carries weight. the conservative base trusts him and knows he will fight for them no matter the cost. it's the exact opposite of what romney and mccain tried to do. cruz knows it's much harder to move from the midol the far right and back again than it is to start from the far right and then move to the middle. don't forget support for the tea party among loyal republicans is still high, sitting around 75%. and that's important because it's these same people who are attending cpac today that get out to vote in primaries. i know what you're thinking. it doesn't matter because it doesn't have establishment appeal.