Bernie Sanders becomes lightning rod at CPAC as Trump soldiers launch war on socialism

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Bernie Sanders becomes face of CPAC as conservatives go on the attack

CPAC speakers target Sen. Bernie Sanders, socialism and the rest of the 2020 Democrat field at the annual conservative convention; Doug McKelway reports from National Harbor, Maryland.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- This week’s Conservative Political Action Conference made clear that Republicans have their political bogeyman for 2020 -- and it's the person who could possibly be the Democrats’ bona fide nominee.

The theme at the annual conservative gathering outside Washington has been "America vs. Socialism," and by extension, the rhetoric repeatedly turned back to the democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders.

CPAC KICKS OFF UNDER THE BANNER OF 'AMERICA VS. SOCIALISM' IN A SWIPE AT 2020 DEMS

"You don't feel the Bern -- there's no 'berning' going on in here!" American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, who presides over CPAC, joked to the audience on Friday.

The conservative narrative for the 2020 general election campaign was being set in plush surroundings at the Gaylord resort by the Potomac, on the outskirts of the capital. Whether Sanders -- the current Democratic presidential primary front-runner — becomes the party’s nominee or not, the big-government policies he represents are now what President Trump and his allies are running against.

“There is a tremendous opportunity, particularly with the likelihood of Bernie Sanders being on the ticket, we can’t take it for granted,” former GOP Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told Fox News. “But if we get it right, we can move beyond just personality politics to a real difference between socialism and freedom. That’s really the choice that voters have.”

MCCARTHY PREDICTS DEMS WILL LOSE THE HOUSE, SAYS THEY HAVE 'SURRENDERED TO THE SOCIALIST' 

Speaker after speaker at CPAC described Republicans as waging a war on socialism and a campaign for freedom and democracy—as they began to make the case for a second term for Trump, who will close out the event with a speech Saturday.

"Socialism sucks," Trump campaign adviser Mercedes Schlapp said on Thursday, warning that Republicans must “stop it in its tracks.”

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk told Fox News that Sanders' presidency is "deathly serious."

“We dismiss his candidacy at our own peril,” Kirk said.

Vice President Mike Pence said at CPAC on Thursday that "Elections are about choices,” while saying that the 2020 race will give voters the choice between socialism and freedom.

“The choice has never been clearer, the stakes have never been higher,” Pence said. “Men and women of CPAC, we’ve got work to do. The truth is, it won’t be enough to win the next election. We’ve got to win the next generation.”

“Freedom works. Socialism doesn’t,” he added.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy also boldly predicted that Democrats will lose the majority in the House of Representatives this cycle with Sanders at the top of the Democratic ticket.

“The Democrats have surrendered to the socialists,” McCarthy told Fox News on the sidelines of CPAC. “There is a reason why Bernie Sanders is going to become their nominee and that’s because this is no longer the Democratic Party — this is a socialist Democratic Party.”

"The Democrats are going to nominate who they think best represents them,” he said. “And I think, as today’s socialist Democratic Party, Bernie is their person who represents them best.”

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, is leading the Democratic presidential primary field in the delegate count and national polling, prompting warnings from party members and especially his nomination rivals that he could hurt the party down-ballot if nominated.

Asked what would happen if the Democratic Party attempted to take the Democratic nomination away from Sanders, I-Vt., at the convention, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, during a panel at CPAC said: “I don’t know how they can do it without creating a civil war in their party.”

She added: “But boy, isn’t it fun to watch?”

Sanders, though, argues that his message of government-funded health care for all and drastically expanded benefits covering education and more resonates with much of the country. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., too, argues that such a "progressive" message is widely popular while making the case that she's the better choice to accomplish it.

In the Democratic nomination race, Sanders is winning so far: He lost the final delegate count in Iowa to Buttigieg but essentially tying the caucuses themselves, while winning in New Hampshire and Nevada. He threatens to build a daunting delegate lead over his rivals should he be able to carry that momentum into South Carolina this weekend and Super Tuesday next week.

According to the latest RealClearPolitics average for the South Carolina primary, former Vice President Joe Biden is leading with double digits at 34.3 percent of the vote — after a lackluster performance in Iowa and New Hampshire, and a distant second-place finish in Nevada. Sanders is currently polling in second place, with 22.3 percent.