Day numero four...

So today started off by Ali ruining my day, but I forgave her and still love her, see she hurt her ankle last night which prevented us from visiting the Holocaust museum this morning. So we laid around helping her ankle out then I piggy backed Ali to the metro so that we could go to CPAC. When we got there we waited in a crazy long line to see Ann Coulter in which case we just got to sit in the overflow seating but still seeing her speak was amazing. I love how straight forward she is, I aspire to be as ballsy as her one day. Then me and Katie went to the women's luncheon and enjoyed ourselves there while we listened to Bay Buchanan speak. After that we went back into the overflow seating to see Rush Limbaugh speak, even though we were not in the exact same room as him you could still feel his energy.
We have now just returned to the hotel from what was by far the most interesting dinner I have ever had. We went to a Indian restaurant right across the street and I ate my first official Indian meal and it was not half bad. I had amazing company my roomies plus Russell! Russell provided us with the best dinner conversation I have could have imagined. We talked about the zoo, Russia, growing facial hair, Conservatives, girls and Obama. We made the first official Conservative View, its just like the regular show the View but with a man and we are a bunch of conservatives! Russell also gave me the best quote of the trip " i like girls" Ali quickly followed with the second best quote of the trip calling Kaitie "a cyclone of terror" I laughed so hard and had such a good time.
This trip has be amazing and I am so glad that I got the chance to experience the conservative party in full swing. It was truly amazing to see so many conservatives out, seeing as how our school houses many liberals. It was nice to be among people who shared my political views but also knew about politics. This trip gets an A++

Kalleigh Turnmyre

a world full of issues

Today I spent all of the day at CPAC. I listened to a variety of speakers discuss a multitude of topics. The topics ranged from immigration, education, leadership, labor issues, and ridiculous laws of our country.  The speakers I heard from included: Stephen Balch, Elaine Chao, William Bennett, Bay Buchanan, Jeanne Allen, a little bit of Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh. 

After listening to all these speeches and panels filled with passion, conviction, and knowledge--I felt empowered. I did not agree with every statement made, which made me realize that I need to look at my own values and beliefs to know what exactly I stand for and why. Once I do this, I need to become passionate about these principles and spread them. I believe Bay Buchanan summed up how I feel after attending this conference, she stated " Become a leader in your own right." That's what we need to do as an individual so that we can unite this country as a whole. ( I know that sounds really cliche and extremely cheesy but that's what I think.)

Looking forward to being ready by 4:45 am to return home tomorrow...not! I think I just might miss the metro and not having to drive ( or endure my roommate's driving :) 

Katharine Stewart

Day 3 : It's a small world

Yesterday I visited Arlington Cemetery in the morning. It was a moving experience and I wish we could have spent more time there. We got to see JFK's eternal flame and the Lee Manson. I've started to become very interested in history, more so than ever. After that we headed to a student luncheon where Tony Blakely spoke. One of his main points was that the challenge is to know when to stand firm in your values or when you should compromise slightly. I believe this not only applies to politics but to life in general.

The odd event of yesterday is that I met some fellow CPAC students that are across the hall from us in our hotel. They just so happen to be from Eastern Michigan University. I'm from michigan so we chatted for a little bit. Also I ran into a friend of mine from high school on the street two days ago. It really made me realize how small the world is. ( I know everyone says that but I have a little more belief in the saying now.)

Well it's early and we are off to see Elaine Chao, Ann Coulter, and attend a Woman of the Year Luncheon.

Katharine Stewart

CPAC Day 3

Today seemed like the longest day I have had in a while. The girls woke up early to head out to Arlington Cemetery. I have to say it is unlike anything you see on postcards or pictures. When you see the tombs stretched out for miles it looks it makes you gain a whole new respect for the men and women that fight for our country everyday. Those people are true heroes and deserve so much respect. We walked around to Kennedy's grave site, and then we saw Justice Marshall, and Chief Justice Rehnquist graves also. I have to see although this may seem a bit morbid I felt honored to be there. To be among some of the greatest men to ever live and stand for our country was an honor to me.

Then we headed to CPAC to attend the Phillips Student Luncheon with Thomas Blankley. I could try to tell you everything he said, but it took me a while to focus after I had to eat salmon. I have a strange fear of fish and eating fish, and I definitely had to just pretend it was chicken. He spoke of what is needed in a presidential candidate and his two main points was principles and coalitions. I completely agree with this but often today it's hard to tell when someone truly has principles. After the luncheon we headed in line for the job fair. As we were standing in line Allie felt someone grab her and although she was a little mad at first when she realized it was Stephen Baldwin it was suddenly okay. This prompted us to come back to the job fair later so we could go get a picture with Baldwin. We were not completely distracted by skipping out at first on the job fair, because we did go back later and there really was not that much information there. The last task of the day was to see Karl Rove at a dinner, well it really was not a dinner and there was no Karl Rove, so it was time for us to call it a day and head home to rest up for our last day at CPAC. :(

whitney waller

The White House, Blogs, Newt, Mitt, and Ron Paul!!!

Newt Gingrich
Russell and Va. Gov. Jim Gilmore 
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney 
Mitt Romney at CPAC
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Rona Paul!!!
Newt The savior of the GOP Gingrich
Newt Gingrich

After our experience this morning at the White House, we went back to CPAC just in time to see Newt Gingrich. He gave a very great motivating speech. After that we walked around the exhibition hall and got more free bumper stickers. Saw Anne Coulter giving a radio broadcast. We just barely got in to See Ron Paul speak, there was not a seat to be found and people behind us were turned away. Following Ron Paul was Mitt Romney, he basically just announced that he is running for president. His speech was great! I was able to get on the floor in the front row for some nice pictures. Also today I attended an Internet Activist and Blogger training session. It was interesting, but not too informative. It is good o know that the GOP is exploring "new" technology. Also as a side note, our blog had 100 people look at it today, we are making waves and have viewers in 22 states!!!

Shane A. Noem

Presentation is Key

Skipped Arlington National Cemetery this morning to hear Mitch McConnell speak, and was sorely disappointed. His attempt at a motivational message failed to pull my heartstrings because of the somber delivery with which it was given.

Overall, today seemed to emphasize the message presented at yesterday's television workshop: Presentation is key. At the Young America's Foundation luncheon, the speaker talked about knowing when to compromise and when to stand firm. He said conservatives must not fold on their fundamental ideals because candidates don't win elections on ideas alone. Don't be afraid to point out your candidates shortcomings; just make sure it is not the focus of your campaign.

Well, Mitt Romney must have listened to this guy's speech, too, because that's exactly what he did. As he discussed Obama's stimulus plan, he keenly remarked, "No president should accept such a staggering national deficit, much less hold it up as a national goal." Romney was able to eloquently address Obama's faults in a way that inspired, instead of discouraged, conservatives to take our country in the right direction.

The day ended with a trip to urban outfitters with Hunter. We used the metro to get there all by ourselves :) I bought lots of cute stuff for my room at home, and an interesting dress I think I'm going to wear to my sorority's "jungle" theme dance at the end of March. Hunter and I just finished soaking our feet in hot water, so hopefully I'll be able to wear heels again tomorrow? One can dream.

Ali Edelstein

Mitt Romney Anyone?

Day Three started with a bang.
The girls went down to Arlington National Cemetary.

The moment I walked off the Subway and on to the property I felt a sense of awe.
As the daughter of a veteran, maybe this place meant more to me than the average citizen.

Either way, it was a moment.
When you look out across a field, and for farther than an acre you are faced with the graves of people who died for YOU, it's a bit overwhelming.

I don't think it is possible for any American to view this place without the personal knowledge that those soldiers were fighting for them. Or at least they shouldn't.

Yes we saw the grave of Kennedy, of Reinquist, and of Taft, but nothnig can compare to the graves of the average men and women who's names I can't remember and might never know, but still appreciate.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a very reverent place.
Comparative to church, but somehow different.

You can almost feel the presence as the guard marches his way back and forth, honoring his fallen comrades.
I wish I had a flower to place on every grave, but I could never do that.
Instead, I hope it's enough that I understand the price these men and women paid.

After this was a luncheon at CPAC which Whitney was not a fan of. =)
Salmon is a bit difficult on an empty stomach.
Next Ali and I ventured to the job fair.
Internship anyone?
Sorry mom, I'm moving to D.C.

Next it was time for Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.

Ron needs to take a chill pill before he has a heart attack and rethink some of his "conservative" ideas.
In all, I am not a fan.

So I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't excited about Mitt speaking.
I was a McCain girl from day one, but I found myself being pretty impressed.

The crowd's response to him was amazing, and his pride in the American Government and it's courageous soldiers had everyone on their feet chanting USA!

After this we went to a Club 100 Reception, which we ditched. It was lame. =)
Then Ali and I journeyed the Red Line Metro alone to get to Urban Outfitters.
umm...FUN!
Then...wait for it, wait for it.

I WON A FREE FOOT LONG FROM SUBWAY!!
I've never won anything in my life.

I'm pumped.
My feet hurt,
and I'm going to bed.

Hunter Stevens

p.s. Fix my phone mother!! Love you =)
Tell Peepaw to be jealous, I'm rubbing elbows with his people.

Day Dos

Okay, so I realize I am a little late but last night there were circumstances beyond my control that prevented my blogging.

As in, I needed sleep.

Okay, so day 2 has most definitely been long and yet equally amazing.

So Ali and I did have a minor oversleeping hitch this morning, but we made it to the lobby with time to spare.

We arrived at CPAC right in time for our Television Somethin Somethin Seminar.

It was...umm??

=)

It definitly could have stood to be shorter. Whitney and I entertained each other.

After that, we lunched at McDonalds (evidentally, every D.C. McDonalds is connected to a CVS?)

where I met two new friends.

George and Lloyd were fellow CPACers.

They've been to every single CPAC since it began in the 1970s.

They were old. I helped them order fish sandwiches. =)

Then we heard from Mike Pence of Ohio, and I have to say, I kind of have a new favorite.

Mike Pence is one talented speaker.

He struck the perfect balance of saying what he needed to say while adding an emotional appeal.

Next it was Huckabee time.

I'm not gonna lie, I was more excited for Russel than actually seeing Mike Huckabee, though that too was quite an experience.

I wasn't quite as impressed as I was with Pence, but just the same, I got chills.

Okay..so then, here it was. The BIG moment.

Joe Scarborough.

Very possibly my second favorite Republican.

I snuck to the Diamond section, two rows away from Joe and what happens?

Ask me what happens.

Joe makes eye contact with me, points his finger and says: "You are the future of this party!"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

I almost peed my pants. I'm almost certain this means Joe and I are meant to be. (??) maybe?

Later, we had a group supper at Ollie's Trolley, good times, good times, and then went off to trek the "Mounument Mall."

I'm not going to lie, this was the moment I had been waiting for.

I sttod in front of the World War II Memorial, I was dwarfed by the Washington Monument.

and then....

There he was.

I walked up the path leading to the Lincoln Memorial and couldn't catch my breath.

I walked up the 2.5 million steps. (slight exaggeration)

And stood before the most humbling sight in my life.

The words of his Gettysburg Address and Second Innaugural Address were on either side of me and there I was.

I don't think anyone besides my mom could know what that moment meant to me and I won't cheapen it by trying to describe it, because I know I never could.

If Lincoln was what I was waiting for, the Vietnam Wall was nothing to skoff at.

I ran my hands along the names of over 50,000 men and women who died on foreign soil.

Each could have served under my dad when he was serving his tours.

They could have been his best friends.

It might have killed him when they died.

The Wall is such a personal moment that it's like everything else diasppears.

I'm blessed to be an American and I've never felt it quite so poignantly as I do in this place.

Hunter Stevens

P.S. I miss you Momma.

Day numero tres...

So today was eventful to say the least... We started off by going to Arlington National Cemetery, it was by far the most beautiful, breathtaking, and saddest thing I have ever seen. It is crazy to think that so many people gave their lives to protect us, it is truly moving . I also got to see the changing of the guards which was one of the most moving things I have ever seen, and not gonna lie I cried but so did Betsy and Ali so its all ok. After that I went to see Mr. Lincoln again which the walk is still as brutal as it was yesterday. After that I went to CPAC and joined the rest of the CPACers at the job fair, it was pretty neat and I got a free book! After that I had a little time to kill before Ron Paul so I walked around the exhibit hall a little more. The tragedy of me walking around however was that the line for Ron Paul started to form and that was forever long. So I sadly did not get in to see him, and I attempted to watch him on one of the t.v.'s down in the exhibit hall but everyone was pushing to see the t.v., it was truly tragic. After my failed attempt to see Ron Paul, me, Ali, and Betsy ran into some young men from Citadel and we talked to them about their schooling and what branches of the military they were in and a little bit about them. That was a cool. Then we went back to the hotel to rest and then we went to dinner, which was amazing! Now we are just having a little hotel fun!!! today's grade A

Kalleigh Turnmyre

GREEN drank!!!

Today was an inspirational day, as me and my dearest and truest (Republican) pals of all time went to the Arlington National Cemetery. We witnessed the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I cried, and unless Betsy and Kalleigh just had something in their eyes, they cried, too. Kalleigh called her mom at the cemetery, and the call was dropped. "You must've hit a dead zone," Kalleigh's mother said on the phone.

Oh yeah, we saw that Lincoln thing too.

Most importantly, we ran into some hotties at CPAC from the Citadel, however, they lacked the confidence to ask for my...I mean OUR number(s). Too bad. Not that I would've like...gone out with them or anything. We didn't get to see Ron Paul speak, which was very, very disappointing. Those boys were a bit distracting, and by the time we tried to get in, the line was about a billion miles long.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow like crazy. Ann Coulter is speaking tomorrow, and she is basically my idol. Good ole Rush should prove to be pretty awesome as well.

OH! I guess the craziest thing that happened today was finding this green cup under the bed in our hotel room. A previous patron had left it under there, and the hotel maids I guess are just pretty lazy, because it looks like it had been there a while...


I shall include pictures, once BETSY FINALLY EMAILS THEM TO ME.


ALLEGRA

Speakers and events galore!

Who wouldn't want to start their day out with Kentucky's favorite Republican Majority leader, Senator Mitch Mcconnell? Well after seeing him I didn't particularly care to, while he had some interesting things to say, he was not very charismatic. Rep. John Boehner who spoke before him, was a much better speaker. After that we scrounged around the exhibits before going to the Young American Foundation luncheon where the speaker spoke about the importance of media and what our party need to do to get together. Our food was amazing, a gourmet salad with mandarins, Salmon over something, and a wonderful piece of layered cake with a raspberry on the side. After lunch I visited the job fair, and while the name was a little misleading because most places weren't looking for employees but interns instead. It worked out, but after that I hit up the booths for free candy and went to watch some speakers!! The first speakers talked about conservative activistism around the country and then we heard about how Obama's tax policy will kill entrepenurship. Both acts were hard to compete with the next act of Ron Paul. He was rather interesting to listen to, and the crowd responded well but the it was all a warm up for Mitt Romney. The crowd ate up every word he had to say. We finished the day off by skipping out early at the Club 100 recpetion and with amazing Italian food from next door.

Kaitlin Vonderschmitt

DAY 2 @ CPAC

Today was probably one of the most interesting days I've had in a while. It started with the early morning wake up. For some reason I ignored the 7:30 alarm and Miranda and I were running to get ready in time. After we finally had ourselves together we headed out to the Omni to begin the first official day of CPAC. A few girls had a television workshop to intend that was interesting, but a tad too long. We learned about how to give speeches both taped and live, and what techniques to use such as what to wear, what to do with your hands, etc. Something the woman said that I loved is, "We judge ourselves by our intentions but others by their actions." This is so true, and it's something I think everyone needs to work on. When we ourselves screw up it's okay and we find justification for those actions. However, someone else can do the same thing and we cannot justify those actions.


After the workshop we listened to Huckabee, which was cool. However, it was nothing compared to listening to the amazing Joe Scarborough. After me, Allie, Hunter, and some random girl trespassed into the diamond section we were two feet away from the only Joe Scarborough. While his whole speech was amazing it got even better when he looked at us four young people in the second row (especially looking at Hunter) and said we were the hope of the future. After the speeches we headed back for the hotel.

Later on we went and ate at Ollie's, which had the best root beer. Then we went and saw some of the monuments. The best of all was the Lincoln memorial. I seriously love Abraham Lincoln, and walking up to that memorial and reading the second inaugural made me emotional. It meant so much to me to be taking that all in, and was by far the most surreal experience. After a long walk back and stopping by to pay respects to the Vietnam wall and seeing Obama from a 12 foot security surrounded fence it was back to the hotel.

whitney waller

Exhaustion is taking over

This morning the girls headed out to Arlington National Cemetery. Never in my life did I expect it to be as big as it is. Kalleigh, Ali, and myself were able to experience the changing of the guards which was really really cool. That whole entire experience could possibly be one of my favorites. It's so sad and overwhelming, the amount of soldiers that have died for us, and that's not even all of them! I hate how, so often, these soldiers go unrecognized. Americans can be so selfish and are generally undeserving of these soldier's lives. 

Anyways, I hope that everyone gets to visit the cemetery at some point in their life.

Here's their website: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/

After that, we fought our way through the rain to the Lincoln Memorial and also the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Both of these were places I've always wanted to go, since the day I learned about them! I'm so glad that I was finally able to go and absorb both monuments.

After that, my friends and I caught a taxi and took it to the nearest Metro station. I had to buy a new pass because mine disappeared. Lucky me.

We then went to the conference and explored a while. We also conversed with young, fellow conservatives. Ali charged her cell phone for free at that cingular booth! Ummm, lets see, we tried to go and see Ron Paul, but the line was ridiculously long so we watched some of it on a TV screen in the exhibit hall before we decided to leave and go back to the hotel to work on homework and relax. Ali's asleep at the moment, I wish I was. 

Well, enough of such silliness. 

Betsy Whiteman

Arlington, Newt Gingrich, and Stephen Baldwin

The day began with a ride on the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery and on the way out to Arlington National Cemetery, we had to switch lines at Metro Center (the transfer point for all lines) which was very busy. We switched from the red line to the blue line in order to get out to Arlington. When we arrived at Arlington, we went over to the visitor center and got a map and then we looked at some of the sights at Arlington. It was a very pretty but sombering time out at Arlington.

Next it was off to the Metro to head over to CPAC to hear former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich speak. Newt Gingrich did a wonderful job speaking and gave his take on things in the Obama administration and how the government should be for the people by the people. He was also speaking about a new video that he and his wife made about the late Ronald Wilson Reagan called Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny.

After former Speaker of the House Gingrich spoke, I headed down to the exhibit hall to a book signing with Stephen Baldwin who was promoting his new book. Stephen Baldwin was very nice and very chatty with the crowd. He was also promoting his new radio show called bmxradionow.com

Getting to meet Stephen Baldwin and seeing former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was fun and motivating.

This post was created by Laura K. Green

Arlington, Luncheon, and Baldwin

The day began with a trip to the Arlington Cemetery. It was perfect weather to walk throughout the cemetery. Katharine and I walked to the Arlington Mansion and Kennedy's Grave sight. Here is the view from the mansion looking down onto DC.
After spending some time at Arlington we then took the Metro to CPAC where a few of us attended a Student Luncheon with Speaker Tony Blankley. After a lunch of delicious salmon (my favorite!) we headed over to the Job Fair, and ran into Stephen Baldwin, who said for those who wanted pictures with him to head over to his book signing. I hope you enjoy this picture of Whitney, myself and Katharine with Stephen (what a look!) himself.
Allie Hembree

Presidential Tour!!!!

  

This morning Dr. Turner and I got up early and headed to the White House. Brett Guthrie met us there for a tour of the East wing and mid level of the House. This was awesome!!! however, there were no pictures allowed, so this is a boring post.... The presidential portraits were hanging all over the area. We went on the tour with 2 WKU officials and a KFC store owner from KY. Thank you Brett.

Shane A Noem

Huckabee and Hurt Feet

Thursday morning we all got dressed in professional clothes and headed to CPAC!!! We got there for the grand opening and met hundreds of college students and young professionals just like us. Some of the speakers included Mike Pence (IN) Mike Hucabee (AK) and Journalist Tucker Carlson. One of the big topics of the day was the fairness doctrine. There was even breaking news with legislation to protect talk radio passing the senate and moving toward the house. The speakers discussed the dangers of the doctrine and why the left is trying to pass it. Carlson suggested that passing the fairness doctrine would be good because it would mobilize the entire party against the left. After the conference we went to Ollies Trolly for dinner and walked the entire national mall, twice... We walked about 10 miles in total.

Shane Noem

Turner and Huckabee

Huckabee

Mike Pence

Alex's disappointment 

Drained reflecting pool

The crew and the man

Huckabee

Turner

Newseum

The Archives 

The crew and Mike!

No Shopping Sprees at the National Mall...

So today was fabulous and stuff. I got some pretty kick@$$ bumper stickers, and got to play a rifle game with betsy. We're pretty hardcore fans of the NRA, and even bigger fans of video games, so it worked out well.

The highlight of my day was hearing Mike Pence speak. It was rather enlightening, as I felt like he touched base on some pretty prominent issues. Huckabee followed immediately after, and drew a huge crowd. Hearing him speak was a great opportunity. Being there today made me feel more politically charged than ever, and more confident about my political affiliation.

After I had finished at CPAC for the day, the roomies and I traversed to the zoo. A woman who worked with the primates there had the longest conversation with us, as we were able to have a close and personal encounter with Lucy the orangutan. She liked me.

I'm looking forward to round 2 of the events tomorrow. Hopefully I'll score free food again today. Should be a pretty "grand old party."

ALLEGRA.

Day of Seconds

CPAC began pretty awesomely!! Before even hitting the convention, my roomies and I managed to eat breakfast at the coolest Burger King in a car booth, but it gets better, the BK was totally decked out in movie stuff and had four levels!! After arriving at CPAC we spent the first few hours scouring the plethora of booths found in the exhibit hall, receiving probably too many freebies to take back home on Sunday. Then in our ongoing search for free food, we stumbled upon the Conservatism 2.0 session where we ate a delicious lunch and heard about how the media are using new strategies to shape the future of conservatism. Unfortunately we left early to make sure we got seats to hear Mike Huckabee speak, fortunately we got the chance to hear Congressman Mike Pence speak. Both were amazing speakers, both had a lot of good things to say and gives me hope for the republican party. Then we adventured to the zoo to see the giant pandas who just lounged about their cages for a while, but the orangutan exhibit was awesome as we met Lucy, who was amazing. After the zoo we again headed to Ollies Trolly for dinner where I ate an amazing crab cake. More seconds for the day was the Washington Monument, and the White House and even getting slightly lost before finding a metro station. Besides those we also saw the Capital Building and Lincoln's Memorial, before heading past the Vietnam Memorial Wall onwards to the metro station. So as my day ends with sore feet, it also ends quite fulfilled and hopeful for the days to come.

Kaitlin Vonderschmitt

Twice Upon A Time...

There were four girls that were always misinformed of events, including the first meeting of the day. These four girls rose early in the morning, only to find out that they were an hour and fifteen minutes early. They were less than thrilled. So, they ventured to the Burger King, that was pleasantly decorated in movie themes such as E.T., Jaws, and Jurassic Park. It was quite the breakfast experience. They sat in a car on the 4th floor that was supposed to represent the BAT MOBILE! Enclosed are some photographs, enjoy.

(none of these have been edited, btw.)

Enough of that nonsense...

The first day of CPAC was a little overwhelming, and I'm sure the days to come will be just as much if not more so. Massive amounts of people, young and old, flooded the hallways as everyone rushed to be the first ones in the next room for whoever would be the next big speaker. Although I felt a tad overwhelmed at times, I had an absolutely amazing time absorbing the messages of Conservatism 2.0, Mike Pence, and the wonderful Mike Huckabee. I also had the privilege of exploring the exhibit hall before everyone bombarded the facility and got a Sarah Palin poster and a whole bunch of bumper stickers! My favorite would most definitely have to be, "Gun control is when you use both hands." Also, while we were rootin' around the exhibit, Ali and I stumbled upon a place promoting gun rights (of course), and it was a virtual shooting game, which happened to be a blast because we could virtually shoot dove and water buffalo (or something of that nature). It was just a fun time. A lot of old men kept walking up and watching us. They were impressed with our virtual shooting skills. I would have been too, if I were them. Ali and I are quite the marks-women! LOL

After I was finished with the events at CPAC, Kalleigh, Kaitie, Ali, and myself made our way to the ZOO!! It was so thrilling! We got to see panda bears and sloth bears along with an elephant!!! Oh, I just love animals! At the end, we spent about an our standing around and watching an orangutan through a window. She blew me kisses and I showed her what was in my bag and what a person does with the object. She is very smart. We were told that she likes skirts and that she's quite the diva, for being 37 years old! Supposedly she'll live into her 50's! It would be so cool to have one as a pet.

People were excited about what he was saying, so they stood up.

Both of these men were incredible speakers! And gave such motivational and informative speeches, of course. :)

Well, until next time...

Betsy Whiteman

Day numero dos...

So today was super eventful I must say... me and the roomies woke up at 7ish because we thought we were to leave for CPAC at 8, only to find out we did not have to be ready until 9:15. So we made light of this misunderstanding and went to breakfast at the burger king, in which case I got to eat in a sweet car and i sat on the hood of the car and Betsy took a slamin picture! Then we joined back with the group and headed to CPAC, where we got there we hit up the exhibit hall and visited all types of booths and got really nifty things! My favorite booth however was the citizens in charge booth they had an awesome man in a heart costume walking around helping to promote the cause. The second best booth was the NRA booth, not gonna lie the had the awesome shooting games!
Afterwards I went to hear Mike Pence speak, he is an amazing speaker hes very engaging and delivered his message in a way that I believed was super neat. The I saw Huckabee speak and he was amazing as always. After CPAC me and the roomies hit up the zoo with a friend of mine Matt who just graduated from WKU this December. After having the most engaging time with Lucy the orangutan, we headed to Ollies Trolly for dinner with the group. It was super yummy afterwards we went on an adventure to see the White House. Unfortunately we went the wrong way and ended up at the Capital, but the good news is, is that we walked all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Needless to say it was a super long walk but eventful nonetheless.
Today overall was good, I am super glad that things happened the way they did. Hopefully tomorrow I will not have to be up as early! But todays grade is an A-, that only because I did to much walking!

Kalleigh Turnmyre

TV, Huckabee, and Walking

I started my day off by attending a TV Workshop which was very insightful and very relevant to my major. I walked around the exhibit hall and got some free stuff and picked up my tickets for the luncheons coming up. Then it was off to see Huckabee, who I thought was great! Afterwards I went to a Public Speaking Workshop and walked about Chinatown. After walking around Chinatown we then walked towards the capital for many, many...many, many...blocks and then towards the Washington Monument for many, many...many, many...blocks and on to good old Abe.
Now we are back in the hotel getting ready for our adventure tomorrow, I would write more, but after those many, many blocks I am going to get some much needed sleep.

I will leave you with this picture of me holding up the Washington Monument.

Allie Hembree

2nd Day

It started out with me and Hunter oversleeping, but no worries, we were able to get ready in time. Our first stop at the first day of CPAC was the Leadership Institution's Introduction to Television Techniques workshop. The speaker addressed the importance of presenting your messages in a positive light... especially conservative messages. She explained that liberals tend to win over the American public more on audio-visual clips because they seem more friendly; they have more messages about what they want the government TO do, instead of what they DON'T want government to do.

Next, we went to the Regency Ballroom to listen to speakers like Mike Huckabee and Joe Scarborough. Huckabee spoke on Obama's stimulus plan, which he referred to as the Congressional Recovery Action Plan (C.R.A.P... you figure it out.) His main, and most valid, points were:

-Growing the government and the economy are two different things.

-There is horizontal politics, in which leaders walk directly in front of the people they are leading, and vertical politics, in which leaders take people, the economy, and the health of the government either up or down, in a positive or negative direction.

After the conference, I haggled with an Indian man in his store for a beautiful ceramic buddha. We went to dinner, walked around town, and saw the different sites. Seeing the front pages of many of the country's largest newspapers was pretty cool, and so was seeing the Canadian embassy, since I'll be doing an internship there this summer. Passed by a Sigma Kappa dormitory at the George Washington University on the way home; made me miss my sorority sisters A LOT. Overall, day 2 was a success.

Ali Edelstein

DC People sure are friendly...well when they want to be in your picture they are!

Today was the start of CPAC. First I visited several booths. I learned about a lot of organizations I previously had not heard of. Some I found to be very interesting, others were a little out there for my tastes. I now have a multitude of free pens ( and a tshirt for laura) from all these organizations. I did have some candy...but that's gone now.

After the booths I went to a conservatistm workshop. It had two pannels of several speakers ( including joe the plumber). The workshop was based around the idea of using new media to revive the conservative values (small gov and free market). It also focused on bias in the media and on college campuses. Then I attending another workshop on public speaking.

Then.... Allie and I traveled to China Town again. While on the streets of China Town, we decided to take a picture. I took hers and then when she went to take a picture of me a random man just walked up and put his arm around me. We both smiled for the camera and Allie snapped the photo. Afterwards he told me he just couldn't resist joining in on the photo opportunity and walked away.

After that we had some dinner and walked to several of the monuments ( including my man Abe :)

Tomorrow I'm excited to go to Arlington because I have never been there. Then it's back to the conference for some wonderful speakers and meals!

Katharine

Day 2 @ CPAC

Thursday, February 25, 2009 was day # 2 of the CPAC trip but the most important thing is that it was the opening day for the 2009 CPAC conference. The welcome to CPAC address was by David A. Keene who is the Chairman of the American Conservative Union. His speech was very uplifting and very motivating.

The next speaker to follow was Representative Paul Ryan who is from Wisconsin who had a very positive speech and gave the audience a detailed look at what is really going on here in Washington. During lunch, I attended the Conservatism 2.o Conference that was hosted by Pajamas TV. The guest panel included Stephen Green, Evan Coyne Maloney, Deroy Murdock, Roger Simon, and Joe Wurzelbacher (Joe the Plumber). This was a very good discussion and had some funny moments.

In the afternoon, I went to hear Mike Huckabee speak and he was awesome and I later got to meet him at a book signing. In the late afternoon some of our group including me went to hear several very well known news media host that discussed the "Fairness Doctrine" the speakers included Joe Scarborough, Roger Hedgecock, and Tucker Carlson who by the way was not afraid to speak what he thought and even encouraged the audience to participate. Getting to meet Mike Huckabee was indeed the highlight of the day for many in attendance at the CPAC conference.

This was created by Laura K. Green