The day started with former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. He stated, "Progressives love this country for what they hope it could be, conservatives love this country for what it is." He then explained how these two ideologies affect how our leaders construct America's problems and how they go about solving them. Progressives deal with the currently unproved problem of global warming, while conservatives deal with the jihadist attacks recently and currently taking place on American soil. The reason I agree with conservative construction of spectacle problems? We won't survive to deal with future problems if we don't alleviate the pressing problems of today. There's nothing wrong with hope, but progressives tend to play off hope to divert attention from serious economic woes and threats to the very foundation of our democracy because those problems are difficult, those problems take time, and those problems require ACTION. Taking action to save freedom in America is what this year's CPAC was all about.
CNN contributor Bill Bennett also offered sharp words of wisdom when he said that he hopes the future's book about the present will not have to be titled "While America Slept." He expressed his worry that president Obama's apologetic attitude in foreign affairs will lead to a loss of respect for America as a leader in international politics. There is nothing to be sorry for when you are leading a country whose strength comes from the freedom of its citizens to think, challenge, and innovate, Mr. President.
Newt Gingrich, Ann McElhinney, and of course, Glenn Beck were some of the other favorite speakers of the day. While I enjoyed listening to them speak, I was not as enthused as most other individuals in the audience. I am glad that honorable, more notable figures speak out on important conservative topics, but I refuse to be one of those people who stand up and clap at everything Glenn Beck says because she is star-struck.
MY favorite speaker of the day, then, was Monica Crowley at the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute's 2010 Woman of the Year luncheon. Besides being eloquent and quite beautiful, Monica instilled a real enthusiasm in me for finding and pursuing a particular path in politics. For her, it was foreign policy. Her first job out of college was as foreign policy assistant to President Richard Nixon and it was all because of a letter she wrote to him after reading one of his books. I am often overwhelmed by the world of politics, but Monica made it simple- follow a passion. America gives us the freedom to pursue our passions, and that is why Monica was my favorite speaker of the day. She reached out to individual women because she recognizes that that's where empowerment begins. I had the opportunity to speak with her briefly after her speech, and she assured me that if I read her book and wrote her a letter like the one she sent to Nixon, she would write me back. That's definitely now on my to-do-list.
Overall, the trip has been an enjoyable experience. This is my second year attending and I plan to keep coming in the future because this conference reminds me why I'm a political science major and pushes me to work harder by making me realize that I have so much more left to learn. CPAC 2010, you've been great, but I'm ready to go home.
Ali Edelstein
I agree with you Ms. Edelstein; some of the standing up and cheering was due to Becks slight celebrity status, but his enthusiasm and common sense comments are quite inspiring. I would much prefer to sit and agree, but it’s all situational.
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