WKU at CPAC 2011

White Nationalist Recruiter Rebuffed At CPAC

2011-02-15T15:13:00.000-02:00

C-PAC in review

2011-02-15T15:11:00.002-02:00

So the video of myself, Barrett, Jacqueline, and Tim has picked up some attention. Very cool. And aside from the white supremecists, the feedback has been pretty positive. ...."It was game over at the 10:20 mark when the young lady said we have interests as Americans.".."The woman who doesn’t want to breed is kinda hot. Too bad." ...haha. Good stuff. Way to go team C-PAC. Also, let it be known Jacqueline and I were upset Rick Perry forgot to send us flowers for Valentine's Day.

I've also determined my favortie free thing I got was definately the Pelosi squeeze head thing. Genius.

Overall my c-pac experience was an A+. I was disappointed the conference was heavily front loaded with all the big names speaking on day one...apparently from what I've been told it is usually the opposite. I felt bad people left after the straw poll results before Rep.Colonel Allen West came on as the closing speaker. RUDE.

I want to go again next year...maybe get filmed in some more arguments. Maybe, I should take the Andrew Breitbart approach and wear rollerblades next time...hmmm.

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/02/14/video-young-cpacers-send-white-nationalist-packing/

That's All Folks

2011-02-15T02:31:00.000-02:00

CPAC was overall an enjoyable experience. One gets the opportunity to here prominent academics, politicians, commentators, etc. It is a mecca for conservatives to gather, converse, and debate the issues that they belief are of much importance.
I believe that one should be firm on their principles, and realistic on their ideologically based ideas. To provide clarity on my previous statement I shall provide an example using myself. While I have reservations on giving war (everyone should), I do not believe sitting idol if the security of the nation is threatened. Many of the speakers at CPAC communicate the similar rhetoric to the audience (smaller government, repealing Obama-care, etc.). We as individuals have to ensure that we do not allow our principles to be swayed by campaign language, fable ideas, and illogical theories. So if you make the trip to CPAC it is important to listen and process what you hear, and to investigate what and why you believe what you believe.
I unfortunately, concentrated on listening to the main speakers and not checking out all the exhibits, and panels. It will probably behoove you to visit all the exhibits and read the literature, not just walk away with a free pen or kooze (although free stuff is the best stuff).
Overall I enjoyed my time in the nation’s capital, and the conference. I certainty suggest that anyone who is conservative, leans conservative, or questions conservatives to go to the conference. Although CPAC is an annual event, each conference is a once in a lifetime experience.
Farewell to all my readers, I hope I haven’t bored you too much.
-Johnson

Nation Building

2011-02-15T02:28:00.001-02:00

This is late, but it shall be written. The Last day of CPAC was filled with big name speakers (Ambassador John Bolton, Ann Coulter, and Rep. Allen West). All of those speakers were very interesting, but I found myself more interested in a panel discussion called “How to Think About Afghanistan”. As an Army ROTC cadet and soon to be intelligence officer, the war in Afghanistan is definitely an issue that concerns me.

Christopher Preble, Director of foreign policy at the Cato Institute, provided three problems with the nation building that America is involved with in Afghanistan: 1. National building is costly; 2. Nation building is unnecessary; 3. Nation building is deeply inconclusive with conservative principles.

I completely agree with Mr. Preble. America is spending too much time, money, and most importantly American life, attempting to build a democracy. A democracy can’t be built, it is grown. Our founders didn’t wake up one morning declare independence, and write a constitution creating a democratic republic. No, this is not the case as we all know. Our founders were well versed in the history of the transgressions that their ancestors experienced under the monarchs in Europe.

In Afghanistan we can provide them with literature supporting democratic ideals, but we can’t build their government. I was a stanch supporter of the original post 9/11 invasion, and I our army performed excellent in initially defeating the Taliban, but unfortunately our priorities became lost. We must protect our country from terrorist and those who wish to do us harm, but we can’t solve their problems just by setting up a government for them.

-Johnson

BACK IN BG? BOOOOOOOO

2011-02-15T01:33:00.004-02:00

Well, I woke up in the 42103 instead of the 20001 this morning and felt so lost. There were no conservative speakers to go listen to, nor any Libertarian fanatics to argue with. FAC replaced the Marriott Conference center, and the WKU go bus was my DC Metro. Overall, I can reflect on some key points on the phenomenal, yet exhausting trip to our state capital and key to the heart of our nation- Washington DC.

'Too moderate for the Republican party, or not,' Mitt Romney has and will be my favorite contender for the upcoming primary elections for the Republican presidency. Tim Pawlenty is also one of my favorites contending for the president, as well. John Thune as the VP for both of these candidates is ideal candidacy for me.

Ron Paul pretty much wants anarchy with no government and foreign policy- a little crazy? I think so. I was stunned at the reactions and opinions of his supporters. It's not surprising that the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) dismissed Ron Paul from their advisory board. With factions being created within the party and no cohesion, the Republican party cannot afford to have candidates jeopardize legitimacy of the party. When looking on the inside within the Republican party as an outsider after this years CPAC, a liberal would have no problem finding disunity and opposition because of the radical Tea Party deriving from the Republican party.

Besides the political aspects of CPAC, I have fallen in LOVE with the city once again, and I cannot wait to eventually move there. The people, places, and politics is what I live for. CPAC 2012 before the presidential election? Can I say party in the USA.. literally. See ya then, DC.

"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber."
--PLATO

Poorvie Patel
February 14, 2011

NOW and IN GOD WE TRUST

2011-02-15T01:33:00.002-02:00

CPAC was a very exciting few days. First off, the price of the trip for the flights, hotel stay, and transportation were pretty amazing. Secondly, we were able to attend several speeches from top Republican presidential contenders. Some of us even got to meet some of these politicians. Not to mention, the touring and nights out on the town were pretty fun too!

I agree a lot with the things that Barrett stated in his most recent blog. I feel like I’m more readily available to become an activist for the Republican Party. Ron Paul was a bit too liberty-loving-over-the-top for me. The Paul libertarians were quite radical. Furthermore, I thought they were rude to just up and leave the ballroom after Paul spoke. These actions diminish the possibilities for libertarians to lead the Republican Party. I do think that they are an important aspect because their absolute liberty rhetoric needs to be heard. However, I believe that they did themselves a disservice: disrespecting the other speakers brought them no respect in return.

Overall, I think CPAC really energized the conservatives who attended. We needed to understand that we need to fight for freedom and liberty NOW. We needed to understand how important it is to keep taxes low and slash spending NOW. We needed to hear about consolidating and eliminating bureaucracy as much as possible NOW. We needed to hear about how our country needs to bolster its American exceptionalism; it’s perfectly acceptable for us to be proud of our nation. These were just a handful of the relating themes that most of the speakers posited. Hopefully, all the CPAC attendees will keep these principles in mind as we prepare to take back our country in 2012. Lastly, in the words of Congressman Allen West and others, IN GOD WE TRUST!

-Thomas Cameron

Barrett Dennison- Day 4

2011-02-14T18:21:00.001-02:00

Day 4

A look back at CPAC.

If I can go a few weeks without hearing about the campaign for liberty or Ron Paul I’ll be thankful. It’s not that I disagree with them on everything; I just disagree on a lot of things. But most importantly I disagree with their lack of civility. We aren’t the Middle East or the raucous British Parliamentary system. We can let leaders speak without openly booing them. If we keep going at this rate the Republican party and all Conservatives are just going to be an ongoing SNL punch line for the rest of the nation to giggle at.

That stated I think we have some great options and a great foundation that will lead us into a very interesting and excting Republican Primary. Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and yes even Ron Paul will create a very different field of contestants for our hopes to take back the Government from the out of control but very sports intelligent Obama administration.

My thoughts on CPAC can be summed up in a few words.

Conservative

Chaos

Free Koozies (I got like 7)

It was a great event and I feel like I am a conservative activist now. I’m better informed and better aligned with the party that I know will make a difference in the coming years. It starts now and will culminate to the pinnacle that is the 2012 Presidential Election. Also if I could get a job that will lead to me working in part of that election, that would be awesome.

Until Next Time, Goodbye America and CPAC.

2011-02-14T15:35:00.002-02:00

Well, we made it home safely thanks to good ole' Southwest airlines.
A bit of turbulence, a muttered curse word or two, a broken suitcase wheel, and here we are.
CPAC in retrospect.

Well--here we go.

To be surrounded by such an environment is still overwhelming to me.
It's my third year, yes.
Old news, no.
I still get cold chills when a crowd jumps to their feet in applause.
I am thankful that cynicism hasn't reached me yet.

Now on to the criticism.

Dear CPAC 2012, do not invite Ron Paul back to speak.
I realize that you would lose a number of registrants--but honestly, haven't you learned yet?
When a mob of people boos a man winning an award, or calls the former VP of the US a war criminal, you need to take action.
The Young Americans for Freedom did, and it's time you did too.
Stop caring about numbers, and start caring about the REAL conservative movement.
You're giving us a bad name.

The conclusion of the WKU groups own, personal Straw Poll were as follows:
Chris Christie: 3
Rick Perry: 2
Mike Huckabee: 1
Mitt Romney: 5
Sarah Palin: 1
Tim Pawlinty: 4
Ron Paul: 1
Undecided: 2

We aren't done yet...so don't fall asleep!

2011-02-13T23:54:00.003-02:00

The best speakers on the final day of the conference were hands down Ann Coulter and Allen West. Coulter was spunky, blunt, and to the point. Applauding for West was so natural. The way he would hit a topic with the problem, his view, and a solution was professional. Every single word in his speech was filled with his passion for our country.

I learned so much the past few days; but more than that, I am motivated again. A year ago I didn't agree with where our country was headed. That prompted me to get invovled in a campaign. I worked over 400 hours this summer to make sure we changed the blue 6th district of TN to red, and I was so dedicated to the purpose. After November my passion for keeping our government accountable drifted away. Attending CPAC made me realize that gaining seats in Novmber was just part of the process. We need to now hold the people we got elected accountable and start looking forward and planning for 2012. Let's wake up America and get people thinking now. We don't have to wait til 2012.

Here is a cheesy/funny metaphor for you: Today I fell asleep in the airport and was not waking up anytime soon. Thank goodness Derek Noem found me and woke me up, or I might have missed the flight. We need to be Derek and wake up people who are not paying attention to the issues and not miss the flight in 2012.

-rach
Jeremiah 29:11

Farewell DC

2011-02-13T23:25:00.002-02:00

Oh Cpac how sad it is to leave. I had a wonderful time on this trip and already looking forward to next year (hopefully in 2012 we will have something to celebrate ;) ). Dc is an awesome city and as soon as we leave I just start to understand how to navigate the metro. With the Reagan count way too high to even attempt to count, this conference has renewed my interest in politics. I always have been interested in politics but within the last few years I haven't paid as much attention as I should. This trip has re-sparked me interest and now I'm craving for more. Fox news will now be one channel I watch a lot more. I've taken in a lot this week and my beliefs are now more firm then ever. No matter who we want to win or if you disagree on stuff within all the conservatives there's one goal we all have in common, to win the white house in 2012. Now I don't know if we will or even come close but if the people at the conference was an accurate representation of the states then conservatives have the fight, anger and will to win back our country and put it back on track. This is good bye until next year when DC will once again hold this awesome conference.

Christina

Thoughts on Allen West

2011-02-13T22:47:00.000-02:00

Representative Allen West of Florida is a true American hero. We had the honor of hearing him speak as the closing keynote speaker at CPAC. I was even more excited to hear Lieutenant Colonel West speak than I was of Governor Tim Pawlenty.

As a soldier, LTC West stood for strength and his fellow soldier, ideals that he reiterated as a newly elected congressman. Some of his actions were deemed illegal and politically incorrect while he was in Iraq. The reason for this: leaders get punished when they cross the line to do what it takes to defend freedom. LTC West’s actions saved lives.

Many of CPAC’s speakers proclaimed their stances and accomplishments. Ron Paul was championed as a steward of the Constitution. Mitt Romney was acknowledged as an expert on business and economy. Allen West proved himself as a defender of both the Constitution and the economy. Moreover, West vowed that he would protect our country. He would ensure that America would remain exceptional. West vowed that he would not apologize for America. He said the time to act was now. I hope and pray that the Republican Presidential nominee heeds West’s call to action so that we can achieve the New America of full liberty and exceptionalism.

-Thomas Cameron

Merina: My Last Day at the conference in Washington

2011-02-13T21:43:00.000-02:00

A quote that I heard that struck me was brought up by and it was "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" I think that thats a great quote, yet I feel its a strong quote for such a thing as politics because there are so many problems that we face in this world. One thing I agree that people are under educated on politics and current events. I myself am a prime example of the undereducated. Another thing that was talked about that peaked my interest was "Unlearning liberty" He made a lot of good points during this speech.

One thing that he said that really stuck was "If you go to college without ever being offended you should ask for your money back" I thought that was so funny because its really the truth of all things. Out of everything you will go through in life you won't go through it without offending someone or getting offended yourself. I also liked the humility speech: Humility having the gaul to say thank you for your opinion and move along. Free Speech on campus. everyone should have the right to speak their mind without fear of persecution by others.

Ann Colter. This was the first time I had ever heard or seen Ann Colter and she was amazing! I loved her speech she's awesome! Out of all the speeches I heard this weekend hers was the best! She kept my attention from the moment she came out until the end! :) Out of everyone that spoke she was my favorite. The last thing I heard that caught my attention was from the very last speaker who said "Most bad government results from to much government" I liked this quote I don't know it just really stood out above the rest, and I really liked it.

Last Day

2011-02-13T19:59:00.003-02:00

The final day at CPAC was quite eventful. The day began with Governor Haley Barbour speaking. I actually found him to be boring. However, Ann Coulter and Allen West made up for the boring start. Ann Coulter was a fire brand as I expected. Allen West was the closing speaker and I felt that he was amazing. He is a retired Lt. Colonel of the Army and now Congressman. His speech was the highlight of the afternoon and I hope that he decides to run for President.

An interesting event of the day were the results of the Straw Poll. Ron Paul won with about 34 percent of the vote with Mitt Romney close behind. Although Ron Paul won the straw poll I feel as though it is unrealistic and most certainly not a true representation of conservatives.

Another interesting event was when my friend had gotten into an argument with some Libertarians outside the conference room. I'm not sure what they were debating but I found it hilarious that my friend called the individuals "Paul-tards."

Overall CPAC was a worthwhile adventure and I would like to go again someday. For now, however, I need to catch up on some work for school.

Great CPAC, see you next year!

2011-02-13T19:26:00.002-02:00

CPAC was excellent once again, maybe next year we can get even more people to go, I know alot that didnt even know it was happening. if we could do that, and maybe make it a little cheaper with scholarships or something, then I see CPAC growing and getting better. WKU sends one of the better groups to the conference, being more involved and getting alot out of it each year.

I guess it wouldn't be a party without the crazy aunt who married your great-uncle twice-removed.

2011-02-13T04:41:00.004-02:00

I woke up this morning at 7 feeling inspired by dreams of Reagan tearing down walls and building fences at a ranch. I felt today would be a good day, that is until I go down to the lobby with my roommate to find everyone had already left and we apparently were misinformed of the meeting time. My own ignorance of not asking repeatedly the night before what time to be ready in the morning must have sent my karma spinning to smack me right in the face today at CPAC. After a quick taxi ride and a shot of espresso I was ready to kick some libertarian hiney. And boy were they out to fight some battles today. Did you know that women are only on this earth to reproduce and that's all they're good for? Sorry mom, in four years you're going to be worthless because you won't have any more children to take care of. It astounds me that these people have so little respect for the leaders that came out of their supposed party. I mean I think these people really are the family members that you just want to kick out of the party when they've had a few too many drinks or forgotten to take their meds. Whenever we tried to have an intelligent, healthy debate with one, they could never finish it out. Even though they did have the nerve to ask for our numbers afterwards. Once again, what are we good for ladies? If I could only take one thing away from CPAC, it would be that the problem with the conservative movement is the lack of unity among the members. These libertarians seem like their own faction of a party. If they can't even agree with their own supposed kind, then when will they ever be able to get things done? It scares me to think that these people want control of our government.

However my day wasn't completely ruined by these people. Andrew Breitbart started the day off with comical comments on how to take down left-wingers and disgruntle protestors while wearing roller blades. Apparently that's the only way a conservative can be as cool as a liberal when they protest. Foreign policy was also a hot topic of the day, with discussions about Afghanistan taking center stage for one round table. I agree that the military spending should be cut, but I disagree that we need to pull our troops out as soon as we can so the Afghan people can lead themselves. Those people need guidance, and although nation-building is against conservative philosophies, they do need some help to get to where they'll be a secure country.

Another highlight of the day was Governor Allan West from Texas. His strong belief in the party was amplified by his booming voice, bringing the party together with one final standing ovation as he ended with "God bless America." By the way, Ron Paul had just been announced winner of the Straw Poll, so all his supporters had left by the time West spoke of true conservative values. This last speaker cast a confident, unified spell over the room that should have been the entire focus of the conference. Although people in the same party may disagree, their core values should still stand strong and they should be supportive and respectful of the leaders that come out of their party. One day these other non-supporters in the party will wake up and realize the importance of a foreign policy and a respectful level of bipartisanship. Until then this party cannot be as strong as it has the potential to be. I know the number of radical libertarians are greatly outnumbered by the non-libertarians in the conservative movement, but it still shows a discord between the people. Although my values and beliefs have been strengthened by some of the intelligent and respectful people that spoke at this conference, it still scares me that other people are out there who disagree so greatly with their own registered ideology. It's definitely going to lead into an interesting presidential race in 2012 and I can't wait to see how things unfold.

Lauren C.

The Ron Paul Show (A Rerun)

2011-02-13T03:57:00.001-02:00

As has been previously mentioned, I attended CPAC last year. Ron Paul spoke then, on the second day just as he did this year. His speech consisted of the same rhetoric that was in his previous speech (aka broken record). Unfortunately, if he were to change his speech he would probably loose his followers, and he has some devout followers. They all sat in the same area, and were fully decked out in Ron Paul Flair. Several of the Ron Paul fans are also inconsiderate; many of them booed a Congressman, and they also left right after Rep. Paul’s speech.

Some of Paul’s speech, as usual, covered foreign policy; Paul has a non-interventionalist view of foreign policy. His view seems makes me believe that his is disconnected from reality. He does not think that the U.S. should involve it self in others nations’ affairs, instead, we should only be concerned with national security at home. His foreign policy approach is not completely absurd. President George Washington spoke similar rhetoric in his farewell well address, but Washington didn’t foresee how quickly the world would shrink as technology advanced.

Some Paul advocates believe that the U.S. should have never involved itself with conflicts abroad, but the simple fact is, we did. There is no turning back. If we try to retire from the national stage and hide under a rock, a heavy tide will come, turn over the rock, and submerse us. We must stand strong and remain a superpower.

- Johnson

Goodbye, CPAC!

2011-02-13T03:56:00.002-02:00

In the last two days I have experienced more things than I can explain. I have gotten in debates with Ron Paul supporters, I have listened to others debate to Ron Paul supporters and I have met and seen more famous people in one place than I thought was humanly possible. Yesterday I got the chance to see how crazy Ron Paul fans truly are. I have never been a person to talk about politics with others because I feel as if I'm walking on thin ice. However, when a person approaches me telling me my opinion is wrong I simply cannot hold my tongue. I find it very offensive to have someone degrade our military due to the fact that my father served our country for over fifteen years. I feel as if people should really think about what they say before they stick their foot in their mouths and make themselves look like a total idiot. This trip has made me realize how much our party; the REPUBLICAN party, is being split in two due to libertarians and their strong belief in their "leader." Also, last night i attended a student reception with Anne Coulter which was pretty cool, and I attended a birthday celebration for Ronald Reagan where two documentaries were shown and a cake made by "Buddy", or Carlos from TLC's, "The Cake Boss," was presented and eaten; I must say it was the best looking and tasting cake I have ever had. Today was also an interesting day. One of my favorite speakers of the day was Andrew Breitbart, a conservative who is leading a powerful uprising in the political movement. I also had the chance to meet Michelle Duggar, the famous mother of 19 children from TLC's, "19 Kids and Counting," and I must say that she was very sweet and kind. I also had a book signed by Anne Coulter for my father's birthday and she informed me that her mother was from Paducah, Kentucky, something that I did not know and I found to be very interesting. To end the day CPAC had Allen West speak, someone that I found incredibly refreshing and charismatic. I might even go so far as to say he was the best speaker I had heard at CPAC. Allen West was an amazing speaker and I hope that when the chance presents itself that he will run for President of our country. Overall my experience at CPAC was awesome and I hope that I get the chance to attend the conference next year.

-Hayley Biggers

SO COLD!

2011-02-13T03:54:00.004-02:00

So will be two days in one because me computer is stupid and wouldn't let me do anything on the internet last night. Not even facebook! Tragic I know!

Yesterday was a riot. Ron Paul's fans are crazy and not in a good way. Today and yesterday both Paul fans disrespected and interrupted other peoples speeches. Now I understand being excited and clapping and such but not when it is considered rude. I highly enjoyed listening to Herman Cain. I fell in love when he brought up the racism part and said just because you are against the president who is black does not make you a racist and if it does then he must be too! That old black man has my vote. My favorite speaker was none other then the fabulous Ann Coulter. I mean what conservative doesn't love her? She is fantastic and did not disappoint with her jokes and cracks at liberals expense. I also liked how she was (from what I saw) the only individual person that took questions. It wasn't a panel so if you didn't know what to say someone else could chime in but it was just her and all the question had to be answered by her on the spot. I was impressed by how witty she actually was. She actually made jokes that wasn't planned and that can be hard but Coulter never passes up a opportunity to make fun of a liberal. It kinda makes my heart smile. The keynote speaker, Allen West, was really awesome. I really think you could feel the emotion behind his speech and how sincere he was (Note he is a politician so you true never know until its too late). His speech got the crowd going and it was awesome that he touched on most subject from Domestic to foreign policy to gay marriage and abortion. He was a good key note speaker, last minute or not.

One cool thing was we got to see an awesome cake made by the Cake Boss himself! It was the bust of Reagan with a cowboy hat on and on one side was the Berlin wall then the other his ranch. It looked amazing! I only wish we could have celebrated his birthday but the event was full and wouldn't let us into the ballroom.

So now the story that tell about the title of the post: After leaving the hotel from failing at the Reagan party, me, Rina and Turner went to look at the monument which I did not remember how far apart they actually were. Umm the answer is real far apart when its in the single digits degrees out and I still was in my conference attire. Well we managed to see Washington's, Lincoln, Korean war, FDR and Jefferson. We walked at least 3 miles. Once we got done with Jefferson we decided a cab was needed. So the cab chilling there was waiting on someone but he called his driver friend to come pick us up. As the cab drove off he said stay it will be just a minute. - 25 minutes later - It was so ridiculous cold and I could not feel my toes after like ten minutes. It was horrible. When we got into the cab finally he told us that he picked up the wrong people at first and once he realized that it was the wrong people he came back. I guess thanks for coming back. It was a crazy situation but I also never had a better hot shower.

Christina

CPAC Day 2: Conserving liberty and ignorant libertarians

2011-02-13T03:42:00.006-02:00

Hot off the heels of the Donald's speech from day 1, the Ron Paul supporters came out of the woodworks of America to fight for their Constitution defender. We must have left our hotel that morning with a big flashing sign saying "debate with me" because every libertarian was drawn to us like flies on poop. But before we travel down the road of total ignorance, let's talk about a man who actually says he believes in bipartisanship. Mitt Romney was one of the best speakers of the day, and not just because he's good lookin'. He was charismatic and set the theme for the rest of the day: liberty. He talked of our land as exceptional and a place of opportunity, hope, and freedom, which is something we should never apologize for. While the President is telling us "it could be worse" about our foreign relations, Romney says, "What's next? Let them eat organic cake?" Of course, the libertarians had a problem with anyone who supported any kind of foreign policy so they weren't around to hear Romney's speech. An hour before Ron Paul was due to take stage, all the crazies came back from lunch with their beehive hair-do's and crazy signs, ready to pack the house for their man.

Now, being the smart ladies we are, Lindsey, Hayley, and I somehow got separated from the group, but were not about to miss the action that we knew would unfold during this speech. So we found ourselves in the front row sandwiched between the woman who's never gotten a haircut and the creepy old guy that kept standing up to get a good look at the man he worships while squatting and squinting his eyes in a way that made us all feel a little more uncomfortable, if that was even possible at this point. While Ron Paul spoke of no foreign policy and Mexicans raping our youth in Texas, these "Republicans" stood up and cheered around us while we sat quietly in our seats and stared in amazement. A standing ovation ensued after, which we also opted out of. While we sat quietly discussing what had just unfolded, minding our own business, Repunzal came up to us and confidently told us, "He is the only one up there speaking the truth!" Well we had quite a few opinions to share with her about foreign policy and American legitimacy within the world. She walked away once she found out we were college students and said, "You must know everything then." Well we know a heck of a lot more than she did apparently because she couldn't hold her own in an intelligent conversation against three 19 year-old young women. By the way, this same scene happened about three times after that day, but that's just too much to get into here.

To lighten the mood a little, we went to a reception where the hosts of Red Eye from Fox News were speaking, along with Ann Coulter. Although I think Coulter is somewhat showy, she was quite entertaining. Afterwards we went to a 100th birthday party for Ronald Reagan and watched two documentaries that were very inspiring. Oh yeah, and we got cake shaped like Reagan made by the Cake Boss fromm TLC. That was pretty sweet, literally. After spending 11 hours at the Marriot I was pretty exhausted from political discourse. Stay tuned for an update on Day 3. I'm sure it will involve more libertarian ignorance.

-Lauren C.

Day Last

2011-02-13T03:39:00.002-02:00

Today wasn't too chalked full of big names.
There were lots of panels, that were educational, but SNoring.
My favorite speaker of the day was Allen West.
Definitely cooler than his older, whiter brother, Adam.

I look at these leaders, and I gotta say, I feel inspired.
And shocked.
I've always been amazed at the level of Barrack Obama's support,
but now I am just shocked.
When I compare his submissive, 'let's strive for mediocrity' attitude to the bearing of an ex-Marine, you tell me who you feel safer with.
The man in charge of the most powerful nation on Earth should have a little dignity about him.

"When everyone is special, no one is."

I'm so pissed off my teeth hurt.
I want a REAL leader.
I want someone who isn't afraid to be politically incorrect and say: "Ya know what? America IS the best place on Earth. And everywhere else sucks in comparison. You're either with us or against us."
Heck.
I'm not a xenophobe--I'm a patriot.

Oh and p.s. Ron Paul is still bonkers, and Mitt Romney looks like a Ken doll, genitalia and all.

Good night and good luck.

CPAC comes to an end.

2011-02-13T03:18:00.002-02:00

So today I will be summing up days two and three. Highlights of yesterday included Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. Pretty much Ive come to the conclusion that Ron Paul is a mad man and his supports are equally as crazy. After his speech, Hayley, Lauren and I got into a debate with a Ron Paul supporter who got so frustrated she just walked away. Obviously proving our point that what Ron Paul is campaigning for, isnt practical. After the conference we went to a conference with Ann Coulter and the guys from the Fox News show Red Eye. They were hilarious. After that we went to a Ronald Reagan birthday celebration. It was so inspirational. Not to mention that they had a cake made from the guys from the show Cake Boss on TLC. It was delicious and the coolest cake I have ever seen. After seeing the documentaries on Reagan, I realized how inspirational of a man he is and made me wish that we can find a leader that shares the same vision for America. It is my hope that we can find a man like him for 2012.

Today was the last day of CPAC. Looking back on it, I have met and seen so many inspirational leaders. Todays line up was not real great. The best speaker of the day was Alan West. He was interesting an I thought he did a great job as our keynote speaker. Overall, I felt that CPAC was a success. I have somewhat restored some of my faith in America and am looking forward to what the future holds for the conservative party.

Lindsey

Blind Followers and Educated Supporters: My Lesson from the Last Day of CPAC

2011-02-13T01:28:00.003-02:00

Today the talks that I enjoyed the most came from discussion panels, not the main speakers. My favorite was "Repealing Obamacare: In The States, In Courts, and In Congress." Betsy McCaughey gave a passionate, straightforward argument that explained why Obamacare was bad, and more importantly, what could be done to fix it. She discussed the ~16000 IRS jobs created in the 2,000 page bill, the ~150 new bureaucratic agencies it called for to administer healthcare, and the unconstitutionality of the rights granted to the government by the document that managed to pass through Congress unread. Whether you are a liberal or a conservative, it is hard to deny that mandating people to buy health insurance and regulating how doctors treat privately insured patients violates the rights and liberties laid out in the Constitution. I read more about Betsy's ideas and plans at http://www.defendyourhealthcare.us/home.html.

"How to Think About Afghanistan" was also an interesting discussion panel. Most of the time, conservatives fervently discuss the importance of asserting America's strength through military means and force. This panel of experts recognized that importance, but took the time to point out some of the flaws the rush to military force in Afghanistan can sometimes create. They acknowledged that America is spending too much, that nation-building in Afghanistan is unnecessary, and that nation-building is deeply "unconservative" because of its objective to push (a certain type of) governmental control and culture into the citizens' lives.

Overall, I enjoyed the speeches by the more well-known speakers that got the crowd fired up to go out and make a difference through their display and fight for conservative values, but I think I enjoyed the panels more because they really made me think about what I believe and why. They, along with Ron Paul's blind followers, emphasized to me the most significant lesson I have learned over my three trips to CPAC: the importance of listening and questioning leaders and their individual issue ideas, instead of following what seems to be popular. At my first CPAC, I would stand up and clap whenever the rest of the audience did; now I only do so when I truly understand and support the statements being made. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to me.

CPAC has been fun, but I'm ready to go back to Bowling Green.

Ali

Get Real

2011-02-13T00:25:00.002-02:00

Yesterday opened with a sleeker and more refined version of Mitt Romney. He came with his game face on ready to show out. He was in the zone. “I refuse to believe that America is just another place on the map with a flag,” Romney said. “I believe that America is an exceptional nation, of freedom and opportunity and hope. We are an exceptional land.” He had some good zingers and great timing. It was a great speech, but it was definitely everything the audience wanted to hear. I found myself nodding quite a bit throughout his speech. After some contemplating though, it dawned on me how well he had conveniently sidestepped the issue of government mandated healthcare, a topic almost every other speaker has hit heavily on. Hmmm…wasn’t he governor of Massachusetts when healthcare “reform” passed that included an individual mandate to purchase insurance? That’s going to be a major weakness for him, otherwise, he was pretty on point. His swagger and charm almost made you forget he completely glossed over the healthcare issue. More than anything…he was smooth.

Sen. John Thune screams vice-presidential. It was obvious his speech was to feel out response for a 2012 run and a couple of people yelled out “Run John Run.” Thune’s content was good; his speechwriters nailed the key issues and framed them nicely with some running themes of C-PAC—Reagan (duh), American exceptionalism, etc. He could use some work on his timing, it was a little shaky. He’s not presidential…yet. He needs some more time.

Pawlenty gave a fired up invigorating speech that really caught me by surprise and I’m certain I’m not the only one who took notice. David Keene, president of the American Conservative Union, commented “If there were a most-improved candidate, it would be Pawlenty,” and I couldn’t agree more. Wow, he got people up on their feet and definitely won some new support. American exceptionalism seemed to be a theme continued from Romney as evidenced when Pawlenty echoed the sentiment, “"The bullies, terrorists and tyrants of the world have lots to apologize for. America does not." I will definitely do some more research on this guy…intriguing.
So I caught the last bit of a panel where Sen. Orrin Hatch got heckled and hated on hard (for his vote for the TARP), but, bless his heart he owned it and took it like a champ…“All I can say is, there aren’t many people who will say I’m sorry. I’m one who will.” He made no excuses and I respect that, voting for the TARP is going to haunt a lot of legislators.

Know that the following is an example of a great show of restraint for me--> Ron Paul definitely wins most interesting line in any speech… “There is too much bi-partisanship,” --the most polarizing speaker of C-PAC (not Libertarian-PAC). The discord between his supporters, and, well everyone else (from what I could tell), was visually and audibly obvious. He argues for borderline anarchy and calls for an end to foreign aid (like completely and all together), and it should be noted that he made up his own definition of foreign aid. “End the fed!”…yeah, we know… His die-hard fans (DIE-HARD people, not all of you out there) are a different breed—and that is putting it politely, and is all I have to say on the subject (also get a new buzzword for every Republican who spoke any of you die-hards hated…neo-con is neither accurate nor is it original). He can have the straw poll (since it’s obviously been such an accurate indicator in the past), and I wish he would have his own conference next time too. Bring on the comments.

Rick Perry put on the classic “Dubya” Texas charm and antics. It was fun to watch.

CPAC: Middle East Ignorance, promising canidates, and then there Ron Paul

2011-02-12T22:27:00.002-02:00

The most distressing thing thats come up in the topically based discussions throughout CPAC has been the blatantly unacademic,and illogical approach to the middle east. During the Afghanistan panel discussion, there were academics, as well as the Nixon Center panel on defense, but every panel regarding Islam, Mosques, Israel or Egypt was filled with Biblical prophecies and defended with shouts of "God wills it". This dangerously unacademic attitude is a huge blow to American credibility and efficiency abroad.
Alan West and Anne Coulter kept the crowds both inspired and entertained, making stirring speaches and taking humorous potshots at current and former elected officials. This blend of lighthearted attitudes and serious dedication made the conference very enjoyable to attend.
The straw poll results were once again skewed by the inaccurrate demographic depiction displayed at CPAC. Ron Paul supporters are still by far the most disrespectful crew in attendence at the conference, hanging at the bar until the straw poll, or milling about making disrespectful comments and booing speakers. Only showing up in mass simultaneously, whenever Mr. Pauls interests are at stake, or the media presence is high. Their most disrespectful display by far came when they departed after their straw poll victory, not waiting to see the Keynote speaker colonel Alan West. Luckily this made room for the other delegates to fill the thousand newly vacated seats, and the conference ended with a full house.

Marsha Marsha Marsha

2011-02-12T22:15:00.003-02:00

I loved the line up for the second day. Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, and Herman Cain were flawless; but since everyone else is again doing an immaculate job at documenting the main sessions, I want to point out the intelligent presentation by Representative Marsha Blackburn - TENNESSEE!

The overall theme for the conference has been smaller government - rightly so, but after hearing that message over and over it begins to lose its purpose. Blackburn brought purpose back to the overall theme of the week. She narrowed it down to an issue that should have more attention - net neutrality. Basically, government/ISPs do not need to control or regulate the communication on the internet. Besides freedom of speech, she pointed out how more control would hurt our economy. This is one of many instances and examples of where we need smaller government. The reason this stands out is because internet usage is more than prevalent - it is a part of our lifestyles.

I was lucky enough to have the pleasure to meet Herman Cain yesterday. I had no idea I was going to, and it was definitely a highlight of my day. A picture is coming soon! His message was strong and very appropriate. He used one of my favorite quotes in his message:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." -President Ronald Reagan

When Cain left the stage, the Marvin Gaye "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" played. It was then stuck in my head for the next few hours. Good thing I like that song.

-rach
Jeremiah 29:11

Do I attract confrontation?

2011-02-12T22:13:00.002-02:00

So, we woke up today and went to the lobby to find everyone gone. Why? Well, apparently we had been given the wrong time to go down. So grabbing a banana and coffee to go, we headed out to the metro in spite of everyone having left us. Full sunshine and a high of 40 degrees? Why yes DC, please and thank you! It was the final day, and I was ready to get the show on the road, even though the lineup was not even close to the past couple of days.

Comical Andrew Breitbart opened with a comic speech, and eventually introduced Mississippi governor, Haley Barbor. He presented his opinion on the Obama's $1 trillion stimulus AKA more government sectors and a stifling economy with Obamacare. He reintroduced Reaganomics and the use of cutting taxes to generate revenue and surplus. He added that Medicaid should only be given to the eligible (which should be enforced), and the Republican Party equals FREEDOM! The day continued on with wonderful remarks by panels including the fabulous Phylus Shlatly and Ann Coulter (who is always a treat).

However, I needed to make my way around the exhibit once more; but I was approached by multiple libertarians because of my "I Miss W pin." However, I just exhibited my ideas and opinions justified with support and let it go. Finally, my cool came back when the conference was ended with a flawless speech by the true American, Allen West. fj38fjwoiaf, my stomach is cringing so bad right now! Food and monuments and DC for Lincoln's birthday-YES!

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."
-Abraham Lincoln

--POORVIE PATEL
February 12, 2011

Merina: Washington Day Three. CPAC Day Two

2011-02-12T04:01:00.000-02:00

Since I'm not very familiar about politics I'm unclear on this Tea Party that has been mentioned throughout this conference. I understand that people want to make their own decisions when spending money but what really is the right way to spend. I don't really think that a single opinion is going to be the end all be all. One thing that I think that is correct is that more people are into politics than ever before this last and present term. This is very true. I do think that conservatives make good points on spending but really who's opinion is the right one.
Every person who has spoken has talked about has spoken of cutting funding, but what are you really asking to cut? "Everything" was the word used. Does everything include the money they get for speaking or the funding for school extracurricular activities? Building up low income cites? I wonder if any of these changes would be made if any of this audience was in office, or is it simply something they feel they can complain about?
I absolutely agree that the government shouldn't waste money but I don't think I'm hearing answers that will solve the problem as a whole. I wonder what the actual solution really is? Ending Spending sounds very good but how will we accomplish that really. We are a country, not just a panel of politicians. I believe we need to figure out, and come together as a whole to come up with a plausible solution to the debt crisis we face.
Ryan Hecker made great points that I totally agree with about Obama during commenting questions where he stated that he wanted to commend him for his efforts. The real reason we want to cut spending and provide better health care should be to help Americans. To help build this country up we need a sense of unity: "Divided we fall" I think that we as a country are divided. We are more worried about who's right, and choosing either Republican or Democrat and not looking toward the real goal "The People".
I haven't heard one word about helping the homeless, single and widowed mothers and fathers. All I'm hearing is hateful words and finger pointing. When are we going to work together? Again good points have been made refuting Obama's work in office but in my experience I'm hearing more hate and finger pointing than any solutions. I think change is the most feared component of this whole ordeal. There's talk of unemployment and job fairs by Mitt Romney but who blames Obama as if unemployment never existed before he came into office. So I pose the question: What is your solution to that problem Romney?
So many unanswered questions. I just have to remember this is a learning experience, I come here with an intent to be neutral and unbiased, and learn all I can. My knowledge has expanded to form opinions that I didn't hold before this conference. What a country. What a world, such as this that we live. The best quote I can pull from the conference today that ties into this message is we can disagree but we can disagree agreeably. That single quote sums up all the words that I've written here. We can disagree with each other but but civilly not by coming to inconceivable blows.
Also I got to go and visit the monuments tonight with my roomy and Dr. Turner. It was awesome! Except for the part at the end where we were stranded for like 30 minutes in the freezing cold (Burr). I got some great shots though.

Highs and Lows, Civility in political discourse

2011-02-12T03:36:00.002-02:00

Todays sessions marked new observations, reinforced old stereotypes, and motivated me towards future goals. I have been researching internships and graduate schools throughout my time in DC, and made progress locating two new potential schools, and interacting with the Nixon Center Officials after an expert panel on defense. I also learned that the whole in the wall panel discussions of 20-30 people had more helpful information, as they were led by the experts, not the political figureheads. Tomorrow I intend to attend multiple breakaway panels, even at the expense of main showroom seating. Tomorrow is also the internship and job fair for CPACs exhibitors and I look forward to that search as well as the lectures on Nuclear proliferation, Afghanistan, Sharia Law, the 9/11 Mosque and others, though I doubt the Zionist movements are going to be excited by what I have to say about their irresponsible rhetoric. In the Main ballroom, on the other hand, there was a parade of fantastic speakers, from Pawlenty, to Romney, Thune and Caine. I was very disappointed in the Ron Paul crowd, as they flooded in early to reserve seating and pass out literature, but disrespected every canidate but their own, as well and talked and ignored panel discussions as if Ron Paul was their sole motivator for coming to CPAC. Several moderators attempted to correct their behavior by putting a halt to the badgering of canidates without allowing them to explain their actions, or calling them "war criminals". Overall I was very disappointed in the Ron Paul fan base, but Ron Paul himself was thoughtful, but nothing special. Herman Caine stole the show as the final speaker for the day, rousing the crowd with rhetoric and hints and a potential presidential bid. I would agree to vote for this man tody if we had an election, a Charismatic Black Southern Republican CEO and radio host who was raised poor but worked his way to the top is a fantastic rolemodel and he touches on alot of issues and maintains a rational approach to his politiking. Overall a good day, can't wait for tomorrow. ~Derek Noem

Conservatism 101

2011-02-12T02:42:00.003-02:00

It's difficult to explain my current mood.
To put my thoughts, transferred into feelings, before me.
Print, so often, makes things very difficult.

Today's CPAC was interesting to say the least--they usually are.
The usual tide of anger against Ron Paul with the push back of the more realistic; the discovery of new faces; and the parade of possible presidential hopefuls that the year leading up to Election 2012 will bring.

It's funny--
when composing this is my head my only subjects were poking fun and comedic spite-- serious revelation over the world wide web is not my strong suit.

But tonight I stand at a jumping off point for the rest of my life.
I understand conservative principles and values better than I, perhaps, ever will.
What's more, is that my feelings have been legitimized and re-inforced.

I spent my evening surrounded by a special group of individuals sharing a common idol as their thread.
Ronald Reagan.

I love him.
Have loved him.
I'm not some recent bandwagon fan of his--

But I have come to a better insight of the man, and subsequently of the office and of the country.

I am proud of my America.
I am proud of my party.
I am proud of my movement.
I am proud of our sometimes insensitive, overbearing, know-it-all, bull in a china shop, larger than life agenda.

I do not apologize for America, because I believe in America.
And I defend the conservative ideals of spending less, defending more.

And in my current disposition, I'd just like to say:
'To hell with everything else.'

To my dear jackass opposition: American exceptionalism exists; get off my freedoms.

A Ronald Reagan cake by Carlos the Cake Boss? SURE!

2011-02-12T02:24:00.002-02:00

Of course, as I think that this week doesn't get any better-it does. From the start to the finish, my incessant day for 14 hours at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center for CPAC was a definite success today. Complete with a warm cab at 9 in the morning till exiting the conference doors with tears in my eyes from a reminiscent documentary of President Reagan, today brought a plethora of ideas and experiences.

The speakers today had a similar underlying theme, which all wanted LIBERTY; some wanting it more so than others and in different approaches and mannerisms. Of course, our next president (fingers crossed), Mitt Romney defined America as a land of opportunities with freedom, hope, and opportunity, reinforcing America as the exceptional land-reminiscent of President Reagan. Like he said, "more than rhetoric will be needed to put Americans back in a job- it'll take a NEW PRESIDENT." For me, this prediction is Romney with the ever so immaculate, John Thuno as his vice. With a strong voice and polished look, Romney stole the stage with presidential appearance and assertion of bringing America back to the exceptional land that it once was and still will be.

However, Senator Ron Paul juxtaposed the 'conservatism' movement with his radical, libertarian policies and ideals. Although I had already felt a sense of oppression from Rand Paul (libertarian/Tea Party) fans toward other Republican figures yesterday, this idea was completely reemphasized today during Ron Paul's speech. He not only called for the end to the Federal Reserve, but he denied bipartisanship, which he felt impaired our country to go forward. He called for no violence and wanted the United States to forgo it's reputation as a world conflict resolver, and engage in no foreign aid as its foreign policy. He also imagined an America which taxed it's people at 10% with ABSOLUTELY NO GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE whatsoever. If this isn't mean towards anarchy like Obama is said to be going 'toward socialism,' then what is it?

However, I fortunately got to attend a special panel discussion and Q&A session with Greg Gutfeld and Ann Coulter. Although I didn't have tickets, karma came and rewarded me with the chance to get in. The atmosphere was comical and fresh, and I loved getting to ask Ann a question and listen to her responses to others' questions as well. Soon, I got to celebrate a memorable 100th birthday celebration for our country's greatest president, Ronald Reagan. A documentary of his life showcased his impact on America with a short intermission break with indulging cake from the Cake Boss of Mr. Ronald 'Cowboy' Reagan and his Ranch. Subsequently, that followed with another film of his legacy on the world.

After 14 hours continuous hours at the conference and not leaving till the end of the day, it was utter tranquility getting into a warm cab and finally returning to a comfy bed. Of course I must express one thing for certain - President Obama is not and will never be President Reagan, no if's ands or buts.

"Greatest strength in the world is the strength in free, confident people!"
-President Ronald Reagan

--Poorvie Patel
February 11, 2011

Pawlenty for Pres

2011-02-12T00:27:00.002-02:00

I have had my eyes and ears on Tim Pawlenty for quite some time now. The former Minnesota governor was one of our speakers this afternoon. I was extremely excited to get the chance to see Mr. Pawlenty. His speech highlighted several key topics in the recent “re-conservatization” of the Republican Party. Pawlenty reiterated that our country needs to cut taxes and slashing, rhetoric that has been the anthem of CPAC 2011. Pawlenty also defended the military and said that he would always support the use of strength to protect our nation, territories, and allies. He even invoked the oft used phrase “might makes right”. Pawlenty also recognized God’s importance to our country and its future. As he put it, “we need to turn back to God, not turn away from Him.” Pawlenty also defended Israel and vowed that he would always support Israel. From these statements, I have determined that Pawlenty has what it takes to be a very viable presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2012. He is clearly a fiscal conservative. He is pro-defense/military. Pawlenty’s reliance on God and faith highlight his social conservatism. Finally, he is pro-Israel. I definitely want to see Pawlenty run in the Republican primary!

-Thomas Cameron

p.s. He doesn't want to apologize for America -- we are too exceptional -- there is no reason to apologize!

"Stupid People Are Ruining America!"

2011-02-11T21:56:00.002-02:00

There were a few great speakers today at CPAC, the most polarizing was no doubt, Ron Paul. Paul made no mistake what he wanted to do, he wants to end the fed, go back to a gold standard and cut off all foreign aid. His speech was made even more interesting by his supporters, who were not at all bashful about where they stood. Herman Cain was by far my favorite speaker of the day. Being an economics person, I have always liked seeing businessmen run for office, I think they have a different (and better) perspective on the economy than politicians, and I think that they appeal to the people more than someone who has spent their career in government. Herman Cain also is a great example of how one can rise out of poverty and do great things in this country. I was truly inspired by his words about his life and his love of this country. Overall another great day at CPAC, and I can't wait for tomorrow.

Zack

Barrett Dennison- Day 3

2011-02-11T21:47:00.001-02:00

Day 3

Theme of the Day: What is Liberty?

Mitt Romney- Looks, acts, feels like a President. Based on Appearance he may be the 45^th POTUS. Had a great speech about not apologizing for America. Defense must be strong and we have to be able to chase the American dream. If and when he decides to run, I’ll back him. He is Mormon but Kennedy was Catholic. Will it play well in the South? Guess we’ll see.

Tim Pawlenty- Really enjoyed his talk about limiting government and how he had real life experience scaling back the state of Minnesota. He’s a possible Presidential hopeful, not a bad choice either. Would make a great VP for Romney too.

Ron Paul- I went into this with the wrong mind, this mostly due to his supporters. The Tea Party Contingent isn’t Republican. They are conservative nearing anarchy though. I respect a lot of their points but don’t agree with all. I think Ron just like his son Rand is necessary to achieve a smaller government. They ask for 100 things and if they get half the system will work again. You need people who are polarized it makes it interesting.

Rick Perry- George W. Bush 2.0 Mannerisms, voice, message.

Herman Cain- Samuel L. Jackson’s voice trapped in a conservative African-Americans body. Had a great speech and very different perspective than everyone else.

Jimmy McMillan, former candidate for Governor in NY was at the conference I got a picture of him. He is from “The Rent is Too Damn High” party. And has been depicted on SNL by Keenan Thompson, great satire.

Friday: All about the debt

2011-02-11T21:31:00.003-02:00

Today I was able to hear from Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and a few other senators. They all spoke of the national debt crisis. That was the main issue today, and seems to be the main issue of this conference. Tim Pawlenty and Rick Perry stood out as run of the mill senators who are socially conservative and really had the support of most of the audience. However, I found Ron Paul the most entertaining for his supporters were the most fiery. The conference ended with Herman Cain and it was particularly inspiring. Now, I'm off to end this night with a dinner and dessert made by the "cake boss."

-Dylan Rutherford

Texas, thank you for Rick Perry. You can keep Ron Paul's fans though.

2011-02-11T21:26:00.004-02:00

Well, my day one and day two posts are back to back so you're hearing a lot from me. And I have a lot to say today. Friday started out with Mitt Romney and he delivered a wonderful speech. A few of us went to try and find him after the speech and lost track of time. When I realized it was close to 11:30, I made sure we got back to the ballroom to hear Marsha Blackburn, the representative for my district in Tennessee. She mixed up the topic stream with a speech on net neutrality. She is a beautiful woman who is also very intelligent and I really enjoyed what she had to say. I am proud to have her as my representative.

We went downstairs to collect more free things and we noticed a huge crowd, so I went to look what people were so interested and realized it was another one of my favorite youtube sensations...Jimmy McMillen. Also known as Mr. "Rent is too damn high" who ran for New York Governor. The reason I became so interested in him was a video done by a group that makes a youtube series called "autotune the news".

So, I thought it was fun that he was there. He yelled about the rent, as usual, and took off a shoe and raised it in the air saying "Egypt". He was a character.

Julia, Poorvie and I went to hear John Thune and when we left the ballroom for lunch, the hallways were filled with lines waiting for Ron Paul hours before he spoke. Fortunately, we were able to sneak in the room and find seats with the group to experience Ron Paul's speech. His supporters were rowdy as usual, and not the nicest to Tim Pawlenty either. Since they yelled Ron Paul's name during Donald Trump's speech yesterday, Dylan stood up and yelled Donald Trump when Ron came on stage. It was pretty funny. But Ron gave a very passionate speech with many interesting points. His supporters can be a little much.

But, the spirits of Julia and I were lifted when Rick Perry spoke. I was not familiar with Rick before today, but now I have fallen in love. He sounds like George W. and is just adorable overall. So we listened intently and then ran to get his book signed immediately after. He signed my book with a heart and told me it was special and did the same for Julia. The day could not get any better so we went home. :)

We Are Better Than That, at Six-Pack

2011-02-11T21:19:00.003-02:00

Wow, day one of CPAC was wild. When we arrived in the morning, we sat down and got to hear Michele Bachmann as the opening speaker. She gave a strong speech with a lot of great points and it was an incredible way to start the conference.

Poorvie and I went to find a coffee, we ended up with a bunch of stolen candy and koozies instead. We found the stands set up downstairs and way too much fun collecting free things and gathering new information. And out of curiosity, we stopped at a stand with a tv and ended up dancing for a chance to win a signed copy of Sarah Palin's book. I was the first one to play their game so my score wasn't the highest but it was fun and entertaining for everyone in the room.But before that, I noticed a stand with the famous commercial titled "We Are Better Than That" from a man who ran for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner in 2010, Dale Peterson.

I freaked out and asked the people if he was at the conference and they told me he was and would be back soon. So I grabbed one of the cowboy hats with his button on it and explored until I heard he was back. I talked to him for a bit and took pictures with him. And with all the great speakers of the day, that was the most exciting thing for me. I absolutely loved him.

So then we came back to the ballroom to hear Mitch McConnell and waved our red towels when he came on stage and yelled extremely loud. He gave a great speech, but we didn't get the shout out we wanted. And he was followed by a surprise speech by Newt Gingrich. He came out to eye of the tiger and walked right by our group. He was a fantastic speaker, but slipped up and said six pack. It was very funny and kept everyone focused on the messages and importance of his speech.
Some of the most eventful speeches came towards the end of the day. Donald Trump was my favorite speaker overall. He sold himself well and it will be interesting to see him in the next few months. But some of the campaign for liberty followers were a little disrespectful towards him booing and yelling "Ron Paul" while he was speaking. But Trump being as fantastic as he is took it like a champ and gave it right back to them letting the audience know that Ron Paul has no chance at the presidency. I loved his speech and look forward to following his actions over the next few months.

But the most shocking moment came soon after Trump's speech. The liberty lovers stayed around after Rand Paul spoke to instigate a little more. Rumsfeld was about to be honored with an award and they were upset enough about that, but a surprise visit from Dick Cheney to introduce Rumsfeld provoked a real stir. A man stood up and told the former Vice President that he was a war criminal. Secret Service came out of nowhere and followed the man. It was truly an eye opening moment for me personally. The party is clearly not as united as people would like to think. I believe in free speech and I feel very strongly about everyone being entitled to their own opinion, but the amount of disrespect was almost unbelievable. It was discouraging.

But the day turned around again when a few of us waited in line and were able to meet and take a picture with Michele Bachmann. She was very kind and told me that I was drop dead gorgeous. That was without a doubt the highlight of my day. With the picture, we got a ticket that awarded us with a drink on Michele's tab.

Overall it was a wonderful day and I am amazed by all the things I experience in a few short hours. I absolutely love it!

Top 10

2011-02-11T21:16:00.005-02:00

Sorry I am just now writing about the first day of CPAC. I had a great idea. I was going to post my top 10 favorite quotes of the day. I had my notes/quotes ready to go, but when I had my picture taken with Bachmann my CPAC bag got taken by accident along with my notes and quotes. BUMMER! I don't want to paraphrase and you can find the quotes all over the internet. So I am going a different route for this post than previously planned. I've read all the posts discussing yesterday and everyone has done a fantastic job on covering all the high points. One session that has not been written about is the "How Political Correctness is Harming America's Military" panel with Elaine Donnelly and Ilario Pantano. It was inspiring to see their passion for being advocates for the military. The most current and obvious example that basically summarizes the main point of the session was the Fort Hood shooting. Because our government was trying to be 'politically correct', 13 people died. I had never thought about all of the effects from always being 'politically correct'. Their remarks were thought provoking and enlightening. By the end of the session Hunter and I had found our new role model, Elaine Donnelly, and had a new crush, Ilario!

My first day at CPAC was better than I ever imagined. I can't believe this is the first time I have ever attended and wish I would have gone in years past. All of the speakers yesterday were beyond motivating. I got chills multiple times. The one part of the day that upset me was when some of the audience members were being disrespectful to Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. It was highly rude. Those men deserve nothing but respect for serving our country.

Side note - I got the cutest GOP Elephant pin today. It is my Valentine's Day gift from my awesome parents.

-rach
Jeremiah 29:11

Romney 2012: I Will Never Apologize for America

2011-02-11T13:53:00.002-02:00

Mitt Romney walked out to a crowd of standing, cheering supporters. He candidly gave a speech comparing Obama's current policies, domestic and foreign, to the ones he would pursue if he were to run for president in 2012. Personally, my favorite quote from his speech was his statement, "The cause of liberty cannot take much more of Obama's they get-we give diplomacy." The Republican Party needs a Turner-esque (sophisticated, if you will) candidate as badly as this country needs a strong leader. I would not be opposed to supporting Mitt Romney as the next presidential candidate of the GOP.

Ali

Bachmann for President

2011-02-11T10:35:00.000-02:00

This is not to say that I fully support her, but just to bring up the idea that she might run.

Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann was the keynote speaker to open CPAC 2011. She was well received by the crowd. Congresswoman Bachman’s speech included her usual Tea Party Rhetoric, which the crowd was enthusiastic about. She spoke in a candid manor, which I always support.

Toward the conclusion of her speech Mrs. Bachman offered the crowd a free drink on her. After the last speaker many people in our group went to meet the congresswoman and get the free drink she offered. The line to the room was long, and along our route we discovered that we would not get the drink in the room, instead in the bar. We also found out, not only would we meet Mrs. Bachman, she was also taking pictures with everyone. Her staffers gave out a sheet of paper, that asked for name and contact information. Upon receiving this, Political Consultant Timothy Gilliam of Kennedy-Gilliam Consulting Firm (http://www.kennedygilliam.com/), explained that he thought Mrs. Bachman is gearing up to run for president. I, being a curious person, asked why. Mr. Gilliam with his immense background in politics, explained to me that she wanted to take pictures and get them to people who didn’t live in her district, or even her state for that matter. He said the reason was that she has ambitions to run for president in 2011. I agree with Mr. Gilliam. After she gained much national popularity for Leading the Tea Party, and her rebuke to President Obama’s State of the Union Address she is definitely gaining enough popularity and name recognition needed to run. I suppose the future will tell us whether or not she will run.

FYI: I did enjoy the free Sam Adams, who wouldn't.

-Johnson

Elephants with iconic haircuts

2011-02-11T03:38:00.004-02:00

Fiscal conservativism, repealing Obamacare, and protecting liberty were the main themes of CPAC for Day 1, which I could've told you yesterday would be the themes for all weekend. What I didn't expect? A surprise appearance by the Donald and former Vice President Dick Cheney. It's a good thing the ballroom wasn't as windy as the Superbowl, otherwise Mr. Trump may have almost lost his famous 'do' again. While basically launching has campaign for president in 2012, the Donald basically shut down Ron Paul and his supporters by saying, "Really? He can't get elected." Amidst the boos and caws, the Donald still managed to pull off a highly entertaining and intriguing speech. However, the negative tone being set from part of the audience had only just begun. Dick Cheney helped award Donald Rumsfeld an award, but couldn't get half way into his first sentence before the war criminal accusations began in the crowd. I was shocked how many people actually find it appropriate to harass a former Vice President and a fellow Conservative. That showed one of the major flaws of the conservative movement, how divided some of the groups are. The secret service quickly handled every "war criminal" and "Where's Bin Laden?" shouting by ushering the guests out quietly, but not before I had enough time to plan my escape if someone were to pull out a fire arm (it was that crazy). After all the outrageous scenes, I'd say my first day at CPAC was very eventful, and therefore successful. I can't wait to see what antics tomorrow has in store.

-Lauren

Whoah.

2011-02-11T03:27:00.002-02:00

Wow. Today completely exceeded all my expectations for this conference.

Michele Bachmann opened the conference. I honestly had no clue what to expect from her and was pleasantly suprised. The very first thing she said was about the skit making fun of her on SNL and making sure she was looking into the right camera. That set a good tone, I like anyone who doesn't take themself too seriously, and the woman is an easy SNL target. Ideologically I disagree with her on some important issues, but, overall her message was pretty focused and on point--whether it is your fiscal conservatism, your national security concerns or social issues that define you as a republican, all three are essential and must come together to accomplish 3 goals: hold onto the House, take the Senate, and win the Whitehouse. Also, it was nice of her to give a College Republicans shout out with a friendly reminder about the one drink voucher per person at her reception later in the evening.

Pat Toomey started off with acknowledging he is not a stellar public speaker, that's never a good opener and so I tuned in and out thinking about how I needed some caffeine if I was going to survive the day.

I tuned back in when I realized Leader McConnell was next. Our crew beamed with pride when our senior Senator was introduced and erupted with roars of cheers. Shane Noem actually texted me and said, "I heard your voice distinctly from the press gallery." The Leader came with a focused and specific message, "The fight to repeal and replace Obamacare is nowhere near over, it's just getting started." My favorite part of his speech however was a good lesson in politics and in life--"What's right isn't always popular, but stand firm and stick to your principles even when it is hard. We will stand for what we believe in and if we do our jobs the popularity will take care of itself." Class act.

Post coffee break I was pumped and ready for Newt Gingrich, who did not disappoint. He waltzed in from the press gallery to "Eye of the Tiger" and I thought...YES this is gonna be good. He had some great one-liners ("you can love nature and be a conservative"...what a novel idea), and a great little slip up with "six-pack" when he meant six-steps, which will probably leave some thinking he actually needs twice the amount, or 12 steps. I found it curious he was the only one thus far to even mentional sealing the border or immigration. He said the EPA needs to be replaced because essentially it is beyond repair or reform because, "self selected bureaucrats can't be reformed." He also talked about the need for an American Energy plan that includes making drilling for oil a state right. Overall, he brought down the house and it was some crazy good energy.

The NRA guy made some great and valid points but would get on tangents and take it a little too far. His speech can be summed up by saying good guys should have guns because regardless of the law crazy bad guys will get a hold of guns anyway. An uncomfortable fact, but an accurate one.

Donald Trump came in like a bat out of hell stirring up the pot and I loved every second. He came, he spoke, got cheers, jeers, and boos, and he was out. Whoah...it was like lightning struck the ballroom people went nuts, the energy was unreal. He had some astonishingly valid and intelligent points...and his delivery was golden. I'm sure it turned some people off, but I appreciated the fact that he was real and blunt and didn't sugarcoat his message with attempts to be eloquent or overly academic to prove his points. It was insane, my head is still spinning.

I met Donald Rumsfeld while I was charging my phone randomly by an elevator. Wow. Can't believe how friendly he was.

Dick Cheney looked like he was in bad health and has obviously lost a lot of weight...sad.

Must sleep...

Best,
Julia

Fantasize-- Day 2 Hunter Stevens

2011-02-11T03:07:00.002-02:00

If Ronald Reagan, John McCain, and Dubbya were ever all in one room, I'd probably lose consciousness.
Today was filled with Marines in blazers, Gingrich in trousers, and Rumsfeld; OH MY.
Just something about these conservative men folk.

Digressing out of respect for my audience and my fiance.

CPAC 2011 is like a surprise birthday party on meth.
Good times and bad times. Wow times, and what the heck times.

Trump is hiring himself out as President, Cheney gets called a war criminal, Donald Rumsfeld hugs me, and Newt Gingrich touches me too.

I TOUCHED THE HAND THAT TOUCHED REAGAN.

Be jealous.

Betcha Kentucky is glad we didn't 'Ditch Mitch' in '08. God- he's good. How's Elaine?

If Bush shows up tomorrow, I'll jump in the Delaware.
God I'm tired.

This thing needs to start at noon.

Agenda for tomorrow:
-Bash some Democrats with Ann Coulter.
-Find a six-figure salary job and place to live in D.C. or seduce a Senator.
Representatives are good, too.
-Be in the Diamond section so I can cut in the book signing line.
-Win the Reagan award.
-Make friends with someone cool that can introduce me for the Reagan award.
-Quit wasting money on witty political buttons.
-Receive an invitation to speak at CPAC and beat Gingrich's entrance.
-Hug another old Conservative man that writes his memoirs.
-Reincarnate Reagan.

POA- Plan of Action.

A Day Late and A Dollar Short- Hunter Day 1

2011-02-11T02:59:00.002-02:00

So I'm always the last to post--thought I'd keep tradition alive, well, that and the fact that Tim hijacked my laptop.

Daily Proceedings: Bagel, Airport, Plane, Airport, Van, Hotel, Museums, Dinner, Bed.
Something like that anyway.

It's nice to be back in my city again. Nicer yet to be with people that get me. Who wouldn't want to have a Reagan birthday party? Am I right?

Hayley hogs the bed, the hotel manager treats me like a five year old foreigner, and it's -67 degrees out. But I'm a Conservative and will pull myself up by the bootstraps before walking 4 miles in the snow, uphill bothways.

The Conference starts tomorrow (which is technically today) since, as previously observed, I am a behind the pace blogger.

I look forward to grey-headed men in suits more and more every year. People just don't know how to dress anymore.

Republican World- I was born ready. Get ready for Hunter Stevens.

Oh p.s. Capitalism rocks my socks.

CPAC Day 1!

2011-02-11T02:49:00.005-02:00

So today was the first day at CPAC. I have never been to the conference before but was very impressed. The day started out with Michele Bachmann. Her speech, I thought, went a lot better than I had originally anticipated. Personally my favorite speakers included Mitch Mcconnell, Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Donald Rumsfeld, and former VP Dick Cheney. Donald Trump was probably one of the best speeches by far. He came out with confidence and his talk was rather encouraging. He announced that he may be potentially running for 2012, which I think would be really interesting if he did. One of moments that stood out the most was when Donald Rumsfeld received his award for Defender of the Constitution. There was a group of people who booed and shouted at him in a very disrespectful and unclassy way. When Dick Chaney was presenting the award to him one man stood up shouting "war criminal" and another shouted "Wheres Osama." They were of course quickly ushered out of the room. It was definitely a scene and I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring. Until tomorrow.

Lindsey

Donald Trump was at CPAC?

2011-02-11T02:49:00.004-02:00

Today was the first day of the conference itself and I do not know where to begin this blog. I cannot believe everything I have experienced today, and I have quickly realized that this trip is going to be much more than I had previously anticipated. I am a Communication Disorders major and have never been completely "captivated" with politics. Sure, I find them interesting but it's a career I could never see myself in. This conference has however made me appreciate politics and our country even more than I already did. After listening to so many speakers today I now realize how crucial it truly is to have the GOP take control of the reigns once again, making a huge comeback into the political ring. After hearing speakers such as Michelle Bachmann, Mitch McConnell, Newt Gingrich, Wayne LaPierre, Donald Trump and Rand Paul, I feel very confident that we will make a comeback and we will take over again in 2012. I also had the opportunity to be Hunter's "photographer" and assist her in having her book signed by Donald Rumsfeld; this was an amazing opportunity and I got some pretty cool pictures of him. Finally, to end the conference I met and had my picture taken with Victoria Jackson, the comedian from Saturday Night Live who is also conservative; this happened to be the highlight of my day considering I grew up seeing her in famous SNL skits. All in all, today was a fantastic day and I look forward to my second day at CPAC!

-Hayley Biggers

CPAC Day One

2011-02-11T02:05:00.002-02:00

The first day at CPAC was awesome, especially Donald Trump and I was impressed with Rand Paul. Trump's brutal honesty was extremely refreshing coming from a possible Presidential candidate, and when it comes to economics, Rand Paul is one of only a few people who get what needs to be done. Our debt is nearly equivalent to our entire GDP, and we are approaching a point of no return. Paul gets that we need to not just cut a little, but we need to cut a lot even from the military. I hope the message of cut spending and reducing the debt continues throughout the week.

Zack

Merina: 2nd Day of CPAC Trip, 1st Conference day

2011-02-11T01:57:00.007-02:00

Today was filled with a lot of new experiences for me, as I have never been to either CPAC nor any other political conference. I learned a lot today about Obama among many other things. I heard a plethora of speakers and also attended the conservative fair in the lower part of the conference center. Among the speakers, the speaker I liked the most was acctually the one who wasn't even printed in the program surprise guest Donald Trump. As he proceeded through his section of words he announced his possible interest in wanting to run for president. I thought his delivery throughout it all was raw and uncut to say the least. Raw to the tune of publicaly announcing that Rand Paul will never attain election for presidency. The crowd was in an uproar the most excited I'd seen them the entire day, and there after there were a few other insidents that happened with booing, commenting and shouting. I honestly don't know what to think about that. I just felt I guess that it was a bit overzealous on some of the audiences part. I could tell they were fired up about the issue but I wasn't expecting them to be so verbal in the most negative way about it. I'm learning the ways that a conservative thinks and goes about things defiantly. There were many others that spoke, and I had no idea who they were but ones that I did recognize were Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Michele Bachmann. The biggest topic that was common among all speakers was Obama's Health Care Bill. I'll admit I'm no political guru, so I had no idea about the numbers aspect concerning the national debt. I would never have thought it was into the trillions let alone how much of it was caused by the Obama administration. It raises questions for me on how tax money is disbursted and how government spending is really being done. I always considered politics to be a game where everybody wants you on one side or the other. A sort of tug-o-war for power with no real feeling behind it only greed and money and not really the peoples best interest at heart, but perhaps once this conference is over my views on it will have been interchanged. Today there was a total of 11,000 in attendance! Wow! CPAC defiantly has an impact. Well... Until tomorrow friends

Second Day

2011-02-11T01:36:00.002-02:00

Today was amazing. Today was the first day of CPAC and I loved it. The keynote speaker was Michelle Bachmann and I was impressed. She discussed a whole range of issues but mainly focused on how conservatives need to band together and continue trying hard to take charge of political movements. I did not, however, like it when she began discussing the national economy. She provided a poor analogy in an attempt to illustrate the full gravity of the national debt. She just sounded like she didn't know what she was talking about...which she didn't. It was just rhetoric.

I really enjoyed other speakers such as Mitch McConnell, the V.P. of the NRA, and most certainly Donald Trump. When other speakers presented of whom I didn't care about I walked around the exhibits of conservative organizations. I was surprised to see how many Libertarian groups were here. Afterwards, I went and had my picture made with Michelle Bachmann and then she bought me a beer.

Overall the first day at CPAC was a success.

-Dylan Rutherford

Merina: Washingtion D.C. 2011 Day One

2011-02-11T00:45:00.005-02:00

My first day in Washington was AMAZING! I had never flown before and my experience with that was good except my head felt like it was going to explode when we were about to land because of the pressure and oxygen which my body had never experienced, but I did meet two very nice people on the plane, and I'd do it again in a heart beat! This trip in its entirety is a complete first for me not only have I never flown before, I have never been to Washington D.C. Today I got to see things that I've never seen before in my life! I got to see the Smithsonian museum! It was amazing! I'm a museum fan so that was the highlight of my day. I also saw the capital but I didn't get to go inside of it. I rode a Metro system for the first time in my life it was very confusing but I tried to make it through the best way possible. It would take me a while I think to get used to that sort of system if I had to move here. I was lost the entire time I just made sure I stayed with my group to insure I didn't get misplaced in the crowd. All in all it was a good first day my only wish is that I could have stayed in the Space and Aeronautics part of the Smithsonian museum longer and that my phone didn't die so I could have taken pictures while I was there and more pictures of this amazing experience! Well all I hope today is as awesome as yesterday. We'll see! :)

Barrett Dennison- Day 2

2011-02-10T22:54:00.005-02:00

Day 2
Debt is bad. Theme of the week
Just a couple points on speakers.

Michele Bachmann- Great speaker, great energy. Buying drinks for everyone (do what?) yes for everyone because of the GOP success. Had a really thick accent, Minn UH SO TAH! I like fiscal conservatism; I’m cool with it.

Pat Toomey- Still upset about the Packers Superbowl victory however made great points about the incentives to work. How they do not exist anymore. Socialism will take away Americans desire to work.

Noem- Quit complaining and do something about it. Normal business owner, making a difference in U.S. House of Reps now.

Trump- Oh my gosh Donald Trump is the man. He was bold and furious. Brutal honesty was perfect.

Rumsfeld- He is one of the most memorable men in my political memory. 9/11 and the foreign wars made him crucial and powerful. Great award for him.

Cheney- Dick was funny until some random guy yelled out “you are a war criminal”, secret service were out and on him in about six seconds. Impressive how concealed they are.
Went to a panel called “How to Make it in Hollywood”. If you don’t know I want to make a summer blockbuster. That is my goal. So it was awesome because they told me that I need to chase my dream, move to LA and start working. It’s important that we have conservatives in the film industry. I never realized how much they’re needed till today.

Back again Days 1 and 2

2011-02-10T22:54:00.003-02:00

We did all of our sight seeing yesterday, but I didnt get in my college visits. I stood for 10 minutes at a 9/11 memorial and listened while a mother explained what 9/11 was to her two twin boys, and why they never knew their father, as he died in the South tower...very heartfelt, and I waited for her to finish crying before leaving. We visited the Smithsonian after Ben's Chili Bowl and I debated my thoughts on Lincoln with the group :) Today, we saw all the heavy hitters, Paul, Bachman, Mcconnel, Rumsfeld, Chenney, Trump, LaPierre and Gingrich. The Ron Paul crowd went apeshit over chenney, calling him a war criminal and had to be removed. But I did get some internship and grad school shopping done. And I got to meet my 8th cousin and SD representative Kristy Noem and we swapped contact info (her body guards werent happy that I had ninja'd in and found her) but it was fun.

Barrett Dennison- Day 1

2011-02-10T22:51:00.001-02:00

Day 1
3:20- I woke up.
3:21- Contemplated going back to sleep and skipping trip.
3:21.5- Decided that was a bad idea woke up and got in shower
SKIP A FEW EVENTS
11:00-Arrived in D.C.
12:00- Smacked Ben’s Chili Bowl
I mean it’s a phenomenal place to eat, great atmosphere (People yelling, very few white people, great art and photos on the walls), food is the key though. It deserves its newly found fame.
1:00- Went museum touring
Got to go to the American History Museum, it’s solid. Saw Archie Bunker’s chair and Dorothy’s shoes. Learned about the railroad system. I also pretended that I was a tour guide and couldn’t quit doing James Stewart’s speech about lady liberty and Abraham Lincoln from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. “ You see that lady right there represents liberty….” “Be most excellent to everyone.”
Went to the Air and Space Museum. Not as cool as what I remembered when I was 10 but still pretty sweet. Then again when I was 10 I wanted to be Maverick from Top Gun and Will Smith in Independence Day. (Everything is and will be a movie reference). Also I contemplated the fact that everything just had to go perfect in order for the repairs in Apollo 13 to work. That is still mind boggling that they made it home ok.
6:30- Dinner at Rumors
The manager/owner/nice man at Rumors was absolutely the most hospitable man I have ever seen in a restaurant setting. We asked to watch the Louisville game he made it happen. We asked if we could split the special, he did it. He talked to us, wanted to know how everything was, made sure it was perfect and then got us a drink at the end of the night. Great meal.
9:00- Out cold for the evening, hotel beds have never bothered me. Give me three pillows and I’m good.
Goals for Week
Mastery of Metro System
Increase Conservatism
Not let anyone know that I’m actually a registered Democrat (Glasgow is still kind of solid south). I originally registered Rep. but had to vote in the primary so that explains things.

2011-02-10T22:29:00.003-02:00

Well this blog encompasses two days, I was up since 3:30 when we arrived at the hotel (the second time) I crashed. The first day was really awesome. I'm a big museum person so when people mentioned the Smithsonian, I didn't argue. I wish we could have spent longer just looking around DC but food and bed was a much better option after a few hours. A few of us went to a restaurant called Rumors. It was fantastic, expensive, but great food. I went in thinking a burger or sandwich but ended up eating a New york strip and french onion soup... oops. It doesn't take much to talk me into eating steak which is basically what happened. The waiter was very convincing! lol.

We got up and caught the metro (which I'm so glad I don't live in DC cause I'd so get lost on the metro. I'd ride it for hours and never know where I'd be at!) and headed to the Marriott where the convention was being held. We all walked in and on my left was people talking about tea party and on my left was two NRA booth, then I knew this was definitely my place. The first speaker, Michele Bachmann, really got everyone fired up. I love listening to women in politics speak. All the speakers did a great job and I loved listening to every single one of them regardless if I believed something they said or not. That was the only thing that dissapointed me was the disrespect some people had for the speakers. When Rumsfeld and Cheney was speaking people would shout out horrible things to them, and eventually they were escorted out by secret service, but even if you don't believe in exactly what they say, tea partiers or libertarians, we are still affiliated with the same party and generally stand for the same values so I don't get why people have to be like that. On the way back to the hotel, we decided that there was a metro stop closer and we were going to figure out how to get back...bad idea. It took us forever. We went the wrong way then all the way around Dupont circle which is this huge turnabout then went the wrong way up the street. It was cold, windy and ridiculous. We finally made it back to the hotel! The awesome thing was that there was young boy in the lobby with an All Black Rugby shirt on. It made my day! I told him I really liked his shirt and he just looked at me like I was completely stupid. Oh well, It was a cool shirt. :/
- Christina

I am a political virgin

2011-02-10T21:35:00.005-02:00

My very first day at CPAC, and it was NOT REAL LIFE. There couldn't have been a better lineup, and a firing keynote by Representative Michelle Bachman was the bell to start the day. Fiscal conservatism, defending moral values, and national security set the stage for her. She proposed an exemplary solution through this '3-legged stool' and expressed that we "need not a welfare state, but a state of well-being."

Although all of the speakers resented Obamacare today, Senator Ron Johnson can exemplify the response of the general GOP to Obama's health care bill, "it is the greatest single salt on our freedom." Out very own Senator Mitch McConnell was welcomed open heartedly and with red towels spinning in the air (by us, WKU-ers), and he gave real, advice to the youngsters of CPAC. He continuously advocated for us to keep fighting and stay engaged in politics and government.

Of course the honorary Newt Gingrich stole the show with a grand entrance to "Eye of the Tiger" and telling us that Americans only work when Americans are working! His green conservatism and comical anecdotes of past work with Reagan was the perfect 'intermission' to a series of long, political, SERIOUS speeches. Newt was Newt, stealing the show, once again.

The highlight of my day, however was the surprise appearance of Mr. Donald Trump who was welcomed with a lovely "booooo" and negativity by the Free Liberty fans. This conference is for all Conservatism activists, however the Tea Party and Libertarians defied unity and supported separate faction. To me, this was utter and upmost disrespect. However, this is politics, and I guess I am just a political virgin who doesn't know better. Subsequently, an honor was awarded to our country's great, Donald Rumsfeld, who was also welcomed in a negative way by the same libertarian, Ron Paul supporters. I lost my mind though, when an individual exclaimed, "WAR CRIMINAL" out of the blue when surprise guest, former VP Dick Cheney arrived with Rumsfeld. I could not believe this had happened, and this is when I knew that politics is politics. He was then followed out by multiple secret service men. DID ALL OF THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN A COUPLE ROWS IN FRONT OF ME? I am still in disbelief.

"Struggle for freedom will never end, unfortunately. Fortunately, there will always be a struggle."
- Senator Ron Johnson
CPAC 2011

--POORVIE P
Feb 10, 2011

Newt, always a pleasure

2011-02-10T18:20:00.002-02:00

Newt Gingrich, true to form, walked into the Marriott ballroom to "Eye of the Tiger," as he did last year. Tim Gilliam shook his hand; they're pretty much besties now.

He talked about Obama's pledge to move more toward the center and defined what the center is. He referred to polls that showed 78% of Americans disapprove the death tax and 54% disapprove of current healthcare legislation. If Obama isn't moving to repeal such legislation, then where is he going?

President Obama isn't going toward the middle. He isn't representing the people. He is a perfect example of the distance between the democrats and the people that encourages the conservative fight for better, limited government representation.

Overall, Newt was a pleasant and cohesive addition to today's festivities and the conference as a whole.

Ali

Michele Bachmann: Live Free, or Die!

2011-02-10T13:09:00.002-02:00

Michele Bachmann gave an inspiring opening speech that set off the conference with a good tone. It's not hard to see why she was the first woman representative elected to the House by Minnesota.

In her speech she discussed the importance of conservative fiscal and moral values in today's legislation and offered solutions to move America's government forward. She emphasized the fact that it has taken democrats four years to add 6 trillion to the national debt, in contrast to the 8 trillion that had accumulated since our government's founding. She was witty in her comment, "Hu's your daddy!" in reference to China's current president, Hu Jintao.

As part of her solutions, she called on President Obama to stop cap and trade and to support a balanced budget amendment. Her speech included real figures and statistics that would affect my generation very soon and into the future. She was definitely a good choice for the opening speaker- there's nothing I love more than a strong, conservative female leader.

Ali

In DC again

2011-02-10T01:51:00.003-02:00

Washington, D.C. is a city that I have visited numerous times. As a result, I have been to most of the noteworthy sites. However, each new visit brings more respect and knowledge than the last; there is always more to learn and acknowledge. I always try to visit the National Archives. The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are the reasons why soldiers defend this nation: to preserve our way of life and the freedoms guaranteed by the aforementioned documents. I always stand in awe looking at our cherished documents that were so eloquently penned by our Founding Fathers.

-Thomas Cameron

Expectations

2011-02-10T01:28:00.002-02:00

C-PAC Expectations, Predictions, and Other Non-Sense Fantasies for Day One...
--Sen. McConnell will obviously get roars of cheers from our crew and we will be obnoxious about claiming him as our senior Senator. He will share some dry humor and anecdotes and we will cheer some more. He will probably be the most practical and realistic about the future of the party for 2012, and the most accurate.
--Newt Gingrich will bring down the house and make everyone nostalgic and in the same second wonder...Where is Speaker Boehner in all this?
--Michele Bachmann will stir up the crowd into a chaotic frenzy... and I'm not really sure what else...
--Sen. Thune will charm all 12,000 people and everyone will notice how scary tall he is.
--Will anyone mention Sarah Palin...and if they do, will it be to condenm her or praise her?
--I will cheer, laugh, roll my eyes, growl and get more coffee and then repeat.
--Tim Gilliam and I will start a "Northup for President" cheer and everyone will ignore us...we will also probably still be grumpy about UofL's overtime loss tonight to Notre Dame, and obnoxiously let everyone know we are from Louahvull and it is the best city ever.
--I will attempt to get interviewed by every news outlet and wish my hair was bigger and blonder like Ainsley Earhardt

That's all...
--Julia

First day in the nation’s capital

2011-02-10T00:35:00.001-02:00

I attended CPAC last year, and greatly enjoyed it. I have returned for another enjoyable experience. Today I revisited the White House, Capital Hill, and the Washington Monument. I also visited The American History Museum, and the National Archives. Visiting the National Archives was by far one of my favorite visits. I was able to view the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Viewing these documents must trump everything else because without them, there would be not Capital to visit and no monuments to view. These documents are paramount to the idea of conservatism in this country. It is important to conserve the ideas and values of which those imperative documents were drafted upon. Every individual who visits D.C. should see the White House, Capital Hill, and the monuments, but above all they should make available, time to view and appreciate the documents that established this great nation.

CAPITALISM

2011-02-10T00:33:00.002-02:00

We are keeping a running tally of how many times Hunter says 'Capitalism'. She said it 6 times during dinner at the KING house on Tuesday, an additional 4 before bed, and 4 times before the plane ride. The total before landing in DC was 14. During her first day she said it 5 times. Total count at the end of the official first day is: 19!

Day One of DC

2011-02-10T00:32:00.003-02:00

This is my first time visiting Washington and so far I love it. Poorvie and I got to the airport early in the morning and met up with everyone else. And after an easy plane ride and a funny bus drive, we bought our metro passes and tried to keep up with Barrett as he sprinted from each stop being the leader of the group. A large group of us had lunch at a small place that was featured on Man vs. Food for chilli. I got to go to the Smithsonian for the first time and see the Air and Space Museum as well as the American History Museum. We then roughed our way through the Metro again before going to dinner.
So far, it has been a great trip. There isn't much to report yet but DC is living up to all my expectations and then some. Hopefully my posts will become more entertaining for you all throughout the week!

-Jacqueline Pitts

My First Day In The Busy City

2011-02-10T00:19:00.002-02:00

Today was our first day in DC, and I must say it was very eventful. After getting settled into our hotel, a group of us decided to go to the American History Museum and the Holocaust Museum. Both museums were absolutely amazing! This is my first time in DC and I have loved every minute of it so far. The American History Museum was fantastic, I just cannot believe that the majority of our country's history has been jam-packed into one building! Also, the Holocaust Museum gave me a glimpse into such a dark period in history that is at times pushed aside in my eyes. The museum reminded me of how horrific the Holocaust truly was and it also reminded me that we must remember this time in history and not brush it under the rug. I look forward to see what the rest of my trip has to offer!

-Hayley Biggers

First Day

2011-02-09T23:45:00.004-02:00

Today is my first day in Washington D.C. So far I have visited and or toured the Supreme Court, the Capitol Building, the Whitehouse, Washington Monument, the National Archives and the Smithsonian. I particularly enjoyed visiting the Supreme Court because I have studied so many cases that have been argued within the building. It was neat to finally see the place. For my first visit I must say I am overall impressed with the city. It is much cleaner than I anticipated, and the people are nice....so far.

-Dylan Rutherford

D.C. the third time around

2011-02-09T23:30:00.004-02:00

We started the morning way too early, but arrived to D.C. safe and sound.

We grabbed lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl, which was decent, then went our separate ways to explore the city. I went with a large group to the Smithsonian and the Holocaust museum- both of which I have been to before on previous CPAC trips. However, there's always something new to learn or appreciate at both. For example,this time I enjoyed looking at Nixon items, such as the portrait of his wife or the jade flask he received from a diplomatic trip to China. Last CPAC I met Monica Crowley at the Clare Booth Luce Luncheon and subsequently read her book, Nixon in the Winter. Her book revealed intimate details about Nixon's life that made me empathetic to his life story. Seeing tangible items related to his life made me feel even closer to the former president and brought my education to life.

The night ended with an interesting dinner at Casi with Hunter, Dylan, and Dr. Turner. I'm looking forward to the first day of the conference tomorrow! Hopefully, I'll run into Monica Crowley again.

Ali

Day 1: Rachel King, Lauren Cherry, and Lindsey Conder

2011-02-09T23:09:00.017-02:00

Even though it was 6 a.m., we enjoyed our wait at the Nashville airport with Panera bagels. To show our excitement we decorated our brown paper bags with conservative messages. Including:
1. An elephant shouting 'capitalism'
2. CPAC BOUND
3. KDs love DC
4. CPAC or Bust
5. Destination: CPAC
6. CPAC Veteran

I was really excited to see Congressman Black's (TN-06) office because I interned on her campaign this past summer. It was rewarding to know our hard work paid off. I enjoyed my lunch in the Longworth cafeteria with friends from the campaign who now work for Congressman Black.

While Rachel was visiting Congressman Black's office, Lindsey and I visited with Congressman Chandler, Ky. sixth district. Even though we weren't ideologically aligned, it was an enlightening conversation because no one had an agenda in mind. Congressman Chandler gave us advice about breaking into the political field. He also said the most rewarding aspect of his job is the variety of knowledge you gain on the job everyday. This meeting was the best part of the day, in my opinion, because of the interesting views both parties shared on politics today.

While walking around the National Mall, we ran in to a man dressed as a Revolutionary War soldier. We of course asked to have our picture taken with him....

And he had a tea pot. Also, we call him Good Sir!

We then made our way to the White House. All we can say is that we're ready for 2012.

This was just a picture we really liked...Day 1 was a success!

THE METRO STATION IS THE WAY TO DC'S MINISTRY OF MAGIC!

2011-02-09T23:09:00.013-02:00

Even though I was freaking out that I probably wasn't going to ever get my ticket to get to DC, Turner shows up and my stress finally calms down. Of course I get patted down at security, I mean what's new? As we finally depart Nashville at 6:45 in the morning, I can see myself "immersing into the metapahysical world beyond reality as the plane submerses above the clouds." (as Dr. Jager would say). I've been to Washington DC 2 times before, but never have I gotten there in an hour. Well done Southwest- free bag check-ins, peanuts, AND fast speed! After getting my luggage, I finally got to begin my second favorite city in the US (behind Chicago)- WASHINGTON DC!

Our driver begins putting our luggage in the van, and the first thing I see is a man running outside of the airport chasing a bus full force, with luggage- SPEECHLESS. His persistence really woke me up, and our 30 minute drive into DC was unreal after that. As we pulled onto New York Avenue, I witnessed an "Elizabeth Taylor Hospital" to my right. Being the amiable person that I am, I asked our benevolent driver (John) what the "cute hospital" was for, and I found out it was an AIDS clinic. HE then proceeded to tell me that DC is not only our State capital, but it is also AIDS capital of the US. Again, I was speechless. After driving and stopping ever 2 seconds in traffic, we finally arrived at our hotel, the Best Western Inn and Suites.

After we all departed from the hotel, we headed way to get some lunch at the one and only BEN'S CHILI BOWL. It was so wild- Ben Cosby, George W, Danny Glover, and everyone and their momma had been there. They even had some bomb VEGETARIAN chili! Man, DC doesn't run these restaurants-these restaurants run DC. Getting energized, we finally bore the wind chills and made way to the American History Smithsonian, which was MINDBLOWING. Although I have been there 2 times before, I still enjoy each aspect of American history every time I go, particularly the post civil-war era.

Again, we split after that had finished and continued using those Metros, which is the exact setting as the way down to the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter, complete with pretentious men in long coats and hats ignoring everyone in sight and pacing at 30 mph down the escalators. Coming from the southern state of Kentucky, I simply could not fathom the sternness and fast-paced lifestyle of all these people. Although DC may run our country and be the State and economic capital, I simply cannot imagine rushing through the Ministry everyday to get to every thing I have to go to.

I ended the touring today with the Holocaust Museum, and with a pit-stop at the Dept. of Agriculture forest restoration center. As I walked into the Holocaust Museum, I was immersed in a somber atmosphere. The walk was filled with pictures and history telling the story of Jews in Nazi Germany with primary artifacts and intricate photography. Fate allowed me to meet a group of tourists all the way from Israel with Jewish heritage who spoke Hebrew. The acquaintance of these people made me realize the impact of history on society today.

As I end my day today with some chili Hunan chicken from a local, classy Chinese restaurant (who gave us fortune cookies AND super sweet oranges!), I continue to LOVE being in DC! As I here about the blizzard in my Kentuckian home, I appreciate DC even more with it's clear skies and patriotic atmosphere. The only cold chills I get here are the ones from disbelief of being in the home of our democracy with inherent American history.

A single landmark of justice and honor does not make a world of peace-

Secretary of War, Henry Stimson
Holocuast Memorial, DC

--POORVIE PATEL
Feb 9, 2011

WKU at CPAC 2011

2011-02-04T01:59:00.002-02:00

Next week Dr. Turner will be accompanying 18 students to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. Students will begin frequently updating the blog next Wedensday, so check back often.

CPAC 2011

2011-02-02T19:39:00.000-02:00

We are collecting a list of the students participating in WKU Goes to CPAC 2011

First Day at CPAC

2010-03-13T15:42:00.000-02:00

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My first day at CPAC 2010 began with opening remarks by U.S. Senate hopeful Marco Rubio of Florida. He spoke about his background as being the son of exiles from Cuba. He talked about the need to save the free enterprise system in America.

The next person that spoke was South Carolina senator Jim Demint. He currently heads a Political Action Committee called the Senate Conservatives Fund who is endorsing Marco Rubio of Florida, Chuck Devore of California, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Michael Williams of Texas. He talked about the fact that the Constitution as it originally was intended did not specify an income tax or any of the plethora of taxes we have in place today.

A great speker on the first day of the confrence was Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. She had the best quote of the first day of the confrence when she said "Stop apoligizing about America and start defending this country." A special surprise was that she brought out her father Dick Cheney who spoke at the confrence.

The next speaker was former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney who was introduced by the newly elected Republican Senator form the state of Massachusetts Scott Brown. In my mind, Mitt Romney is too moderate to carry the mantle of conservative leadership and Scott Brown will almost have to vote moderate with Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to get reelected but I could be proven wrong.

Our next speaker at CPAC was House minority leader John Boehner of the state of Ohio. One of the plans he laid out when the Republicans take control of the House is to bar Members of Congress from having projects named in their honor.

Our last speaker of the first day of the confrence was Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association. He quickly dispelled the myth that American made assault weapons and rifles were making their way into Mexican and Latin American gangs. He let people know that the 2nd Ammendment was not to allow people to just go hunting but to protect themselves against government if the need arose.

Russell Haggard

Final Thoughts

2010-02-22T20:10:00.000-02:00

The trip is over and we are all officially back in Bowling Green now. Now that its over I thought i would give my top 3 speakers and my bottom 3 speakers as I thought in my mind.

Top 3.
1. Marco Rubio
2. Allen West
3. Glenn Beck

Bottom 3
3. Scott Brown
2. All Speakers on the 2 minute Activist.
1. Ron Paul

The reason Marco Rubio and Allen West were my top 2 were because they gave speeches that truly blew me away and made me want to get more involved. Also Glenn Beck made one understand what truly living out the American Dream looks like. As a man who was an alcoholic and not a college graduate to get to the platform he has now is unbelievable.

The bottom 3 were in my opinion the speeches that made me one wonder about the person or they were just annoying. Scott Brown who is more moderate then Republican most likely will have to become liberal to ever get re-elected in his district. The 2 minute activist were the group who had the guy who came on stage and called out CPAC for bringing GOPRIDE a gay republican group. The bottom one is Ron Paul. I feel he is weak on military and would never be a good president. Also his followers are crazy and need to be kicked in the face. His supporters would be screaming out during other peoples speeches and were just plan rude.

Over all great trip and I made some new friends. Even though I spent most of the time trying to convince Dr. Turner to move my Politics and Mass Media classes test back a week I enjoyed getting to know one of my teachers. Even if he wouldn't change the test date, but hey why not try?

I hope to go back sometime.
Brent

Best day of my Political Life!

2010-02-21T07:28:00.000-02:00

The smartest man I have ever had the pleasure of hearing speak, Glenn Beck.
Glenn Left his mark on the board he gave to the CPAC committee.
Glenn Beck visiting his discussion on Progressivism
Gross National Product - 24%
Note the book says VOTE COMMUNIST on the bottom right page.
Glenn Beck reading from a Communist/Progressive booklet for Rhodes Island.
Liberty man! isn't he weird?
Everyone Keeps asking how much snow DC has right now... Just think, it has already melted a lot.

The Black Board from the speech was signed and will be brought to American Conservative Union Meetings.
Glenn Beck Key Noting the CPAC conference. My favorite Picture!
Glenn Beck writing the number one problem facing democracy.
Glenn's "friend" the famous Blackboard made it's CPAC debut during his speech.

Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, the visionary for the party.

Today was the best day of my three years attending CPAC. The day started off great with Former Senator Rick Santorum and moved on to Newt Gingrich, Anne Coulter, Bill Bennett and lastly Glenn Beck. I will get to Glenn in a minute. Rick was running for president. Newt was too... Coulter was hilarious, Bill Bennett was inspiring. Glenn Beck was remarkable. Beck has the ability to turn everything you ever think upside down with the most simple history lesson. We are not dealing with politics as we know it, or as it has been/is being taught to us. In these times there are people that want to fundamentally change the way our country works. They want to disregard the rules that we have always gone by in sake of making life easier for them, and this is killing our country and our freedom. This is not just a Democrat issue, but a Republican one too. This is a personal question we need to ask ourselves, "are we happy with the way things are going?" Is spending our way out of a Financial Crisis the right thing to do? Should we blindly follow anyone that says they have the answers to all of our problems? Just a few scattered thoughts I've been dying to get out. On another note from today's speech, there was a panel on the 2010 elections. I waited my turn and was given the last question to ask. I asked, "In the Bluegrass state of Kentucky, we are having an ideological struggle to replace Senator Jim Bunning with a Conservative and Libertarian candidates. What are your thoughts and predictions on the race?" The best they could come up with was saying that they were proud of how far Kentucky has come from being a blue state to a red state. I was very disappointed, the response did not even hit on the same topic. I think the panel, granted rushed on time, was either afraid to tackle the subject, or ignorant on the race and dynamics of the state. Either way, I got my 2 minutes of fame and I am still wondering the Conservative movement's opinion on the KY Senate Race. I want to Thank Dr. Joel Turner for taking us on this trip, without his mentoring, we would not have had such a great experience.

Excellent Last Day, to a Long, Great, Fun, Four Days

2010-02-21T05:16:00.000-02:00

From 8:30 till about 7:00, with a water break, and a bathroom break, I sat in the same seat and sometimes two, but it was well worth it. I got to hear many great speakers, including one of my favorite people.

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton was very interesting to listen to. He described why President Obama has poor foreign policy decisions suggesting that he just doesn’t care about foreign policy, he doesn’t see world as dangerous, and that he believes international problems should be handled by sweet reason, not power. He didn’t describe the president as unpatriotic, or hating American, but instead as the first post-American President. This means that he does not believe that America is exceptional and that he is somewhat above America. Ambassador Bolton also criticized Obama’s announcement of a withdrawal date at the same time he announces his decision to increase troop levels in Afghanistan. Bolton described this as a signal of weakness, that you have already said you will give up if you don’t succeed by this day. He really railed on Obama’s policies dealing with Iran, mainly on the fact that he wants to attempt and continue to negotiate with a rouge nation who’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, shows no intention on halting Iran’s nuclear program. He also is the same man that wants to eliminate Israel from the face of the earth. I always enjoy watching Ambassador Bolton on Fox News Channel, and usually agree with his analysis. I very much agree that our president must not take foreign policy lightly. In the near future I will be serving as an officer in the U.S. Army, and I would prefer that the president does not weaken our military’s superior strength by announcing withdrawal dates prior to the new boots hit the ground. An exit plan is needed, but not an exact deadline.

Glenn Beck, was the highlight of the convention for me. I have watched his show on Fox News since his came to the network, and have been eager to be able to see him in person. Most of what he said tonight, I had already heard, I was actually able to predict one of the percentages he wrote on the board (Tim can vouch for that, ask him). Beck’s enthusiasm and true belief in his convictions is what made his speech exceptional. He looked around the room more than the other speakers at the convention, and he moved away from the center stage podium, which makes him that much more captivating. I think it is important to have speakers like Beck and Ann Coulter speak because they are not politicians, and there for are not seeking any votes. They can say what is really on their minds and leave the political correctness at the door; everything they say is authentic.

Tonight after the adjournment of CPAC the group went to eat, and then the guys in the group went to view a few of the monuments in the beauty of night. It was intimidating standing at the bottom of the lofty Washington Monument, and invigorating touching the base stones. I got a real goose bump feeling seeing honest Abe sitting at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, and reading the Gettysburg Address on the right wall.

Overall the trip has been a blast. I have enjoyed my stay in D.C. and all of the speakers at CPAC; I would love to return next year. Tim lead the way and fought the Seat Nazis, Ali shared the truth, Brent was my fellow tourist and didn’t curse, Russell made everyday that much more interesting, Hunter and Caitlin were on time today, Alex shot a virtual shot-gun and is now under attack by liberal bloggers, Derek climbed every snow mound, Nickel collected many pins, Shane took many a photos, and Doc. Turner provided necessary and enjoyable commentary.

Johnson

Johnson, Day 3

2010-02-21T03:51:00.000-02:00

We live in a country that allows its citizens and foreigners to visit the quarters of the head of state. Today, I visited the White House, and walking through each of the different rooms on the tour was surreal. I was walking in a building where forty-two presidents have previously walked, lived, and worked.

I attended a panel discussion titled, Saving Freedom in Urban Centers. Niger Innis was one of the panel members, Tim, Doc. Turner, Shane, and myself, went up to him to say hello. We remembered most of us, and by most of us I mean everyone but me. The panel interested me very much on the topic of school choice for inner-city children. I don’t live in an area where I have witnessed children not being able to achieve success because of where they go to school, but what the panelist discussed allowed me to better understand.

Texas Congressman, Ron Paul, was accepted with much applause, and chanting. He spoke about his usual view points: small government, ending the fed, and an isolationist view of foreign policy. Many people were chanting, “End the Fed”, which is also the title of one of Paul’s books.

Final Day

2010-02-21T03:04:00.000-02:00

The final day at C-PAC was a long one. In order to have a seat for the keynote speech with Glenn Beck, you basically had no choice but to stay in your seat the entire day. So the entire day was building up to Beck, and you could tell that by mid afternoon people were starting to get anxious for the big moment. I was probably one of the few people at C-PAC who didn't necessarily enjoy Beck. I agreed with a lot of what he said, however I consider him to be more of a ideologue, where as I am more of a partisan. However, to see the level of excitement for Beck when we came out was pretty intense.

If I had to to list my top 5 speakers from C-PAC here's what it would look like...

- Liz Cheney/surprise appearance from Dick Cheney

- Ann Coulter

- John Bolton

- Marco Rubio

- Col. Allen West

This being my first C-PAC I had no idea what to expect. I enjoyed wearing my John McCain button around the entire week, who's not very popular among the C-PAC crowd, I received a lot of dirty looks. Regardless of where you fall on the conservative spectrum it was exciting to see so many people believe in the same things you do.

-Timothy

Ron Paul! CPAC Day 3

2010-02-21T03:00:00.000-02:00

Well, the title of my post says it all. Today the Texas Congressman and former Presidential candidate (1988 and 2008) spoke at CPAC. This is the 3rd time I've seen him at CPAC, and I think it was one of his more effective speeches. His warnings were dismissed and he was treated as a loon during the 2008 election, but since then he has been taken more seriously, becoming a regular on cable news networks talking about the financial meltdown.

Another highlight of today was a tour of the White House. Derek and I stopped for a little photo-op. Enjoy.

During the panel of young conservatives, I felt very embarrassed after the outburst from Ryan Sorba, who denounced CPAC for including GOPride (a gay conservative group). It was in poor taste and was a very narrow minded view. The purpose of CPAC is to exchange ideas between conservatives, even if you don't like all the ideas there.

In reference to yesterday's photo of me at the NRA booth, it appears the liberal bloggers are having fun with me.

http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2010/02/cpac-1-kids-with-guns.html

-Alex Gerard

Derek, Day 4

2010-02-21T02:56:00.000-02:00

Today, Ive reflected on my time at CPAC, and decieded a few short essential narratives from the week. First, Glenn Beck, Mark Rubio and the young Marine from Ohio had probably the most stirring presentations, with Glenn Beck being the highlight of the three. Secondly, Ann Coulter and our MC provided limitless one liners and entertainment for the day, as I stayed in my seat from 8am-7pm to ensure my seat for Glenn Beck while listening to endless drivel about immigration reform and global warming science. And Lastly, there are some wierd people in the subways at night.

"Saving Freedom" on the Last Day of CPAC 2010

2010-02-21T01:16:00.000-02:00

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

So Long, Farewell, It's Time To Say Goodbye!

2010-02-21T00:59:00.000-02:00

So today was the last day of the conference. We got up, bright and early again, and headed out. Once there, Brent said his goal was to out tweet Shane. I thought that sounded like a good idea, so that was my goal too. The tweets have been tallied, and the winner is: NICKEL!!! 31 tweets compared to Shane's 27. I rock! This only counts the tweets at the conference, so the one Shane had about dinner didn't count. Not that it would have helped him beat me or anything because he still would have been 3 short. Today was pretty cool. The emcee guy was HILARIOUS! At the conference, there was an interesting character dressed in full Scottish garb, complete with kilt, and waving a "Don't Tread On Me" flag. He was a curious individual. Shane and I wanted to go to a panel about using technology to rile up conservatives, so we left the big ballroom a little bit early to get to the other ballroom. While we were headed there, we were interviewed by a reporter from American University for the American Observer paper. That was pretty cool. When we got to the panel, it was really boring so we left to go back to the big ballroom to wait for Anne Coulter to speak. She was really funny. I liked her speech. After that, Shane and I went to grab McDonalds. The place was PACKED!!! I got a cheeseburger and fries, then we went to CVS to get snacks to hold us through the rest of the day because we had to keep our good seats for Glenn Beck later. I got some Chili Cheese Fritos, Kit Kats, and a cheese danish. Newt Gingrich made quite the entrance. He came in the side door of the floor, to the tune of Eye of the Tiger. It was great! His speech was really good too! Later, a guy was talking about global warming, and asked if we had gotten the hockey sticks yet. He said there were only 400 of them. I saw the guy with the box, and ran back to get one. Two guys tried to cut in front of me, so I stepped on their toes. Then when I finally got the last one from the box, some guy tried to grab it from me, but I held on really tight and he let go. Then, another guy pushed me and I almost fell onto a row of conference watchers, which prompted a lady to say "Watch who you boys are pushing!" Nice lady. I think I may have scratched a guy in my attempt to prevent myself from falling into the people. But I got my hockey stick, so I'm happy. There was a crazy Irish lady who spoke, and she was hilarious! I liked her, her accent was great. After that, they released the straw poll results. Unfortunately, Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll. Then *drumroll* Glenn Beck! His speech was absolutely amazing. He even brought a blackboard with him lol. It was pretty cool. He was really funny too. Shane got some good pics of him. Then we left the conference. We went to Good Stuff for dinner. The burger was really good, but it made a few of us sick. The ones that didn't feel sick are out at the monuments now, but I've already seen them, so I was ok with missing it. Time for bed though. Early morning tomorrow! Heading back to the airport bright and early!

NRA

White House, Pauls, Gnomes, and more Surprises!

2010-02-20T07:49:00.000-02:00

Gnome Finally gets a Gnome photo at the White House!!!
Gnome and Nickel at the White House.
The whole crew!
Several of us got to meet Wayne LaPierre, the President of the NRA!!! Big Fan!
Our old friend, Niger Innis! He even remembered us!
Another Surprise visit, this time from Va. Governor Bob McDonell. Also passed him in the lobby.
The infamous teleprompter that is the butt of too many jokes.
Ron Paul fans getting waaay too excited.
The Man, The Legend, The Paul. Dr. Ron Paul.
Wheres Waldo? I don't know, but I found Russell!
End the Fed was a long chant during Ron Paul's speech.
Annie Oakley, aka Nickel Aho, shooting it up at the NRA booth.
Russell met his hero Dr. Paul.
Ron Paul signed autographs for a while following his speech.
Full house. I can only imagine how full it will be with Glenn Beck tomorrow night.
2 Gnomes and a Nickel.
Do not let this girl go without eating for too long...

Today was another great day at CPAC and in Washington DC. We started the day off by visiting Fords Theater, where Lincoln was shot and killed. Then we walked across the street and saw where Lincoln died. Learning about President Lincoln was a great segway into our visit to the White House. Thank God for the I-Phone, because Tim is the only reason we have pictures from Casa De Obama. There is a rule that you can't bring a camera into the building... dang near killed me, but I managed to get a Gnome of the Day. Following the White House we made it back to CPAC for some great panels, including one with our friend Niger Innis about saving Charter Schools. We also caught a session on 2 minute activism with youth. In the panel, a young conservative who spoke got up there and condemned CPAC, and anyone else who supports gays. This was ridiculous and uncalled for. The continuous bashing of homosexuality by members of the GOP is counterproductive and hypocritical to the conservative principles of limited government. But, he got his 2 minutes of fame and then stormed off the stage as he was boo'd by most everyone in the crowd. After the adrenaline pumping crazy guy we got to see Ron Paul speak and inspire the Libertarian wing of the party. I respect all opinions and view points and even share some with the Ron Paul fans. However the behavior of some of his supporters was not only rude and disrespectful, but disgraceful to anyone they stand for. These individuals remove the legitimacy that these candidates may have. If they can shake the supporters that yell and scream and throw things at people who have done nothing but serve their country, they will never get anywhere as candidates. Back to Ron Paul, I always enjoy hearing him speak because he makes us think about things we would otherwise not think about. So, today was another great day and I am sooo looking forward to tomorrow and Glenn Beck!!!!!!

You Will Never Silence Us.

2010-02-20T03:27:00.000-02:00

Well Truth be told I started this blog yesterday but here I took to the trend of Hunter and fell asleep while typing....so lets just back track back to Thursday.

Wow. Well let me just say that I found that motivation I was looking for today(Thursday). First let me just start with letting everyone know what a beautiful person and wonderful speaker Marco Rubio is. Rubio 2010! What a great representative of not only his constituency but also the American Dream. His statements on "where you are born is not where you will stay," and the opportunities that America holds was really motivating. My future husband was followed by another awesome speaker Jim DeMint. Both of their speeches went right along with CPAC's theme this year of "Saving Freedom." Rubio talked about the "Greatest American push back, starting with the Tea parties and the election on Mass. Representative Scott Brown." Demint as well continued on with Rubio's discussion with dubbing this the era of "American Awakening."

Next was the "Saving Freedom for Future Generations," a very motivating session for I think all of generation "X" to hear. Especially Rep. Joshua Mandel of Ohio, a very young but motivated young man. He had a great story about walking door-to-door to gain his votes and wearing out 3 pairs of shoes (my boots look worse then his walking around this city however.) He had two bits of advice for all:
1) Stand up and hold steady to your principles, and no one Else's.
2.) Don't be outworked.

A quick stop by the snack bar, and then we headed back to the Ballroom to hear Liz Chaney speak. What a well spoken and strong women!
"We need to stop apologizing and start defending"
"This is America, and far too many men and women have lost their lives so we can speak."

and my favorite.
"President Obama, you will NEVER silence us."

Then the awesome surprise of former Vice President Dick Chaney. I think hunter just about wet herself out of excitement.

Not too long after was the next surprise of the day when Scott Brown appeared to introduce Mit Romney. I thought Brown to be a great speaker and a handsome man, and it wasn't until later in the day when I was directed to google image search that I found his "Most eligible bachelor pic." Yet another moment when Hunter just about wet herself.

Fast forward to today.
Ford Theatre. Check.
within 12 inches of the gun that killed our 16th president. Check
witnessing 8th graders from a charter school butcher Lincolns speech's. FAIL. but check.
eating at my favorite bakery, Au Bon Pain. Success. and Check.
Standing in line and maintaining a British accent with Hunter the entire time. Check.
Three security checkpoints at White house. Check.
White house tour. CHECK.

Moral of the story. CPAC you rock, Snow that almost crushed Shane hilarious, Au Bon Pain is delicious, and Washington, D.C. your wind is bullshit, but your history is legit.

Don't Let The Facts Get In The Way Of My Liberally Biased Story!

2010-02-20T02:40:00.000-02:00

On Thursday, Marco Rubio spoke about the importance of free-enterprise, lowering taxes, simplifying the tax code, getting control of our debt and deficits, and fighting terrorism in a smart, effective way. He also eluded to the wisdom our founders demonstrated in crafting our founding documents in a way that ensured individual liberty and guaranteed all the chance to succeed.

These are simple governmental principles that are important to people of many political persuasions, not merely conservatives. In addition, these principles are easy to comprehend. Well, apparently easy for everyone to comprehend except Chris Matthews. When Matthews discussed Rubio’s speech on lowly rated yet somehow still televised show on MSNBC, he referred to the Rubio’s vision as “constitutionally fundamentalist”, which would potentially lead to overturning civil rights legislation, separate but equal, and otherwise set the country back by potentially overturning 50-100 years of Supreme Court decisions. I can’t quite comprehend the mental gymnastics Matthews had to go through to reach such an asinine conclusion. I can only assume that Matthews understands that he can’t compete with Rubio in the marketplace of ideas, so he has to resort to trying to marginalize Rubio, and others who share his views, by making them appear to be racist. This tired strategy is a crutch often used by Matthews and many others who share his views, and it has stifled meaningful debate for far too long.

In addition, these statements by Matthews demonstrate just how completely inept and out of step with reality that many in the news media are. This is a shame, and it illustrates a larger problem with the news. The media is supposed to serve as the political informant of the American public. The have access to politicians that we don't have, and as a result they should be providing us with meaningful, accurate information to help the public make well-informed political decisions. Unfortunately, as Chris Matthews demonstrates with his analysis of the Rubio speech, the actions of many in the news media are doing the public a major disservice.

They'll Make A Politician Out Of Me Yet...

2010-02-20T02:37:00.001-02:00

So I started my day with a Red Bull. Imagine if you put one of those hyper little ankle biter dogs on speed. Yeah, that's kind of what I was like after the Red Bull. We headed out to Ford's Theatre and toured there. After that, we headed across the street to the house where Lincoln died. I've seen both before, and they haven't changed a bit, so it wasn't a new experience for me. After that, we had a while before our White House tour, so we headed over to Au Bon Pain. I got some awesome chicken noodle soup. Progresso soup thinks they have big chunks of carrot in their soup? Not compared to this stuff. Man these carrot chunks were like the size of ping pong balls! I had to cut them in half to eat them. I got my vitamin A and keratin for the day. So once we finished up there, we headed over to the White House, where there was this ridiculously long line to get in. So we just got in line and waited. To pass the time, Gerard got out his iPhone and he, Derek, and I watched Whitest Kids You Know Lincolns Assassination, It's Good To Be In DC, and Super Obama. Check out the first video on YouTube, and the other two on JibJab. They rock! After many security checks, we got in to the White House. All in all, not too impressed. I was expecting something far more interesting, but it was surprisingly anti-climactic. But hey, who else can say they've been in the White House? So yeah. Then we headed to the conference. The panel that was going on when we got there went waaaay over their time, so we only got to see a couple minutes of Darrell Issa's speech before we had to leave to go to a panel that our friend Niger Innis was in. It was pretty cool. About halfway through the panel, I started getting really fidgety and shaky and realised my blood sugar levels must have dropped really low, so Shane and I left when they asked for questions so that I could grab some food. After I grabbed a Kit Kat, we headed over to the main ballroom to wait for Ron Paul. A panel was going on when we got there. There were people going up to the mic, saying a bit, then sitting down. I'm not really sure what was going on since I missed the beginning, but it was entertaining. Then this guy goes up, and says he condemns CPAC for inviting Go Pride, a gay/lesbian organization, to the conference. He got boo'ed by many people. Then, we had a surprise speaker, the governor from Virginia! After him, a couple came out and announced Ron Paul, and the Ron Paul Crazies went wild. "End the Fed" was their chant of choice. It was an entertaining speech, to say the least. After that was over, we made our way to the exhibit room, where I got many a free bumper sticker to stick on my cabinets at home. Then we went to the NRA booth and played the laser shooting game. I suck at shooting this laser gun, but I'm pretty decent at shooting a real one. Just ask Shane about the first time I shot a gun and how I outshot him :P We came back to the hotel for a quick clothing change, and then headed off to Potbelly's for dinner. I got a meatball sub. It was pretty decent, and stayed mostly together when I cut it into pieces. I also got a chocolate malt. Turner had a brain lapse and asked Shane who the governor of Kentucky was. Imagine their surprise when it was me who answered! So Shane started asking me all these questions, like who is the governor of Ohio, and the Speaker of the House, and a senator from Florida and the new senator in Massachusetts and whatnot. I'm awesome, because I got most of them right! Then he started asking obscure ones that I didn't know, and I started sucking at it. Then we came back home and watched part of Good Luck Chuck on TV. Funny movie. Now, it's bedtime. More to come tomorrow!

Dying Down or Just Firing Up?

2010-02-20T02:16:00.001-02:00

Gosh, I am tired! Today started off with a visit to Ford's Theater, then the White House. I wasn't extremely intrigued with either.

We made it to CPAC and went to the Marriott Ballroom where we watched a debate on the question, "Does security trump freedom?" One of the questions that I found to be most thought-provoking, and the panelists thought to be most controversial, was, "Should detailed background checks be conducted on Muslims wanting to serve in the army, including information about what faction of Islam they practice and who they listen to preach?" Some panelists said, yes, we must do what it takes to protect our country; others said no, not unless their behavior shows telling signs for suspicion. I'm going to agree with the latter on this one- it is their constitutional right to practice the religion they choose without being questioned or checked. I'd like to know a round-about percentage of how many practicing Muslims are radicals, and I'm looking forward to strengthening my above opinion and others, or breaking the stereotypes I've been presented, when I travel to Egypt and Turkey with Dr. Kiasatpour of the political science department this summer.

We went to a panel on Saving Freedom in Urban Centers, Ron Paul, and XPAC, but I could barely stay awake for most of them so I'm not going to comment. XPAC this year is a fail, and I highly doubt it will yield any success next year based on what I'm seeing now.

Dinner was fun. Turner gave me some good laughs. Now I'm just doing lots of reading for other political science classes and calling some of my sorority sisters back home. My big sister had a baby tonight!! Speaking of Ford's Theater, the father wanted to name the baby Lincoln, but I'm praying that she stuck to her guns and named it Alexander. I mean, I know a pretty cool lady whose name is Alexandra... But that's neither here nor there.

More tomorrow.

Ali Edelstein

Derek, Day 3

2010-02-20T02:00:00.000-02:00

So yeah, today wasfun, I got a real DC shave and hair cut today, after our anti-climactictour of the White House. 21 pictures of Barack Obama all within 2-3 hallways kind of made me feel like he was a little self absorbed. But hey, we did pass the shrine to Ronald Reagan, where we had a moment of silence, and took photos. Then later, we got into heated debates over the value of security vs liberty, and Ron Paul psychos having a field day. I even had a decent debate with evangelical christian mothers. Then we had some sweet dinner conversation, and I now plan to help organize a WKU chapter of Liberty on the Rocks, as well as continue being awesome.

Jobless World....

2010-02-20T01:16:00.000-02:00

Today was a day that deeply convicted me and made look at my life as a whole. I have to admit to you readers that I am a follower of Christ. I serve as a Youth Pastor at a church in Franklin Ky. But do not let that stop you from continuing on with my post, please hear me out about what I am going to say. I am not going to try to convict you or try to convert you in this post, I just want to be real about who I am as a person and politically.

A few of us went to a session called "Saving Freedom in Urban Centers" and during this session a lady named Star Parker spoke. She was a lady who for many years lived in poverty with her family and lived off welfare for many years. She then made the statement that when she came to faith in Jesus Christ that her life began to change and she started to get things on track. She now is a spokes person for Urban renewal and Education. She made me really think about myself because she talked about how more people are likely to switch to Islam because they are trying to produce jobs and help people in the inner cities. After this i really got to thinking and actually wrote some notes in my I-touch so I am going to write that out below this.

What the world needs is a world where they can go and see that people truly care and that people are willing to help. Not these fake promises that we tell them but honest truth. Give a person a job and they are more willing to listen to what they have to say more so then just giving them a meal. Give a person a meal he will be hungry later but give him a job he will have money to buy a meal later. If the Bible says to Love Your Neighbor then I think we need to love them in such a way that they can truly provide for their families.

I have to admit that in my eyes the one thing I believe the world needs is Jesus. I honestly hope they seek out Christ because if they truly seek Him they will find Him. But i have to admit that I believe the world would be more willing to hear something I say if i truly show them I care. I am not sure I would ever run for a Political Office but if did I would have to admit that Jobs would be something I would be looking to help people with. If you give someone a Job thats not use to having one then you may never hear them complain about you again. Because you truly helped them out with what they needed and thats an income to provide for their loved ones.

-Brent Phillips-
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
-John 15:13

The Past and My Future: All In One Day

2010-02-20T01:11:00.000-02:00

Well nell's bells, look who's actually blogging on the right day!
(Thank you, thank you--I realize it's a big deal.)
Well,
today was a much more....something...kind of day.

We didn't have to leave quite as early today--
still the last one there for those of you keeping count.
Today was White House Day--so we headed toward that general direction.
We got to the area early so that we would have time to go by Ford's Theater and The Peterson House.
Only if you know me, could you understand the effect this had.

History tends to change me into an emotional flub.
The sight of a musket can make me cry--
a swatch of an American Flag can awe me--
Anything historical or political--just mark it down to the patriot inside me.

Today I stood in front of a pillowcase covered in Lincoln's blood.

I can't say anything.

I looked at the exact box where he sat.

Again...nothing.

I'd rather not cheapen it by trying to explain with words.
Just understand: sincerely meaningful.

It upsets me to think that there are those who would rather tear down and spread disillusionments about heros rather than allowing them to exist.
Yes, Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus.
I am aware.
Do not think I am uneducated just because I refuse to stand out amongst the masses by bashing one of the greatest men to ever lead our nation.
One of the few things I am passionate about.
So sorry to rant.

Moving on.

We stopped by Au Bon Pain for a quick breakfast--
Cinnamon Roll: ohhhh my.
Heavenly.

And then, we headed to the White House.
aka
My future home. :)

After a cold stand outside, a couple security stops, and some guards that really liked my accent,
we headed inside.

I often wonder how long it takes one to grow accustomed to such sights as White House before you.
Or the sun setting behind the Capitol.
Or maybe the Lincoln Memorial in Spring.
When do fresh eyes become old and wizened?

I hope to never grow numb or impervious to the sights of the things I love and respect.
As many times as I am in D.C.--
I hope I still get cold chills.
I hope I still tear up.
I hope I still stand before Ronald Reagan's portrait--
probably speechless for the first time in my life.

The White House: great sucess.

We headed for a quick lunch and then back to CPAC for the speakers.
Not quite as exciting as yesterday, or how I hope tomorrow to be.
But interesting and educating, nontheless.

Then back to the room for a nap, some supper, and now watching "The Patriot."

All-in-all,
one hella good day.

Tomorrow promises Rick Santorum, Bill Bennett, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, and of course, keynote speaker, Glenn Beck.

God--I've died and gone to Republican Heaven.
Hello there, Ronald Reagan.

Conservatively Yours,
Hunter Stevens

WKU at the NRA Booth

2010-02-19T21:41:00.001-02:00

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