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Showing posts with label cpac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cpac. Show all posts
Saturday, March 8, 2014
CPAC 2014 Straw Poll Results
Rand Paul 31%
Ted Cruz 11%
Dr. Ben Carson 9%
Gov. Chris Christie 8%
Gov. Scott Walker 7%
Rick Santorum 7%
Marco Rubio 6%
Paul Ryan 3%
Gov. Sarah Palin2%
Gov. Mike Huckabee2%
Condi Rice 2%
Gov. Bobby Jindal 2%
Gov. Rick Perry 3%
Close to half, 46% were between the ages of 18 and 25
51% disapprove of republicans in congress. I am actually surprised it was that low.
52% would like to see Europe and other allies start to provide their own national defense.
41% would like to see marijuana to be legalized and taxed.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Yet More GOProud Controversary at CPAC 2013
I wrote this more than two years ago - it seems we are still having the same conversation. Sad. This was all over twitter today. GOProud was once again refused a chance for a sponsorship at the CPAC convention. This is why the GOP is called intolerant. Look, I am against gay marriage, but I more than willing to engage in thoughtful debate about the topic. I don't understand why the organizers of CPAC and social conservative groups are not willing to do the same.
The Conservative Political Action Conference is having yet another controversy this year. The Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America have decided to boycott. The organizers have invited GOProud to participate and the social conservative groups are none too pleased.
I have my belief systems and I am not ashamed of those beliefs. I believe that I have come about them honestly and with careful thought. That being said I realize that my belief systems is not something that everyone else is going to agree with. One of the things that I really do not have the patience for is people that would rather shut down speech instead of engaging in debate. When we shut down speech nothing will get solved. The only way to bring about awareness is to have the difficult and uncomfortable discussions.
One of the things that I promised myself when I started this blog was that I would stay true to my own voice even when it wasn't popular. So this post will be no exception. I fully understand and respect the religious beliefs of the far right. In fact, I agree with much of it. But, what I don't agree with is when the far right paints itself into a corner that appears like intolerance. It happens over and over again.
The conservative blogosphere has yet to finish its discussion on the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It is not a secret that the right and more specifically the far religious right is appalled that gays will serve in openly in the military. It is looked upon as a slippery slope that will eventually bring about the ruin of the Republic. Of course that is somewhat of an oversimplification in many cases, but it certainly is not in all cases. I have read some things that have blown my mind. I can only imagine what people who are not inclined to agree with the right are thinking when they read the same things.
The country is certainly at a crossroads. We are on the verge of insolvency and in danger of real shift in how we live in this country. If there ever was a time that we need more discussion, that time is now. You hear over and over again from the left that the republican party is a small tent. This is a perfect example of how it simply isn't the case. Although the new meme of the left and the media is that the republican party is making it clear that it no longer has room for moderates in the party. It is one of the many inconsistencies that media never fully answers about its discussions of the Republican Party. But, that is a post for another time.
There are different types of conservatives. There are people who are socially conservative yet will still spend money like water. There are those who are fiscally conservative and more socially liberal. Then we have those that are conservative on both counts. So the party is a bigger tent than the media would like to admit to. But, one of the things that can tear the party apart is this type of stupidity.
I am not saying that any of these groups should change their strongly held beliefs. What I am saying is that they need to stop acting like if the rest of us don't agree with them that it is acceptable to pick up their toys and go home. What we need to do is challenge each other not shut each other out. By walking away they are becoming exactly what the left accuses of them of; intolerance. If they truly believe in what they are preaching, then stand up and say it. Stand up and defend it. Stand up and show me where I am wrong. Talk to me, don't shut down discussion.
I was at CPAC last year and some of this reared its head then as well. GOProud was there and gave some sort of presentation that I did not attend, so I can't attest to what was said. CPAC has gone out of its way to be inclusive as possible to college students. There was an awards program for activists on college campuses across the country. College activists were given a short time to speak about what was happening on their campuses. One activist choose to use his time to state his displeasure of GOProud and was loudly booed by many of the college kids. The moderator asked the audience to respect our right to speech and give the young man his time to speak. Regardless of how I felt about what he saying, I respected his right to say it.
What these social conservatives are saying is that GOProud has no right to speak. To me, that is not a conservative value that I can condone. I don't agree with every speaker at CPAC. The only way that would happen would be if I chose all the speakers and told them what to discuss. That doesn't mean that I should not attend and take part of the experience. Who knows, I may end up learning more from the speaker that I don't agree with than the ones that I do.
The one thing that I am sure of, if we want to put an end to Obamanation, we have to find a way to make room for all republicans. If we continue to tear each other down, we will see another four more years of President Obama. An outcome that is not acceptable. Hold onto your beliefs and stay true to them, but never forget that the answer to bad speech, is more speech.
Read more here and here
The Conservative Political Action Conference is having yet another controversy this year. The Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America have decided to boycott. The organizers have invited GOProud to participate and the social conservative groups are none too pleased.
I have my belief systems and I am not ashamed of those beliefs. I believe that I have come about them honestly and with careful thought. That being said I realize that my belief systems is not something that everyone else is going to agree with. One of the things that I really do not have the patience for is people that would rather shut down speech instead of engaging in debate. When we shut down speech nothing will get solved. The only way to bring about awareness is to have the difficult and uncomfortable discussions.
One of the things that I promised myself when I started this blog was that I would stay true to my own voice even when it wasn't popular. So this post will be no exception. I fully understand and respect the religious beliefs of the far right. In fact, I agree with much of it. But, what I don't agree with is when the far right paints itself into a corner that appears like intolerance. It happens over and over again.
The conservative blogosphere has yet to finish its discussion on the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It is not a secret that the right and more specifically the far religious right is appalled that gays will serve in openly in the military. It is looked upon as a slippery slope that will eventually bring about the ruin of the Republic. Of course that is somewhat of an oversimplification in many cases, but it certainly is not in all cases. I have read some things that have blown my mind. I can only imagine what people who are not inclined to agree with the right are thinking when they read the same things.
The country is certainly at a crossroads. We are on the verge of insolvency and in danger of real shift in how we live in this country. If there ever was a time that we need more discussion, that time is now. You hear over and over again from the left that the republican party is a small tent. This is a perfect example of how it simply isn't the case. Although the new meme of the left and the media is that the republican party is making it clear that it no longer has room for moderates in the party. It is one of the many inconsistencies that media never fully answers about its discussions of the Republican Party. But, that is a post for another time.
There are different types of conservatives. There are people who are socially conservative yet will still spend money like water. There are those who are fiscally conservative and more socially liberal. Then we have those that are conservative on both counts. So the party is a bigger tent than the media would like to admit to. But, one of the things that can tear the party apart is this type of stupidity.
I am not saying that any of these groups should change their strongly held beliefs. What I am saying is that they need to stop acting like if the rest of us don't agree with them that it is acceptable to pick up their toys and go home. What we need to do is challenge each other not shut each other out. By walking away they are becoming exactly what the left accuses of them of; intolerance. If they truly believe in what they are preaching, then stand up and say it. Stand up and defend it. Stand up and show me where I am wrong. Talk to me, don't shut down discussion.
I was at CPAC last year and some of this reared its head then as well. GOProud was there and gave some sort of presentation that I did not attend, so I can't attest to what was said. CPAC has gone out of its way to be inclusive as possible to college students. There was an awards program for activists on college campuses across the country. College activists were given a short time to speak about what was happening on their campuses. One activist choose to use his time to state his displeasure of GOProud and was loudly booed by many of the college kids. The moderator asked the audience to respect our right to speech and give the young man his time to speak. Regardless of how I felt about what he saying, I respected his right to say it.
What these social conservatives are saying is that GOProud has no right to speak. To me, that is not a conservative value that I can condone. I don't agree with every speaker at CPAC. The only way that would happen would be if I chose all the speakers and told them what to discuss. That doesn't mean that I should not attend and take part of the experience. Who knows, I may end up learning more from the speaker that I don't agree with than the ones that I do.
The one thing that I am sure of, if we want to put an end to Obamanation, we have to find a way to make room for all republicans. If we continue to tear each other down, we will see another four more years of President Obama. An outcome that is not acceptable. Hold onto your beliefs and stay true to them, but never forget that the answer to bad speech, is more speech.
Read more here and here
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Sarah Palin Rocks CPAC
Sarah Palin's long awaited appearance at CPAC finally took place last night. I had the privilege to see it in person. The atmosphere was completely electric. The speech was red meat to the base and exactly what we were hoping to hear. Her zingers were great and she showed how she can work on her feet. The occupiers bought a few tickets and tried to disrupt the speech, but the crowd took care of that. In case you have not heard, that was the reason that the chants of USA started. She kept moving as the security took care of the occupiers.
Enjoy......................
She did take the time to meet with some of the attendees who were lucky enough to get close to her. I was walking by and saw this huge crowd and flashes going off. I was on my way to lunch, but by that point she was mobbed by the people, that we just kept walking and went and got our crawfish. My friend Marta was able to shake her hand. My buddy Phil was able to get a birdseye view of the occupiers. He was trying to give them a Newt sticker earlier in the day.
The occupiers came and failed. We had a great conference.
Enjoy......................
She did take the time to meet with some of the attendees who were lucky enough to get close to her. I was walking by and saw this huge crowd and flashes going off. I was on my way to lunch, but by that point she was mobbed by the people, that we just kept walking and went and got our crawfish. My friend Marta was able to shake her hand. My buddy Phil was able to get a birdseye view of the occupiers. He was trying to give them a Newt sticker earlier in the day.
The occupiers came and failed. We had a great conference.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
CPAC and The Occupiers
I had loads of fun with the occuppiers. I mean that seriously. They also
brought there homes with them, when they marched they brought their stinky tents
with them. Too funny.
I have video but I had to recharge my batteries and don't have time to get it done this morning. I will upload later.
I see that they admitted they were paid to be there. Shocker!!!
They did get into the hotel, but that didn't last long. They tried to get to Breitbart. You can just imagine how that worked out.
The conservative media was threatened with arrest if they got too close to them.
The occuppiers were sitting in the middle of road chanting Whose Street, Our Street and the police did nothing, yet Stacy from The Other McCain got his beer taken away from him.
But the saddest/funniest part of it is the fact that I don't think that they realize they were just a source of entertainment to us.
The AFL-CIO rented a bunch of rooms last night which means they will be around again today. Lets hope the occupiers took the opportunity to take a shower.
I have video but I had to recharge my batteries and don't have time to get it done this morning. I will upload later.
I see that they admitted they were paid to be there. Shocker!!!
They did get into the hotel, but that didn't last long. They tried to get to Breitbart. You can just imagine how that worked out.
The conservative media was threatened with arrest if they got too close to them.
The occuppiers were sitting in the middle of road chanting Whose Street, Our Street and the police did nothing, yet Stacy from The Other McCain got his beer taken away from him.
But the saddest/funniest part of it is the fact that I don't think that they realize they were just a source of entertainment to us.
The AFL-CIO rented a bunch of rooms last night which means they will be around again today. Lets hope the occupiers took the opportunity to take a shower.
CPAC Speech of the Day
While three presidential candidates spoke today, this was the speech that got the biggest buzz of the day.
Sit back, get your popcorn and enjoy!!!
Sit back, get your popcorn and enjoy!!!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
CPAC Speech of the Day - Marco Rubio
This by far, got the biggest buzz of the day.
Sit back and enjoy.......................
Sit back and enjoy.......................
CPAC Day One - Part 1
The security is overwhelming. I have never seen it like this. They are checking each and every pass at the door for every speaker and event. That has not happened in the past. I guess they are taking the occupier protests seriously and doing their best to protect the speakers and the attendees. I am sure that they have had to hire additional people.
AFL-CIO has decided to up the game and has rented rooms here, so it will be impossible to throw them out, as they are guests. Lovely.
I just met Victoria Jackson from SNL fame. I ran into Stacy from the Other McCain and The DaTech Guy earlier this morning. They were both telling me I need to support Santorum.
Santorum stickers are everywhere. He seems to have a great deal of support here. I would venture to say he could win the straw poll.
Romney has a plan to use this conference to "woo" conservatives. Good luck with that venture.
The Citadel has 31 cadets here. Nice to see people who not only willing to serve in the military, but also politically active at such a young age.
Jim DeMint gave a great opening speech. I believe that CSPAN covers the event and will have videos.
Herman Cain's bus is here. I have not yet seen Mr. Cain himself, but the bus is at least here. He is due to speak after 4 today.
The blogger bash is tonight, that should be a good time.
It is still early, so not much more to report.
But, I have to say, I always love it when conservatives are in town. They are in short supply in this neck of the woods.
AFL-CIO has decided to up the game and has rented rooms here, so it will be impossible to throw them out, as they are guests. Lovely.
I just met Victoria Jackson from SNL fame. I ran into Stacy from the Other McCain and The DaTech Guy earlier this morning. They were both telling me I need to support Santorum.
Santorum stickers are everywhere. He seems to have a great deal of support here. I would venture to say he could win the straw poll.
Romney has a plan to use this conference to "woo" conservatives. Good luck with that venture.
The Citadel has 31 cadets here. Nice to see people who not only willing to serve in the military, but also politically active at such a young age.
Jim DeMint gave a great opening speech. I believe that CSPAN covers the event and will have videos.
Herman Cain's bus is here. I have not yet seen Mr. Cain himself, but the bus is at least here. He is due to speak after 4 today.
The blogger bash is tonight, that should be a good time.
It is still early, so not much more to report.
But, I have to say, I always love it when conservatives are in town. They are in short supply in this neck of the woods.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Conservatives, Occuppiers, & Union Thugs; Oh, My
So the occupiers have nothing better to do
Friday afternoon and they have decided to get together with their union thug
buddies to converge at The Marriott Wardman Hotel to "protest" this year's
CPAC. One can hope they will behave better than they did three months ago at
the
AFP gathering at the Washington Convention Center.
They have set up a facebook page to help organize this little field trip for themselves. I feel no need to link to that, but I suppose if you search you can find it if you are so inclined.
The first of two demonstrations will be noon on Friday and the second planned for the Reagan dinner Friday night.
Oh, darn, noon on Friday is when Ann Coulter will be speaking. Oh, well I guess I will have to forgo that.
I say Bring.It.On
CPAC will have a much younger crowd then the AFP conference had. Wardman will also provide much better security for the attendees.
If you happen to be in the DC area on Friday at lunchtime, come on down to the Wardham. The smell might be bad, but the sight of them will be worth the price of admission.
They have set up a facebook page to help organize this little field trip for themselves. I feel no need to link to that, but I suppose if you search you can find it if you are so inclined.
The first of two demonstrations will be noon on Friday and the second planned for the Reagan dinner Friday night.
Oh, darn, noon on Friday is when Ann Coulter will be speaking. Oh, well I guess I will have to forgo that.
I say Bring.It.On
CPAC will have a much younger crowd then the AFP conference had. Wardman will also provide much better security for the attendees.
If you happen to be in the DC area on Friday at lunchtime, come on down to the Wardham. The smell might be bad, but the sight of them will be worth the price of admission.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Jonah Goldberg of NRO
Jonah Goldberg was given a journalist award at CPAC yesterday. Sadly, he was unable to make the conference due to the accidental death of brother Joshua. Say a prayer for the Goldberg family.
Rich Lowry came to accept the award on his behalf. Under the circumstances it was a very funny speech. I can't find an embeddable video, so here is the link that allow you to watch. You will enjoy some of the stories, and he makes some very important points about American exceptionalism.
http://video.cpac.org/video/show/rich-lowry-2011
RIP Joshua and I hope that his wife finds some comfort in her time of sorrow.
Rich Lowry came to accept the award on his behalf. Under the circumstances it was a very funny speech. I can't find an embeddable video, so here is the link that allow you to watch. You will enjoy some of the stories, and he makes some very important points about American exceptionalism.
http://video.cpac.org/video/show/rich-lowry-2011
RIP Joshua and I hope that his wife finds some comfort in her time of sorrow.
CPAC - My Experience
CPAC 11 has come to end. We spent the weekend listening to many so called presidential hopefuls and others within the conservative movement. We also listened to Donald Trump of all people, who no one there thinks is a conservative. He said the right things in some cases, but I doubt it fooled many people. Don't get me wrong, I liked the speech but it wasn't convincing in any way.
We all know there was controversy surrounding this year's conference. Mainly due to the inclusion of GOProud as a sponsor. Many social conservative groups and politicians decided to forgo attending. As you may know I questioned if it was a good idea for these groups to forgo, the answer to bad speech is more speech. I firmly believe that.
Even though I don't like to, I will admit when I am wrong. This is one of the times. GOProud shouldn't have been allowed to be a sponsor. The question of homosexuality aside, the real problem with them being there is identity politics. Conservatives don't particularly care for putting people into groups. This is exactly what they were trying to do, and they did it aggressively, too aggressively. They also went way too far and started a dust up on Friday of the conference. Did they really expect that there wouldn't be people in attendance that were against them being there? Did they really expect that those people wouldn't protest it? Protest is part of our political process and part of the American lexicon. How they handled this was disgraceful and can't be tolerated. I have this feeling that controversy won't be an issue next year. No one is saying that they can't attend the conference, or can't vote republican. But, stop trying to get the republican party to accept identity politics. We want no part of that, if we did we may as well be liberals.
I had the honor of meeting fellow blogger Right Klik and his beautiful family. His little daughter is just too cute and she was very well behaved during our lunch. I know of another little girl just about the same age who wouldn't have been too happy to be sitting in a restaurant for that period of time.
Jill over at Pundit and Pundette came across something that said that the issue of abortion of was being made passe at CPAC. I and others who attended have assured her that is not the case with the people who were there. That is still a very important issue among conservatives and regardless if you personally agree with or not, it won't be going away anytime soon. Virtually every major speaker brought up the issue of life and got huge applause when they did. Many of the exhibitors and sponsors were solidly pro life.
I had a funny incident happen after the final speech. I was having dinner with some fellow Smart Girls and needed to use the ladies room. I go and the stalls are towards the back of the room and around a corner. I just went to the closest stall, the door was open and because of the angle I couldn't see anything. I open the door and to my surprise Bill Schutlz of Red Eye fame was in there doing his business. I think I am scarred for life. He was so drunk he didn't even know I was there. I just turned around and went to the next stall.
The Straw Poll results came as no shock to me. I knew before the conference started that Ron Paul would win. Truly, I have found Ron Paul to be the SEIU of the right. He buses in his fans and sells tickets at Campaign for Liberty's website at much lower prices than anyone else. Which I don't think is right, but it is out my control. Although with the new leadership at CPAC this may very well change. My understand is that the new president is far less libertarian leaning than the outgoing one. CPAC is meant to be a conservative gathering and Paulites in many ways are not conservative. They are almost cult like in some respects. That is why Ron Paul can't win. People may agree with many parts of message, but he has many followers who are anti-Semitic and 9/11 truthers. They didn't do themselves any favors when they couldn't help themselves and called the former Vice President a war criminal. That smacks of the same vitriol that we hear from the likes of the Code Pink ladies. You are not going to ingratiate yourselves to the right when you are saying and doing things like that. If you are one of those people who think that Paulites are somewhat cult like, just wait until you see them travelling in packs like they do at CPAC. Out of nowhere they just yell "Ron Paul", it is freaky. Personally, I find them even scarier than the Obamanonts.
A few people told me that they felt that Allen West giving the Keynote Speaker on Saturday night was anti-climantic since in the past they have had such names as Glenn Beck, Rush, and others. While Allen West isn't the name that most of the keynote speakers of the past have been, he may very well be in the future. Allen West is the future of the conservative movement. So maybe CPAC can one day say, I knew him when.
We all know there was controversy surrounding this year's conference. Mainly due to the inclusion of GOProud as a sponsor. Many social conservative groups and politicians decided to forgo attending. As you may know I questioned if it was a good idea for these groups to forgo, the answer to bad speech is more speech. I firmly believe that.
Even though I don't like to, I will admit when I am wrong. This is one of the times. GOProud shouldn't have been allowed to be a sponsor. The question of homosexuality aside, the real problem with them being there is identity politics. Conservatives don't particularly care for putting people into groups. This is exactly what they were trying to do, and they did it aggressively, too aggressively. They also went way too far and started a dust up on Friday of the conference. Did they really expect that there wouldn't be people in attendance that were against them being there? Did they really expect that those people wouldn't protest it? Protest is part of our political process and part of the American lexicon. How they handled this was disgraceful and can't be tolerated. I have this feeling that controversy won't be an issue next year. No one is saying that they can't attend the conference, or can't vote republican. But, stop trying to get the republican party to accept identity politics. We want no part of that, if we did we may as well be liberals.
I had the honor of meeting fellow blogger Right Klik and his beautiful family. His little daughter is just too cute and she was very well behaved during our lunch. I know of another little girl just about the same age who wouldn't have been too happy to be sitting in a restaurant for that period of time.
Jill over at Pundit and Pundette came across something that said that the issue of abortion of was being made passe at CPAC. I and others who attended have assured her that is not the case with the people who were there. That is still a very important issue among conservatives and regardless if you personally agree with or not, it won't be going away anytime soon. Virtually every major speaker brought up the issue of life and got huge applause when they did. Many of the exhibitors and sponsors were solidly pro life.
I had a funny incident happen after the final speech. I was having dinner with some fellow Smart Girls and needed to use the ladies room. I go and the stalls are towards the back of the room and around a corner. I just went to the closest stall, the door was open and because of the angle I couldn't see anything. I open the door and to my surprise Bill Schutlz of Red Eye fame was in there doing his business. I think I am scarred for life. He was so drunk he didn't even know I was there. I just turned around and went to the next stall.
The Straw Poll results came as no shock to me. I knew before the conference started that Ron Paul would win. Truly, I have found Ron Paul to be the SEIU of the right. He buses in his fans and sells tickets at Campaign for Liberty's website at much lower prices than anyone else. Which I don't think is right, but it is out my control. Although with the new leadership at CPAC this may very well change. My understand is that the new president is far less libertarian leaning than the outgoing one. CPAC is meant to be a conservative gathering and Paulites in many ways are not conservative. They are almost cult like in some respects. That is why Ron Paul can't win. People may agree with many parts of message, but he has many followers who are anti-Semitic and 9/11 truthers. They didn't do themselves any favors when they couldn't help themselves and called the former Vice President a war criminal. That smacks of the same vitriol that we hear from the likes of the Code Pink ladies. You are not going to ingratiate yourselves to the right when you are saying and doing things like that. If you are one of those people who think that Paulites are somewhat cult like, just wait until you see them travelling in packs like they do at CPAC. Out of nowhere they just yell "Ron Paul", it is freaky. Personally, I find them even scarier than the Obamanonts.
A few people told me that they felt that Allen West giving the Keynote Speaker on Saturday night was anti-climantic since in the past they have had such names as Glenn Beck, Rush, and others. While Allen West isn't the name that most of the keynote speakers of the past have been, he may very well be in the future. Allen West is the future of the conservative movement. So maybe CPAC can one day say, I knew him when.
A Speech Worth Hearing
My understanding is that Gov. Barbour has said that until he says he is not running, don't count him out. He has issues and will be a tough sell. Sadly, his looks and his accent will be a hurdle. It shouldn't be, but it will be. He will be painted as the stereotypical southern racist.
This was a good speech and his words were very wise indeed. I think he made some fans. This man knows how to raise money. So he may be able to make it to Super Tuesday. He also has many friends within the party.
This was a good speech and his words were very wise indeed. I think he made some fans. This man knows how to raise money. So he may be able to make it to Super Tuesday. He also has many friends within the party.
Join Me In A Dream - Allen West Gives Keynote At CPAC 11
Sadly, CSPAN cut off the end of his speech because of Obama's weekly address or some such thing. He knocked it out of the park.
I will give a wrap up tomorrow, because I am little pooped.
Also, his introduction took forever. Put it up to about the 7 minute mark.
I think he missed his plane.
I will give a wrap up tomorrow, because I am little pooped.
Also, his introduction took forever. Put it up to about the 7 minute mark.
I think he missed his plane.
Ann Coulter At CPAC
I love her snark. There virtually is no one better. But, during the Q&A she kind of lost me. I really wonder how many people agree with her view on Egypt and Mubarak. I think the fact that we are willing to stick up for a brutal dictator and say to the people who live under that person Hey Sucks to Be You is one of the reasons that they hate us. But, there are no easy answers in the middle east, so I guess she is saying dance with the devil you know. I am not sure what we can do differently, but to hear it put so bluntly was a little shocking to me.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Mitch Daniels at Ronald Reagan Dinnner at CPAC 11
This is a very dense speech, he didn't really leave room for applause lines. But, if you really listen to what he is saying, you will see it is good stuff.
I have to be honest there are things that are wrong with him, but he has many good qualities as well. He has been a very good governor, if he wasn't term limited he would win re election in a walk. I think this was one of the highlights of the day.
Enjoy........... Again it is audio only. You can watch the full video on the CPAC page, but I can't figure out how to get the embed codes.
I have to be honest there are things that are wrong with him, but he has many good qualities as well. He has been a very good governor, if he wasn't term limited he would win re election in a walk. I think this was one of the highlights of the day.
Enjoy........... Again it is audio only. You can watch the full video on the CPAC page, but I can't figure out how to get the embed codes.
Friday, February 11, 2011
The American Dream is Under Attack - We Are Fighting Back Herman Cain at CPAC
I am telling you, I love this man. This is just audio, but I can find a full one that will give you both audio and visual. You need to hear this speech.
Now, tell me why I shouldn't love this guy. Again, he is a long shot. But for now, I don't see many better options out there.
Now, tell me why I shouldn't love this guy. Again, he is a long shot. But for now, I don't see many better options out there.
CPAC Day One Recap
It was quite the day in Woodley Park Today.
Rumors started early on in the day that The Donald would be coming to speak. He was not on the original schedule that we received. I actually liked his speech. Don't get me wrong, I won't support him, but it was a good speech. That is until he bashed Ron Paul. The Paulites (which dominate the CPAC crowd) booed him. It was quite amusing.
Donald Rumsfeld was given the Defender of the Constitution award and he was introduced by his very close friend VP Dick Cheney. The Paulites didn't take too kindly to this either. They were called war criminals. Kinda rude I thought. But, I was not surprised.
I met Herman Cain this morning. I am even more smitten now. He is so charming and kind. He stood in the bar lobby and was willing to shake the hands and talk to anyone that wanted to talk to him. He was not surrounded by a bunch of handlers like most politicians are. He will be giving his speech Friday at I think it is 4:30 EST. He also hosted the blogger bash after today's session ended.
I was willing to give GOProud a chance. And while I still feel that allowing speech is important in our country, the people who were against it were right. There is an agenda. I don't know what the agenda is, but an agenda it is. They were trying to plaster everyone with stickers and had placards everywhere.
The Muslim group that was there kept a very low profile and while I didn't pay too much attention as I had other things to attend to, I think they were ok. They were way in the back and you really had to look for their booth. They stayed in their booth and engaged the people who went to speak with them. None of the woman were veiled.
I also got to meet Bridgette Gabriel today. Oddly we ran into each other in the ladies room. She was more than willing to answer my questions while were washing up. She is very lovely, articulate, and smart. I have travelled through the Middle East and I love Jordan. It is a beautiful country. We talked about my experiences as an American and she told me my experiences were what she expected, as they are kind and giving by culture. She also told me that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live their lives like I do, but since we can't tell who is who, we must pay attention to the dangers. She told me something very, very disturbing. Something like 90% of Egyptian woman have genital mutilations performed as children. That is amazing. She is not optimistic that the Brotherhood will be held off for long after Mubarak leaves. She also explained that Mubarak needs to save face and he will leave the country for medical treatments and that is how she believes it will end. At this point we were still under the impression that he would step down today.
I spent some time volunteering at the Smart Girl Politics booth. It was great to see that a group that is barely more than two years old to have such name recognition. We signed up some new people and did make a few bucks for a worthy organization.
I ran into Joe Klein. I guess he wants to go on MSNBC or Meet the Press and mock us.
I ran into Richard Dreyfuss of all people. I have no idea what he was doing there as we don't seem to be his type of crowd. I walked by a poster for him but again, I was in hurry to get to my next place and didn't read it. My biggest surprise was that he didn't try to perform a citizen arrest on Cheney. He agrees with the Paulities on that front, at least.
I really heart Paul Ryan. His speech was a little policy wonk, but I personally like that. If he does want to run for president one day, he needs to work on that. He will only fire up a small segment of the voters with his current style.
The morning started off with none other than Michele Bachmann. She of course got the crowd going. She made a funny joke about making sure she was looking at the right camera. You may not realize it, but she is tiny. And for me to say that, she is really tiny. Because I am very petite.
I missed most of Rand Paul. I was doing my volunteer work at the time.
Tomorrow features Mitt Romney. I am not going to that. I do want to hear what John Thune has to say. He is at 1 pm EST. I also would suggest catching Mike Lee who follow Thune. I saw him speak the other night at the Tea Party Townhall and he is very engaging. The ever so exciting Tim Pawlenty will also be speaking tomorrow afternoon. For me, besides Cain of course, the highlight of the day will be the seminar on school choice. They are rightly pushing the notion that it will help grow the conservative movement. I firmly believe that to be true. Education is topic that we can all agree we have to do better on. The home schooling, vouchers, and charters are becoming more popular within the inner cities. This is a chance for us to do outreach to those communities to spread the conservative message. Many minorities are more conservative than they think they are. They just don't know what republicans/conservatives are. They have an image in their heads that is simply wrong. It is up to us to try to show them we are not what Pelosi and Co. have told them we are. Ron Paul will be speaking mid afternoon. Not going to make that; not a fan. Gov. Perry's name is being brought out as a GOP presidential hopeful yet again. He has said he won't run, but who knows. And yes, Herman Cain is the final speaker of the day. LOVE HIM.
I took no pictures today. I wanted to enjoy the day and just absorb everything.
CSPAN 3 is televising it. If you don't have that channel it is being live streamed over the web.
Oh, there is no chance that anyone other Ron Paul will win the Straw Poll. The only question will be who comes in second.
Rumors started early on in the day that The Donald would be coming to speak. He was not on the original schedule that we received. I actually liked his speech. Don't get me wrong, I won't support him, but it was a good speech. That is until he bashed Ron Paul. The Paulites (which dominate the CPAC crowd) booed him. It was quite amusing.
Donald Rumsfeld was given the Defender of the Constitution award and he was introduced by his very close friend VP Dick Cheney. The Paulites didn't take too kindly to this either. They were called war criminals. Kinda rude I thought. But, I was not surprised.
I met Herman Cain this morning. I am even more smitten now. He is so charming and kind. He stood in the bar lobby and was willing to shake the hands and talk to anyone that wanted to talk to him. He was not surrounded by a bunch of handlers like most politicians are. He will be giving his speech Friday at I think it is 4:30 EST. He also hosted the blogger bash after today's session ended.
I was willing to give GOProud a chance. And while I still feel that allowing speech is important in our country, the people who were against it were right. There is an agenda. I don't know what the agenda is, but an agenda it is. They were trying to plaster everyone with stickers and had placards everywhere.
The Muslim group that was there kept a very low profile and while I didn't pay too much attention as I had other things to attend to, I think they were ok. They were way in the back and you really had to look for their booth. They stayed in their booth and engaged the people who went to speak with them. None of the woman were veiled.
I also got to meet Bridgette Gabriel today. Oddly we ran into each other in the ladies room. She was more than willing to answer my questions while were washing up. She is very lovely, articulate, and smart. I have travelled through the Middle East and I love Jordan. It is a beautiful country. We talked about my experiences as an American and she told me my experiences were what she expected, as they are kind and giving by culture. She also told me that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live their lives like I do, but since we can't tell who is who, we must pay attention to the dangers. She told me something very, very disturbing. Something like 90% of Egyptian woman have genital mutilations performed as children. That is amazing. She is not optimistic that the Brotherhood will be held off for long after Mubarak leaves. She also explained that Mubarak needs to save face and he will leave the country for medical treatments and that is how she believes it will end. At this point we were still under the impression that he would step down today.
I spent some time volunteering at the Smart Girl Politics booth. It was great to see that a group that is barely more than two years old to have such name recognition. We signed up some new people and did make a few bucks for a worthy organization.
I ran into Joe Klein. I guess he wants to go on MSNBC or Meet the Press and mock us.
I ran into Richard Dreyfuss of all people. I have no idea what he was doing there as we don't seem to be his type of crowd. I walked by a poster for him but again, I was in hurry to get to my next place and didn't read it. My biggest surprise was that he didn't try to perform a citizen arrest on Cheney. He agrees with the Paulities on that front, at least.
I really heart Paul Ryan. His speech was a little policy wonk, but I personally like that. If he does want to run for president one day, he needs to work on that. He will only fire up a small segment of the voters with his current style.
The morning started off with none other than Michele Bachmann. She of course got the crowd going. She made a funny joke about making sure she was looking at the right camera. You may not realize it, but she is tiny. And for me to say that, she is really tiny. Because I am very petite.
I missed most of Rand Paul. I was doing my volunteer work at the time.
Tomorrow features Mitt Romney. I am not going to that. I do want to hear what John Thune has to say. He is at 1 pm EST. I also would suggest catching Mike Lee who follow Thune. I saw him speak the other night at the Tea Party Townhall and he is very engaging. The ever so exciting Tim Pawlenty will also be speaking tomorrow afternoon. For me, besides Cain of course, the highlight of the day will be the seminar on school choice. They are rightly pushing the notion that it will help grow the conservative movement. I firmly believe that to be true. Education is topic that we can all agree we have to do better on. The home schooling, vouchers, and charters are becoming more popular within the inner cities. This is a chance for us to do outreach to those communities to spread the conservative message. Many minorities are more conservative than they think they are. They just don't know what republicans/conservatives are. They have an image in their heads that is simply wrong. It is up to us to try to show them we are not what Pelosi and Co. have told them we are. Ron Paul will be speaking mid afternoon. Not going to make that; not a fan. Gov. Perry's name is being brought out as a GOP presidential hopeful yet again. He has said he won't run, but who knows. And yes, Herman Cain is the final speaker of the day. LOVE HIM.
I took no pictures today. I wanted to enjoy the day and just absorb everything.
CSPAN 3 is televising it. If you don't have that channel it is being live streamed over the web.
Oh, there is no chance that anyone other Ron Paul will win the Straw Poll. The only question will be who comes in second.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Off to CPAC
They finally announced the keynote speaker after Gov. Palin backing out last week. It is going to Congressman Allen West. So, I am really looking forward to hearing him speak again. Yes, I just heard him speak the other night, but that is OK with me.
I will check in when I can. Have a good weekend all, and let me know if you are in town. You can get me through twitter at shoegal90
You can watch it live here
I will check in when I can. Have a good weekend all, and let me know if you are in town. You can get me through twitter at shoegal90
You can watch it live here
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Is a Conservative Civil War Brewing?
The Conservative Political Action Conference is having yet another controversy this year. The Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America have decided to boycott. The organizers have invited GOProud to participate and the social conservative groups are none too pleased.
I have my belief systems and I am not ashamed of those beliefs. I believe that I have come about them honestly and with careful thought. That being said I realize that my belief systems is not something that everyone else is going to agree with. One of the things that I really do not have the patience for is people that would rather shut down speech instead of engaging in debate. When we shut down speech nothing will get solved. The only way to bring about awareness is to have the difficult and uncomfortable discussions.
One of the things that I promised myself when I started this blog was that I would stay true to my own voice even when it wasn't popular. So this post will be no exception. I fully understand and respect the religious beliefs of the far right. In fact, I agree with much of it. But, what I don't agree with is when the far right paints itself into a corner that appears like intolerance. It happens over and over again.
The conservative blogosphere has yet to finish its discussion on the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It is not a secret that the right and more specifically the far religious right is appalled that gays will serve in openly in the military. It is looked upon as a slippery slope that will eventually bring about the ruin of the Republic. Of course that is somewhat of an oversimplification in many cases, but it certainly is not in all cases. I have read some things that have blown my mind. I can only imagine what people who are not inclined to agree with the right are thinking when they read the same things.
The country is certainly at a crossroads. We are on the verge of insolvency and in danger of real shift in how we live in this country. If there ever was a time that we need more discussion, that time is now. You hear over and over again from the left that the republican party is a small tent. This is a perfect example of how it simply isn't the case. Although the new meme of the left and the media is that the republican party is making it clear that it no longer has room for moderates in the party. It is one of the many inconsistencies that media never fully answers about its discussions of the Republican Party. But, that is a post for another time.
There are different types of conservatives. There are people who are socially conservative yet will still spend money like water. There are those who are fiscally conservative and more socially liberal. Then we have those that are conservative on both counts. So the party is a bigger tent than the media would like to admit to. But, one of the things that can tear the party apart is this type of stupidity.
I am not saying that any of these groups should change their strongly held beliefs. What I am saying is that they need to stop acting like if the rest of us don't agree with them that it is acceptable to pick up their toys and go home. What we need to do is challenge each other not shut each other out. By walking away they are becoming exactly what the left accuses of them of; intolerance. If they truly believe in what they are preaching, then stand up and say it. Stand up and defend it. Stand up and show me where I am wrong. Talk to me, don't shut down discussion.
I was at CPAC last year and some of this reared its head then as well. GOProud was there and gave some sort of presentation that I did not attend, so I can't attest to what was said. CPAC has gone out of its way to be inclusive as possible to college students. There was an awards program for activists on college campuses across the country. College activists were given a short time to speak about what was happening on their campuses. One activist choose to use his time to state his displeasure of GOProud and was loudly booed by many of the college kids. The moderator asked the audience to respect our right to speech and give the young man his time to speak. Regardless of how I felt about what he saying, I respected his right to say it.
What these social conservatives are saying is that GOProud has no right to speak. To me, that is not a conservative value that I can condone. I don't agree with every speaker at CPAC. The only way that would happen would be if I chose all the speakers and told them what to discuss. That doesn't mean that I should not attend and take part of the experience. Who knows, I may end up learning more from the speaker that I don't agree with than the ones that I do.
The one thing that I am sure of, if we want to put an end to Obamanation, we have to find a way to make room for all republicans. If we continue to tear each other down, we will see another four more years of President Obama. An outcome that is not acceptable. Hold onto your beliefs and stay true to them, but never forget that the answer to bad speech, is more speech.
Read more here and here
I have my belief systems and I am not ashamed of those beliefs. I believe that I have come about them honestly and with careful thought. That being said I realize that my belief systems is not something that everyone else is going to agree with. One of the things that I really do not have the patience for is people that would rather shut down speech instead of engaging in debate. When we shut down speech nothing will get solved. The only way to bring about awareness is to have the difficult and uncomfortable discussions.
One of the things that I promised myself when I started this blog was that I would stay true to my own voice even when it wasn't popular. So this post will be no exception. I fully understand and respect the religious beliefs of the far right. In fact, I agree with much of it. But, what I don't agree with is when the far right paints itself into a corner that appears like intolerance. It happens over and over again.
The conservative blogosphere has yet to finish its discussion on the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It is not a secret that the right and more specifically the far religious right is appalled that gays will serve in openly in the military. It is looked upon as a slippery slope that will eventually bring about the ruin of the Republic. Of course that is somewhat of an oversimplification in many cases, but it certainly is not in all cases. I have read some things that have blown my mind. I can only imagine what people who are not inclined to agree with the right are thinking when they read the same things.
The country is certainly at a crossroads. We are on the verge of insolvency and in danger of real shift in how we live in this country. If there ever was a time that we need more discussion, that time is now. You hear over and over again from the left that the republican party is a small tent. This is a perfect example of how it simply isn't the case. Although the new meme of the left and the media is that the republican party is making it clear that it no longer has room for moderates in the party. It is one of the many inconsistencies that media never fully answers about its discussions of the Republican Party. But, that is a post for another time.
There are different types of conservatives. There are people who are socially conservative yet will still spend money like water. There are those who are fiscally conservative and more socially liberal. Then we have those that are conservative on both counts. So the party is a bigger tent than the media would like to admit to. But, one of the things that can tear the party apart is this type of stupidity.
I am not saying that any of these groups should change their strongly held beliefs. What I am saying is that they need to stop acting like if the rest of us don't agree with them that it is acceptable to pick up their toys and go home. What we need to do is challenge each other not shut each other out. By walking away they are becoming exactly what the left accuses of them of; intolerance. If they truly believe in what they are preaching, then stand up and say it. Stand up and defend it. Stand up and show me where I am wrong. Talk to me, don't shut down discussion.
I was at CPAC last year and some of this reared its head then as well. GOProud was there and gave some sort of presentation that I did not attend, so I can't attest to what was said. CPAC has gone out of its way to be inclusive as possible to college students. There was an awards program for activists on college campuses across the country. College activists were given a short time to speak about what was happening on their campuses. One activist choose to use his time to state his displeasure of GOProud and was loudly booed by many of the college kids. The moderator asked the audience to respect our right to speech and give the young man his time to speak. Regardless of how I felt about what he saying, I respected his right to say it.
What these social conservatives are saying is that GOProud has no right to speak. To me, that is not a conservative value that I can condone. I don't agree with every speaker at CPAC. The only way that would happen would be if I chose all the speakers and told them what to discuss. That doesn't mean that I should not attend and take part of the experience. Who knows, I may end up learning more from the speaker that I don't agree with than the ones that I do.
The one thing that I am sure of, if we want to put an end to Obamanation, we have to find a way to make room for all republicans. If we continue to tear each other down, we will see another four more years of President Obama. An outcome that is not acceptable. Hold onto your beliefs and stay true to them, but never forget that the answer to bad speech, is more speech.
Read more here and here
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
So It Begins - Mike Pence Steps Down from Leadership Position. Pence for President? Updates: Bachmann Announces Candidacy for GOP Chair
Did Mike Pence just announce for President? I think the answer to that question is yes. His re-election was safe and as such he spent a great deal of his time campaigning in other parts of the country. One of the states that he spent some time in was Iowa, the first caucus of the presidential season. Pence was in line to become the GOP Chair of the majority party and that position would not give anyone the time to mount a successful presidential bid.
Pence has said for years now that the job as president was not something he aspired to. But, there seemed to be a shift in that language for at least a few months now. He recently won a straw poll and he is considered a darling within the social conservative circles. A favorite line in his speeches is "I am a Christian, a Conservative, and a Republican". He puts them in order of importance in his life.
There are many who feel that he would have been better off running for the senate first, but Evan Byhe didn't announce his retirement in a timely enough fashion that Pence could have mounted a serious campaign to win that seat. Although, that seat is now in Republican hands with the win of Coats last night.
Pence has a folksy type of charm and can be a very dynamic public speaker. I personally welcome this news, he may not be able to get the nomination, but he will help drive the debate to conservative principles of lower spending and limited government.
I watched the below speech live earlier this year. It didn't get a great deal of attention as it was not a good time slot. My jaw dropped while I was listening to this and turned to the person sitting next to me and said this man is running for President. Enjoy..........
Michele Bachmann wasted little time to make this little announcement:
I am pleased to announce that I am running for Chairman of the House Republican Conference! Constitutional Conservatives deserve a loud and clear voice in leadership!
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