CPAC 2011: Highlights from the Intern

Highlights of CPAC 2011: The Intern’s point of view:

Youth: I was struck by how young the crowd was.  I guess I was expecting a bunch of old men in very dark and dull suits.  Nothing could have been further from the truth; the crowd was filled with young men and women, all excited, all extremely well read and all extremely knowledgeable on the issues.  They were loud, motivated, an organized.

Diversity: Wow!  Much to the “left’s” disappointment the diversity of CPAC 2011 on all fronts was astounding.  The conference was filled with tons of women, beautiful, confident, and smart as hell women.  The conference was also full of tons of Conservatives of all colors, Conservatives of all faiths and ethnicities, and Conservatives from all over the nation. Christopher Renner from RedState said it well in his recent Blog: Allen West Speaks with Bloggers About Diversity:  and Video:Allen West at Bloggers Lounge:

Beyond the “Base”:  Ok, the “Base” was definitely there, but there was also a noticeable, increase in a different breed, perhaps even a rejection of the “Base” by these various “new” groups.  For starters, GOPROUD was there, and yes they were proud, they also interestingly were able to secure Donald Trump as a speaker.  Tons of Tea-Party and Libertarian groups were present, with a sole concern of halting spending, lowering taxes, and a massively reducing the size of government.

New Media: CPAC 2011 was all about New Media (Facebook, Twitter, Freedomconnect, and bloggers)  The world has truly changed, and it is apparent that the “Right” has embraced this new technology, is tactically using it, and is excited about it.  We have finally caught up to the left’s ability to harness New Media.  This fact confirmed my theory and provided me with a new hope for the future of freedom; we will win because we have mastered New Media.

Historical Documents: A new found love and knowledge of our Founding Fathers, and the documents they provided us.  References to the Constitution, Federalist Papers, and Declaration of Independence were everywhere; on bumper stickers, T-shirts, signs, and more importantly references to these founding documents spilled from the mouths of almost every major speaker at CPAC 2011.  It was obvious that within this last year, freedom concerned Americans had embarked upon a mission to read and really understand these documents.

Wariness of the Senior Class of Republicans in Congress:  Throughout the weekend I heard again and again, the proclamation that “we” will hold their feet to the fire, and until they have delivered on their promises “we” will not relieve the pressure.  Perhaps this is why the so called “Freshman members of Congress” were so prevalent at the CPAC 2011, and noticeably why one of those so called “Freshman” delivered the Keynote address.