I think this will be the last year I attend CPAC. But I heartily recommend it for everyone else. Listen to me, a couple days in DC and I'm starting to talk like a politician.

 

For those of you not totally immersed in conservative (or Republican) politics, CPAC stands for Conservative Political Action Committee. It is the largest yearly gathering of conservatives in the United States. This was the 34th annual gathering.

 

Pretty much every conservative organization has a presence here. From The American Conservative Union to the NRA to StopHillaryNow. Every group on the right that is trying to influence public opinion has a booth dispensing all the information you need to know about their organization. CPAC also hosts an all star agenda. This year's luminaries included Dick Cheney, Rudy Guiliani, Mitt Romney, Sam Brownbeck, Ann Coulter...well, you get the idea.

 

The conference this year was held at the Omni Shoreham in DC which I found only after two hours of driving in circles on Washington DC's potholed, always under construction streets. I got a little frazzled. DC is not a car friendly town. There is absolutely NO parking, the streets are narrow and under construction every mile or so, and the drivers are intent on getting where they're going and to hell with everyone else. Kinda like Liberals...

 

Anyway, by the time I finally arrived I was a little frazzled. But at least I made it in time to hear Rudy Guiliani speak. 

 

After registering, ($125.00 for a three day conference pass - not including banquets) I headed to the Regency Ballroom. I stood in line for the next 45 minutes before being told that the room was full. The 300 or so people not lucky enough to get a seat huddled around a monitor. Not fun. I started getting more frazzled. I decided to head to my room and regroup.

 

In a nutshell, to hear any of the big name speakers one had to wait in line at least an hour and then there was a 50/50 chance that the room would fill before you got a seat. It reminded me of Disneyland. So scratch the speakers. I decided to check out the exhibit hall.

 

Exhibit Hall is a misnomer. The booths were set up in various rooms. Low ceilings, cramped, crowded and claustrophobic. Again, not fun.

 

Whoever decided to hold this event at the Omni Shoreham should be exiled to the land of liberals. The hotel was totally unable to comfortably accommodate the huge crowd. There was only one restaurant. The elevators were mucho slow and way too small. And I couldn't find anywhere to get a cup of coffee. The lobby was filled with Very Important People and every third one had a cell phone glued to their ear. My usually sunny disposition was taking a decided turn towards the dour.

 

After scarfing a hamburger (total bill: $19.00) I headed to Bloggers Row. This is row after row of 'personalities' hunched over a computer, pounding out up to the minute information on the various speeches, which I was unable to attend. Snaked around the whole room were mostly young people, sitting on the floor. You guessed it, they were waiting in line for one event or another.

 

I'm getting too old for this stuff. Or maybe I'm just spoiled. Or maybe I've just gotten too used to South Carolina where everyone smiles, is totally considerate and doesn't walk like they're late for an important engagement. Culture clash.

 

I started to get a glimpse of what John Edwards was talking about with his theme of 'Two Americas'. Only instead of the 'haves' and the 'have nots', here in DC you have the 'Somebodies' and then you have the rest of us. I had forgotten how many important people there were. Needless to say, if you're from flyover country, this is not the city for you.

 

Despite all the inconvenience, there is a bright side. It did my heart good to see so many young conservatives. This is largely due to David Horowitz. David is the most effective conservative activist I've ever met. He realized way before anyone else that the battleground of the culture war was on college campuses.

He has been amazingly effective in mobilizing young conservatives to counter the pernicious effects of the political correctness and indoctrination that go by the name of 'higher education.' These students are the next generation of leaders. They are involved, tenacious, concerned, smart and they also don't seem to mind waiting in line. There's hope for our country.

I had planned on writing an in depth report but I've changed my mind. For those of you who are interested in details, they are on all the blogs, just not this one. There was way too much information to squeeze into a quick soundbite and besides, I'm still recuperating.

Even though I didn't much enjoy myself, I'm glad I attended. There's no substitute for meeting face to face with other people and organizations that share your concerns and are actively working to change things. I connected with several people I hadn't seen in ages. I met new people. I found new and valuable resources in my never ending quest to make available the conservative POV.

 

All in all, this conference was a net plus. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to become involved in the conservative movement. There is no other venue where all the leaders, troops and resources come together in one place.

 

As always, the best part about taking a trip is coming home. I have a renewed appreciation for the simple life I opted for over 4 years ago. Fortunately, it is no longer necessary to live in DC or New York or any other 'power place' in order to have an effect. With the Internet, one can now make their voices heard, even from such a remote place as a small fishing village in South Carolina.

 

Now that I've gotten all this off my chest, I'm going to feed the ducks, water my garden, and check out the tide tables to see what time I'll be going fishing tomorrow. Thank God I'm home.