Posted on 02/28/2015 7:04:26 PM PST by ziravan
So. I flew from Texas as a guest of Ted Cruz' PAC to attend CPAC. I'm in my hotel room in Crystal City getting ready to go back home in the morning.
This was my first time to attend CPAC.
My observations:
1. Three types of pepole in attendance: college intern type, political operative type, and far fewer: average people.
2. The Paul people were everywhere. Judging by the idiot sitting behind me at the "Big Government Sucks" rally, I'm not impressed. This college kid was trying to explain, very patiently, to his buddy that the problem isn't really big government, but how that big government is run. Oh! and the Constitution was designed to be flexible with the times.
3, Paul had a huge group there, all college kids. Cruz had a decent group present. Ben Carson had a decent crowd. I didn't see any Walker people there. Anybody else was negligible. The only time I saw el Jefe people was when they raided the ballroom before his speech.
I prefer Cruz over Walker. Indeed, I attended for the sole reason to vote for Cruz. I have to give Walker this prop: his showing was based soley on his current rise in awareness for the early campaign.
Let me also say that candidates could invite people to attend, and it seemed to be standard that invitees from candidate could get half price tix: 67.50/day instead of 125. I believe the campaigns paid the difference.
2, I was surprised just how many interns filed in for Bush during his speech. It was the only time we saw Jeb! stickers on interns the whole event. They literally crowded the ballroom to SRO.
3. Rick Perry came across angry and focused his whole speech on foreign policy. He didn't play to his strength as one of the most successful Govs in recent history. At all.
For all the talk of a walkout for Bush, the real walkout was on Santorum. Half the room left when he got up to speak. Of course, he was on right after Rand Paul spoke and all the Paul-ites were leaving as Sen. Santorum was coming to the podium.
4, I met Freeper C. Edmund Wrigt and he gave me a copy of his book, "How Karl Rove and the Establishment Lost...Again." I'm going to read it when I get home. Thanks.
5. I bought a T-shirt of the Cruz Tattoo Pic.
6. I finally learned how to manipulate the Metro to my advantage...now that I'm leaving.
7. CPAC 2016 is Wed Mar 2 - Sat Mar 6. The Texas Primary is now set for Tueday, Mar 1. That should make CPAC 2016 a shake-up event for the race.
8. I went to a breakout session w/ FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai. Essentially, everybody thinks this will go to Court and there's a good chance that they Administration didn't cross it's Ts and dot its Is to survive a challenge.
I had a good time. I'm more jaded about politics and how it works. And less so.
She never did, but I do remember her making some begrudging statement that encouraged voters to vote Republican in the general.
She seemed to throw up a little in her mouth when she said it.
thanks!
Thanks much for the “feet on the ground” report!
All the DC political types have armies of interns. They use them any way they want and the interns build their resumes. (I’ve learned that some wear blue dresses.)
Not surprising that Walker doesn’t know to play this game. It could be a disadvantage for him.
That should be the post of the day.LOL
That was pretty much it.
That was only hours before election day. Her statement of supporting the Romney/Ryan ticket was put on Facebook on Sunday night or the election.
I can imagine that TGO gave a great speech. He is such an effective mouthpiece for the constitutional conservative movement. If only the Republican Party were constitutional conservatives.
on Sunday night OF the election.
6. I finally learned how to manipulate the Metro to my advantage...now that I’m leaving.
__________________________________________
Do you have a Smartrip card ???
Take it home with you for next time youre in DC..
I think Walker did very well considering that his people weren’t out there working the crowd. I was trying to give him a prop for doing so well without putting up a major front there.
Maybe if they’d of “worked it”, they could have displaced Paul at #1. But then, I’m not sure how many “gettable” votes are there versus most people being committed when they walk in the door. Who knows?
In addition to trying to work the crowds with supporters wearing buttons, t-shirts, etc., several of the campaigns had booths in the exhibition hall. So far as I could tell, Walker didn’t have a booth, either.
I think it says something that he did so well without “working it”. Maybe it also says something about what he could have done had he tried to “work it”.
She will support the Republican nominee. She urged people to vote for Romney.
Sadly, at least 5 or 6 of the justices have little to no respect for the Constitution or the rule of law, or even the actual text.
I agree. I just got done watching both their speeches again. Phil said it best when he said we need to hang on to our bibles, constitution and guns. Without that we have nothing.
I wonder if Sarah voted for Gary Johnson as a protest vote? Perhaps she even (gasp!) “stayed home”.
Always helpful to hear a report from an attendee!
If Romney hadn’t dropped out and thrown his support to Walker, he’d have won CPAC like he already has 5 times already.
I know some old people who voted for Obama. Nothing like fools who are old fools.
He can’t win the nomination without our votes. It’s up to us to be savvy enough not to let the GOP steer their chosen prince into winning it.
Stay out da Bushes.
Exactly right.
Bush must lose in the primaries.
So you are just trolling the thread, and not being serious, useful, or meaningful.
You just want to get something going on Palin.
Populations of millions have exceptions, but those old people were the least likely to vote for Obama, so what is your point?
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