Blogging and vlogging CPAC

Michelle Malkin.com ^ | 3-1-07 | Michelle Malkin

[TitansAFC]

Bryan Preston, Ian Schwartz, Erick Stakelbeck, and I will be covering the 34th annual Conservative Political Action Conference for Hot Air. I'll also liveblog events and photoblog here at mm.com throughout the 3-day conference. If you're planning to attend, we'll have a booth in the exhibitor hall that opens at 10am later today. In addition to covering speeches, debates, and other action from the floor, I'll have a book signing on Friday at 11am and Bryan will be participating in a blogging panel on Saturday at 11am. (Onsite registration is still available. More info here.) The list of credentialed CPAC bloggers is here.

I was disappointed to learn from Patrick Ruffini tonight that Rudy Giuliani will not be doing blog interviews when he comes to CPAC on Friday--and apparently won't be doing MSM ones, either (why am I not buying that last part?).

If I were a smarter politician trying to convince grass-roots conservatives that I really do want their votes, I might, I dunno, make some time to talk with them--and not just at them.

Alas, Giuliani has chosen not to get his hands dirty. By contrast, Newt Gingrich's communications director e-mailed tonight that Gingrich is making himself available to bloggers on Friday morning (he doesn't speak until Saturday)....

[TitansAFC]

---"If I were a smarter politician trying to convince grass-roots conservatives that I really do want their votes, I might, I dunno, make some time to talk with them--and not just at them."---

"No questions" has been a major recurring theme with the Rudy campaign so far, accepting only friendly interviews and friendly questions from the audience.

Sooner or later, Rudy will have to answer to Conservatives, instead of just reciting platitudes and reading speeches.

[RabidBartender]

""No questions" has been a major recurring theme with the Rudy campaign so far, accepting only friendly interviews and friendly questions from the audience."

It's worked for Hillary so far.

[BigSkyFreeper]

It's worked for Hillary so far.

President Bush too.

[NinoFan]

Well, makes sense. If he answered questions, he'd no doubt mess up and the facade would crumble. The Cult of Giuliani can't have that.

[EternalVigilance]

Having Giuliani come to CPAC is like inviting Bill Clinton to a slumber party: Might be interesting, but the virtue of those attending could be compromised.

[flashbunny]

Whoever has the full ping list - ping 'em.

[msnimje]

I am not a political strategerist or anything but even I know this is a stupid move.

It is like John Kerry running for President and refusing to go on the highest rated cable news channel.

What is Rudy afraid of?

[Cicero]

To be fair to Rudy, anything he says to conservative bloggers will be picked up by the MSM, and used against him. I can undertand why he would be cautious about that.

Newt, on the other hand, has nothing to lose.

Note, too, that Mitt Romney is packing several buses full of college students to vote for him in the straw poll. Michelle says that the last person to try that was Gary Bauer.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Hello, Rudy:
I own several rifles, nine shotguns and seven or eight handguns. Which of these are you willing to let me keep ?

[TitansAFC]

---"Note, too, that Mitt Romney is packing several buses full of college students to vote for him in the straw poll. Michelle says that the last person to try that was Gary Bauer."---

I have first-hand knowledge from a Rudy-backer (with whom I obviously disagree) that there is a huge and organized effort to pack the room with Rudophiles as well. Should be interesting.

Still, it says a lot that he won't answer questions. I think that there is a certain shame in that, though McCain deserves more for not showing. Still, Bush never attended CPAC once, so.............(sigh)

[RabidBartender]

The President almost always takes questions when he does his town halls (when he came to Manhattan, KS, some idjit college kid asked him if he planned to see Brokeback Mountain).

I don't know how they did it in 2000, though - I don't think 'bloggers' were as influential back then, and didn't have the same access they enjoy today.

[msnimje]

---"Note, too, that Mitt Romney is packing several buses full of college students to vote for him in the straw poll. Michelle says that the last person to try that was Gary Bauer."---

President George H. W. Bush sent all the White House staffers over to register and vote for him at the 1992 meeting.

[BigSkyFreeper]

---"Note, too, that Mitt Romney is packing several buses full of college students to vote for him in the straw poll. Michelle says that the last person to try that was Gary Bauer."---

They all do that sort of crap. No matter what party they're from.

[Spiff]

((((STOP LIBERAL RUDY PING))))

[longtermmemmory]

Guliani has a media machine in full swing.

The only bloggers Guiliani wants talking about him are the paid viral posters whose job it is to go onto sites like FR, Townhall, et al and say Guiliani is wonderful and use orwelian doublespeak to convince us he is anything but a typical NYC liberal lawyer.

[Calpernia]

NautiNurse set up a live reporting link for us last night.


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793098/posts
CPAC 2007

[NinoFan]

Uh, oh, you mean you think Giiuliani isn't our savior from death and destruction? Off to Room 101 you go.

[Rudder]

Wonder why Malkin didn't discuss Duncan Hunter's participation?

[longtermmemmory]

here
have a pepper,

drink Dr. Pepper


wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?


OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Liz]

FYI---Robert Novak reported today:" The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will bring right-wingers nationwide to Washington. There, Citizens United will distribute a 23-page attack on McCain. "He's no Ronald Reagan," it begins, and concludes: "John McCain is not a conservative." (McCain is the only announced GOP '08 hopeful not scheduled to speak at CPAC.)

Simultaneously, McCain operatives are putting out material that depicts Giuliani riding into City Hall on the shoulders of the New York Liberal Party as a throwback to the old Tammany Hall Democratic machine. It is hardly too late for such negative campaigning to tear down Republican front-runners because of inadequate conservative credentials.

At this point in the 2000 election cycle, George W. Bush was far in front with 45 percent in the polls, with Elizabeth Dole second at 29 percent. McCain was at a mere 3 percent, behind Dan Quayle and Steve Forbes, before making his run that nearly won the nomination. The GOP lineup for 2008 may still be open, considering the conservative void."