CPAC Gossip Girl
UPDATED: Spotted: Mitt Romney at a meet-and-greet. The event is so packed that guests discussing moving it to avoid a fire hazard.
Follow FrumForum's Rachel Ryan for all the up to the minute gossip from CPAC 2011.
CPAC 2011 Day 2: Friday, February 11
I bumped into Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour at a meet and greet event.
Posted at 8:05pm
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Retired cop advocating legalization of pot:
Posted at 6:24pm
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CPAC is oddly reminiscent of my high school Model UN experience: tons of people in suits crowded into an enormous hotel; lots of speakers and events to attend... and yet, the most interesting things seem to be happening outside of "committee," in either the lobby, restaurant, or private hotel rooms...
Posted at 2:15pm
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Spotted: Jimmy McMillan holding court in main lobby, preaching, "THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH!" Personal favorite from this spectacle? His super-large hoop earring.
Posted at 1:55pm
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Spotted: Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. I bumped into him in the hotel lobby as he headed for a quick lunch break before his 3pm speech.
Posted at 12:18pm
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Romney meets with students from the Citadel's College Republican Club:
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Spotted: Mitt Romney making his way through a crowd of admirers in one of the conference ballrooms. His destination (a smaller conference room, the entrance of which was guarded by security personnel) was so packed for the meet-and-greet that hotel employees and guests were muttering about a fire hazard and potentially having to move the event. Gathered fans included the Citadel's College Republican Club, CPAC-goers clad in Romney paraphernalia, hoards of students, and - of course - reporters, all waiting to catch a glimpse of "The Mitt." At the end of the gathering, hopeful supporters waiting outside were able to catch a fleeting look at Romney, who was promptly ushered out a side door.
Posted at 11:58am
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The introduction to every speaker, from Dick Cheney to Don Rumsfeld to Mitt Romney, is more like the opening to a concert: rock music plays in the background and the crowd hoots and hollers as speakers walk on stage.
More than any other speaker I've seen thus far, Romney is getting the most supportive laughs and cheers from the crowd.
Posted at 10:35am
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The Woodley Park metro this morning was packed with CPAC goers, all of whom were proudly sporting their student or blogger badges. Before disembarking the metro, every CPAC goer in a car seemed to be having not-so-covert eye conversations with one another, saying: "yes, I'm one of you!"
Posted at 9:30am
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CPAC 2011 Day 1: Thursday, February 10
As 6:00 PM approached and the CPAC crowds began to wane, a colleague and I decided to make our way to the dining area to unwind and grab some sustenance. While sitting at the bar, I couldn’t help but notice a crowd of young-ish people gathered around a corner table. They were happily munching on peanuts and toasting each other – so, of course, I couldn’t resist…
I introduced myself: “Hi, I’m a reporter, mind if I grab a seat?” They invited me to join the party.
Not soon after, fellow FrumForum reporter, Noah Kristula-Green appeared.
This cheerful group was comprised of Western Kentucky University’s College Republican Club members – one of the biggest College Republican Club chapters in attendance. Among them was an outspoken libertarian, a tea-partier, a handful of staunch conservatives, and some moderates.
The first few minutes of the conversation revolved primarily around Vice President Cheney and Rumsfeld’s speech (preceding Paul Ryan's speech). According to these College Republicans, the fact that the libertarian constituency booed both Rumsfeld and Cheney was “embarrassing.”
“If you’re going to boo, don’t come,” said one student, claiming that such antics demonstrated a “lack of professionalism.”
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for us to segue to a discussion involving the Tea Party.
According to one of the Club’s leading members and a soon-to-be-graduate, “the idea of the Tea Party is great… a great grassroots movement… but there are extremes in any political party… the Tea Party chooses to focus on the extreme and the message is just so negative.”
When asked who among these students identified as a “tea partier,” no one raised their hand. When asked who identified as a “libertarian,” one student happily admitted to being a Ron Paul fan, claiming that issues such as gay marriage, DADT, and abortion didn’t concern him one way or the other.
Despite the lack of consensus, all of these students seemed to agree that gay rights aren’t a real priority and that the debate over gay marriage and DADT is dividing the Republican party; but that didn’t mean they were either against or in support of these political initiatives:
“There’s a lot more to be worked out,” claimed one of the girls in the club. “I’m not saying yes or no, I’m just saying, there’s a lot more information to uncover.”
Posted at 7:27am
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Standing around the food (or lack thereof) at Gary Johnson's Presidential party, FrumForum staffers met and chatted with R. Clarke Cooper of Log Cabin Republicans. After a few minutes of chitchat about Jeb Bush and Log Cabin's support of the DADT repeal, Mr. Cooper invited a few of us upstairs to an exclusive CPAC Diamond Member hotel room event. We were escorted up to a crowded, smoke-filled hotel room where guests included Dennis Lennox, Cliff Stearns, and Austin Scott. The small room was packed, filled with the sound of clinking glasses and cheers to "2012" and "taking back the White House!"
Posted as 12:11am
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Spotted: Gay rights activist Dan Choi at Senator Gary Johnson's Presidential party.
Posted at 7:37pm
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Spotted: Tucker Carlson walking rather swiftly through lobby.
Posted at 6:15pm
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Overheard outside of the bloggers' row room: a big blond woman with a southern accent proclaims "well you know, we now have a communist in the White House!" Country music is heard playing in the background.
Posted at 6:14pm
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Overheard: Donald Trump brought his own hand sanitizing wipes and left them scattered on the hotel room floor after visiting with a group at CPAC.
Posted at 6:04pm
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