Defending the Dream

The Americans for Prosperity summit on “Defending the American Dream” is winding down to the final reception about now, and it has been a great conference.

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The highlight was last night’s “Tribute to Ronald Reagan” dinner. My old friend Dinesh D’Souza noted that today’s America has two parties: the stupid party and the evil party. He said that bipartisanship is when government does something like the bail-out, which is both stupid and evil. George Will updated an old joke about Goldwater, pointing out that that conservatives were told that, if we opposed the bail-out, the stock market would tank; we opposed the bail-out, and the stock market tanked. James Miller, President Reagan’s Budget Director, noted the importance of reminding people of the late President’s achievements.

I agree with Dr. Miller: With the stupid party choosing a philosophical vacuum like John McCain as its standard bearer, keeping the Reagan legacy–rooted in correct, conservative principles–is now more important than ever. That’s why last night’s many videos clips of the last great President, for example at the Berlin Wall, were not only encouraging but also important reminders of the power in clearly communicated conservative ideals.

I was greatly honored to speak on a panel this afternoon on “Conservatism 2.0: New Media and the Conservative Movement”. I noted that the right is getting stronger and stronger on the Web, thanks largely to the efforts of groups like AFP, as well as the Sam Adams Alliance, which nurture pro-freedom bloggers and other social media explorers. AFP generously provided bloggers media credentials for the conference and even set up a bloggers’ room, stocked with refreshments and a live feed of the speeches, where I’m writing this post right now.

As I said in my talk, I look forward to next year’s AFP meeting when we’re even stronger. But now I think I’ll head over to the reception and take advantage of the free drink ticket they gave me.

Leslie Carbone

After my misspent youth as a wage worker, I’m having so much more fun as a blogger, helping other discerning travellers plan fun and fascinating journeys.  Read more …