Friday, February 20, 2009

Behind the scenes at CRP Convention

Friday night dinner; I love the fact that so many young people are here. Many volunteers are in attendance, some from the Davis College Republicans, others from across the state, but all are here to help make the convention run smoothly. When I say run, I mean run. As with any large function, the seemly endless details that go into the setup and culminate with the doors opening, are sometimes elevated to crisis status. When someones' credentials cannot b e found, when the master guest list is lost, or when someone needs to be found, it is usually a college Republican who does the running. They are young, running is in their job description.

Tonight's speakers are South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford, Congressman Darrell Isssa, radio host Larry Elder, and former Gubernatorial nominee, Bill Simon.

Of all the speakers at the dinner, two spoke to me in a meaningful way. Larry Elder and Mark Sanford. Elder spoke about the history of the party and reminded the room of the first principles at the core of the Republican party. This dovetailed into that challenge set down by Governor Sanford. Are we prepared to loose while standing on our principles? Are we ready to stand firm, educate the electorate and be willing to loose? If we are not willing to loose while standing on our principles, then we will start bending, loosening our standards, trading core ideas for votes. This is a crucial question that needs to be asked and answered.

I can't wait for today's speakers.

Stay tuned.

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