-By Warner Todd Huston
I am here in Beautiful Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin for the AFP Defending the American Dream Summit… or I assume it’ll be beautiful once the drab days of Winter are over, anyway. I haven’t been to the Dells since about 1973, so things have changed a tad since I was last here.
Tonight, after registration closed for the evening, we had a nice little cocktail party, I mingled a little and heard from a few of the respected speakers from whom we’ll hear more tomorrow.
Grover Norquist from Americans for Tax Reform spoke on the evils of taxes and government spending, then Lord Christopher Monkton came to the podium and gave us a wonderfully droll address of which I’ll say more in a moment. We had the pleasure of hearing a word or two from the Wall Street Journal’s John Fund. Then we heard from the ubiquitous Joe Wurzelbacher, otherwise known as “Joe the Plumber.” Finally we heard a few words from AFP big cheese Tim Phillips.
Lord Christopher Monkton was a treat to hear tonight. He roused the crowd with a few amusing Brit vs. American observations, pumped up the Wisconsiners by recognizing that their AFP chapter is second only to the Wisconsin Teachers union in size clocking in as the second biggest political organization of the state. That got the Badger Stater’s blood up. But his finishing comments were the best. He told the assembled that he has arrived at the perfect guidepost by which to measure the coming Republican tsunami in the 2010 elections. In keeping with his penchant to scoff at global warming (which he goaded the crowd into giving the “American nickname” of Bull_ _it), Sun spots, Lord Monkton observed, were few during the preceding year when Barack Obama won his seat in D.C. But as the first sun spots began to become active once again the GOP won in Virginia, New Jersey, and then Massachusetts. So, as Lord Monkton asserted, as the sun spots grow so to does Republican representation in government. That, he says, is the perfect correlation to tell the future! This got much laughter and applause.
After Lord Monkton left the lectern, Joe the Plumber took his place before the crowd and gave his typically understated, straight talking address. But as he left he and Lord Monkton stood side by side near me. They were shaking hands and seemed quite chummy. And that, I thought to myself, was a true “clash of civilizations”! Here was Lord Monkton, adviser to the most powerful British politician in generations (Margaret Thatcher for those unawares) standing and chatting amiably with “Joe the Plumber,” one of our most humble countrymen. Amazing what you’ll see if you’re around long enough, eh?
Anyway, I am about to turn in back at the extensive Chula Vista Resort here in The Wisconsin Dells. I am not sure whether or not I’ll have time to update you all tomorrow, but if not I’ll be putting my day to good use as a panelist on the RightOnLine discussion panel and hearing all the many great speakers that AFP has lined up for our edification.
Until we next meet… as my pal Ann “Babe” Huggett says, “Stay Tuned.”
Grover Norquist
Lord Christopher Monkton
Joe “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher
John Fund
Tim Phillips