By now everyone who is interested has checked out the main speakers at CPAC either on YouTube or the hundreds of articles, blogs and tweets that explain what was said by whom. If you haven’t had a chance, the important links are up at The Madison Project on Facebook.
But the speakers in the main room are only one reason to attend CPAC, and possibly not even the main reason. The workshops, training sessions, people and random conversations are the real heart of the conference. Both Thursday and Friday mornings we had breakfast one table away from G. Gordon Liddy.
Quite so, the big speeches are available via CSPAN etc. The little things that go on in the background are the real story of CPAC. So get over there and read all about Amy and Maggi’s excellent adventure.
My favorite CPAC moment was a totally unnewsworthy conversation with a friend, however my favorite CPAC story is totally newsworthy and Robert Stacy McCain being a proper reporter reports it:
Lyndsey Fifield is a twenty-something from Alabama who has worked on a handful of Republican political campaigns. Maureen Dowd is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Times. The odds of these two women ever crossing paths were probably astronomical and so, when they did in fact cross paths Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the results were unpredictable.
Unpredictable is an understatement…
Being able to set up your laptop in the Bloggers Lounge is therefore a sought-after privilege, and organizers made it clear before CPAC that advanced registration would be required. So when the New York Times columnist nicknamed “MoDo” showed up Thursday, the unregistered arrival was denied access to the lounge by Fifield. According to one reported account, the Pulitzer-winner asked the young Alabamian, “Do you have any idea who I am?” Via Twitter, Fifield denied that version of the story and indeed she did know who Dowd was, but she also knew her name wasn’t on the registration list and so it was a no-go for MoDo.
What really made that moment fun for me is on the same day Marty Lamb who ran in the 3rd Massachusetts district was also having some trouble getting into the Bloggers Lounge for some interviews, knowing I was inside he asked for me, I came out and vouched for him he was able to come in with me and mix and meet with bloggers who were happy to talk to the former and (future) candidate.
Alas Maureen it is true, it is who you know, Marty Lamb knew me and you didn’t.
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