AFP Rocks Chula Vista

by Ken Van Doren

Some 2500 people gathered at Chula Vista Resort on March 13 for the Americans for Prosperity sponsored Defending the American Dream conference.As I approached the entrance, I was greeted by emissaries of the Mark Neumann and Scott Walker campaigns for Governor, and offered campaign stickers. Not wanting to show favorites at this point, I accepted both, and soon became a walking billboard of campaign stickers as I ran the gauntlet of candidates that lined the inside entrance to the field house dome. As I went through the outside door, with my arms somewhat full of things for the Reality News booth, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Gableman said, “here let me get the door.” I responded, ”you are sure one expensive door man.” Later he showed that he had both a good memory and a sense of humor as at one of the later breakout sessions he asked me on his way out, “Do you want me to get the door?” And so it appeared to me that the tone of the day was set. Good natured camaraderie, but with a serious purpose.

There were speeches from about two dozen candidates, office holders, and spokespersons for various groups, and others, mostly with the theme of preserving our constitution and our rights, and fiscal responsibility in government. These included Mark Block, state of WI director for AFP, and TimPhillips, national president of AFP, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, climate experts Lord Christopher Monckton and Paul Driessen, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. VanHollen. Therewas a rousing speech by TimNerenz, Libertarian Candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s Congressional Second District, that got the crowd raucously responding to his message that big government is not working. Perhaps the reader will be surprised by the presence of Herman Cain, author, radio talk show host, and Niger Innis, both of whom are African Americans. Both testified to the need of limited, constitutional government, protection of rights that virtually all in attendance could agree with. “The founding fathers got it right” said Innis. “We need to become the PROTECTING fathers.”

Other significant quotes from the event include: “We are in the fight of our lives on so many fronts. A big part of our problem is that the other side does not respect due process and the rule of law.” —Phil Kerpen

“If you control carbon, you control life. I personally do not want my life controlled by bureaucrats.” —Paul Driessen

“In this eternal struggle (for freedom,) we are with you.” —Niger Innis, Congress of Racial Equality

“We already have the greatest health care system in the world. Leave it alone…. We do not have a health care crisis, we have a health COST crisis…In order to pursue our dreams, we have to defend our rights. America is not going down. NOT YET.” —Herman Cain

Norquist started his speech with this question: “What is our most important request of government? To LEAVE USALONE!” and added, “The next 50 years, we are going to work and win.” He also told of his group’s candidate pledge campaign, where candidates sign a pledge not to raise taxes. State Senate Candidate Ed Thompson publicly signed his pledge with Norquist looking on in Eau Claire the day before. State Senate Candidate Frank Lassee has also signed the pledge, and others have also promised to.

Another speech of particular interest was that of Lord Monckton. He refuted the falsehoods of the pro Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) crowd. He told of having challenged Al Gore to debate the past three years. “You can runAl Gore baby, but you can not hide” he said. In perhaps an ironic twist, a Brit advising Americans, he told of the necessity of protecting freedom here inAmerican, how the AGWcrowd was politically, not scientifically motivated, and that the goal was loss of liberty and control of the population. He said that we (the US) are a shining light to the world. Once we let the beacon be snuffed out, he warned, liberty might be lost forever, throughout the globe.

State Rep. Leah Vukmyr and Pat Snyder ofWSAUradio handed outDADawards to Joe the Plumber (Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher) State Rep. Bill Kramer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Columnist Patrick McIlheran, and AFP Volunteer Jim Zeiler. A huge box lunch was followed by breakout sessions, including such topics as media relations, defeating Saul Alinsky tactics, voter fraud, global warming and more.

But before the afternoon awards and breakout sessions, the event was highlighted by the Keynote speaker Michael Reagan, adopted son of President Reagan. He said the Tea Party movement is reminiscent of the movement that took place in the late 1970’s and early ‘80’s that culminated in the election of his father. He told of the US once again facing a crisis, and the people responding. Extolling what was arguably the theme of the day, he told the attendees that we need to be vigilant. In the words of his father, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

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