It’s CPAC Time!

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From my column today in the American Spectator:

Lisa De Pasquale was preparing Tuesday morning to depart her office in Northern Virginia to set up operations at Washington’s Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, and she wasn’t the only one planning such a trip. Across the country, thousands of conservative activists are making their way to the hotel in northwest D.C. that is the site of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference beginning Thursday.
As CPAC director, De Pasquale spends all year planning and organizing the annual three-day conference that is the largest gathering of its kind in the country. The event has become so huge that it was moved this year from its longtime home at the Omni Shoreham Hotel to the larger Marriott Wardman Park, just off Connecticut Avenue near the Woodley Park Metro station.
“We’re at a larger facility this year, but it looks like we’re already going to be bursting at the seams,” said De Pasquale. “Right now, we’re about 20 percent above pre-registration for last year. So we’re expecting between 9,000 and 10,000, if on-site registration is on pace with last year.”

Read the whole thing. For my friends who are attending their first CPAC — this list includes Barbara Espinosa of American Freedom and Pete at Da Tech Guy — I strongly suggest reading Jimmie Bise’s “Rookie Guide to CPAC,” which offers helpful advice like this:

CPAC is a lot like Disney World. There are all sort of wonderful places to go and things to see and people walking around in costumes (I am not kidding about this) and you will be sorely tempted to try to see everything. Let me tell you right now, you can’t see everything and if you try, you’re going to end up tired and cranky, just like at Disney World. The nice folks at CPAC have provided an agenda, though, and therein lies your first key to sailing through like a professional. Print it out, grab a highlighter, and pick the events you most want to attend. Pick about three of them each day, four if you’re ambitious, but no more than that.
Here’s the important thing when you’re making that list. If you want to see one of the big speeches like, say, Glenn Beck’s keynote of Ann Coulter’s Saturday speech, plan on standing on line for at least 45 minutes. . . .

Yeah. Then there’s Plan B: Hang out with me in the hotel lobby bar, saunter down to the main ballroom right after the crowd reaches fire-code capacity, then I’ll tell my buddy the security guy that you’re a VIP and — presto! — you’re in like Flynn.

For some reason, Plan B works best when the alleged VIP is an extremely attractive woman. And here’s the thing: Even if Plan B doesn’t work, we just go back to the lobby bar, which is where all the real fun is, anyway.

Barbara Espinosa is a genuine VIP, so she’ll be attending the special 7 p.m. pre-CPAC dinner tonight. The rest of us losers will convene in the lobby bar and stay until they throw us out. Little Miss Attila will be there and, as usual, she’ll be expecting me to buy the martinis, so please hit the tip jar. She can really put away the gin . . .

23 comments

  5. Okay so we’re allowed to drink at this? I was a bit concerned that ladies with bonnets and floor length dresses would be walking around scolding everyone.

    This 7pm shin-dig better be open bar.

  6. Okay so we’re allowed to drink at this? I was a bit concerned that ladies with bonnets and floor length dresses would be walking around scolding everyone.

    This 7pm shin-dig better be open bar.

  11. I wish Jimmie had written that guide last year. It would’ve saved me about $600 (give or take a hotel bar bill).

    My ETA to touchdown at Reagan National is about 6 hours.

  12. I wish Jimmie had written that guide last year. It would’ve saved me about $600 (give or take a hotel bar bill).

    My ETA to touchdown at Reagan National is about 6 hours.

  16. We will have a VIP section for Stacey & friends at the Freedom Rally in Daytona!FYI-
    I prefer Dirty Vodka Martini’s / shaken not stirred!
    We are going to be shaking things up down here in the South!
    THE RAZORBACKS- “Rockin’ Rock-A-Billy since 1983!” razorbacksmusic.com

    Allen West,Chris Cassone,James David Manning, Jeff McQueen, Biker Rogue, RC, Cochise,Committees of Safety founder Walter Reddy, Sovereign State Depository- Scott Silver, Gun Owners of America, Fair Tax, … and more! Get ready to ROLL! 3 Bike Rides planned foe event already

  17. We will have a VIP section for Stacey & friends at the Freedom Rally in Daytona!FYI-
    I prefer Dirty Vodka Martini’s / shaken not stirred!
    We are going to be shaking things up down here in the South!
    THE RAZORBACKS- “Rockin’ Rock-A-Billy since 1983!” razorbacksmusic.com

    Allen West,Chris Cassone,James David Manning, Jeff McQueen, Biker Rogue, RC, Cochise,Committees of Safety founder Walter Reddy, Sovereign State Depository- Scott Silver, Gun Owners of America, Fair Tax, … and more! Get ready to ROLL! 3 Bike Rides planned foe event already

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