This morning, at the Orlando airport, I was given a quick survey after logging into and using the airport wifi. The survey was about COVID and my concerns about it during my airport experience. I’m not sure if this would qualify as a government survey (it does seem to be written to apply to all airports), but the questions were either very poorly designed, or they were searching for a specific outcome, because they assumed I had COVID concerns. In this first question, they ask me how I think the airport should prioritize their COVID mitigation strategies: The question…
The Republican brand problem
How do you know the Republican Party has a brand problem? Because after three days of speaking to conservatives at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, nearly every one of them, when talking about the Republicans, made a point of clarifying that they are not Republicans, but they are conservatives (unless they said “libertarians”). It’s one thing if conservatives don’t go out of their way to correct people who refer to them as Republicans. But when conservatives go out of their way, unsolicited, to make sure you know they are not Republicans, than the Party has a serious brand…
Life experts
Today at CPAC, I was fortunate to catch John James, a congressional candidate from Michigan. He opened by telling a story about when he was in the Army and was called upon to provide air support for some trapped soldiers. He made the specific point that because of his expertise, he was able to quickly diagnose their location and provide the needed support that saved their lives. His point is one that Republican Party makes all too infrequently, if at all: Democrats continue to tell us to put all of our trust in “experts,” yet continue to insist career…
Biden is not the target
Today at CPAC, I watched Ron DeSantis give an amazing speech. I’d never seen him speak in person, and I was pretty excited to see him live up to expectations and cement the idea that he’s who we need in 2024. However, I’m going to nitpick something I heard him say that I’ve heard too many other conservatives say at this same convention and for the last year: Joe Biden is not target, socialism is the target. Joe Biden is not running things. What’s happening right now are not Joe Biden’s ideas. He didn’t enter the election with any…
One of the great conservative conundrums
Control is at the bedrock of socialism. It’s the foundation of the Democrat Party and those who consider themselves “liberals” or “leftists.” Privacy and freedom are core elements of conservatism. The desire to be left alone to pursue happiness so long as you don’t interfere with others is what the conservative philosophy is all about. The idea that freedom comes from a higher power, and it can’t be given or taken away by government. So, by their very nature, Democrats, in their desire to control, have to prey on others. They necessarily have to get into everyone’s business to…
Sharing your conversation with the world… at 7am
I’m in a hotel, and outside of my room I hear someone talking. At first, I think they’re walking by, so I pay it no mind. But then it just persists, getting louder and softer, almost like someone is running by my door having a conversation. It was 7am, and I was already up. But I went out to look at who was talking in the hallway. When I opened my door, I saw guy talking loudly on the phone, pacing around the hallway. Apparently, it never occurred to this guy that no one on the floor wanted to…
COVID lessons: Independence
It’s hard to quantify the sheer number of lessons there are to be learned by the last two years of COVID in America. The cold, callous, and self-serving desire for control at the expense of others by the Democrat Party should be chief among them. But when thinking about a guiding, governing philosophy, independence must be chief among them. Donald Trump is inextricably linked to “Make America Great Again,” but it’s an idea that does, and should, transcend him. The entire Republican Party should be embracing both this philosophy and the messaging. Central to the American ethos or personality…