Flying back from CPAC (conservative political action conference) in D.C. today, I tried to sum up the general feeling of the gathering. The word that came to mind was exuberance.

Everyone was exuberant.

Are conservatives waaaay out of power? Yes. Is the Democratically controlled everything capable of doing horrendous damage even still? Yes. Is the media still a commie-loving propagandist machine? Yes.

Even still, attendees were exuberant. Why?

For one, even out of power, the legislation that would destroy the country got blunted or stopped. This is heartening. For all the talk to the contrary, it seems America is far more conservative, fiscal and otherwise, than people thought.

For another, being out of power is fun. Chucking lobs from the cheap seats, while watching perpetual children try to govern is emotionally satisfying. For years, a decade even, the Left has had opinions about the complicated issues of our time. Most of them have been idealistic, naive, stupid and juvenile. Guess what? Leading is hard. So, Gitmo is open. Why? Because it MAKES SENSE. Americans are rebelling against civilian trials. Why? Because they are STUPID and resource hogging. The war on terror continues. Why? Because it’s the RIGHT THING TO DO. All the issues the left opined about changing have turned out to be very difficult to change because (shhhhhh) George Bush was right. And not only that, the things that he was wrong about–big spending and expanded government still pisses people off. Ooopsie. That’s just what Democrats had hoped to change. No dice.

Mostly though, it is absolutely liberating to be hated no matter what you do.

Liberals hate conservatives. And because they control the networks, the newspapers, the House, Senate, and White House, Americans are inundated with just how much they’re hated. I say Americans and substitute conservative for Americans because the vast majority of Americans self-identify as conservatives.

We’re hated. We get it.

You think we’re racist, stupid, Bible-thumping, NASCAR-watching, gun-clinging, homophobic, did I mention stupid?, morons.

Guess what? You suck.

And at CPAC, people just didn’t care. They cheered for Cheney. They cheered for The Moustache. They booed the gay-hating kid. They exuberantly expressed themselves because they have nothing whatsoever to lose. What more can be said? Every cliché is hackneyed and wrong and superficial and lame. The sting is lost.

So, CPAC attendees just enjoyed themselves. It’s been a long time I’ve seen conservatives so happy. With sell-out Republicans on the run and leftist libs getting hit with a clue-bat, it’s a great time to be conservative.

There’s nothing more that can be said that hasn’t already been said. The conservative movement is free to be themselves. It was a great weekend to be in the company of like-minded folks.

The narrative may not change, but it will die along with the purveyors of the mean message. Meanwhile, conservatives have embraced the hostility and transformed the energy into something positive and happy.

CPAC was exuberant. A liberated conservative is a happy conservative.

UPDATED:

Jimmie Bise of the Sundries Shack says this:

Here is a case in point. Max Blumenthal wrote a nasty article for the Washington Post-owned Salon.com about James O’Keefe in which almost every important detail, including the accusation that O’Keefe is a racist, was simply wrong. The article was so riddled with dishonesty that Salon retracted it, even though Blumenthal, in his whiny omega-male way, stood behind his charges. You can get a good rundown on the story from Larry O’Connor here. This came to a head at CPAC on Saturday. Sid Blumenthal, son of Max, showed up with a camera crew to do God-alone-knows-what, and Breitbart pounced.

After making Blumenthal shrink off with his tail between his legs, Breitbart fended off yet another serial liar, Daryl Jenkins of the One People’s Project and another Salon “reporter” Mike Madden.

Go read the whole thing and watch Andrew’s video, too.

Rush gives Chairman Steele a smackdown–decrying the hypocrisy of Republican leaders desiring to come on the show and essentially use the alternative media when they need them (Steele went on Rush’s show when he was being targeted in Maryland and when his email got stolen) while distancing themselves from him now, when he’s speaking the truth about wanting Obama’s policies to fail because they’re bad for America.

Republican leadership needs to understand what Rush is saying: “American conservatism is starting a huge awakening.”

I think Rush is right about this. The awakening is starting. “The pressure on the Republican party is to become Democrat-lite, but exactly the opposite is happening and it’s a beautiful thing.”

It’s messy, though. I came away from CPAC with mixed emotions. (I’m not alone.) Nearly every state operative I talked to described a mess at the precinct all the way to the state level. Forget the national Republican organization.

However, the grassroots groups and vendors selling technology were vibrant and motivated. As one man from Florida told me,”I came to CPAC to see what the hell was going to happen to the party.” Well, if something is going to happen, it’s going to happen by the outside putting pressure on the party and the elected officials. It’s going to take a lot of pressure.

Washington insiders are bathed in moderate and liberal group-think. Any idea outside the liberal mainstream is branded as mean, hateful, and base. So Republican leaders find themselves saying,”I’m not a racist! I’m not dispassionate! I care! I do!” And then, they go about working on crap legislation to make it somewhat better. These disgusting half-measures make Republicans look weak and confused ideologically.

Instead of playing defense, the Republicans, including Chairman Steele need to go on offense. We need to demonstrate that we are the party of the little guy, the small business man. We need to have the best ideas on health care, the environment, and the economy. We need to speak these ideas clearly and unequivocally.

And when a man like Rush Limbaugh articulates what millions of Republicans are feeling, the leader of the RNC does not get on the liberally biased station CNN and bash an ally and friend. It’s wrong. He should apologize. And Chairman Steele should go to work doing what he has said he wants done: a changed Republican Party that will win elections by winning in the arena of ideas.

I believe Chairman Steele wants to do this. Now, I want to see evidence that my optimism about the RNC under his leadership isn’t misplaced.

UPDATED:

Matt Lewis has more:

“The Republican National Committee and Michael Steele need a little leadership … we’re going to have to drag them kicking and screaming back to our core,” Limbaugh said. “They are caught up in so much fear because of where they live and work in Washington, DC,” he said.

Responding to Steele’s argument that he is the “de facto” head of the GOP, Limbaugh warned: “Michael Steele — you are head of the RNC — you are not head of the Republican Party.” Limbaugh went on to say Steele would have to become President for that to happen. He also noted: “… I’m not in charge of the Republican Party, and I don’t want to be.”

“I hope the RNC Chairman will realize he is not a talking head pundit,” Limbaugh added.

Limbaugh also noted that he had helped Steele out in the past: “Michael Steele was on this program … he got air time on this program … I personally took time to defend Michael Steele … Something has happened. Now, I’m just an ‘entertainer’, and now I’m ‘ugly’ and my program is ‘incendiary’.”

That’s just it. When it comes to modern media, the Republicans on the Hill and who ostensibly lead the party have no problem using the new media for their own purpose, but there’s no reciprocity. A relationship goes two ways.

Further, they worry about integration and looking good but keep old party hacks and the same old consultants giving them the same stupid advice. Meanwhile, Hispanic and Black conservative groups are trying to change the party from within and finding it difficult to find a spot. They are conservatives who know how to put forth a message that will be heard and the people who lose elections cling to their power and seem utterly tone-deaf to new realities.

How many elections do Republicans need to lose in order to realize that they need to change? It’s not in the ways they think, though. They believe a more moderate, liberal party is the way to go. No. A more principled party is the way to go. The part is diverse. The party has room for everyone.

What makes the party strong, though, is core ideals like liberty and freedom and life and the pursuit (not the guarantee) of happiness. Instead, Republicans are mired in bad legislation and worried about looking good to the liberal press who have always and will continue to hate them.

Updated again:

John at Powerline has a must-read about this and says:

The White House’s attack on Rush, on the ground that he “wants President Obama’s economic agenda to fail,” is stupid even by White House Press Secretary standards. What we conservatives want is for America’s economy to succeed. That’s why we oppose President Obama’s economic policies; we think they are poorly conceived and will damage the economy. Thus, for the sake of America’s success, we hope that Obama will fail to implement his misguided policies. How tough was that to follow?

If Michael Steele thinks that the way to respond to the White House’s attack on Rush Limbaugh is to throw Rush under the bus, his understanding of the party’s base and of the current political landscape–not to mention his understanding of Limbaugh–is too weak for him to continue as RNC Chairman.

Michelle Malkin gives Chairman Steele advice:

We need conservative spokespeople who condemn anti-capitalist claptrap, not spokespeople who parrot it.

***

One more thing: When liberals sit there and accuse the GOP convention of looking like “Nazi Germany,” you might not want to sit there, nodding your head, and respond, “I agree.”

UPDATED AGAIN:

Ace says this:

And no, I can’t say I’m upset that Limbaugh got annoyed by this and chose not to play ball.

However, the media controls the public discourse. This is an issue because they want it to be an issue, and they want it to be an issue because… well, guess. Hint: It’s not because it helps the conservative cause.

If everyone wants to bang on Steele for dealing inartfully with Limbaugh’s own inartful remarks, and play right into the media’s and the Obama Administration’s (but I repeat myself) game of stoking a full-on civil war in the party rather than kissing and making up, fine. What can I do.

The media has made this an issue because it hurts us. Steele is scrambling among several not terribly good options to avoid the media’s use of this against us. The media has fucked us — and everyone buying into the Let’s Burn the Party Down game is letting them fuck us even harder.

I’ve thought of that, too. But you know what? Don’t be a jerk and go on to CNN expecting to be buds with the host. Chairman Steele should know better. Why not go to a blogger or to Rush, himself and have a debate. But no, he goes into enemy territory and surprise! gets used by the enemy, I mean press. Naivité will kill the party just as soon as division will.

James Joyner (the moderate Republican who kept me in a state of constant amusement during CPAC) says:

Limbaugh played a powerful role in mobilizing the base in 1994 and he’s still a major influencer today. But he’s not the leader of the Republican Party; Steele is. Unfortunately, this was a misstep on the new leader’s part. This wasn’t a Sister Soulja Moment; he was merely attacking a figure popular with his base for no apparent reason. It’s one thing to condemn Limbaugh when he says something that’s actually ugly and incendiary. This, though, was nonsensical.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Ann gave a barn-burner of a speech. Some notable lines:

The press has gone from watch dog to guard dog. Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are the government lap dogs.

Obama reached out to rivals to fill his cabinet–the Clinton administration.

If Obama thinks the people want change, wait ’til 2012. [Huge cheers.]

Ann was surprised that McCain didn’t lose by 75 points.

How do liberals define victory in the war on poverty? Still looking for an exit strategy.

LBJ won 44 states. Carter “tricked” the people 50.1% of the vote. Democrats in history always go down. Republicans reputations always go up.

His policies seem to ensure that there won’t be a second term coming.

They’re polls of historians not Americans.

Do you think you’re good for the conservative movement? Answer: [Talking about Mein Kemf with Barbara Walters] Why can’t I say that? We need a ticker saying who can say what words, to whom, and in what context. It’s a way for liberals to control our words.

I love going on the view because being around those girls always makes me feel so young and pretty.

Raise the voting age 40. Need to get them out of the propagandizing for years.

We owe George Bush a thank you for keeping us so safe. [HUGE APPLAUSE]

All in all, the speech was excellent. Pure, raw, red meat and signature Ann Coulter. She delighted and inspired.

Cross-posted at RightWingNews

Newt said,”Our opponents count on two things: One, we’re [Americans] cowards and two, that we’re all stupid.” But Newt believes that Americans have always been “brave enough to be free and we’re not that dumb”.

Specifically, Newt discussed energy policy, the economy, and the Union Card Check. He said many interesting things. You can see his policy ideas here.

Updated:

I forgot something: Newt also mentioned going into Democrat strongholds and supporting fiscally conservative Democrats.

Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com