The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : The American Spectator Gala: Conservatives Return From the Wilderness

Text Size

The Spectacle Blog

The American Spectator Gala: Conservatives Return From the Wilderness

By Robert Stacy McCain on 11.20.09 @ 9:36AM

The hottest ticket in our nation's capital last night was the American Spectator's annual Robert L. Bartley Gala Dinner. The chardonnay was splendid, the mushroom-stuffed chicken delicious and, by evening's end, conservatives were nearly delirious with joy as they celebrated their return from the wilderness, as announced by our esteemed editor R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.

The keynote speaker, Rep. Mike Pence, delivered a Churchillian oration that inspired a spontaneous "Pence-Palin '12" grassroots movement, at least among several of the ladies in attendance. Some gentlemen argued for "Palin-Pence '12," but this portent of a future schism notwithstanding, the evening was a smashing success.

Roger Scruton of the American Enterprise Institute shows his dance moves with a young lady to the big beats of the Alex Donner Band.

The Wall Street Journal's John Fund and American Spectator columnist Jay Homnick.

Hannah Giles, who gained fame in videos exposing ACORN, with the American Spectator's David Bass, who received the Young Journalist Award last night.

ACORN-busters: James O'Keefe, who collaborated with Miss Giles to produce undercover videos for BigGovernment.com, and longtime American Spectator contributor Matthew Vadum of the Capital Research Center, whose investigative reporting has made him a leading authority on ACORN.

David Keene of the American Conservative Union and Jeri Thompson.

The Wall Street Journal's Daniel Henninger, recipient of this year's Barbara Olson Award, with the American Spectator Washington correspondent Philip Klein.

View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

Tim| 11.20.09 @ 10:23AM

No wonder nobody is blogging: you're all hung over! Apparently RSM is the only one who can handle his drink.

Bob| 11.20.09 @ 1:42PM

....and how many blacks and Hispanics were in attendance????? I'm glad you posted the pictures of them.... The "Wilderness"??? Oh, you mean the South...

Do you really want to come out of the "Wilderness"? Grow the party and get rid of the right wing zealots spouting idiocies and religious dogma. Stick to fiscal and individual responsibility and stay away from social issues. You'll find a lot of people will join you of all races if you do that.

Tim| 11.20.09 @ 2:11PM

Bob, this is why you never get invited anywhere...

Bob| 11.20.09 @ 3:31PM

Tim, when I joined the Republican party 45 years ago, I found a plethora of like-minded people who were fiscal conservatives and social libertarians. It was a great party. Since the rise of the immoral minority, it has become a party of religious zealots and overstating extremists who would rather call the other side names than to find conservative solutions. I will never become a Democrat because no country can afford to do everything for everyone. The best we can do is to be smart about our options, educate our children to succeed, and work towards the best solutions we can get.

The positioning of Republicans as uneducated, populist radicals who talk about the "liberal elite" (i.e. educated at the finest schools) and the MSM is abhorrent to me.

Most of my friends are independents, but I remain a Republican so I can vote against the populist radicals during primaries. Colin Powell is a good guy and so is David Brooks. If we could forget about the radical social nonsense and concentrate on fiscal issues and limited government, our country would be a much better place for our grandchildren.

Stogie| 11.20.09 @ 3:54PM

Bob, if you think Colin Powell and David Brooks are "good guys," then you are the last person I would ever look to for political advice. Can you spell "RINO"?

Clay Barham| 11.20.09 @ 1:51PM

Stop having fun when the world is in trouble!
Whether it is global warming, cooling, dimming or just plain seasonal deviations, it is apparent that whoever or whatever created the earth and solar system was a poor engineer. It was all messed up and requires Obama and the United Nations to fix it. It is all turned upside down. Heavier-than-air substances rise to blanket the earth and screen the suns rays, or not, as your position requires, and heat escapes (cooling) or does not (warming), and the globe wobbles, creating seasons which we, as communities, must experience, and the whole thing is just annoying. Particles in the air are called smog and allow moisture to condense on them to make rain and snow. How inconvenient. Water forms clouds that blanket parts of the earth and trap solar heat, warming the place up, and when they are not there, cool the place. Oh, my, it’s just not uniform and predictable. At one point, I need a coat and then I’m too hot in a tee shirt. Where is Obama when you need him? Should he not be out passing laws to reduce population, to eliminate cars, trucks and planes, as well as boats, used by the massive non-elite, all of which pollutes? What about non-elite breathing and passing-wind? What about the animals who do the same? We need Obama and Pelosi to reengineer the earth and solar system so everything is always on an even keel, peaceful, passive, the same from moment to moment, totally predictable and comfortable for high-placed Democrats. After all, aren’t they Gods? Claysamerica.com