Ronald Reagan Cocktail Dinner 2010–Wyoming
I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Ronald Reagan 2010 Cocktail Dinner in Etna, Wyoming.
http://www.wygop.org/site/c.8rJHKZMLJkL0H/b.5834929/k.BF58/Home.htm
Etna is in the Western part of Wyoming, with the house hosting the event being only blocks outside the Idaho border.
Like many other states, my foray into Wyoming took place because one person decided to take a chance on me, sight unseen.
I spoke to Marty Halverson on the telephone and there was an instant connection. Many in Wyoming consider her influential, but to me she was just simply a very nice Republican lady.
She hosted virtually all of the candidates, and put on an extravaganza. I have never seen so many delicious edibles in all of my life.
(That is not a remark with hidden meaning. I am sure there were pretty girls there, but I was focused on the hors douvres. My girlfriend can verify this because on our first date I was ogling various cuts of Brazilian beef, which kept me from ogling her. Lust comes in many forms. She is stunning, but you had to see these cuts of meat to understand.)
I had the pleasure of meeting gubernatorial candidate Colin Simpson.
I asked Colin innocently if he was related to former Wyoming Senator Al Simpson. Colin proudly stated that Al Simpson was his father.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_K._Simpson
I always liked Al Simpson. He was a principled guy with a wry sense of humor. I told Colin that my favorite Al Simpson story (that Colin probably heard a million times) was when people would come up to the 6 ft 10 inch senator and say “You look like Al Simpson.”
The senator would say that he heard that a lot, and the person would then say “Don’t it make you mad?”
That self-effacing humor is in short supply in today’s world.
Another gubernatorial candidate in attendance was Matt Mead. Mr. Mead has a lovely family, every bit as nice as the Simpsons.
http://www.meadforgovernor.com/
Matt Mead and Colin Simpson were very friendly with each other. This was not perfunctory gestures. They genuinely liked each other, and treated each other as friends. Wyoming is a small state, which can breed animosity. This dinner brought the exact opposite. It was refreshing seeing political opponents be so sincere and dignified with each other.
(Primary fights are usually more vicious than general elections. In primaries the candidates usually agree on most issues, so disputes can become very nasty and personal. Also, in conservative states like Wyoming, the primary often is the general election.)
Candidates for governor get attention, but at this event everybody was given an opportunity to shine. There were even two candidates for coroner. I did not know exactly what a coroner did. I figured it was something medical involving death. Yet these men were passionate about being coroner. It is not easy to convey that passion to others, but the audience paid very close attention to who their next coroner was going to be.
Wyoming only has one member of congress Cynthia Lummis. Wyoming is very lucky to have her. Even by Wyoming standards, she is a real common sense conservative. Her husband was happy to relax while she did the politicking.
My remarks were lighthearted and fun. Naturally I pointed out that Al Simpson and Dick Cheney were follically challenged.
“It’s times like this that make me nervous that Dick Cheney supports waterboarding.”
I did not make the remark about how I would rather be hunting with Dick Cheney than riding with Ted Kennedy. The line is true, but obvious. I am not ont he left politically, but I do like to come out of left field.
“Wyoming is very different from California. Wyoming brought America the respected Senator Malcolm Wallop. California infected the world with Barbara Boxer, who in November could use a good wallop.”
Like many Republican states, Wyoming is functioning properly. It is not coming apart at the seams. The only danger seems to be the occasional cow or horse that may wander into the street. Then again, cows and horses don’t stop you for change and then try to rob you. Also, the nature scene is more beautiful than most places despite fewer oppressive environmental regulations. Conservative Republicans in Wyoming somehow manage to balance a love of animals and trees with a desire not to destroy humans and cripple the state economy.
Wyoming is lovely, and I would like to thank Mrs. Halverson for inviting me to her great state. I will be back to Wyoming many times.
eric
July 1st, 2010 at 1:33 pm
” the audience paid very close attention to who their next coroner was going to be.’
All you need is two or three autopsies claming red meat was the killer and those choice cuts you were eyeballing might disappear
July 1st, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Wyoming has roughly the population of Fresno. A pocket calculator could govern or represent Wyoming. Comparing Wyoming to California is like comparing a guppy to a humpback whale.
JMJ
July 1st, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Yeah, theres just that many more idiots in Ca.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:31 am
Ah yes, the guppy and humped back whale…each would get equal time if on the endangered species list, regardless of size…much like each state gets two Senators, regardless of population… Granted, Congress is a little different story, and we would need one of those pocket calculators to tally up the registered voters, dual-registered voters, illegally registered voters, unregistered voters who vote anyway, illegal aliens (not including Martians), illiterate voters, non-federal-taxpaying voters (40%?), and just plain Ignernt voters…multiply that by 2piR and we might determine the number of Circumvented voters…
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Oh for the skies of Wyoming..or should I have said Montana.
Anyway, not much different when you are viewing the heavens,
residing in both.
Now, take California, my state, or NYCity, where I have visited
(but never the other states mentioned, even though I do know
a few former Easterners who live there, and appreciate the wide open
spaces.
In fact, one former acquaintence, who had visited Jerusalem’s Old City
several years ago, noted how large his state was with so few inhabitants
vs Israel, which is the size of New Jersey, but has almost its population (if you include the Muslims living in Western Palestine.
Speaking of Western Palestine, there is also Eastern Palestine, its
called Jordan, which was meant to be included in the territory for
world Jewry (read Balfour Declaration), until we were screwed royally.
So there is a Palestine folks, 7 times the size of Israel and inhabited
by mainly the offspring of the British Mandate Arabs. Yet, they
are demanding a slice of Western Palestine (for now), including
East Jerusalem.
Funny but the Arabs pray to Mecca, NOT Jerusalem, and
there is no mention of it in the bible as being Arab.
Just like in Ethopia (made of descendents of Ham-Noahs son),
and some people from Asia Minor), Palestinians are descendents
of Arabs who lived in the areas adjacent to what is now Israel.
Many of them migrated to Western Palestine to benefit from
the Jewish migrants (and long time residents) efforts.
But don’t tell that to the leader of Turkey, the now Islamist
theocracy, where burkas are in, and Goggle is out.
Oh me oh my. Oy vey, as we say….
And I once was against voting the murder of millions of Armenians
as part of their genocide. Yeah, like Turkey didn’t purposely
instigate the flotilla debacle..and is not now hiring 500,000 soldiers
to fight the Kurds.
Hey Obama, hows about getting this country out of NATO while
it hates Jews and Christians and supports Hamas ( a terrorist group)
and is an ally of Iran (combined 150m people, all with Jihad on their mind). Jihad against me that is.
And on to California vs Wyoming…lets face a fact of life,
California draws people from all over..the rejects in part from
other states. THAT IS WHY OUR UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGHEST
IN THE NATION ( 600,000 people move here yearly).
I don’t know offhand the populations of Montana and Wyoming?
Do they have 600,000 total?
As long as we have people like Boxer and her ilk, we will
be the magnet, the light (and gelt) unto the nation (literally), and the repository
for out of work Mexicans and Americans, seeking our demand for cheap (er) labor,
social benefits, lax enforcement of illegals and McDonalds hamburgers.
Oh excuse me, one can buy those hamburgers in New York State
and Mexico. NY State, an interesting blue state..which has in fact
lost people these 10 years (to California, etc.), even though
the Big Apple’s budget equals the entire State of California.
Does everyone know that the residents outside NYCity have
voted down repeatedly paying a fee to work in the City even though
the transporation costs are minimal and work convenient?
Ive got an idea. Hows bout freezing the movement to
Calif. and requiring the migrants to relocate to Wyoming or
Montana? Its called planning our future.
Then, we could, like Arizona, allow police to question people
who they think should not. But then again, it would be
denounced as profiling.
I mean, we whites “all look alike”.
July 3rd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Eagle, c’mon man. You don;t honestly believe that many people are illegally voting, do you?
You know, you conservatives always pride yourselves on your alleged understanding of markets and self-interest. What the hell is the impetus for illegal aliens to vote? For that matter, for anyone to vote illegally?
The vast majority of inproprieties in elections have to do with the polls and poll workers themselves, not who’s doing the voting.
JMJ
July 4th, 2010 at 1:38 am
Jersey, No, I don’t believe that many people are voting illegally, or that that many illegals are voting!! I was simply repeating an oft-used, conservative sound byte that really has more to do with ignorant people voting than illegals voting… The impetus of illegal aliens to vote? Federal benefits from our deep-pocketed Democrats. And, as much as I appreciated GW’s stance on US security, he also had deep pockets for the “deprived”… I have to admit, the Dems appear to hold the high ground because they are all about saving the whales, feeding the children, and housing the homeless…and having a heart for the poor undocumented “workers” …but their high-ground is truly a sandy slope considering motive and from whence these benefits come - it ain’t coming from the bleeding heart Dems - it’s a known fact that conservatives give a much higher percentage to charity and “contribute” a much higher percentage in taxes than do liberals…