MEETING OF THE MINDS
Chuck Muth�s Conservative Leadership Conference attracts popular names to Sparks, NV
BY MARK WARDEN

At what should become an annual event, Chuck Muth and his conservative political machine, Citizen Outreach, teamed up with Americans for Tax Reform to host the Conservative Leadership Conference � a liberal bash-fest held last month in Sparks, Nev. Muth�s contacts in Nevada and Washington, D.C., along with those of co-host Grover Norquist of ATR and conference honorary chairman Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), secured a high-powered line-up of speakers, panelists, movers and shakers, and a banquet hall full of conservative and Libertarian activists.

Day one was dedicated to the blogosphere/alternative media and how to improve campaign effectiveness for candidates and issues. A crowd of 100 was treated to techniques and strategies for using campaign tools such as blogs, websites, telephone auto-dialing and micro-targeted mail pieces to top their political opponents.

According to Citizen Outreach�s Eric Odom, a blogger with a wealth of e-activism, the �new media� of blogs, podcasts and content-filled websites will become a major force in national and local politics. Witnessing the Left�s online success of MoveOn.org and Howard Dean, speakers at the conference emphasized that conservatives must harness the same power.

Keynote speaker Dick Armey offered an inspirational kick-off to the second day�s events. Knowing that many Republicans have �wandered off the reservation,� Armey said the GOP should not be abandoned. To him, activists must work within the party and return to a conservative ideology that truly contrasts with Democrats. Armey also says that the public just isn�t ready for or willing to accept a third party. Even with Rep. Ron Paul being the highest-ranking Libertarian, he has to run as a Republican to win.

Steven Greenhut, Libertarian-leaning columnist for the Orange County Register editorial page and recipient of the Institute of Justice�s Thomas Payne award, delivered the message that the GOP is begging and pleading for voters, but not concerned about what conservatives want. 

�The Republican Party is just about winning, not about principle,� Greenhut said. �They�re on a left-turning train.�

He lamented that, �Local and state GOP leaders don�t even talk about liberty anymore,� then questioned, �Why do my GOP friends care so little for civil liberties?�

Mitt Romney, who is vying for the Republican nomination for U.S. president, was also in attendance. While his stump speech was polished, Romney�s message was predictable. His claims that he supports massive tax cuts and military build-up were well-received, although his unmentioned socialist health-care plan in Massachusetts was undoubtedly on people�s minds. 

When asked if he would honor the 10th Amendment by supporting Nevada�s medical marijuana policy, Romney answered, �No. Marijuana is a gateway drug, and there are legal alternatives for pain management.�

Pro-choice and anti-union, the panel on school choice featured representatives from Alliance for Student Choice, Association of American Educators, and activist/author Israel Teitelbaum. Each linked the dire situation in America�s education system to the political influence of teachers� unions.

Heather Reams of the AAE claimed that NEA receives roughly $2 billion a year in dues, but only 15 percent goes toward their bargaining for teachers� pay and benefits. The rest goes to overhead, lobbying and other political efforts. 

Teachers pay $700 a year to NEA at local and national levels, and that money invariably goes to extremely liberal causes and candidates. Last year, the California Teachers Association collected $150 million from members in that state alone. Those coerced funds were then funneled into other states, like Utah, where this year the Association has spent $3 million to battle a pro-choice, pro-voucher referendum in that state.

That night�s dinner was capped off by a revival-like speech from Alan Keyes, who is also looking to become the Republican party�s nominee. His religiosity-laced message centered around the lack of morality and true conservative substance in the top-tier presidential candidates.

Grover Norquist, long-time friend of the American taxpayer, opened the final day with a simple message: Conservatives must build �leave us alone� coalitions, attracting people from myriad interests and issues to work together toward a more conservative end.

�There are two teams in American politics,� Norquist said. �The good guys are the �leave us alone� coalition; the other side is the �takings� coalition. They believe the proper role of government is to take money from you and give it to others. They are parasites and we need to starve them.�

Another candidate in the mix for the Republican nomination, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), interlaced his speech with an excessive amount of military hero-worshiping. He was decidedly pro-military, heavy on border fence-building and anti-China. 

�As president, I will enforce trade rules and bring jobs back to the United States. We must stand up to China. I will put countervailing duties on Chinese products to equalize their devalued currency policy. I will stop China from cheating on free trade.

�Furthermore, I will not allow Iran to have a nuclear device. ... I�ll build that border fence, all 850 miles of it, in six months!�

While not a favorable man with the Libertarian crowd, some in the audience seemed to like Hunter, applauding any reference to members of his family who served in the armed forces. 

The conference-concluding banquet was quite memorable, with tributes to Lyn Nofziger, Barry Goldwater and Milton Friedman. Special guests Paul Laxalt (by video), Shadegg and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford reminded attendees of the absolute need for conservatives to continue to carry the torch of liberty and fight against ever-expanding government power.

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