I spent most of yesterday hanging (Press Pass) with a few hundred Republicans on day one of the NHGOP First in the Nation Leadership Summit, collecting videos including several of the candidates who spoke, as well as talking to a lot of Republicans outside the main ballroom.
Clips below include Chris Christie, Perry Johnson, Doug Burgam, Ronna McDaniel, and Ron DeSantis. I did not stay late enough to hear Nikki Haley or Vivek Ramaswamay. All that old age and treachery caught up with me, and the event was running about 40 min behind schedule.
I was hoping to get something for everyone, so I apologize for missing those two if you think they are the next best thing in presidential contenders.
I cannot attend day two (today), so no Asa Hutchinson, Tim Scott, or Mike Pence. I know. You were all pining for some Asa Hutchinson.
Overall
I can’t tell you how many times I heard someone say we must work together, unify behind our nominees, and how we can’t win if we don’t. It is a serious concern (but when is it not?). And while there was plenty of talk about what was wrong and what we need to fix, winning mostly meant stopping Dems from ruining the country or finishing the job the Left has started. That’s a big order, and everyone who spoke wants you to think they are the one.
Fair enough. Desperate times. Room for debate, but that aside, everyone who spoke sounded great. They all had good ideas and made excellent points. Hit something out of the park if you like—no shot in hell, but they had ideas that should not be ignored.
I did not record all of those ideas. My goal was to get a few seconds from each candidate to get a feel for their delivery and focus—some more than others. I have several clips from DeSantis, but neither quality nor quantity are meant to show any preference. Nor are my notes anything but a few neutral observations of how I interpreted what I heard them say.
The Contenders
Chris Christie was the first Republican Presidential primary candidate to speak and the only one where I saw people leave the ballroom in deliberate protest. A small crowd got a little smaller, but it was early, and not everyone was there, perhaps protesting by simply arriving later.
Christie focused on the connections between what is happening in Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. He identified an evil axis without calling them that. China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Their goal is to create fear in the world. He also noted that Putin must be pleased about Hamas (helped by Iran) distracting us from Ukraine. How Putin wants to get the Soviet Union Band back together and letting him have any bit of Ukraine will embolden that.
This video is not edited and presented as is mid-thought or mid-stream.
Next up is Perry Johnson. We learned about his blue-collar roots and self-made status. He’s the guy who wrote (created) the ISO 9000 standard (using quality metrics to optimize cost, quality, and productivity). That the RNC doesn’t like him becasue he would take away their power in Washington. And most importantly, how we need to fix the deficit and budget problems and how doing so will energize our economy. That every failed empire on earth went down becasue of economics.
He is pro-oil, pro-Israel, and would scrap the Dept of Ed. Again, the video is not edited and presented midstream and as is.
Doug Burgam talked about energy, the economy, national security, job creation, the perils of war weakness, and Biden’s energy policy. One example was how Biden’s commitment to ending oil production affects Southeast Asian allies (especially Japan). They rely on the US for energy security. Biden’s commitment puts them all at risk from a geopolitically aggressive and expansionist China.
Burgam would open oil production – wide open – as both a move toward energy independence and to ensure allies who rely on it are not left to squirm under our enemy’s boots.
Ron DeSantis had the most significant and loudest crowd, but I was not there for Nikki Haley or Vivek Ramaswamy, so again, that I saw. Lots of enthusiasm and his supporters appeared well-organized and there to put on a show for the cameras.
And he did have a great message and delivered it well without bashing any of his challengers. I have several unedited clips from his remarks. He stands with Israel. Defends Parental Rights. Rule of law. He wants the constitution enforced and opposes the administrative state as in – time to disarm the weaponized bureaucracy (my words, not his).
He wants to see the CDC, FDA, and NIH held accountable. Gov ROn went on to list his accomplishments in Flordia, from blocking CBDC to CRT to DEI. Lots of Republican red meat and all of it was well received.
To close (as another reminder), yes, had I stayed later, I would have provided multiple clips for Haley and Ramaswamy, who are also, in my opinion, more interesting candidates likely to stimulate the most debate. They are not high on my list, but we have readers who would want to know what they had to say. So, my apologies (again) for not having the stamina to make it until the end of the first day. The event was running late, and that was a big factor. But I was excited to get out and do some “reporting,” if you will, and plan to do more in the coming days and weeks.
Wait, I have one more. Ronna McDaniel spoke before Ron DeSantis if you are interested.
