My kind of people

If you're wondering why I didn't post anything on Friday, it's because I spent part of the day at the Four Points Sheraton near Harrisburg attending the 2008 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference.

I was invited to be part of the "Pundits, Pollsters and Policy" panel Friday afternoon (I think I was one of the pundits on the panel). I also spent time before and after the presentation meeting some terrific people.

The sold-out conference was first-class all the way. With 500 conservatives gathered in one place, how can you go wrong?

I met some of my brothers-in-arms from the reform movement -- Lowman Henry, Chris Lilik, Ryan Shafik, Nathan Benefield -- in person for the first time.

I also spent time with a terrific young lady who blogs under the name "Skye" at Midnight Blue. Check out her blog if you get a chance. She posted several photos from the event at her site, including the one I borrowed here. That's Skye with Michelle Malkin and members of American Sheepdogs, a Chester County group that supports U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. I applaud Rich Davis and the rest of the American Sheepdogs for all they do for our troops. There's also coverage of the conference at PAWaterCooler.com

The speech by Michael Steele, lieutenant governor of Maryland and a rising star in the Republican Party, was excellent. Because of a prior commitment, I had to leave early on Friday and missed the speech by Michelle Malkin.

There were also quite a few political figures at the conference. I met state Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks, and Gary Hornberger, who won the GOP nomination to run in the 125th District in Berks/Schuylkill. Both mentioned they were fans of my blog.

I also ran into Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach, who took part in the "Campaign School" for aspiring candidates Friday morning.

I chatted with people from Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties. I drove 70 miles to meet some of these people for the first time when they were right in my backyard.

There was also plenty of information to pick up from exhibitors, including American Sheepdogs, Chester County Action, Stop Teacher Strikes Inc., and PaSchoolWatch.org

I had a great time, although I wish I could have stayed for the entire event. I'd like to thank Lowman Henry for inviting me to be part of the 2008 conference.

If you have any interest in politics, if you consider yourself a conservative, if you want to hear some of the most dynamic speakers around, make sure you attend next year's event.

The 2009 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference will mark the 20th anniversary of the event.