While 2016 hopefuls flocked to the National Harbor, Maryland, confab on Thursday, aspiring activists listened attentively the day before as conservative operatives extolled the work of people who would only be blamed and blasted at any other time during the conference. Barack Obama and his 2012 campaign chief tech officer Harper Reed. Obama’s campaign operatives and volunteers. The socialist organizer Saul Alinsky.
“I disagree with the Left on their policy ideas, but on their organizing and training…I swipe their ideas all the time,” said Ned Ryun, founder and CEO of American Majority, a group aimed at training conservative activists in grassroots and campaign organizing.
But Ryun and his American Majority colleagues are neither dwelling on nor shying away from the fact that Democrats and progressive activists have outpaced their rivals on the right in areas ranging from get-out-the-vote efforts to social media and data collection.
Instead, they’re taking notes and sharing them with conservative activists who are ready to win the next election, whether at the federal, state or local level.
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For all the tactics employed by liberals shared Wednesday, the objective of the day was clear: teaching would-be candidates and campaign staffers how to win and booting liberals out of office.
It’s the reason why Anthony Neutout drove from Indiana to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to enjoy his first CPAC and attend what was billed as “activism boot camp.”
“I’m here because I want to learn anything I can to get Rand Paul elected,” Neutout said. “I think I’m going to be more effective.”
