2015 NH GOP Summit



We arrived just in time Friday at the Crown Plaza in Nashua, NH to see and hear Jeb Bush speak. He was folksy, down to earth and relaxed. Afterward was a cocktail party and then it was dinner with Marco Rubio, Senator from Florida.

After dinner everyone shuffled over to a local Grill to schmooze with whomever showed up. Rubio worked the room shaking hands and chatting.  Scott Brown, former Senator of MA, John Bolton former UN Embassador, Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard and others were also there.

Saturday's schedule was chock full of big names such as Senator Rand Paul of KY, Senator Kelly Ayotte of NH, Former CEO of Hewlitt-Packard Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump - no title needed!, Governor Bobby Jindal of LA, Senator Lindsay Graham of SC, Governor John Kashich of Ohio, former Governor Mike Huckabee of AK and Senator Ted Cruz of TX.

In addition to the above, were Joe Scarborough of MSNBC leading a panel of political pundits which included Steve Hayes of Fox News, Alex Skatell,  political advisor to governors, senators and congressmen and  Drew Cline, Editorial page Editor of NH's Union Leader.

Saturday night's cocktail party and dinner included Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Sununu, former Governor and Senator of NH.

Now that I've done some major name dropping, I'd like to put my two cents in with impressions of the entire event.

It was mind blowing to put it honestly. So many intelligent, accomplished and passionate political and media figures all in one place over a two day period with easy accessibility. What more could a political junkie, former small town GOP Committee Member and former Maine State Delegate could want? I was in the midst of some of the best and the brightest. It just didn't get any better.

Consequently, my expectations were sky high and I was not disappointed. Each and every possible  presidential candidate had something of value to say. Yet they all pretty much said the same things. And what words of inspiration or wisdom did they provide for the captive audience of over 400?

We have to take back our country from the ruins of the Obama Administration. We need to beat Hilary. Have a tougher stance with Iran and the whole Middle East mess. Be more of a friend to Israel.  Work on turning the country around economically, deal with the troubled immigration situation and abolish ObamaCare. The list goes on and on.  And though there were some differences of opinion in a few areas, all candidates spoke passionately about their love of America and how fearful they are of what's happened over the last 6 years or so. No one could disagree that we're heading down a bad path. Least of all the pumped up attendees.

So which candidate stood out? Hard to say. Each had their pros and cons. But my favorites, as of now are Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich and also a dark horse candidate that I don't know much about, Carly Fiorina.

Carly Fiorina was an extremely effective and articulate speaker and it would be a great opportunity to have a woman run on the GOP side to challenge a possible Hilary nomination. Not to mention her real world experience running Hewlitt-Packard, a global high tech company. She doesn't have much of a  political background some might argue, but no doubt she's got potential. If she can navigate the shark invested waters of the corporate world to move up from secretary to CEO, I'm sure she'll have no problem swimming similar waters in the political world.

Marco Rubio has charisma, sincerity and a great family story. He's articulate and knows how to givean inspirational speech. He was the former Speaker of the Florida House and is currently on the Foreign Relations, Commerce and Intelligence committees. All pretty impressive. And he's got the youth/JFK vitality thing happening. Very appealing regardless of how some may say he's too young and inexperienced. The Dems certainly wouldn't be able to complain without looking like hypocrits  considering who is currently in the Oval Office. Bottom line is that I think he's got a strong chance of leading the pack.

Ted Cruz seems to have the courage of his convictions and has proven he doesn't back down when the going gets tough. He's a fighter. I like that. That he graduated from Princeton, Cum Laude and Harvard Law, Magna Cum Laude is no small accomplishment. The man is smart. No doubt about it. I think he would do extremely well during debates. Could easily outsmart and out talk any Democratic candidate without breaking a sweat.

John Kasich has great, long term records while in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Governor . He also worked in the private sector in the investment field as well as television. Great combination. How many candidates have that kind of combined experience? I particularly liked how he acknowledged that there's a severe problem with drug use and mental illness in our country that isn't being addressed of which he's doing so in Ohio.  He's also turned the state around fiscally. He may not have the charisma and youth of Rubio or the fire of Cruz, but he makes up for that with an incredible record of getting things done regardless of obstacles.

This is not to say the other candidates didn't have much to offer. They do. But these are the ones who really impressed me.

The only candidate that somewhat disappointed was Scott Walker. Many a conservative pundit and talk show host has raved about him, but I'm not getting it. Yes, he has a tremendous record of accomplishment in Wisconsin but he lacks that certain something of which I cannot put my finger on. Who knows, I may completely change my mind down the road. Only time will tell.

In conclusion,  it's still early and with all the mud slinging to come, the debates and unforeseen circumstances that can topple a candidate in a heartbeat, it's impossible to forecast which 2 or 3 the race will come down to. But I'm looking forward to it all.