Great Conservative Cookout a smashing success

The Great Conservative Cookout, organized by the Delaware Conservative Coalition and sponsored by local candidates for office, was held at Sam Yoder's Farm in Houston (near Milford) on Friday. Admission was free. The organizers had expected 300-500 people to attend, and were pleasantly stunned when an estimated 1,200 showed up to meet candidates, enjoy free food, and see former Governor George Allen speak.

Passersby, spotting the hundreds of cars and large crowd from the road, might have thought a county fair was being held.

The event was emceed (or MC'd) by WGMD's Bill Colley, who at times could not be heard. The large room was noisy, as hundreds of people milled around, many sporting T-shirts, stickers, and/or buttons advertising their favorite conservative candidates. The air conditioning was a welcome relief after the oppressive heat of the late afternoon, as were the free sodas and water bottles available at the main entrance. In a side room, attendees helped themselves, buffet-style, to hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, chicken salad, cole slaw, and what I assume were wedges of Vance Phillips's watermelons.

Candidates present included State Auditor Tom Wagner, State Senators Colin Bonini and Joe Booth, State Representatives Dave Wilson and Ruth Briggs King, Sussex County Councilmen Vance Phillips and Sam Wilson, as well as Glen Urquhart, Christine O'Donnell, Brent Wangen, Chris Weeks, Eric Bodenweiser, Cindy Green, Steven Rust, and Harvey Kenton. Each contributed $100 to cover the costs of the event, which bought them a table at which meet voters and distribute campaign items, as well as a minute at the microphone.

One other candidate showed up, who did not contribute $100; Michele Rollins, a Republican candidate for Congress who is challenging fellow Republican (and event sponsor) Glen Urquhart. She and her staff mingled with the large crowd, handing out stickers, to the disgust of other candidates who had paid for the same privilege. As she was not a sponsor, Rollins was not allowed to speak (though she attempted to, which I'll get to), and was not given a table.

At one point, local writer Angel Clark was pulled onto the stage to show off her toenails, which were adorned with Gadsden Flags. It was impossible for any but those sitting in the front rows to see the artwork, but I had a chance to check it out later, and was impressed. The Gadsden Flag is becoming a symbol of the patriot movement as its slogan, "Don't Tread On Me," is embraced by freedom lovers of every generation.

The keynote speaker, George Allen, who has served the citizens of Virginia as Govenor, Congressman, and Senator, entertained and inspired the crowd. I believe he started his speech by thanking President Barack Obama for bringing everyone together (my apologies if it was another speaker who said this), before heaping praise on Glen Urquhart, the conservative Republican running for Congress (not to be confused with the wishy-washy Michele Rollins, who watched in stony silence). Indeed, he went so far as to endorse Urquhart, which was fairly dramatic considering that the GOP's pick, Rollins, was in the room.

I'm not going to attempt to summarize the remarks of all of the sponsors. Most of it was fairly predictable, along the lines of "Take Back America," "Take Back Delaware," etc. It was interesting, however, to watch as Eric Bodenweiser criticized his primary opponent, incumbent Joe Booth, who was standing twenty feet away and did not visibly react.

Brent Wangen, a Libertarian candidate for Congress who recently filed to run in the Republican primary, told the crowd that he had intended to announce his Republican candidacy at the cookout. Instead, he announced that he would be taking the Department of Elections to court, for removing him from the ballot listings. Wangen spoke near the end of the event, and the crowd had thinned, but it responded enthusiastically to what was, in my opinion, an inspiring one-minute speech, in which Wangen mentioned his fifteen years of military service.

Keep an eye on Brent Wangen. Depending on what happens with his Libertarian/Republican candidacy, and the September 14 primary results, he could quite possibly win the support of many Republicans...especially if Urquhart loses to Rollins in the primary.

The highlight of the event (in my opinion) came at the end, so most folks probably missed it. Bill Colley acknowledged Michele Rollins's presence from the stage, and informed the crowd that he will not be voting for her in the primary. The candidate rushed up to the front, clearly expecting to be handed the microphone. Colley had been instructed by the event's organizers to only allow sponsors to speak, and refused to give her the mic. She gave up, turned to face the crowd, posed for a moment (no one applauded), and left, thoroughly frustrated.

Let's be clear about this incident, because Rollins supporters are distorting the facts, claiming that she was unfairly denied the privilege that other candidates received. This is simply not true. Every candidate who spoke was a sponsor. Rollins was not a sponsor. It's that simple; no conspiracy.

Even so, yesterday's News Journal implied that Rollins was a major part of the event, which is not true. Like any other citizen, she attended and enjoyed the free food. However, she didn't contribute financially to the event, and didn't stick around to help clean up. The News Journal article was mostly accurate, but a photo of George Allen might have been a better choice than a photo of the only non-sponsor to show up.

The Delaware Conservative Coalition, a group of about twenty, first met only three weeks ago, and managed to organize an event that turned out to be a smashing success. With fifteen weeks until Election Day, what will they do next?