Update (2/11): Follow the link for today’s CPAC post.
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I’m coming to you live from CPAC. I met a member of an endangered species: a single, straight, black, socially conservative, Christian man (and he reads my blog - excellent). Did I mention that he was single? 
I couldn’t resist uploading this boring vanity shot, snapped at the black Republicans booth. They want me to join. I don’t know.
Just took a couple of photos with Glenn Reynolds, who’s here hawking his wares. Met the Instawife and Instadaughter. Nice folks.
I’m on the row with Sean Hackbarth, Jeff Harrell, Tom Bridge, Cam Edwards, Wendy Sullivan, and Bryan Preston.
The only session I will likely attend is the one having to do with blogging: New Media v. Old Media: Bringing Balance or Bias? Michelle Malkin will be here later signing books. So will Wayne Perryman, author of Unfounded Loyalty. Ann Coulter and Star Parker this afternoon. Speaking of constellations, I ran into Star yesterday. Forgot to mention it. So exciting. I love Star Parker.
I’m off to the new media presentation. More photos later. By the way, Michael Barone (who’s very friendly), columnist and McLaughlin Group semi-regular, knows who I am. Unbelievable.
Click the photo of me and Michael Barone to see photos. As of 12:31 p.m. there are no CPAC photos up yet. After lunch.
3:00 p.m.: More photos on Flickr.
I haven’t had a chance to blog much because it’s like a circus! So many sights and sounds. People keep walking up to the table, pointing and saying, “Look at the bloggers.”
I love when people stop by, introduce themselves, and tell me they read my blog all the time (Newsflash!). That’s why I’m not blogging. Well, Michelle Malkin is signing books and will stop by Bloggers Row. I’ll try to get another photo.
One more brag: Tony Snow knows who I am.
4:52 p.m.: OK. Star Parker and me, once again. Click the photo to visit Flickr, where I’ve uploaded new photos, including a shot of the cover of Star’s new book coming out soon.
I met one of my clients, Gregg Jackson of Pundit Review, author of the soon-to-be released book Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies. I’m helping him market the book online. We’re creating a blog to promote it, sending out galleys, trying to get radio and TV interviews…the works. If his book ends up a bestseller, it would great for my our career careers. 
Gratuitous comment: People are ragging on Ann Coulter for using the term “raghead.” I think it’s much ado about nothing. How is that, Sean?
I met Stephen Taylor yesterday. He runs The Blogging Tories aggregator, and he’s uber-cool (he said). Stephen and I had a long talk today about forging new bonds between Americans and Canadians, especially bloggers. Conservative Canadian bloggers are having a huge impact on their government, similar to the one we’re having, if I may be so bold, on traditional media.
Other blogger conferences:
La Shawn, I am glad you are there. My boss and friend, Alan Chambers, is going to be speaking today about gay marriage
Comment by Randy — 02.10.06 @ 10:34 am
La Shawn said
My vote:
Stay independent.
Signed,
Republican Who More-often-than-not Wonders Why He is Not Independent.
Comment by Bob — 02.10.06 @ 11:03 am
Did the guy that you met ask you out for a date? It would be good intellectual discourse I am sure!!
Comment by Robert Tatum — 02.10.06 @ 11:07 am
2 votes: (1) Join and help reverse the self-destructive onesidedness of Black America. (2) Keep finding strictly coincidental reasons to cross the path of your, um, new acquaintance.
Comment by Dave in Montana — 02.10.06 @ 11:11 am
He was single, straight, conservative, and good looking. You left out good looking!
Wendy
Comment by RightGirl — 02.10.06 @ 11:15 am
See how strong you are? You make it come off like “oh yea, and I met these awesome people. It was sweet.” and I’d be all jumping up and down and squealing and stuff.
Comment by Jewels — 02.10.06 @ 11:25 am
By the way- be sure to share your thoughts on that Media Bias/ Blogging session!
Comment by Jewels — 02.10.06 @ 11:27 am
LaShawn it was a pleasure meeting you at CPAC this morning and I had no idea that I was an endangered species. Thank you also Rightgirl for your compliment as well.
Comment by Warrior Nurse — 02.10.06 @ 11:30 am
I agree with Dave in Montana. You can always vote independently even if a registered Republican. You can help to change the statistics and be an inspiration to other Blacks to follow your lead.
And do go after that certain someone.
Comment by COgirl — 02.10.06 @ 12:15 pm
While not particularly enamored with the Republican party these days, I remain registered as a Republican if for no other reason than to be able to vote in the presidential primaries.
Comment by Insomniac — 02.10.06 @ 12:15 pm
I’m looking forward to more photos. Wish I was there!
Comment by Amy — 02.10.06 @ 12:20 pm
I can’t believe your still single!!!!!!!
Comment by Paul Lamont DeBye — 02.10.06 @ 12:29 pm
The anonymity of the internet is great….we just type words and people respond based on the ideas we express. The person posting/typing might be black, white, old, young, male, female etc. No physical based bias which means that there’s no bias based on how you look or what you wear - just ideas. It is truly the great equalizer.
Still, that being said - it’s really neat to be able to picture the face that goes with the words. Makes it more personal.
Comment by suek — 02.10.06 @ 12:49 pm
Hi La Shawn-you look nice. The Old Media has infrastructure in place to continue to tread water indefinitely;will they realize that New Media is swimming strongly, and is not just making waves in a kids wading pool?
Old Media could rescue itself from irrelevancy-(if it understood it was irrelevant)by simply reporting the facts without bias. As that won’t happen in my lifetime, what will happen? Assimilation.
I can see that in the future some bloggers may be ‘hired’as stringers by old media behemoths, DK feeding information to CBS News, for example.
Daily Koz would get the mainstream recognition, CBS News would get the “Net-cred”, and both would act as if the other were important to their own future.
BTW La Shawn-thanks for including spell-check here. It benefits everyone.
Have a great day,
Doug
Comment by Doug — 02.10.06 @ 1:09 pm
La Shawn:
I’ll be very disappointed in you if you join the Black Republicans. (On the other hand, I appreciate your endangered species sighting!)
Two reasons: First, conservatives shouldn’t divide people by race as a matter of principle, and neither should Republicans, if they’re to be true at all to those priciples. If we compromise those principles, we stand for nothing. (Required reading for invertebrate “Republicans”: George Grant’s book, Carry a Big Stick - The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt.) Second, and far more important, racism and racial division is abhorrent to Christians - we are brothers and sisters together in Christ’s church. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised you’re even considering this, given your writings in the past. You are and should be proud of your family and background, but if you really think skin color doesn’t (and shouldn’t) matter, I can’t imagine how you could join such an organization.
Just one conservative, Christian, exceptionally brilliant, handsome (but happily married and, oh, yeah, modest)
white guy’s opinion, FWIW.
Comment by Dub Dublin — 02.10.06 @ 3:12 pm
Join the Republican Party, La Shawn. There’s only one way to change a party… and that is to join it and change it from within.
Comment by RepJ — 02.10.06 @ 3:18 pm
My heart just jumps with joy to see you there and read your comments! My prayers are with you.
Comment by Madeleine — 02.10.06 @ 3:27 pm
CPAC First Report: Meet the Bloggers
I have a number of priorities while at CPAC this week, and none is more important right now than buying a hat. I keep putting off getting my hair cut, so while loading it up with mousse works until around…
Trackback by Alpaca Burger Forum — 02.10.06 @ 3:29 pm
La Shawn what #16 RepJ said. Please join the GOP!
Comment by Rancher — 02.10.06 @ 3:55 pm
La Shawn, you are a tease-you tell us you met a young, Christian, SINGLE man and then you have your picture taken with Michael Barone. We already know what he looks like. Sign me Interest Piqued.
Comment by Ardys Parrish — 02.10.06 @ 4:21 pm
Did you say that was the “Black Republicans” booth that asked you to join? You should not join a “Black Republicans” group any more than I should join a “White Republicans” group. Any “White RINO” group of Creativity Movement Nazis who ask me to join their pseudo-Republican cult should consider themselves graced if they get a mouth-full of hellfire and brimstone! You seem like a fine young Christian lady and if anybody asks you to self-segregate, you send them to me!
Comment by Rev. Thomas S. Painter (R) — 02.10.06 @ 5:54 pm
Ann, Thanks for Nothing
With Ann Coulter you should only expect a bad stand-up comedian with a conservative schtick. That’s what CPAC attendees got…
Trackback by The American Mind — 02.10.06 @ 6:22 pm
Re: Ann Coulter and the “raghead” comment.
1) I guarantee it will be blown out of its context.
2) It will immediately be morphed into a broad brush smear.
3) Go! Ann. You have nailed it again. (Ann=100; Whiners=0).
Comment by Heliotrope — 02.10.06 @ 6:24 pm
Looking Good La Shawn!!!
Wish I was there with you!!!!
Comment by Rightwingsparkle — 02.10.06 @ 6:41 pm
>>You should not join a “Black Republicans†group any more than I should join a “White Republicans†group.>>
Disagree. I don’t know whether she should change from Independent - that’s a choice only she can make - but if she _does_ change, then why not belong to a group that can serve to make sure that the Party as a whole is aware of the needs and solutions of their particular community? I don’t agree with Affirmative Action as such, but neither do I think we’ve reached that point in society where we can just wave off problems within the black community and expect them to solve themselves. Additionally, I think it benefits the Republican Party for the black community to see a _group_ as opposed to individuals.
Of course, I also like to see tulips planted with colors in groups instead of rows of single colors. Grouping is more impressive.
Comment by suek — 02.10.06 @ 6:43 pm
La Shawn:
I enjoyed listening to you yesterday at the Leadership Institute’s blogging workshop at CPAC. You have a great blog to boot!
Cheers,
Ryan
Comment by Ryan Warawa — 02.10.06 @ 6:59 pm
La Shawn, be no ones pawn..
IMO, they would use you as a *flag*, “See how good WE are, WE got La Shawn Barber to join US…”
Independence is a wonderful thing…
Comment by TexasFred — 02.10.06 @ 7:09 pm
CPAC Bloggers Row
My daughter is the chair of her school’s College Republicans and therefore goes to CPAC since it is right here in downtown DC. This year I planned to attend more, but last minute meetings kept me from attending until this afternoon. It was qui…
Trackback by The Strata-Sphere — 02.10.06 @ 7:10 pm
I agree with the estimable La Shawn Barber’s take on Ann’s speech:
Pingback by Conservative Politics — 02.10.06 @ 7:21 pm
Loved the pictures, LaShawn! Your blog has become a daily habit for me…
Carmen
Comment by carmen — 02.10.06 @ 7:25 pm
When I got there my daughter took me down to the exhibition hall (I was not going to pay to attend a speech or two) where the first person I ran into (for the second time now) was the gracious La Shawn Barber. La Shawn is one class act and I could talk to her all day if I had the chance. During our discussions La Shawn suggested I go over to see if Glenn Reynolds was still around signing his book and to say hello. Why not?
Pingback by The Strata-Sphere — 02.10.06 @ 7:28 pm
La Shawn, you are doing so well as you are, so why change; you can remain Independent and still vote Republican if that is your choice at polling time. I think you are the perfect mix of intelligent, humane, a sister in the Christian faith, and basically conservative. The world would be a lot better off if there were a whole lot more like you. Keep it up.
Comment by MARLOWE ANDERSON — 02.10.06 @ 7:31 pm
If there’s a Godiva Dark Chocolate Truffle-Eating Republican group, please send me the link to join THAT group.
And man, could just ONE of my fave bloggers be homely for a change? Or is it that conservatives are just cuter? (Hannity vs Colmes, Coulter vs. Estrich). You’re a doll, La Shawn!
Mir–who has purposely kept a Democratic registration so I can get their survey calls and mails and find out what the moonbats are up to…
Comment by Mir — 02.10.06 @ 7:56 pm
La Shawn, I’m a white guy - conservative, Republican with Libertarian leanings - who isn’t going to offer advice to you about any of that. After reading one white guy’s discourse here on how you, as a black woman, should be thinking, I got so embarrassed for him I wanted to act as a canceling mechanism. It never fails to astonish me how some white people - usually liberals but not this time, apparently - think they’re hip or cool or something if they offer advice on what color means - to black people! It just makes the hair on the back of my neck stand right up.
I’ll sit down now.
Comment by ekw — 02.10.06 @ 9:41 pm
Well, I enjoyed attending vicariously through your report and photos. I agree that there should be a photo of Mr. Single, however.
Comment by Carol — 02.10.06 @ 10:43 pm
La Shawn,
It’s ironic, but I am about to switch from being an independent to a Republican. My first reason is that I live in CA & it is the best form of protest to my so called politician’s refusal to acknowledge, much less respond to a different point of view or reality itself. They may still win most elections here, but there will be one less independent’s vote for them to believe that they can court or that they represent. Second, while I may disagree w/ some Republican views, I can’t seem to agree w/ any of the other side’s. Third, I am tired of sitting on the fence & want to join a side.
Comment by PMain — 02.10.06 @ 10:47 pm
I guess I’m on the endangered list lol. A Black Republican Conservative living in the mostly black liberal city of Baltimore in the vastly liberal state of Maryland. I would have loved to have been able to attend CPAC. Living in a liberal wasteland, I don’t have that good fortune lol. Glad you had a great time LaShawn.
Comment by Tyrone — 02.11.06 @ 12:28 am
Lunch at CPAC!
Wonder Woman and Right Girl (Gentlemen bloggers to be identified when I find my notes! Sorry.) The Conservative Political Action Conference is going on here in DC this week, and bloggers were out in force. Some of the Cotillion ladies…
Trackback by Reasoned Audacity — 02.11.06 @ 1:43 am
Hi there, I’m the younger one of British duo doing the rounds!
I did find Ann’s comments to be way out of line - that kind of attitude will only exacerbate problems with fundamentalism.
It was good to meet you anyway
Comment by Sam Coates — 02.11.06 @ 2:28 am
LaShawn wrote:
” People are ragging on Ann Coulter for using the term “raghead.†I think it’s much ado about nothing.”
I agree. Nothing to get upset about. I e-mailed the link to Al-Jazeera. I’m sure they’ll agree, too.
Comment by Buzz Kelly — 02.11.06 @ 8:46 am
Lunch at CPAC! (Conservative Political Action Conference)
Cross Post from Charmaine at Reasoned Audacity. Wonder Woman and Right Girl (Gentlemen bloggers to be identified when I find my notes! Sorry.) The Conservative Political Action Conference is going on here in DC this week, and bloggers were out…
Trackback by Jack Yoest — 02.11.06 @ 8:47 am
“I can’t believe your still single!!!!!!!”
I wish I were man enough for her.
Comment by wally — 02.11.06 @ 10:14 am
What did you think of Sen. Allen?
Comment by RepJ — 02.11.06 @ 10:27 am
CPAC Wrap: Conservative Bloggers In Washington
The American Conservative Union was one of the first organizations to invite bloggers to cover an event in Washington. The event was last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC 2006 was held this week, and bloggers were back again. Glen…
Trackback by Beltway Blogroll — 02.11.06 @ 11:15 am
Just in case, I can refer you to a black male examination service, let me know if you need it?
Comment by Xavier Pickett of RBA — 02.11.06 @ 12:35 pm
Wish I was there. Maybe next year.
Comment by Adam Graham — 02.11.06 @ 1:27 pm
Hey, LaShawn, you may be busy these days, but drop by Coulter and post once in a while! We miss you!
Comment by Capt.Herp — 02.11.06 @ 3:12 pm
Congratulations on the Star Parker pic. It’s a great shot of the pair of you. Tell her to write more books!
Comment by alienmotives — 02.11.06 @ 4:29 pm
The pictures were great. I looks like you had a fabulous time. La Shawn…you do what your heart tells you to do. Mine told me to join the Republican party. Like one of your commentors above. I don’t always agree with everything the GOP says or does, but I didn’t agree with anything that the Dems are up to.
And to Tyrone…Nuh uh…I’m more endangered than you are…Fundamentalist Christian Conservative Black Republican….in New York…Hillary Clinton’s new home state.
Comment by Bonnie Calhoun — 02.11.06 @ 6:03 pm
* I’ve been banging my head on the wall this evening because I completely forgot about CPAC. I guess I’ll have to meet La Shawn later. Maybe I’ll go to the “Celebrate Booker T. in April. That might be pretty interesting.
Pingback by Agent Tim Online — 02.11.06 @ 7:10 pm
Jeez
You don’t think Arab-Americans view the word raghead like the word nigger does to many blacks? It’s offensive, unproductive, and shines light away from legitimate discussion and towards the type of controversy that sells books.
Comment by vik — 02.12.06 @ 7:29 pm
People are ragging on Ann Coulter for using the term “raghead.†I think it’s much ado about nothing.
So do I. But then, we must be racists, from what those who objected would have one believe.
Comment by Beth — 02.13.06 @ 4:41 pm
La Shawn, I have always found the following story about Dr. James Stewart, a very nice person and seminary professor (of New Testament Studies at New College, part of the University of Edinburgh, back in the mid-50s. He was preaching a very convicting sermon one Sunday at St. Georges (Church of Scotland which we would know as Presbyterian); a listener, a middle aged woman responding to his clarion call to faith, approached him at the door as she exited and said: “Oh, Dr. Stewart, I must change greatly.” Whereupon that great soul and inspiring pastor said: What a pity; God loves you so much as you are.” Only you can tell whether the story has any relevance to your question about switching to the Republican Party from Independent voter, but there may be wisdom in reminding you that God loves you very much as you are. God himself seems quite Independent most of the time!! Your blog site continues to be excellent. Thanks, marlowe
Comment by MARLOWE ANDERSON — 02.16.06 @ 5:49 pm
Thanks for reading, Marlowe.
Comment by La Shawn — 02.16.06 @ 6:01 pm
Wish I was there to hear and Mrs. Parker speak. Star Parker is extremely intelligent and filled with common sense. (Not to mention astonishingly beautiful…)
Comment by Crosslake — 02.17.06 @ 9:54 pm