This was the first Leadership Conference my wife and I have attended.  We forked over the money for the package deal at the Grand Hotel not really knowing what we were getting ourselves into.  Let me just say that our expectations were far exceeded within a few minutes of our arrival after meeting some of the candidates who welcomed us to the conference.

No need to cover the same material as Steve with MotorCityTimes as he provided a nice summary of each day.  However, I wanted to share my impressions of the candidates and how they interacted with each other in the debates and panel discussions.  Impressive. Respectful. Decent. Informed.  Passionate.  Qualified.  Committed.  These are just some of the words that come to mind.  We have a great slate of candidates for Governor, Attorney General and Sec. of State.  Conservatives in Michigan have a lot to be proud of and optimistic about!  

Many in the media and from the left will undoubtedly try to depict the Republicans in Michigan during the campaign as lacking unity, lacking direction, lacking leadership, constantly infighting, and the list goes on.  You all know the drill.  From what I observed, not one of those descriptions is anywhere close to the truth.  Our candidates were united, respectful of each other, open to ideas, and very committed to winning.  Additionally, we saw optimism and and smiles on the faces of our candidates, current elected officials and your average conference attendees alike for three days.