RPV Advance screening

I thought of titling this post "Republicans Advance?" but even with a setback in the house, a heart breaker at the top of the ticket, and a frighteningly close race whose outcome will still be in question, I think there's always reasons to be hopeful at the Republican Advance. First, it's got the coolest name of any retreat ever (as the namesake Mr. Donald W. Huffman put it, we don't retreat, we always Advance). Second, it's the best place to make friends with GOP rising stars, and with falling stars desperately trying to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of a nearly decade old defeat (like my '05 picks for LG,Chairman Connaugton and Mr. Gilbert Davis, respectively).
Third, a good number of elder statesmen will host private "hospitality suites" for some good old-fashioned smoke filled room plotting and general jawbonin'.

What do we have to look forward to at this year's Advance?

1. The kickoff of Allen's presidential campaign, in the form of the kickoff of Allen's '06 reelection campaign. Someone will be passing out homemade bumper stickers and it will be fantastic!

2. Undercover manuevers from Tom Davis and Jim Gilmore in re: '08 or '09. Party activists from all over the state are abuzz with talk of statewide bids. My bet is they both go for an open senate seat. I don't know if either men or both are planning hospitality suites, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this tug of war start Friday night. I'm also guessing that Bill Carrico will have a suite to promote himself as the man to take down Boucher in the 9th.

3. A friend faxed me a copy of an invite to the Republican Senate Victory PAC's hospitality suite on Friday night. The PAC seems to be made up of only 5 of our 24 GOP Senators, and it talks about expanding a conservative majority in the Senate. I've always wondered if the '04 budget battle spent all of its venom in the '05 primaries. I don't for a second doubt that the 5 challenged compromisers were proxies for the Senate leadership who labored for the really big tax hike. The big loss in NoVA but the statewide success of Bolling make it hard to reach a solid consensus as to what the party's message should be, but very easy for both sides to jump to stark conclusions. Now I have no indication that the RSVP is planning on launching primary challengers- but I'd love to hear what other hay they are making around the Commonwealth.

4. Harry already mentioned that the College Republicans will be picking a new slate of officers at the Advance. I'd always heard that the Advance was moved to December to tone down college student participation (can anyone verify?).

5. Finally, it' s at the Homestead, again. Which while dreadfully far away is a captivatingly beautiful hotel in a surpassingly beautiful setting.