TeaCon 2011 with Andrew Breitbart

Marathon Pundit with Breitbart

TeaCon 2011, a gathering of Midwestern Tea Party activists, began last night at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center with a reception headlined by Andrew Breitbart, the man behind Big Government and the other "Big" sites.

Also speaking was Big John Howell and Amy Jacobson, the morning hosts on WIND-AM 560 Chicago, Illinois conservative icon Jack Roeser, and comedian Steven Crowder. WIND's Steve Cochran was the emcee.

The talk among the media was the Gawker story about the 2010 solicitation arrest of Chicago Tea Party leader and TeaCon organizer Steve Stevlic that broke this afternoon. I wasn't aware of this news--I ran 10 miles late this afternoon--showered, then drove to Schaumburg. Do you really expect anyone to sit at a computer all day? Yes, I miss stories sometimes. I know Stevlic, he's a good guy who made a big mistake. Ours is a forgiving society--and Steve is remorseful.

Breitbart is an engaging speaker. His methodically-paced delivery style is not a technique that any speech coach would recommend--which is why it works. He's genuine. The internet news pioneer rattled off the sins of the 32 months of the Obama regime. Of the disgraced community organizing group ACORN, Breitbart said, "This is Barack Obama's résumé." Chicago-style crony capitalism has of course spread way beyond "Crook County," which Breitbart says has led to a cash-outlay of "billions on shovel-ready non-jobs."

Chicago is a big union city and unions are part of the Obama muscle. What does Breitbart think of Big Labor? "The unions, the Trumkas (Richard Trumka is the president of the AFL-CIO), the Hoffas, f*ck you!"

But Breitbart also spoke fondly of Chicago. He singled out CNBC's Chicago-based reporter Rick Santelli, whose famous rant led to the birth of the Tea Party movement.

"For every prick in Chicago," Breitbart said, "there's a saint."

Today Big Journalism's Dana Loesch, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), Herman Cain, and Glenn Beck will speak at the patriotic celebration. Only a few tickets remain and the Beck dinner is sold out.

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