Mock And Daisy Go To A Gala

Last night, the Young Republicans’ Gala was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  And Daisy and I got to go, courtesy of E and the ever-so-soft-cheeked Kevin Kellems, who both put in a good word for us with Todd Tolson, the YR Chair.  

I arrived to the speedway a little on the early side, and as I pulled up to the yellow-shirted track official just inside the track, I rolled down my window and said, “Hi.  I’m here for the Young Republicans’ Gala.”  And then the following conversation ensued:

Yellow-shirt:  What is your purpose at the gala?

Me:  To attend it.  As a guest of it.

YS:  What table number are you assigned to?

Me:  I have no idea.  But I know I’m assigned to one, because E put me on a list.  My name is Mockarena.

YS:  Oh!  You’re with E!  Well, then yes, come right in.  Just follow those signs.

After I parked, I walked into the pavillion where gobs of tables were beautifully set up for dinner, and several very friendly women greeted me.  They explained that everything was running a bit behind schedule, and that the VIP reception was being held in the room next door, and that I should just make my way over there.  And the following conversation ensued:

Me:  VIP reception?  I’m not sure I’m supposed to be at that.  I’m totally not a VIP. What is it for, exactly?

Nice Women:  The reception being held for Ari Fleischer and Mike Pence – where there will be cocktails and photo opportunities.

Me:  I’m nearly positive I’m not supposed to be at that.

Nice Women:  Who are you here with?

Me:  I’m here because of E.

Nice Women:  Oh! You’re with E!  Well, then yes.  Absolutely you should be there.

So off I went.  It was still early, so there were very few people mingling yet.  I called Daisy and prepared her for the check-in procedure.  She arrived shortly after that, and we ran off to the restroom to primp a bit and giggle about how important E is.

After that, lots more people started showing up in the VIP area, including Kevin Kellems and his girlfriend, E and J and J’s fantastically fun friend Red, and State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who we met at the Tea Party.  I can’t begin to tell you how kind and friendly and SMART Richard Mourdock is.  We chatted for several minutes about our mutual admiration for Newt, as he anticipates seeing him on an upcoming trip to Atlanta. We asked him to remind Newt about us, and you know what? I really believe he will. That’s how nice he is. He introduced us to William Smith, Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff, who was also just as gracious as could be. 

E introduced us to Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, a local radio host, who seemed genuinely open to the idea of having us on the show, after E suggested that we might be radio-worthy.  US.  Me and Daisy. On the radio. We’ll let you know if that pans out.  

Then, Daisy and I made our way to the photo line, where formal photographs were being taken of the guests along with Ari Fleischer and Mike Pence.  I’m not entirely sure where the one taken by the professional photographer will end up, but here’s the one that J took of us:

You’ll notice that Ari is holding one of our cards.  LOVE.  It wasn’t the time or place for any attempted face-kissing, so we didn’t even try it.  At least not yet. And in case you’re wondering, no – I have absolutely no idea what’s going on with my cleavage in that photo.

Shortly after the photo op, we headed back to the dinner room.  At the check-in, we were told that there were no table assignments EXCEPT FOR the reserved tables.  And as we looked at the reserved table list, lo and behold, our names were on it.  At reserved table number 3, with E and J and Red and other super nice people.   Our table was next to Mike Pence’s table, which was next to Ari Fleischer’s table. All three of those tables were in the very front, right at the stage/podium.  So as we made our way to sit down, Daisy and I giggled some more about how important E is, and how fun it is for US that he seems to like us enough to keep inviting us to stuff.

The program was fantastic.  Abdul served as MC, and Kevin Kellems spoke briefly to introduce Ari.  Included in his introduction was the fantastic smackdown that Ari put on that total buffoon, Chris Matthews, on MSNBC not long ago.  Behold:

After Kevin’s introduction, Ari spoke. He introduced his wife, Becki, to the audience and informed everyone it was her birthday, and led us all in singing to her. Becki Fleischer is drop-dead gorgeous and one of the nicest women you could ever hope to meet. More about that in a bit. Ari’s speech highlighted his background growing up in a liberal Democratic household, his time as press secretary to George W Bush, the impact that position had on him, and what it was like to be in that role on 9/11.

Kevin Kellems and the Fleischers were leaving to celebrate Becki Fleischer’s birthday immediately after Ari’s speech, and as soon as Ari was off the stage, a line formed of YR delegates wanting to meet him. We were still hoping for a face-kissing opportunity, and so while we inched toward the line, we introduced ourselves to Becki Fleischer, so that we could get her permission first. She laughed and said that OF COURSE we could kiss his face, and then she chatted with us for a bit before being pulled away by other admirers. When we finally got our chance to ask Ari if we could give him a kiss, he laughed, almost embarrassed, and immediately looked for his wife, who by that time wasn’t nearby. We assured him that we’d requested and been given her permission, but he said, “How about just a regular picture instead?” It was completely adorable, so we couldn’t even really be disappointed. Except maybe a little.

Dinner was fabulous and fancy, and afterwords Richard Mourdock spoke briefly to inroduce Mike Pence. What we love about Richard is that he speaks without notes, just totally from the heart, and included at the end of his introduction was this video:

Mike Pence was amazing -a truly powerful speaker. He also does a hilarious impression of George W Bush. My favorite part of his speech was when he talked about Obama’s reluctance to “meddle” into foreign affairs (citing the Iran elections). He said (paraphrasing) “Can you imagine if Ronald Reagan had used the same approach and said, ‘Mister Gorbachev – this wall is none of our business?’” LOVE. Pence actually got three or four standing ovations DURING his speech. It was awesome.

We left not long after that, and again, we have the incredibly important E to thank for not only including us in all of this official political stuff, but giving us first class/front row tickets to boot.