More on the recent Americans For Prosperity Summit in Austin

L-R: Article written by: AFP Texas Executive Director Peggy Venable pictured introducing speakers Texas Railroad Commission Chair Michael Williams, Fox News contributor & former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, Grover Norquist, Michelle Malkin, Columnist Robert Robert Novak, former Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr., Goldwater's new book

Reprinted form Texas Insider.org

Austin – The Texas chapter of Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) welcomed more than 500 taxpayers from across Texas in Austin for the closing day of the group’s Defending the American Dream Summit. The Summit focused on building and strengthening the conservative grassroots movement with a strong emphasis on marshalling free-market web 2.0 troops.

The Summit’s highlights included keynote speeches from an all-star line-up of conservative new media and traditional media leaders like Michelle Malkin, Robert Novak, and Barry Goldwater Jr.

“This is the first time we have included new media training for our Texas activists, and the response has been overwhelming,” said AFPF Texas Director Peggy Venable. “The hundreds of conservatives here are excited to now have the tools they need to amplify their voice online as they continue to fight for less government and more freedom.”

In addition to more than a dozen keynote speakers, Saturday’s agenda offered traditional issue education with panels including Show me the Money: How Government Spends Our Money and Threats to Freedom and Your Pocketbook

Prior to addresses from Barry Goldwater, Jr. and Robert Novak, Friday’s agenda featured new media training for novices as well as for experts, with four tracks of workshops. Panelists covered the “soup to nuts” of web 2.0, from Blogging 101: Getting Started with Free & Paid Sites to Conservatism 2.0: Beyond Blogs.

Guest speakers included Michelle Malkin, The Hon. Bob Barr, the Wall Street Journal’s John Fund and Stephen Moore, former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, RedState.com’s Erick Erickson, U.S. Cong. John Carter, Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, and other Texas leaders.