AEI's World Forum: So Secretive We Couldn't Even Get a Snow Update
River view rooms and terraces line the rear of the Sea Island Co. Cloister Hotel on Sea Island, Georgia, U.S., shown in a file photo taken on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008.
Photographer: Stephen Morton/BloombergThe snowstorm raging along the East Coast and in the nation's capital Thursday forced event cancellations at the White House and the Capitol, even a Ready for Hillary fundraiser. For a select and right-leaning group of hundreds of politicians, intellectuals and donors who can still get there, Georgia's Sea Island resort was the place to be–and not just because the weekend forecast calls for mild temperatures and sun.
From Thursday night through Sunday morning, Sea Island is home to the 2015 American Enterprise Institute World Forum. The think tank's annual event, which is closed to press coverage, is shaping up this year as a magnet for Republican presidential hopefuls looking to mingle with some of the forces who may be bankrolling and influencing the ideas behind their campaigns (or the campaigns of their competitors), and be featured in on-stage "conversations" with moderators.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who closed state offices and urged residents to stay off the roads Thursday, was scheduled to kick off the opening session at 6:15 p.m., according to an agenda obtained by Bloomberg Politics. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry was to appear onstage later in the evening.