It’s after lunch, but some Republican bigwigs still had some red meat to toss to the crowd.

U.S. Rep Dean Heller, whose rural 2nd Congressional District includes some portions of Clark County, was perhaps most clear about the Republican agenda. “Successful Americans” need to realize that they need Republicans in Washington, D.C., Heller said.

Get it? “Successful Americans,” that is people with money, who have something to fear, presumably from a Democratic agenda that allows regular people access to courts to challenge those self same “successful Americans.” (Hence, Heller attacked trial lawyers.) “Successful Americans” who run big oil companies that get tax breaks at the same time they’re earning record profits. (Hence, Heller attacked the bill to strip tax breaks from those companies.)

There’s a “major difference” between the two political parties, Heller said. There sure is. One party wants to represent those “successful Americans,” while the other party is just shooting to represent Americans, “successful” or not. Or at least that’s what it looks like from our perch.

Heller’s big applause line? Enforce immigration laws. That got a standing ovation.

U.S. Sen. John Ensign got his own standing ovation just for showing up. He repeated something he’s been saying for a long time: “We took back the majority then [in 1994],” Ensign said. “We blew it.”

Republicans came in with ideas, but became more concerned with staying in power than why they came to power in the first place, he said. So true. And so common to both political parties.

Ensign mentioned his job as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is more of an assignment than a prestige post, especially with a record 23 GOP seats to defend this year.

“The odds are against us. That’s right where I like to be,” Ensign said to applause.

Ensign, although speaking to a crowd in which a woman was sporting a “Harry Reid is a traitor” T-shirt, made no mention of his Senate BFF. He did, however, deride “a party that says the war is lost.”

Sorry, senator, but the party never said that. Reid did. So was that a violation of the longstanding non-aggression pact? You be the judge.

Finally, after a pro-John McCain speech from Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, state party Chairwoman Sue Lowden took the stage. She announced she’s invited all the GOP’s presidential contenders to speak to the state convention April 26, including the immensely popular Ron Paul. That got some applause.

To Paul’s supporters, Lowden said: “I welcome you to join our Republican Party.” Hmmm. Does she know that Paul and the people who made him No. 2 in the Jan. 19 caucus already are Republicans? Or does the principled, anti-war Paul belong to a different Republican Party?