COEUR d'ALENE - Using vivid imagery and pop culture references, conservative speaker and author Bill Whittle captivated his audience during the Lincoln Day Dinner in The Coeur d'Alene Resort on Saturday evening.

"I'll start a sentence, you finish it for me, ready?" he asked the crowd. "Look, up in the sky, it's a bird ... "

"It's a plane, it's Superman," many voices responded.

The keynote speaker used word association and examples of theme songs from "Superman," "Gilligan's Island" and "Family Guy" to illustrate his points of what's right - and wrong - with America these days, as well as point out the similarities between America and the Man of Steel.

"Everything that's associated with 'Superman' is in your head right now," he said. "You knew it because you'd seen it hundreds of times and you didn't even know you were getting a political message, you just thought you were watching TV, but you were getting a political message ... You were given a message about a power that is inhibited only by its own decency, that's the only thing that stops Superman from becoming dictator of the world, is his own decency.

"Superman is America and everybody knows it, because Superman stands for what? Truth, justice and the American way," continued Whittle, who is famous for his PJ Media Internet videos and being the presenter of "Afterburner" and "Firewall." "If you can finish 'Look, up in the sky,' everything that you like about Superman is in your head and everything about the image of America that he represents is in your head, too. That's why older people, generally, are more patriotic, because they took it in through the pop culture."

More than 350 people attended the dinner, which serves as the annual fundraiser for the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. Whittle received many a "hear, hear" as he spoke about Republicans being demonized by Democrats, how the right side needs to find a better way to deliver its messages with emotion and even used "Star Wars" as an example of the political fight between sides. He also expressed his joy about how Coeur d'Alene celebrates Independence Day.

"I like the fact that when it's the Fourth of July parade, everybody who's not in the parade is watching the parade, that's what I like about this town," he said.

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo was among the honored guests. He shared thoughts on Second Amendment rights and public education as well as his concerns for international circumstances regarding ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and President Barack Obama's request to use military force against the group. He called it "appeasement."

"I don't believe that the United States should use military force anywhere in the world unless we make the decision that our national security is at risk and requires that use of military force," Crapo said. "I believe if we do not stop ISIS, we will see attacks on our soil. And so I believe we have met that standing. I still don't like what the President is proposing, and I'll tell you why. First of all, Congress has already given the President unlimited authority to defend our nation against ISIS. He has that authority today."

"I understand Americans are weary of war. I am weary of war," Crapo continued. "Right now, we have a president who's asking Congress to join him in appeasement, and we don't have to accept his wording, and I don't know exactly what we will do with regard to his request, but if I have anything to do with it, it will be one of two things - either we will do nothing and tell him he already has the authority, or we will rewrite the request and tell him he has the authority, and that he needs to engage to defend our nation."

The evening included social time, a silent auction, a live auction and a gun raffle where one lucky ticket holder had the choice of walking away with a shotgun, a rifle or a 1911-style handgun. Lincoln Day Dinner committee chair Don Bradway said he was pleased with the turnout.

"This is an annual event that people look forward to," he said. "It's a chance to let our hair down while we're getting all dressed up."