Dumb Times at CPAC Texas

Matt Schlapp and the ACU continue to flush the meaning of "conservative" down the toilet

Robert Costa @costareports

The growing power of hard-line, anti-establishment nationalism as a global movement is now front and center in the United States. While most congressional GOP leaders would rather talk inflation, CPAC is welcoming Orban today, Bannon on Friday, and former Pres. Trump on Saturday.

Last year, I wrote about the Debasing of CPAC. One of the things I said was:

CPAC was once regarded as a conservative version of Woodstock. Now, it’s more like its version of the Fyre Festival, a poorly conceived train wreck that will do more long-term damage to conservatism than it’s actually worth.

Well, CPAC Texas is going on this week. And that theme continues.

Mike Hixenbaugh @Mike_Hixenbaugh

Big news from Mike Lindell at CPAC: “Over 54 countries have now been taken by the machines … Venezuela and Australia are gone.”

Getting most of the press is the fact that Hungarian Dictator…..er, “Prime Minister” Viktor Orbán was an invited speaker and did his usual Russian stooge act.

Ilhan Kyuchyuk @ilhankyuchyuk

Hungary’s Orbán tells CPAC: "We must coordinate a movement of our troops" to fight liberal order. The alarm bells should really be ringing loud and clear about what these people's intentions are.

As a gentle reminder, Orbán is a big fan of Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey, and other enemies of freedom. His idea of “Christian Nationalism” is anathema to Christianity and freedom. And yet, he is lauded by the CPAC crowd that claims to be fighting for that very same freedom.

I’ll just drop this here for no particular reason with everything you need to know about the applause Orbán received.

History In Pictures @HistoryInPics

20,000 Americans attend a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden, February 20, 1939

Orbán isn’t the only anti-freedom dope on the agenda. Other unserious people on the agenda include:

• Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Brazilian President and “national conservative” Jair Bolsonaro;

• The recently convicted Steve Bannon;

• Trumpist members of Congress attending include alleged sex offenders Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Ronny Jackson; Reps. Andy Biggs and Marjorie Taylor Green, who both tried to get a pardon for their actions of January 6th; Rep. Matt Gaetz, who thinks he is the arbiter of conservatism; Rep. Ronny Jackson and putsch apologist Lauren Boebert;

• Legal system frequent flyer and former Congressman Devin Nunes, who is running Trump Truth Social;

• Former pizza guy and racial slur enthusiast Papa John;

• Father Frank Pavone, who cares more about being in politics than he does fulfilling his vows as a Catholic Priest;

• Kurt Schlichter, a long-time self-professed online conservative who became one of the most loyal of Trump lickspittles;

• Multi-time failed candidate and radio JesseKelly, who thinks he’s an arbiter of what a man is while proving time and again he’s not;

• Tudor Dixon, who is the Republican nominee for Governor of Michigan and has pledged fealty to Donald Trump.

• Senate candidate J.D. Vance, who wants to seize private assets and redistribute them to interest groups.

Much like the last time I wrote about this, the full list of speakers is a toxic brew of Trump apologists, has-beens, and never-weres. Loyalty to Trump is the most important ticket to access; it certainly isn’t or achievement, ideological heft, or adherence to conservative principles.

The panels and such also, again, remain ridiculously out of touch.

Then we come to this gem, which is ostensibly supposed to make us feel sorry for people who tried to overthrow the government.

Laura Jedeed @LauraJedeed

Hello I would like to share with you the most astonishing thing I have ever seen At this CPAC booth you receive a silent disco headset that plays harrowing testimony from people arrested for participating in J6 Instead of dancing, you stand around and watch this guy cry

Guy is a helluva character actor, I’ll say that. Of course, it turns out that the guy doing the bit is…..a rat.

Sarah Rumpf 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @rumpfshaker

sooo apparently the guy doing this little bit of theater is Brandon Straka, who reportedly ratted out his buddies to reduce his own sentence. #Schadenfreudelicious

Mediaite @Mediaite

CPAC Texas Event Includes Performance Booth Where a Jan. 6 Rioter Cries in a Cell https://t.co/6ZiR8E6sF0

Straka, who founded the #WalkAway movement, reportedly gave information on other Jan. 6 rioters in order to receive a lesser sentence after his own arrest for illegally entering the Capitol.

But again, how can CPAC justify this nonsense, trying to turn people who tried to overturn a free election into sympathetic “political prisoners.”

The message should be…..

Speaking of, buy the shirt.

Then there is the organization's general competence, which seems to be….lacking.

Freedom House @freedomhouse

We don’t know how our logo ended up on this sign at CPAC 2022 in Dallas. We are not a sponsor of the event and did not authorize use of our logo.

Incidentally, I’m old enough to remember when there were advertisers that were respectable, not oddball business from Hungary.

It doesn’t matter how many times a year the ACU wants to hold CPAC. It doesn’t matter how many different places a year they want to hold CPAC. It doens’t change the fact that CPAC specifically and the ACU, in general, have drifted so far away from what conservatism actually is that the CPACs I once attended as recently as 2015.¹

When you see what ACU Chief Matt Schlapp has done to CPAC the ACU you almost have to imagine Schlapp to be a Democratic plant sent to destroy the GOP and the conservative movement. Would he act any differently if he weren’t?

Freedom-loving people need a movement of their own. Because what CPAC and modern-day conservatism are offering ain’t it.

Heath Mayo @HeathMayo

Shrinking the tent. #CPAC

1. I did actually attend the 2019 CPAC. It was……oy.