The Duckpin

Share this post

Dumb Times at CPAC Texas

theduckpin.substack.com

Discover more from The Duckpin

A media venture from veteran Maryland writer and podcaster Brian Griffiths. Politics, Culture, Entertainment, Sports, and More.
Over 32,000 subscribers
Continue reading
Sign in

Dumb Times at CPAC Texas

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

Brian Griffiths
Aug 5, 2022
2
Share this post

Dumb Times at CPAC Texas

theduckpin.substack.com
Share

Share

Twitter avatar for @costareports
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.
2:23 PM ∙ Aug 4, 2022
913Likes439Retweets

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.

Twitter avatar for @Mike_Hixenbaugh
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.”
Image
3:37 PM ∙ Aug 5, 2022
264Likes48Retweets

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.

Twitter avatar for @ilhankyuchyuk
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.
4:44 PM ∙ Aug 5, 2022
4Likes2Retweets

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.

Twitter avatar for @HistoryInPics
History In Pictures @HistoryInPics
20,000 Americans attend a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden, February 20, 1939
Image
4:08 AM ∙ Aug 4, 2022
1,906Likes500Retweets

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.

Twitter avatar for @LauraJedeed
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
2:14 PM ∙ Aug 5, 2022
5,991Likes1,299Retweets

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

Twitter avatar for @rumpfshaker
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
Twitter avatar for @Mediaite
Mediaite @Mediaite
CPAC Texas Event Includes Performance Booth Where a Jan. 6 Rioter Cries in a Cell https://t.co/6ZiR8E6sF0
6:24 PM ∙ Aug 5, 2022
8Likes1Retweet

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.

Twitter avatar for @freedomhouse
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.
Image
8:38 PM ∙ Aug 4, 2022
915Likes312Retweets

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.

Twitter avatar for @HeathMayo
Heath Mayo @HeathMayo
Shrinking the tent. #CPAC
Image
6:33 PM ∙ Aug 5, 2022
23Likes5Retweets
1

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

2
Share this post

Dumb Times at CPAC Texas

theduckpin.substack.com
Share
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Egoskor LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing