This is palatable because it’s quick and it’s worth watching for a number of reasons, premiere amongst them the fact that nothing of substance happened this weekend. I mean nothing. CPAC used to be a gathering of serious conservative intellectuals and up and coming leaders in the Republican party. It was a legitimate think tank. Now it looks more like a drunk tank.
And make no mistake, the failure of this year’s CPAC to yield anything of substance does not augur well for 2024.
Even Trump’s straw poll, which Politico suggested be taken with a bucket of salt, was a portent of doom, if you can believe that. Trump got 62% to Ron DeSantis’ 20% and then other candidates or potential candidates split the rest. That might sound impressive but this was the Donald Trump Show, so for the hardcore faithful in the room to vote 20% for DeSantis is a very bad sign.
CPAC has always been a freak show for Americans who dance on the fringes of society and acceptable political discourse. Oh my gosh. Can you imagine asking somebody what they did this weekend and what your reaction would be if they told you they attended that circus? pic.twitter.com/SoyjmkLVgC
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) March 5, 2023
If you managed to stomach all six minutes of this you have more stamina than a lot of people on Twitter. But in the event you did, you will see how graphically different CPAC was this year (and has been in the Trump era) from say 2007, 2012. There is not one single policy statement here, or talk of a GOP platform.
There is no GOP platform other than grievance. The people who attended CPAC are not thinkers, writers, influencers, they are right-wing media clowns and their cultist camp followers. This was a reality TV show, headed by the undisputed king of political reality TV. The other serious potential candidates, DeSantis and Pence, didn’t even show up. This is a first, the year before a presidential election.
The reality the GOP is going to face again in 2024, and again in 2028 or until they can pull themselves together as a party, is that they’re going to lose without a platform.
Donald Trump broke the mold in 2016. He ran on flamboyance and grievance and because Hillary was so intensely disliked after a 20-year right-wing smear job, and because the pendulum of politics was ready to swing after eight years of Obama and because Trump was a one of a kind character never before seen, and because of the vagueries of the electoral college system, he managed to squeak into office on nothing more than bombast and bullshit. He’s not going to be able to repeat that performance twice. The world has changed.
Nevertheless, Trump and his cult tell themselves what they want to believe and the rest of the GOP is too splintered to put together any kind of a vision for the party.
Nikki Haley “represents a new generation of hate,” as Republican political strategist Susan Del Percio said on TV today and you can forget about Vivek Ramaswamy. He’s an also ran. That leaves us with Ron DeSantis to battle Trump and as I’ve opined before, in a two way contest, DeSantis may very well prevail.
Prevail to do what, then becomes the question. The man doesn’t even have the slightest clue about foreign policy or any of the issues that affect this country domestically, he’s too busy fighting with Mickey Mouse, and drag queens and banning books.
I don’t know where this primary is going but so far it is revealing that the Republican party is a disjointed, sprawling mess with no direction.
‘There is no GOP platform other than grievance.’ and no ethics or morals other than hypocrisy.
No matter who wins the race, Haley or DeSantis ect They will not gain the support of the Trump lemmings. They will either show up to vote for someone else or not show up at all? Ahh yes the Christian Right, you can count on them to totally forget what Jesus told the Scribes and Pharisees I quote, Render onto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and render onto God what belongs to God. Oh wait I forgot Trump was sent by God. That must be true because……people are saying it? Was Ron DeSantis sent by God? Oh who will I support? Some guy sent by God or Ronnie DeSantis? Decisions, decisions?????
They had the nerve to say “he doesn’t need their money” to the people that probably get all the fundraising emails. They still seem to eat it up, along with all the other BS.
I could only get through half of that video. What a freak show. Made me laugh though to see how few people were there in the crowd. You’d think that would tell the organizers something. People aren’t buying this schtick anymore. And the more delusional and desperate they get (Kari Lake thinks Bannon’s a hunk????), the more they drive away serious voters, though that works for me. There should be no one supporting this insanity.
But Carol what’s a Trump lemming to do? Trump was sent by God you know, people are saying it? To rid the world of Mike Pense I think??? Was Mike sent by God………I guess I’ll send somebody a cheque? I’ll have very little left to live on but what the heck. Trump is sent by God? People are saying it Money well spent????
DeSantis also claims to have been sent by God.
“Why? Did He run out of locusts?” Groucho Marx
I initially read that tweet as a “montage of SS clips.”
Not really sure it there’s actually a difference.