The surprise of no one, President Trump was the big, beautiful headline at CPAC. The headline was that Trump might run for president but might not – regardless, he’s not backing down or putting a lid on himself like a certain gropey old zombie. But the most significant part of CPAC was that it was not about Donald Trump. What it was about was America First. And making fun of liberals.
The annual conservative confab was moved from its normal, frigid Maryland location to sunny Orlando. In fact, I saw an alligator, which was totally awesome. The vibe was definitely different than other years. It was smaller and tighter, with a lot fewer of the fringy folks in weird costumes with weird obsessions who usually make it such an amusing event. The hard-core were there, other people ready to fight, and they weren’t talking about Donald Trump. Now understand, but there were a few red hats and no one was talking bad about him – what is Cheney did not do the keynote. But it was not about Donald Trump, at least until Sunday when he spoke. It was about the way forward, and there was lots of talk about that.
It was a focused CPAC, and despite the idiot media attempting to turn it into some sort of Q fast, those people were entirely absent. Instead, it was an intermittently sober gathering of like-minded individuals looking for a way forward to victory. There was lots of optimism with an understanding of the challenges. Electoral integrity was key, and every speaker seemed to recognize that. But there was also a lot of optimism for 2022, as the man I called a “desiccated old weirdo” during my panel – that was the pull quote that the media coverage and I’ve never been prouder – continues to fail in a matter that would make Jimmy Carter proud. We can sense that this guy is a loser, and every mistake they make, from breaking their $2,000 check promise to putting thousands of union guys out of work to caging kids, demonstrates that these people are losers.
There was a lot more wokeness among the speakers. Gone were the genteel sissies who advocate managed decline. Everybody was talking about election integrity. Everybody was talking about high-tech fascism and cancel culture. Everybody was talking about striking back. That’s good.
But the focus wasn’t on Donald Trump, despite what the media lied. It’s not to say that he wasn’t popular, or even that he wouldn’t get a ton of support if he chooses to run. He would. But there was a sense that we need to explore other possibilities and other potential leaders. Kristi Noem was out and even did a pass through the bar with Corey Lewandowski. She was reaching out to the activists. She’s very popular, though she’s so tiny that every time she stands next to you, you look gigantic. DeSantis, Pompeo and Cotton showed up, as did Cruz. They are all in the mix.
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The big will he/won’t he question of CPAC 2021 involved Ric Grenell. Is he going to run for governor of California when the very, very likely recall takes place? With the subtlety of a sledgehammer, he hinted he would. We’ll see. I, for one, am behind him no matter what he chooses to do.
Who skipped CPAC was also significant. Marco Rubio pulled out, and that’s kind of weird. Mike Pence didn’t show up, but there was absolutely zero Pence hate. This isn’t an anti-ends crowd, despite what the idiot media thinks – or rather – chooses to worry about. Oh, and Nikki! Haley would have been booed despite her eagerness to tell whatever audience she is in front of exactly what it wants to hear.
These were the key stories, but the media predictably ignored the interesting stuff. The most hilarious tangent involved some Internet weirdo deciding that the layout of the stage was reminiscent of some obscure Nordic rune that some German unit from 80 years ago used as a symbol. The thinking is, and you need to follow me here, had to be that there are a bunch of guys at CPAC who 1) aware of the purported significance of this shape and 2) who decided to secretly make it the most public part of the main stage, 3) for reasons that include because and of course.
Now, and again you have to follow me, this was supposed to transmit some message of some sort, but if it’s an obscure symbol then no one except lonely liberal Internet weirdos would recognize, it is a meaningless exercise. In the alternative it was an open obvious signal to…who? What would’ve been the target audience for the cunning plan behind this? One of the 12 people in America who had heard of this particular rune? What was the plan here? Were we supposed to sacrifice virgins? How - none of the Bulwark guys showed up.
Of course, the media won’t ask those questions. They pretend the whole thing isn’t an exercise in idiocy. So, we get geniuses like Alyssa Milano and Marianne Williamson weighing in shaking their empty heads and tweeting how awful this whole thing is because for some reason. Some things are just too stupid to deal with. That list of things includes them.
CPAC was a success, and I also expect them to stay in Florida and to get bigger. COVID kind of put a damper on things as everyone had to wear a face diaper all the time because the hotel demanded it. Of course, the left tried to cancel the hotel and the hotel told him to pound sand, which was awesome. Logistically, the layout was really good and you didn’t get bottled up in a bunch of lines. I’d have to give it five stars.
Also, did I mention I saw an alligator?
See what happens when the Schiff hits the fan in my latest novel Crisis, and catch up with my other four novels of America splitting apart into red and blue nations, People's Republic, Indian Country, Wildfire, and Collapse!
