Katrina vanden Heuvel: “Fifty years ago, then governor Ronald Reagan headlined the inaugural Conservative Political Action Conference. He spoke of the U.S. as a city on a hill, an example of human virtue and excellence, a divinely inspired nation whose best days were ahead.”
“The speakers at last week’s conference were decidedly less inspiring. A lineup of extremists, insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists gathered for panels like ‘Cat Fight? Michelle v Kamala’ and ‘Putting Our Heads in the Gas Stove.’ At CPAC, you can drink ‘Woke Tears Water,’ buy rhinestone-studded firearms and play a January 6-themed pinball machine.”
“But it would be wrong to dismiss CPAC as a crackpot convention. It is also a harbinger of what a second Donald Trump presidency would bring, influenced by a consortium of self-proclaimed Christian nationalists and reactionary dark money groups like the Heritage Foundation who see Trump as their return ticket to relevancy.”
