CPAC vs. Romney: A fake conservative war between fake conservatives

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As expected, Trump’s bought and paid for GOP-controlled Senate became accessories to his Ukraine coverup scandal by refusing to allow additional evidence and witnesses in the impeachment trial, clearing the way for his acquittal.

In what was essentially a party-line vote, the effort to allow new witnesses was defeated 51-49, with Republicans Susan Collins and Mitt Romney voting with the minority in favor of hearing from people such as John Bolton.

While there was no lack of cult-inspired outrage at Collins and Romney, one of the most notable attackers of Romney was none other than Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and host of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Schlapp sent out a tweet on Friday “disinviting” Romney from appearing at CPAC 2020 later this month, not because Romney isn’t a conservative — he never has been, although he did claim to be “severely conservative” when he appeared at their 2012 event — but because he voted contrary to the wishes of Trump and GOP leadership.

For the record, I’m not exactly what you’d consider a fan of the Massachusetts liberal carpetbagging as a Utah conservative. Mitt was enshrined in the Gutless On Principles Hall of Shame years ago. In 2016, he worked to destroy the Republican primary for his personal political benefit, and he is a “political chameleon” who changes colors (blue to red or red to blue) based on what benefits him at any given moment.

However, I’m no fan of CPAC either. I ceased having anything to do with the formerly conservative organization when Schlapp turned it into an arm of the Trump propaganda machine in 2017 and began using the annual conservative gathering to host Trump campaign rallies beginning in 2018.

As has been the case since that time, CPAC will once again feature a lineup of Trumpists preaching Trumpism. So far, the 2020 Trump campaign rally will feature sycophants like Mark Levin (pro-Trump echo chamber BlazeTV), Dan Bongino, Rep. Devin Nunes, Diamond and Silk (pro-Trump podcasters), and radio host Buck Sexton (a regular guest host for pro-Trump big-talkers like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck).

One irony in Schlapp’s decision to publicly inform the world that Romney won’t be invited to CPAC is a claim he made in 2018 that part of the organization’s mission is “hearing people out” because “debate is good for democracy” — a claim he made in 2018 when he invited French National Socialist Marion Maréchal-Le Pen speak. Le Pen is affiliated with the Nationalist Front Party in France, a party that denies the Jewish Holocaust, but she was invited anyway because she was pro-Trump.

Yet, Mitt Romney, whose only “crime” is his vote in favor of having the Senate conduct a trial as required by the Constitution, is unwelcome, proving that Trumpism is the only qualifier Schlapp is using to build his speaker lineup. He’s not interested in hearing people out.

CPAC vs. Mitt Romney is a fake conservative war between fake conservatives and it proves only one thing: conservatism is all but dead in the Age of Trump.

 

David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative.

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