Pages Menu
TwitterFacebooklogin
Categories Menu

Posted by on Feb 26, 2021 in Blog, Politics | 0 comments

CPAC 20 Years Ago

 

 

What a difference 20 years makes!  That was then, and this is now. Contrast the events and speakers and atmosphere two decades ago with what CPAC and the American conservative movement have devolved into today.

 

I’ve attended CPAC twice.

CPAC is the Conservative Political Action Conference.  It’s one of the most important political conventions in the United States.  The group, now almost entirely comprised of Republicans dipped in Trump sauce, meets at roughly this time each year.  Their communal rendezvous serves as a sort of “State of the Union” for so-called conservative thinkers.  No jokes, please.

I attended this gathering during back-to-back years, in 1998 and 1999 (my father used to attend each year, so he bought multiple passes).  Since CPAC is now meeting this week in Orlando, I’m recalling my observations from those earlier times.

The takeaway is this:  Wow, what a difference 20 years make!  That was then, and this is now. Contrast the events and speakers and atmosphere two decades ago with what CPAC and the American conservative movement have devolved into today.

In fact, the conservative movement has become unrecognizable.  By any metric, we’ve witnessed a staggering deterioration of values, intelligence, and truth.  Led by its death star, Donald Trump, and guided entirely by his whines and whims, CPAC is like bathing in the Ganges.  Call it “Cult-PAC.”

Trump’s iron-fisted stranglehold on CPAC, the vast majority of Republicans, and what masquerades as “conservative political thought” will be on ugly display on Sunday when he takes main stage and rambles and rages to a deranged crowd of sycophants.  This will be his first significant public appearance since leaving office in humiliation five weeks ago.  It will be unwatchable for any reason other than laughter and pity.

Things sure as hell weren’t this way back in 1998-1999.  Different times.  Different people.  Different party.  Night and day.  Black and white.

Here are my recollections from both of the years I attended CPAC.

Crystal City Marriott (1998)

 

This was a really cool conference because I was living on the 9th floor at The Bennington, a high-rise only three minutes away from the conference on foot.  I walked to the Crystal City Marriott on both days.

CPAC 1998 took place in the middle of Bill Clinton’s second term, around the time of the Lewinsky scandal.   Hatred for the Clintons was on full display, especially inside the convention zone where dozens of vendors hawked books, videos, and sold political memorabilia — much of it at the expense of President Clinton.  Ironically, all that hatred for Bill would shift to Hillary some 18 years later when she ran for president in 2016.

I saw several speakers at the conference, including congressmen, senators, and political pundits.  Bombastic television commentator Chris Matthews, then professing a more libertarian persuasion, was the keynote speaker.  He was surprisingly good and very entertaining.  I didn’t sense, nor see, nor hear any of the vitriol from any CPAC speakers that one witnesses in today’s climate.

Out in the hallways, big names were everywhere.  One of the great opportunities about going to political events back then was being able to walk right up to any person, even a national figure, and carry on a casual conversation.  It was also great that smartphones were not around in 1998, so selfies and the annoyance of preening for photos weren’t a thing.  The benefit to attending gatherings like this was actual talk, listening, and conversation.  Imagine that!

I saw Alan Keyes at CPAC, who was two years removed from his 1996 presidential run and was a GOP star at the time.  I’d met Patrick J. Buchanan numerous times around Washington before, and saw him, as well.  Both Keyes and Buchanan were huge names in the conservative movement at the time so it was tough to speak directly with them because they were so popular with the political right, and were very engaging once you got to the point of any direct conversation.

The other fun takeaway from CPAC was walking outside after the conference ended and seeing Robert Novak (who I always liked as a columnist and commentator) standing there at the entrance.  Despite his reputation as the “Prince of Darkness,” Novak was marvelously witty and made quite an impression just by standing there.  He was outside at valet parking when the attendant drove up his red Corvette and handed him the keys.  Two years later, I got to ask Novak a question live on national TV on CNN’s Crossfire (they took a few questions from a small audience in a studio at George Washington University).  I was tempted to ask him if he still had the red Corvette, but instead mumbled something about the Middle East.

Washington Hilton (1999)

 

The following year, CPAC was a much bigger gathering, at the Washington Hilton, the site of many memorable political events.  The most well-known was the assassination attempt on President Reagan on the front sidewalk in 1981.

Before they became castaways, Libertarians were a significant wing within the conservative movement back then and were openly welcomed at CPAC.  It was hard to measure precise numbers, but perhaps 20 percent of those in attendance during the two years I went were libertarian-minded.  There was also a huge contingent of Christian conservatives and their presence was felt everywhere.  The religious types often conflicted with libertarian-leaning activists on basic philosophies.

Candidates were jockeying for a position for the upcoming 2000 election that year, so this convention drew a far bigger crowd and attracted all the big names.  My father and his (late) wife paid for my ticket.  Marieta even joined us at one of the expensive donor tables in the main ballroom at the Hilton on the night of the keynote address.

The star attraction:  Pat Robertson (before he lost his marbles).

Robertson was coming off a few unsuccessful presidential runs himself but was still highly respected by conservatives.  I don’t recall much about his speech other than he rang all the usual bells and hit all the talking points.  Even though I was no fan of Robertson (then or now), I don’t recall being alienated by his remarks nor the crowd’s reaction to it.  The entire event was professional and cordial.

CPAC wasn’t my cup of tea back then, but the gathering and those who attended were mostly good people.  They were devoted.  They were principled.  They were consistent.  They were fair-minded.  They were kind.  Even to me, who had long hair at the time and didn’t exactly fit in at a CPAC conference with my attitude and ideas.  I never felt unwelcome.  I enjoyed it.

Those were the days.

CPAC in Orlando (2021)

 

TAG: CPAC 2021
TAG:  Nolan Dalla writings

0 Comments

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. American Conservatives are Un-American | Nolan Dalla - […] Liberty.  It’s no longer guided by the wisdom of Edmund Burke and Alexis de Tocqueville.  Conservativism has been highjacked…
  2. Remember When Republicans Were Respectable? | Nolan Dalla - […] What happened? […]
  3. Good News from Jack McClelland | Nolan Dalla - […] poker players owe a debt of gratitude to Jack McClelland, who has dedicated much of his life to the…

Post a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

css.php