Last CPAC 2018 Open Thread: Farewell to Tarwathie Oxon Hill
CPAC ends after giving @DevinNunes the ACU "defender of freedom" award, and the crowd erupts in applause.
Nunes thanks them for the "very kind" honor.
That's a wrap for #CPAC2018.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 24, 2018
Yes, as a matter of fact, this happened *just* as the Schiff memo was being released yesterday…
Michael Steele Confronts Matt Schlapp Over CPAC Official’s Racial Insult: ‘What the Hell?!’ https://t.co/LHVD5moGvd
— Doug Mataconis (@dmataconis) February 24, 2018
…Schlapp brought up how Walters called Steele and implored him not to “take the worst out of what he said” and “have some grace.”
He told Steele “you’ve not been very graceful” to elements of the party…
As they wrapped the segment, Schlapp again said, “Don’t always jump to the conclusion that just because people use inarticulate words that they have it in for you.”
“I didn’t say he had it in for me!” Steele cried. “It was just stupid!”
Superb Old CPAC/New CPAC moment:
A panelist criticizes The Wall on the grounds that it'll require extensive use of eminent domain to seize private property on the border.
People in the crowd: "BOOOO! BUILD THAT WALL! BUILD THAT WALL!"
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 23, 2018
Bloomberg, “Trump Battles Complacency in Victory Among Conservative Faithful”:
… “There’s a different energy here, as opposed to opposition and negativity — less anger,” Dale Bellis, a conservative activist, said in an interview after addressing the conference on Friday. “Anger and fear many times drives us more than does optimism and hope. And so, yeah, we do need to maintain that edge.”…
For many, the desire to protect Trump against his political enemies was top of mind.
“Hanging over everyone’s head is that Nancy Pelosi and everyone is going to try to impeach Donald Trump if Democrats win,” said Sharon Gripshover, a 76-year-old retired physicist from Virginia. “Nobody’s really saying that here, but it’s in the air.”
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel urged attendees on Friday not to let America “go back to the dark ages” of Democrats, including Californian Pelosi, being in control of Congress.
Lee Harvis, 74, a private educator from Maryland, said conservatives are “more comfortable” this year than they were during the Obama era. “There’s still a lot to be angry about, but we’re not fighting in the Warsaw ghetto anymore,” he said…