Tim Miller of RVAT: CPAC was never GOP's fringe Star Wars bar. It represented their base all along.
Great observations from former Republican Tim Miller (Republican Voters Against Trump) in part 2 of this Bulwark article:
https://thetriad.thebulwark.com/p/cpac-was-the-real-republican-party
There was a time when CPAC was generally regarded in elite conservative and Republican circles as merely a circus, a Star Trek convention, a freak show, even. The undercurrent of these comments and discussions was that while CPAC might be a cross-section of the weird edges of the conservative activist set it didnt truly represent the seriousness and sobriety of the broader movement.
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CPAC didnt misrepresent the conservative base because the real Republican voters out there were more normal and serious suit-and-tie types. It misrepresented the Republican voters in the other direction: CPAC attendees were more policy oriented than your median Republican voter. But as a matter of weirdness and tribal antipathy, they were actually a pretty good reflection of the right, broadly speaking.
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They just wanted their anti-elite grievances validated in the most entertaining (and/or bullying) way possible.
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And this year, in Orlando, CPAC reached its true singularity. Crazy as ever. More conspiratorial. Less issue focused. Golden Trump worshipping. Everything the party regulars wanted and more.
CPAC isnt the Creature Cantina. The Republican party is.
Much more at the link, including a very funny description of past CPACs.