For some reason, CPAC held no interest for me this year. I think Josh Marshall hit on the reason when he wrote that “the contemporary Conservative Movement has become less a matter of ideology than a sort of performance art.” They act outrageously and we’re supposed to get all outraged. I don’t feel like playing that game. I’m happy to use their stupid antics against them, but I’m not going to be their monkey. I started to feel this way a couple of years ago, but up until this year I still wanted to point and laugh. Now I don’t even want to do that.
I stopped attending Netroots Nations events a few years ago, too. I might go again if one is held on the East Coast. While I grew a little disenchanted with where I saw progressives’ energy going during Obama’s first term, the qualitative difference between CPAC and Netroots Nation is staggering. The people who are invited to speak at Netroots Nation are serious people who don’t (often) treat their audiences like they are morons. With the exception of Alan Grayson, the speakers aren’t there to throw red meat and make a spectacle of themselves. Progressives like Sen. Jeff Merkley, Reps. Donna Edwards and Keith Ellison talk and sound like normal human beings who have not suffered any significant brain damage. That is not how Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Ann Coulter, or Ted Cruz talk and sound. What comes out their mouths is juvenile bullshit.
And if you look at the actual substance of the two conferences, the difference is almost as stark. Netroots Nation’s seminars are educational, run by professional people, and attended by people who are serious about the topics. CPAC seminars are exercises in mass self-delusion.
Here are some examples of actual CPAC 2014 seminars:
Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet
More Guns, Less Crime: How Law Enforcement is Beginning to Embrace a Well-Armed Civilian Population
Healthcare After ObamaCare: A Practical Guide for Living When No One Has Insurance and America Runs Out of Doctors
Okay? These fucking people are delivering crazy to the crazy. Even their useful seminars are poisoned with Stupid:
Tech Workshop: Beyond Politically Correct: How to Configure WordPress for Success
Can’t they just teach people how to use freaking WordPress without it having to be about black people and gays?
No, of course they can’t do that, because it’s not about ideology anymore. Its about performance art. And it’s tiresome. It’s not even that funny at this point.
Compare CPAC’s drivel to the 2013 Netroots Nation program and you can see that we’re dealing with two totally different animals.
One conference is incredibly focused on technology, innovation, and policy, and the other is just reinforcing ignorance and trying to get press coverage.
