The annual Conservative Political Action Conference is under way at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center through Saturday and, according to one political analyst, its best days are behind it.
This year's meeting was already dogged by accusations of sexual harassment lodged against CPAC head Matt Schlapp that have not only not gone away, but have moved into a new phase, according to reporting from The Daily Beast the exposed possible document shredding.
According to Salon columnist Heather Digby Parton, that may be a contributing factor for the diminished turn-out over the first two days of the 4-day meet-up.
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Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel called this year's conference ,"A who’s who of who won’t accept the results of the election."
"And the speakers?" he continued. "Every year, your standard collection of Roger Stones and Sloppy Steves and flat-earthers and whatnot, with a few foreign dictators and sexual predators sprinkled in.”
Parton pointed out attendance seems to be way off, which portends a rocky future.
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As she wrote, "Numerous shots of empty seats have been circulating on social media. If they weren't such hypocrites, one might imagine that conservatives might be put off by the raging scandal around the organization's leader, Matt Schlapp," while noting the seminars seemed to have been dumbed down even more than previous iterations.
Case in point, she wrote, was a seminar entitled, "Cat Fight? Michelle vs. Kamala," that she described as a panel of white people attacking "the former first lady and current vice president with one of the participants implying that Michelle Obama is a man, one of the right's favorite tropes. It brought gales of laughter from the entire panel and the audience."
Noting that, at this year's CPAC, "Even the crude insults toward Michelle Obama and speeches by dictators are too soft for this crowd," Parton suggested the annual conference seems headed for a merciful death.
"CPAC is a mess and you have to wonder whether it's on its last legs," she wrote, before adding, "The truth is that as much as Trump loves CPAC, the MAGA faithful prefer the newer, more exciting conferences put on frequently by Turning Point USA, run by activist Charlie Kirk. He's more edgy and fun."
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