Is CPAC a serious political event?

[Stinky The Clown]

Their votes have been consistently wrong. The candidates they back have been consistently ignored by the electorate. The luminaries they create are used only to fill air time on the chat channels or to get a silly quote from.

Some have postulated that it is a party for college repubicans and little more than that.

Personally, I see it as a freak show, a side show, comedy gold.

But at its core, is it in fact a serious political event?

[warrior1]

1. Not to me.

[JoePhilly]

2. Its a window into the GOP's soul.

Its the GOP's ID. It has no filter. Its an angry toddler.

It says what the GOP mind is thinking ... well actually, it shrieks what the GOP's mind is thinking.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. I don't agree completely.

Most GOPer voters are not on board with their crazies. They simply don't get that involved in politics.

When a group of nuts like CPAC gets veto power over the party, and uses its power like it did in 2008, 2010, and 2012, the innate stupidity that rests deep inside their psyche, eventually becomes visible. Then, just as the GOP is ready to commit mass suicide, they hold a meeting like this? It is enough to wake up the sleeping GOP voters, get them angry, and force out the CPACers out the door, and back into their "special home" with the barred windows and doors, and all those nice people dressed in white, handing out weird candies every four hours.

[JoePhilly]

7. I'd add this ...

Most adults can control their "Id".

I'd suggest that most GOPers hold most of these same beliefs, but they don't allow those views out into the open, or they try to suppress them. They keep them unstated, because to say these things freely causes trouble.

CPAC is the ID freed from control. And adults know that the ID, when given total freedom, does great damage. It wants what it wants when it wants it ... consequences be damned.

That's why the GOP establishment has to work hard to suppress these CPAC nuts.

But the ID has a lot of energy. An adult can use the ID's energy and direct it in useful, and acceptable, ways.

The GOP understands its ID. They created the Tea Party as a way to channel their Id's energy, and win house seats in 2010. But their ID likes getting its way, and its hard to turn off.

And it hurt them in 2012. And its still fighting for its freedom.

[HughBeaumont]

3. Theoretically, it's a serious event.

It's the clown car of speakers, justifying the same garbage policies that have been proven failures for three decades, that make it the circus it is. Big Gulp Sarah, for instance . . .

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. Is this a serious question?

Just half-kidding - I guess the great cynic in me sees CPAC as a really bad joke gone wrong......but it is comedy gold for those who wish to mine for it!

[woo me with science]

6. It's political theater, propaganda for the masses,

serving a very important purpose for the one percent.

It whips us up into our Red and Blue teams, stokes the hatred, and keeps us all divided against each other.

It's important to the one percent, because it refocuses the masses on partisan wedge issues and hatred of each other, so that we will not notice how the corporatists in both parties are quietly working together on a shared corporate economic, war, and police state agenda.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

8. It's A Right-Wing Circle Jerk. Nothing More.

It has about as much of an effect on............well, ANYTHING...........as Glenn Beck's Million Moron March had.

[talkingmime]

9. Um, it's a GOP doofus fest, so I'd say "no".

[AlinPA]

10. The GOP is certainly serious about it it; nearly all their party leaders were there. The media is

also serious about it, with a lot of coverage. IMO, it defines the republican party and since Reince Priebus RNC Chairman was there as a main speaker, the GOP considers it a serious event to sell their crap.