Day: March 1, 2021

CPAC — The Insurrection After Party

Buck Banks

“There was no introspection down in Orlando; no sense that conservatives needed to look an the mirror and ask themselves hard questions about violence, sedition, white supremacy, or cults of personality. … Less than two months after the insurrection at the Capitol, the event was scarcely mentioned. Even after the deaths of a half million Americans during the pandemic, there was no sense that the GOP needed to re-think its values. … In fact, there was remarkably little focus on policy at all — it was all culture war all the time. And, of course, Trump.”

— Charlie Sykes

Biden Looks Back to S.C. Primary a Year Ago

Buck Banks

“As I look back on what happened in South Carolina one year ago, it’s amazing how much can change in a day, never mind a whole year. My hope is that a year from now, Americans are able to look back and marvel at how much has changed — in their lives and in our economy — for the better.”

— President Joe Biden, writing on Medium, one year after winning the South Carolina Democratic primary.

Trump: Capitol Riot Was a ‘Lovefest’

Buck Banks

“The press doesn’t like to talk about it, but the real number was much, much bigger… It was tremendous numbers of people, not the Capitol, I’m talking about the rally itself, and it was a lovefest, it was a beautiful thing.”

— Asked in a Fox News interview if he regretted how he handled the Capitol riots, Donald Trump blamed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for poor security and then boasted about the size of the crowd that was there to support him.

Trump Wins CPAC Straw Poll, DeSantis Second

Buck Banks

55%

Former President Donald Trump won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll on Sunday, with 55% of respondents saying they would vote for him in a hypothetical 2024 primary, The Hill reports. He was followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at 21% and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) at 4%. New York Times: “But in a surprise bit of downbeat news for Mr. Trump, only 68% of those at the conference said they wanted the former president to run again in 2024.”