CPAC Speaker’s Goal: Ending Democracy

Turning point the media missed

The annual Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) is seldom subtle. This year they aren’t just saying the quiet part out loud — they are screaming it.

At a panel session Wednesday, right-wing conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec said without irony or sarcasm, “I just wanted to say, welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it.”  

He then held up a Christian cross and added, “We’ll replace it with this right here. That’s right, because all glory, all glory is not to government, all glory is to God." Was the remark in jest? No. And the crowd knew it. 

His comments got big applause and an “amen” from moderator Steve Bannon, who, by the way, is set to stand trial in a New York state court for fraud and money laundering in May and only escaped federal prosecution because of a presidential pardon. As far as I have seen, no Republican attendee denounced Posobiec’s comments.

CPAC is the annual four-day conference for extremist Republicans. In recent years it has become a litmus test for MAGA bona fides and a place to show loyalty to Donald Trump.

You may be reading about this appalling speech here first because it seems many of my brethren in the media are not reporting the story. If you Google “CPAC,” you will get a few hits, but it isn’t on the front page of any major news organization’s website. Perhaps they think it is so outlandish that it isn’t worth reporting. But that is exactly the point. The right wing wants to topple our democracy and replace it with Trump’s authoritarian rule. This is not hyperbole. It is not fear-mongering. They are saying it. Out loud.  

If you think Posobiec’s words were the only troubling moment at the conference, you would be wrong. In another speech, Michael Knowles, Trump’s spokesperson, said today that Trump will eliminate marriage equality if he is reelected.  

Failed British Prime Minister Liz Truss addressed the conference. “Unless conservatives become more active in speaking out, Western civilization is doomed,” she threatened. 

And Trump hasn’t even spoken yet. That is scheduled for tomorrow.

In contemplating all of this, you may want to consider one of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou: “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” 

We are well past the first time.   

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