Extremely proud to have voted for the infrastructure package as my top priority.
I would be curious to hear your thoughts on CPAC this year!
I had a great time and met a lot of people that I respect and admire. There were some panels I outright skipped out on because I found them ridiculous, and those where instead of clapping I just angrily stared at the presenter because they were being unnecessarily personal and divisive. I had a front row seat to Trump's and Farage's speeches, which was a very moving experience. I heard a lot of things I agreed with during Bannon's speech. CPAC made me feel a little more comfortable with having Trump in the White House knowing that Bannon is behind him, but concerned about the possible influence of Priebus types. I foresee a conflict between Bannon and another cabinet member during which Trump is forced to choose.
Mark Levin was outrageously inflammatory and Dale Bellis was nothing more than a sociopathic car salesman. When I met Jim Gilmore, Paul LePage, Austin Petersen, and Nigel Farage, they all respected where I was coming from and appreciated that I was there. I didn't feel unwelcome at all except for a few presenters. I was asked by some media for comments and for explanations from other attendees, and explained that I was there as a conservative, blue-collar Democrat who felt alienated by the direction of the DNC, and I was welcomed with open arms -- this was not a Republican conference, but a conservative one.
I would say that my experience was extremely positive with a grain of salt. It was bizarre to recognize that I probably disagreed with a solid 50-60% of what everyone around me had to say, and even stranger to realize that I was being respected
for it. Even when I wore my Martin O'Malley shirt, I was simply asked for more information and treated like an adult who had arrived at the same place through different experiences. My opinion of this part of the conservative movement has been greatly improved, and it is upsetting that it seems the Democrats will not be able to resemble it for a long time coming, at least until the Sanders types are marginalized.
EDIT JULY 19 2019: This was stupid. I did NOT vote for Donald Trump. My experience at CPAC is a haunting one that will remain with me for the rest of my life, and I have not even begun to process the substance of that weekend and how I should best move forward from it.
