A few days ago, we wondered when Newsmax’s Ronald Kessler would write about the controversies at the gay conservative group GOProud at CPAC, given that CPAC gave Kessler its inaugural “Robert Novak Journalist of the Year Award” last year.
Kessler has finally come through — he has written a Jan. 24 column on the issue, and he predictably allows his buddy David Keene of the American Conservative Union, which runs CPAC, to dismiss it all:
Some say CPAC should exclude GOProud, a gay conservative group. Others say it should emphasize national security issues more. Conspiracy theorists hint darkly that CPAC has been overtaken by Muslim extremists. And some insist that any group that has chosen not to participate this year must not approve of CPAC policies or speakers.
Rubbish, says Dave Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, whose foundation runs CPAC. Having been chairman since 1984, Keene has seen it all. He bears the brunt of lobbying by those who want to be speakers or want to ban others from speaking.
To Keene, those who try to define what conservatives should think and try to exclude those who don’t agree don’t understand what the movement is all about and why it has been so successful.
“CPAC does not attempt to define the movement,” Keene says. “In the past, you had people say that anybody who is for free trade should be thrown out, or anybody that is not for total restrictionist immigration policies should be thrown out, or groups that are not religious should be thrown out.”
In addition, says Keene, “We’ve had groups that are on one side or the other which never participated because they don’t feel they want to be identified with anybody else. Some economic groups don’t want to be associated with social conservatives. Some of the social conservatives don’t want to be associated with economic groups.”
Over the years, CPAC has excluded only one group, a Citizens Council in Mississippi, which Keene says was racist.
Keene goes on to defend GOProud, and Kessler points out that CPAC has more organizations taking part this year over last.
All in all, it’s the fawning whitewash job we knew Kessler would do when properly motivated.