Activists Prank CPAC With "Russian" Trump Flags

(image via Facebook)

Activists Jason Charter and Ryan Clayton of the group Americans Take Action pranked the conservative event CPAC today by passing out red, white and blue flags with the word "Trump" on them.

Only problem was - it was the wrong "red, white and blue."

From Talking Points Memo:

Charter, 22, told TPM by phone that he and Clayton organized the prank in order to "honor Trump's relationship with Putin." He said almost no one at CPAC seemed to realize the flag he handed them bore the horizontal red, white, and blue stripes of the Russian Federation underneath Trump's name.

"I asked people if they wanted a Trump flag and they took it," Charter said. "Many Trump supporters were proudly waving their Russian Trump flag."

"I think it says a lot about Donald Trump's base and their education level," he said. "I don't want to insult anyone, but I think you should know what the Russian flag is. They are one of the world's major powers, and it's a pretty easily recognized flag."

CPAC staff quickly confiscated the flags, but not before the embarrassing image went viral on social media.

Crowd at CPAC waving these little pro-Trump flags that look exactly like the Russian flag. Staffers quickly come around to confiscate them. pic.twitter.com/YhPpkwFCNc

— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) February 24, 2017

CPAC Un-Invites Milo Yiannopolous As Keynote Speaker

Earlier today, I posted about professional conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopolous' comments regarding young boys and adult men on the "Drunken Peasants" podcast last year which came to light in the past day.

The scandal erupted just a day after the American Conservative Union had asked Milo to be the keynote speaker this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Just minutes ago, CPAC rescinded the invite based on the offensive comments made by Milo in the videos.

It turns out there is something in the world that's too extreme for CPAC.

The "un-invite" reads in part:

"Due to the revelation of an offensive video in the past 24 hours condoning pedophilia, the American Conservative Union has decided to rescind the invitation of Milo Yiannopolous to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

"We realize that Mr. Yiannopolous has responded on Facebook, but it is insufficient. It is up to him to answer the ought questions and we urge him to immediately further address these disturbing comments."

See the full statement below (click to enlarge image).

"@ACUConservative has decided to rescind the invitation of Milo Yiannopoulos to speak at #CPAC2017." pic.twitter.com/sVWGnPCW7C

— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) February 20, 2017

Donald Trump Cancels On CPAC Last Minute

Interesting that Donald Trump would cancel a speaking gig at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the last minute. The Trumpster was scheduled to speak at the conference on Saturday at 8:30am.

I'm guessing he's feeling pretty confident about his candidacy that he can blow off the CPAC folks.

Or, maybe he's feeling a bit burned from his disastrous showing at the Republican debate last night?

Perhaps it wasn't a big enough crowd for him?

Here's the announcement the Trump campaign sent to CPAC:

The Donald J. Trump for President Campaign has just announced it will be in Witchita, Kanasas for a major rally on Saturday prior to Caucus. He will also be speaking at the Kansas Caucus and then departing for Orlando, Florida and a crowd of approximately 20,000 people or more. Because of this, he will not be able to speak at CPAC as he has done for many consecutive years. Mr. Trump would like to thank Matt Schlapp and all of the executives at CPAC and looks forward to returning to next year, hopefully as President of the United States.

The CPAC peeps were not thrilled:

Very disappointed @realDonaldTrump has decided at the last minute to drop out of #CPAC -- his choice sends a clear message to conservatives.

— CPAC (@CPAC) March 4, 2016

Sen. Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll

(via Washington Times)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), probable 2016 GOP presidential candidate, won the 2015 CPAC straw poll edging out recently surging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

This marks the third year in a row that Sen. Paul has won the straw poll.

Mitt Romney won in 2012, the year he became the GOP nominee for president.

We all know how that turned out...

Unions Demand Apology From Gov. Scott Walker For Comparison To Terrorists

Yesterday at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker compared a president standing up against ISIS to his standing up to protesting union workers in his state:

"I want a commander in chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists does not wash up on American soil," Walker said, adding, "If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world."

Once that sh*t hit the fan, he sought to "clarify" his statement saying "if I could handle that kind of a pressure and kind of intensity, I think I'm up for the challenge for whatever might come, if I choose to run for president."

Today, however, AFSCME (the country's largest public service employees union) issued a press release demanding an apology for comparing American union workers to terrorists:

We’re not going to stand by and let Scott Walker smear hard-working Americans, simply because the exercise their first amendment freedom to disagree with him. You don’t attack good men and women who give their time every day to make this country a better place.

[snip]

To compare the 100,000 men and women who stood up in Madison and called Governor Walker out for his attack on workers’ freedom to terrorists is disgusting. That’s the desperate act of a craven, career politician, not a leader whose values are aligned with what this country stands for. In Madison, we marched alongside military veterans, firefighters, police officers, nurses, librarians and teachers. There were senior citizens and children. College students and clergy.

This cannot stand, Governor Walker, and the nation deserves an apology.

Sen. Rand Paul is the dubious winner of this year's CPAC Straw Poll

As this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) wound down, it was announced that Sen. Rand Paul won the 2014 CPAC Straw Poll with 31%.

Paul won last year also with 25%.

Among others who placed, it was notable that last year's second place finisher in the poll, Marco Rubio, fell from 23% to 6% this year. That may be in part to his public position on immigration reform.

The Paul family is a long time favorite at CPAC. Sen. Rand Paul's father, Ron Paul, won the poll in 2010 and 2011. Mitt Romney won in 2012 just before clinching the GOP nomination for president. Rand Paul has won two years in a row now.

The last winner of the CPAC straw poll to become president was George Bush in 2000.

Here's the list:

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.): 31%

Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas): 11 %

Dr. Ben Carson: 9%

Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.): 8%

Gov. Scott Walker (Wisc.): 7%

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (Penn.): 7%

Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla): 6%

Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisc.): 3%

Gov. Rick Perry (Texas): 3%

(source)

Conservative commentator Michael Medved at CPAC: No state has ever banned gay marriage

Conservative commentator Michael Medved at CPAC

I posted earlier about Oliver North speaking at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) which is the right-wing's favorite week to try and "out cheer-lead" each other as speaker after speaker and conference panel after conference panel tries to make the movement sound like the most rational folks on earth. Which, by the way, they aren't.

Just to show you how loose the rhetoric gets, earlier today during a panel called "Can Libertarians and Social Conservatives Ever Get Along?," conservative commentator Michael Medved flatly stated "There has never been a state in this country that has ever banned gay marriage."

No punchline. That was it. No state had ever denied same-sex couples marriage rights.

As everyone in American knows (and anyone who reads The Randy Report) 30 states specifically prohibit same-sex marriage. Only 17 states plus Washington DC allow for marriage equality.

This is what goes on at these things. A WHOLE lot of misinformation.

Watch the clip below via Media Matters:

Oliver North: Conservatives should fight against marriage equality like they fought slavery

To be honest, it's hard to understand what Oliver North is really saying.

As one in a long grey line of conservatives throwing red meat to their base at CPAC, Ollie spoke today saying that the GOP must remain firm in working to ban marriage equality and abortion rights just as abolitionists in the 1800s fought to end slavery, warning that “if we as conservatives cease to be a place where people of faith and those who believe in strong moral values can come, we will cease to be a political force in America.”

So fighting against equal rights for the gays is like fighting for freedom for slaves...?  SRSLY.

You do remember this is the man who diverted proceeds from the sales of US weapons to support the Contra rebel groups in Nicaragua. You'll also remember that was illegal.

(via RightWingWatch)

Sarah Palin at CPAC: Todd's got the rifle, I've got the rack

The former half-term governor of Alaska speaks at CPAC this year.

Ever classy.

Then a sip from a Big Gulp because "Bloomberg's not around."

CPAC attendees react to GOP Sen. Rob Portman's support of marriage equality

Yesterday, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman announced his support of marriage equality due, in part, to his own son coming out as gay.

Today, ThinkProgress asked attendees at CPAC what their thoughts were on the topic.

I think my favorite response comes at 2:11 when the woman says she's "a product of the 1950s, when homosexuals stayed in the closet, and I really preferred it that way, if you want to know the truth."

Just another day at CPAC kids...

Question for any Republicans who might be reading this: are THESE your people? Your opinions?

Today at CPAC: African-Americans should be "allowed to vote in Africa"

At a CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) panel today on minority outreach, there was a heated moment when one participant suggested that slavery had been good for African-Americans.

Scott Terry, from North Carolina, asked whether it would be possible for the GOP to endorse blacks and whites living "separate but equal."  The moderator of the panel, K. Carl Smith of Frederick Douglass Republicans, answered by referencing a letter by Frederick Douglass in which Douglass forgave his former master, to which Terry said “For what? For feeding him and housing him?”

ThinkProgress spoke with Terry, who sported a Rick Santorum sticker and attended CPAC with a friend who wore a Confederate Flag-emblazoned t-shirt, about his views after the panel. Terry maintained that white people have been “systematically disenfranchised” by federal legislation.

When asked by ThinkProgress if he’d accept a society where African-Americans were permanently subservient to whites, he said “I’d be fine with that.” He also claimed that African-Americans “should be allowed to vote in Africa,” and that “all the Tea Parties” were concerned with the same racial problems that he was.

At one point, a woman challenged him on the Republican Party’s roots, to which Terry responded, “I didn’t know the legacy of the Republican Party included women correcting men in public.”

Just another day at CPAC folks...

(via ThinkProgress)

Donald Trump draws handful of crowd at CPAC

You know, Donald Trump was invited to CPAC not for his "conservative bona fides" but because he supposedly draws a crowd.

Maybe someone could "draw" a crowd in with a crayon, or pencil & pen...

Anti-gay speakers gather tens of listeners at CPAC

Via Chris Geidner's Instagram comes this photo of the CPAC panel featuring National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown,  anti-gay activist Cleta Mitchell, and Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro. 

I know, I know. It's hard to see them over all the EMPTY chairs....

Sad, isn't it?

(Actually - it's not.  It's quite rapturous that no one is interested in their hate-mongering).

(via JMG)

Palin Imposter at CPAC

From MSNBC: A woman, who looked and dressed like the famous Republican, started walking around and doing interviews. In fact, she began drawing a crowd. People requested pictures, asked questions, and expressed their support for her.

The crowds were tipped off to the charade when it was noticed that she was walking and chewing gum at the same time.