CPAC Signals Florida Obsession

How badly do conservatives want to turn Florida red in the next presidential election? Based on what is happening at CPAC this year, I think it might be a quiet obsession.

It became clear to me when the group picked Al Cardenas to be its new leader. If you don't know who that is, think back to the 2000 recount in Florida, and try and recall the vile, scrupulous rhetoric that was being spouted at the time by the Republican Party of Florida. Cardenas was the chair of the party then.

I don't want to go to over-the-top here, I guess. Cardenas was the first Republican chairman I ever dealt with as a professional reporter, and there were things to like. He was very honest about where his party was doing well and where it wasn't. But when the shocking endgame to the election came, it was Cardenas calling the shots, demanding at every turn that the tactic which most benefitted his party. If chads were left hanging off Palm Beach ballots, something which was not human error like the Butterfly scandal but the result of poor perforation, he fought counting. If military ballots had been improperly completed, though, why throwing them out would only insult the troops.

And this is the guy who will now head up CPAC. Joy.

The next big new item, of course, is Allen "Wild Wild" West giving the keynote address this year. Sure, the guy is offering just the perfect dose of crazy for the birthers and pro-impeachment crowd, but they could just as easily have given the keynote to a national figure. Yes, Sarah Palin is skipping the event, and would have gotten the top billing, but plenty of other nationals are in attendance. Why not a Newt Gingrich? Or even a Ron Paul, who always polls well with the CPAC crowd?

The news today even shows a zaniness about Donald Trump. Now, I realize this is probably because the crowd here watches a whole lot of reality TV, but it's noteworthy that a guy with a mansion in Palm Beach would get bigger applause than any other presidential hopefuls so far. I promise his connections in the Sunshine State would be exploited in a national run. Hell, with New York off the table in a presidential contest for the red team, he might even set up shop in Florida.

Perhaps in the same county where Cardenas showed off the dark side of his campaign ethics.

Yes, Florida is playing big at CPAC this year. And no, that can't be good.