When CPAC Boos You
During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference
(CPAC) this week, Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk praised the crowd for booing a mention of Mitt Romney’s name.
Had Romney won his 2012 race against Barack Obama, Kirk is exactly the kind of young conservative activist that would have been sucking up to Mitt. Instead, for the sin of voting his conscience on impeachment, Romney is a pariah whose name draws boos at CPAC.
It wasn't always that way. Back in 2008, Romney chose the friendly confines of the CPAC stage to announce he was dropping out of the primary race. That day, he was warmly introduced by then-talk radio host (and now, Fox News host) Laura Ingraham, and was greeted by the audience with the cheers of "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!"
How soon they forget.
Speaking of which, the last time I remember anyone being booed at CPAC was the very next year, when my friend and former boss, Tucker Carlson, was booed.
That’s right, on the heels of his “Dancing With The Stars” stint,
around the same time he was being derided with the “Chatsworth Osborne Jr." nickname by Rush Limbaugh, Tucker was jeered for daring to defend the New York Times at the conservative conclave.
Today, of course, Tucker is the host of his own wildly popular primetime Fox News show, and is widely considered to be one of the most influential stars of the Right. He could probably read the phone book on stage and receive a standing ovation.
Conversely, it was recently suggested by the guy who runs CPAC that Mitt Romney might not even be safe if he attended.
Tucker was down, now he’s up. Romney was up, now he’s down.
But what do crowds know? These are the same people who shouted, “Give us Barabbas!” These are the same people who booed Bob Dylan off stage for going electric. Too often, the wisdom of crowds gives way to the passions of the mob. These people are followers of fads, not trendsetters.
The lesson, for me, at least, is this: Times change and crowds are fickle, so don’t pay too much attention to them. If they’re booing you today, they might be cheering you tomorrow. And if they’re cheering you today, they might be booing you tomorrow. It’s best not to get too high when you’re winning plaudits or too low when you’re losing the crowd.
All you can do is stay true to yourself, keep fighting for what you believe in, and keep waiting for the world to change.
And maybe, someday, it will.
Check out my column, "No, I Probably Won't Meet With You At CPAC", which is featured in my "Best of Matt Lewis" ebook.
You can download it for FREE here.
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