Hundreds of conservatives gathered in Washington, D.C. over the weekend, but not for the Trumpalooza clown car event known as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Instead, the message from the first summit of principles was clear. Donald Trump poses a threat to our democracy, and if he were the Republican nominee, many people would vote for President Joe Biden, even though we disagree with him on many issues.
Speakers at the event made it clear that they planned to deliver an anti-Trump message to Republican primary voters who chose candidates other than Trump, especially those who supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Lincoln Project co-founder and Republican political consultant Mike Madrid noted the value of targeting these voters in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing:“Republican defections will be the single biggest factor in the outcome in November.”
Now, this may all be a pipe dream, but voters may be more receptive to anti-Trump messages from conservatives than liberals. And if even a small number of Republican voters support Biden in key swing states, that could make a difference in a close election. Principles First can help.
Related articles: Trump's weekend at CPAC was a tour de force of bigotry and incompetence.
Principles First was founded in 2019 as a right-wing and center-right movement “concerned about the health of democracy.” It was intended to serve as an alternative to CPAC, which has become increasingly dominated by Trump's MAGA cult.
Approximately 700 participants attended the inaugural Fourth Principles conference last weekend. That's more than double the number of attendees at last year's event, founder Heath Mayo said. Meanwhile, crowds at the larger CPAC event were smaller than in previous years.
And the MAGA cult message came through loud and clear at CPAC, where lobby displays included a “J6 Uprising” pinball machine. leeFighting profit Conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec said during a panel hosted by Steve Bannon:
“Welcome to the end of democracy. We have come to completely overthrow democracy. we didn't get there January 6thBut we will try to get rid of it and replace it right here,” Posobiec said.
Posowiec raised his fist and added: “All the glory is not with the government. All the glory is with God.”
In her opening remarks to the Principles First summit, Mayo, who had already told NPR she would vote for Biden over Trump, delivered a markedly different message about the need to put “principles ahead of parties or people.”
“We don’t have golden statues of politicians rolling around. Our speakers will celebrate the spirit of 1776 instead of January 6th. And the people gathered in this room today know how to spot and condemn tyranny when they see it, rather than praising it.”
And the star of the event was Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House staffer who provided pivotal testimony to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. participants I stood in line in the lobby. To receive a signed copy of her book ‘Enough’.
In a touching moment, Hutchinson accepted the Principles First Profiles in Courage award from last year's recipient, Harry Dunn, the former Capitol Police officer who took down the rioters on Jan. 6 and is now running for Congress as a Democrat. .
Hutchinson also joined the panel with two other anti-Trump former White House staffers: Sarah Matthews and Alyssa Farah Griffin, now co-hosts of “The View.” She described her “horrific attacks” that ruined her own life and those of Georgia election officials Shaye Moss, Ruby Freeman and others who testified to the special committee.
“We have to move toward normalcy,” Hutchinson said. “We start with this election. “We start by doing everything we can to ensure that Donald Trump never enters the Oval Office again, and that every member of Congress who enabled Donald Trump’s agenda is also held accountable and voted out.”
She emphasized the need to mobilize and educate voters, especially in a handful of swing states, about their choices in the upcoming election. “If the ticket is a binary choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, people need to understand at a very basic, fundamental level that there will be one candidate on the ballot who supports our democracy so we can continue to thrive. do. And not Donald Trump,” she said.
And that message was emphasized Jan. 6 by former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans who served on the House Select Committee. Kinzinger encouraged Nikki Haley to remain in her race, but added: “If it were Trump running against Biden, I would vote for Biden. Because to me this is what I think is important. I may disagree on a lot of things. But here democracy is truly at stake. “
Sarah Longwell, founder of Republican Voters Against Trump, completely dismissed any idea of supporting Trump. No 3rd party label ticketsHe said it would absolutely help Trump get elected.
War with Ukraine and Russia was also discussed by several speakers, who expressed firm support. Prior Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, whose short-lived presidential campaign yielded little results, warned that Trump would turn the Republican Party into a “pro-Putin party.” He then said, “I’m sorry. That’s not what Ronald Reagan would do.”
Fiona Hill, former senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council, who testified in the first House impeachment inquiry into Trump, said: “We are really seeing President Putin eroding the American idea. … For Putin, this is an important turning point. “If businesses in Ukraine fail… if the United States is seen to be no longer progressing, we have basically lost our leadership position.”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, who faced pressure from Trump and threats from MAGA supporters after confirming Biden's victory in 2020, said he would follow the law and the Constitution and make sure the state did so. In 2024, we will hold “fair, honest and accurate elections.”
Former federal appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig said Donald Trump should be held accountable for his actions related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
And there was another reason why speakers at the conference emphasized that Trump must lose the 2024 election. Only great losses can allow a healthy center-right party to emerge from the MAGA ashes. Conservative critic Charlie Sykes He said the country “needs two reasonable political parties.” and Jonah Goldberg, The founder of online conservative website The Dispatch said there was a need to build a “sane” minority within the Republican Party and vote against Trump to take the party back.
I hope you get good results. But there was one hopeful sign in the lobby of the Principles First Summit that was not found at CPAC.