Here’s some bad news for South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint and others who want to ban gay groups from the Conservative Political Action Conference — the new chair of the group that runs CPAC plans to stay the course on inclusivity.
Newly elected American Conservative Union Chair Al Cardenas is “very much a big tent” sort of guy, a source close to ACU’s board tells TPM. It’s an indication that, despite the protests from other conservative organizations, GOProud will be welcome at CPAC for years to come.
It’s also a positive sign for the conservative Muslims (and conservative friends of Muslims, like Grover Norquist) who have come under attack from others groups who are holding non-official CPAC events with an anti-Islam tone to them.
Cardenas, himself an immigrant from Cuba, is scheduled to moderate a panel at this week’s CPAC titled “Changing the Conversation: Winning with Minorities, Women and Independents.”
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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