The small group of American Jews who see CPAC as their home
As the coronavirus spreads, the world seems to be in panic mode. Media features wall-to-wall coverage of a virus 20 times more lethal than the common flu, as air travelers wear surgical masks on international flights.
In the political realm, meanwhile, with Joe Biden’s huge win in South Carolina, Democrats fret the battle brewing between the center-left and the progressive wings of their party. Biden is a weak front-runner, and although polls show Bernie Sanders beating Trump in a one-on-one matchup, his socialism might make him unpalatable to coveted swing voters.
But within the walls of the towering Gaylord National Resort in Northern Virginia last week, attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) looked contented and relaxed. They are wild about Trump, and confident he will be reelected. The slogan for the largest annual gathering of conservatives was “America versus Socialism,” a stark but telling indicator of Republicans’ state of mind. After four years of America First, a booming economy, and a war against the media, conservatives are in no mood to relinquish the gains Donald Trump has brought them.
I came to the conference to gauge the enthusiasm of the reddest of the red base, but also to meet the small group of American Jews who see CPAC as their home. Men with kippahs were to be found everywhere. Some were students, but many others were political activists who see conservatism as the natural expression of their Yiddishkeit.
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