There is a certain type of MAGA male—roughly 23, looks like he was probably bullied in high school, he’s got a haircut that’s sharp and clean, and he wears a business suit and a red hat emblazoned with Trump’s slogan. I get it. When I was 13 and realized I was not an athlete, I knew I would have to find another way to get a date. So, I started playing guitar. Similarly, this MAGA kid (who despises identity politics) has embraced a particular conservative identity politics and made it his entire personality, and this is partly because he realizes that there is a certain type of girl who is attracted to this edgy style. These young men and women made up approximately 30% of the crowd that gathered in Dallas this week for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
This was my first CPAC meeting. I had long been curious about the event, and since I lived only a few hours from Dallas, I thought I might go up and meet some of the people associated with the various publications for which I write. The trip was very educational. In many ways, the event of CPAC matches the character of conservative movement these days: fragmented, incoherent, angry, monied, and hopeful.
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