How the Extreme Becomes Mainstream

The CPAC pipeline from dangerous rhetoric to deadly policy

I’m writing for The Big Picture substack today about something we all may have seen but not fully processed.

Last week at CPAC, the main staging ground for MAGA extremism, the Deputy U.S. Attorney General, Todd Blanche, asked the crowd why anyone would object to sending ICE agents to polling places. That’s actually illegal under a federal law with roots dating back to Reconstruction. And Blanche isn’t a podcaster or some random online provocateur. He’s the second-highest law enforcement officer in the country.

Every year, horrible statements like this come out of CPAC, and observers debate whether it’s all just red meat for the base we should simply ignore. But as I explain today, we need to take it quite seriously. There’s a disturbing but telling track record of how extremism at CPAC becomes mainstream GOP policy not long after.

My piece will land in your inboxes later this afternoon if you’re a subscriber to The Big Picture (which is separate from my writings here at The Status Kuo). If you’re not yet signed up, you can do so using the button below at no additional cost. But as always we do deeply appreciate our voluntary paid supporters!

I’ll be back tomorrow morning with my regular piece in these highly irregular times.

Jay