CPAC Chief Al Cardenas Hits Bottom, Keeps Digging:
WaPo: “CPAC missteps again”

"We at the American Conservative Union insist on civility from all of our guests" Al Cardenas, the head of the Conservative Union (whch puts on CPAC)

What absolute hogwash. Who decides what is "civility"? Is exposing the truth uncivil? Is the first amendment uncivil? Is free speech uncivil? Is speaking one's mind uncivil? Is violating the blasphemy laws uncivil? According to Al Cardenas it is.

How have I been "uncivil"?

Al Cardenas's intellectual dishonesty is breathtaking. First off, I have never been invited to speak at CPAC, ever. His contention that it was only after I exposed Grover Norquist and Suhail Khan is patently dishonest. Despite my historic first amendment wins against NYC and Washington DC or the triumph of the defeat of the Ground Zero mosque, it was always a battle to hold an event there. They never invited me even before I spoke one word of what I knew about Norquist and Khan. So Cardenas is being untruthful.

Cardenas says this:

Also, this year we decided not to invite Pamela
Geller for comments she made at CPAC critical of our officers. In each
of these cases, their ad hominem attacks denigrate the debate and
distract from the real point of CPAC…..

These checks made out to Grover Norquist's organization, The Islamic Institute, are not "ad hominem."

According to the Investigative Project on Terrorism:

Grover Norquist hoped to…harness votes from the country’s growing Muslim population by creating the Islamic Free Market Institute in 1998. He did so with significant financial help
from Abdurahman Alamoudi, then one of America’s most influential Muslim
activists and head of the American Muslim Council. Today, Alamoudi is serving a 23-year prison sentence after admitting
to illegal transactions with Libya and being part of a plot to
assassinate the then-Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Alamoudi was also
found to be a long time secret financial courier for Al Qaeda while at
the same time being routinely invited to the Clinton White House for
receptions and meetings.

Grover is feverishly working to get Alamoudi a reduced sentence. Above checks are monies Alamoudi gave to Grover Norquist. Back in 2009, Insight magazine wrote:

Norquist, who previously has denied any suggestion that his work
facilitated any wrongdoing, not only introduced Alamoudi to Washington
GOP power circles but also Sammy Al Arian, whom prosecutors arrested
earlier this year for alleged terrorist activities. Federal
law-enforcement sources say they are focusing on some of Norquist’s
associates and financial ties to terrorist groups.

Alamoudi ran, directed, founded or funded at least 15 Muslim
political-action and charitable groups that have taken over the public
voice of Islamic Americans. Through a mix of civil-rights complaints,
Old Left-style political coalitions and sheer persistence, Alamoudi
helped inch the image of U.S.-based Islamists toward the political
mainstream and induced politicians to embrace his organizations. He
sought to secure the support first of the Clinton administration in
seeking to repeal certain antiterrorist laws, but when Bill Clinton
failed to deliver, Alamoudi defected to Bush, then governor of Texas.
Alamoudi and other Muslim leaders met with Bush in Austin in July [2000], offering to support his bid for the White House in exchange for Bush’s commitment to repeal certain antiterrorist laws.[…]

Canceled checks obtained by Insight show Alamoudi provided seed money to start a GOP-oriented Muslim group called the Islamic Institute, which Norquist originally chaired and now is led by former Alamoudi aide and former AMC staffer Khaled Saffuri. A White House memo obtained by Insight prepared for coordinating Muslim and Arab-American “public-liaison” events with the White House
shows that the Islamic Institute was instrumental in establishing the
connection. The memo, from early 2001, provides lists of invitees and
the name, date of birth and Social Security number of each. Norquist,
as the first chairman of the Islamic Institute, tops the list.

Alamoudi and others, including Norquist, tried to keep critics at bay by branding them as “racists” and “bigots.”

Not. ad. hominem.

The "real point of CPAC" is conservative issues like free speech and national security. Grover has made sure that these critical issues are absent from the program. And now he has Cardenas citing civility as the main issue – it's not civility that Cardenas is enforcing, it's the blasphemy laws under the sharia (do not offend Islam.)

I was no fan of David Keene (Cardenas's predecessor) but it was much easier to stage an event under his stewardship. It's been a nightmare under Cardneas. I never imagined that someone could make Keene look so good.

Jennifer Rubin over at The Washington Post has the latest Cardenas cop-out:

"CPAC Missteps Again" Jennifer Rubin,  The Washington Post, March 5, 2013

My posts on turmoil caused by CPAC’s decision to
exclude New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the conservative gay
group GOProud and the need for younger, more forward-thinking conservative leadership have engendered a very positive reaction from conservatives, many of them under 40 years old.

But it didn’t please Al Cardenas, the head of the Conservative Union,
which puts on CPAC. On Sunday afternoon I received this e-mail from
him:

Respectfully, I believe that you have totally missed the point regarding our invitations at CPAC.

I hope you have had a chance to read my recent op-Ed on conservative civility in Human Events and the National Journal’s recent coverage of the rationale for our decisions.

Simply stated:  we at the American Conservative Union insist on civility from all of our guests.

In years past we have decided to not invite even crowd favorites
whenever we felt they have crossed the line of appropriate discourse.

We had invited GOProud to participate at previous CPACs but when they
decided to publicly attack some of our board members and draw attention
to themselves at our event while being our guests, we decided to take a
pass for a while on their organization — while making it clear that all
of their members were individually invited and welcome.

Likewise that year we also disinvited the John Birch Society; also
for reasons of civility. Also, this year we decided not to invite Pamela
Geller for comments she made at CPAC critical of our officers. In each
of these cases, their ad hominem attacks denigrate the debate and
distract from the real point of CPAC — to energize and empower
conservative political activists and offer a platform to leaders to
discuss policy issues that are important to the conservative movement
and the nation.

This year, as in previous years, we intentionally invited those with a
different perspective on social issues, like Chris Hayes and S.E. Cupp,
to engage in a civil and lively debate. Instead of taking the
opportunity to freely express their points of view at CPAC, they decided
to draw attention to themselves and dump on those who invited them.

Sadly public discourse is becoming more and more uncivil, and while
many seem resigned to this increasing lack of civility, I am not.  We
never censor our guests and have always added diverse points of view to
our conservative conferences, and this year will be no different.  But
the price of admission at CPAC is agreeing to the rules of civil
discourse, and organizations that violate those rules by engaging in
ad-hominem attack are not welcome.  I hope you agree that this is a
standard to which we should all aspire.

Lastly, we felt that Governor Christie, a crowd favorite at previous
CPACs, was not particularly deserving this year.  I have said that CPAC
is like an “All Star” game for conservatives.  Even players that have
great careers in baseball don’t make it to the All Star game every
year.  I hope he earns an invitation next year. But, everyone must keep
in mind that we are not the Republican Party — we are conservatives.

I then asked several follow-up questions: 1) To what are you
specifically referring by this comment: “they decided to publicly attack
some of our board members and draw attention to themselves at our event
while being our guests”? 2.) Why won’t you allow Log Cabin Republicans —
have they been uncivil also? 3.) Do you think your action has sent a
message of intolerance that has tainted CPAC? 4.) Did any group refuse
to attend or threatened to pull out if GOProud was allowed in?

He declined to personally respond. Instead I received this from his communications director:

“Please refer to the many previous media reports on their public attacks.

The Chairman has already made public comments on this matter and does not have anything further to add.

And, we have a long-standing policy that we don’t discuss internal conversations with sponsors or board members.”

This is troubling on many levels (of which I will touch on only a
few) – beginning with the willingness to make accusations and then not
explain the factual basis for them (waving your hand at unspecified news
reports doesn’t cut it), the indifference to the upset caused within
the movement, the attacks on people of conscience as
attention-seekers and then the sudden refusal to explain how the action
came about with a ground rule ignored in the prior e-mail (“we don’t
discuss internal conversations with sponsors or board members”). Even
worse is lumping in the John Birch Society with pro-gay-rights
activists. To call these all questions of “civility” is frankly
outrageous.

To be blunt, this is shabby stuff. Shame on them. If you weren’t
convinced before that CPAC — the organization, not the pols and
conservative activists trying to speak to others and solve the
movement’s problems – is a symbol of what must change on the right, this
might do it. I have to cover it, but i can’t imagine why any
well-meaning conservative would want to give the event credence by
attending.

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BayouCoyote

11 years ago

Boykin: Well, Grover Norquist, and it is hard for the Republicans to accept this, but Grover Norquist is a Muslim Brotherhood facilitator. Now, he’s very popular because of his tax position and the influence that he has over taxes. But the fact of the matter is Grover is the one who brought in Suhail Khan into the conservative movement and has staunchly defended Suhail Khan, who is the son of a very radical Islamic cleric who had [Ayman al-Zawahiri] in his mosque in San Diego a decade ago raising funds, essentially to support terrorism.”
End of discussion.

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Martin Rettig

11 years ago

Bottom line, anyone in office will suck what ever dick is required to remain in office. The idea of a statesman in this age is a joke, name one, please.

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Kevin Stroup

11 years ago

You go Pam Geller! I am with you even when I disagree with you. Your honest and blunt. I can trust you to say what you believe to be the truth. The RINO Republicans, on the other hand, are toilet water. Dirty toilet water. Grover is just a muzzy. F$%k him anyway. Little closet Nazi. Just keep on steamin! You have the truth on your side. Eventually the bodies become to thick for the lies to hide.

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RalphB

11 years ago

Conservatives have always been power hungry for one crucial reason: to establish the right-wing vision of utopia: a nation whose laws reflect the divine will, or to put it bluntly, theocracy. Norquist, Khan & Co. noticed this and figured if it works for the Christians it ought to work for the Muslims too. What happens when the Muslims are powerful on both the left and the right, eh?
Ayn Rand warned you about conservatives.
Now you know why.

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Gerald

11 years ago

Here is pig-faced Suhail Khan at a 1999 ISNA conference laying on the taqiyya fast and thick.
http://suhailkhanexposed.com/1999/07/04/suhail-khan-praises-terrorists-at-1999-isna-conference/

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Watcher87

11 years ago

gotta watch out for those adhominemistas!

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sharia observer

11 years ago

Well, Mr. Norquist and ideological friends of Alamoudi, a convicted zakat money man for al-Qaeda, I’m gonna go out on a limb and stand with Pamela.
These checks made out to Grover Norquist’s organization, The Islamic Institute, are not “ad hominem.”
SO

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sharia observer

11 years ago

Yes, Sir. I agree. End of discussion. Alamoudi is still a wannabe jihadi.
Meanwhile, Grover Norquist shamelessly trolls the political isles for “position and influence” jihad. A complete coward.
SO

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Pamela Geller

11 years ago

OMG – I love that! Adhominemistas!

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Choi

11 years ago

Grover Norquist is more DANGEROUS than any Elected Official except ONE.
His BEHIND THE SCENES machinations and Extortions have AIDED the LEFT’s “War on America” AND Jihad Enabling,but also as “covered the Republican/Conservative” side of the field as well.
Norquist FITS IN well with the Chicago TACTICS of the Democrats,who ,in Chicago ,CONTROL the Local GOP thru Ward Committeemen who are THEIRS.
They’ve brought Chi-Town to DC and Norquist is part of it.

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S. Klein

11 years ago

Ron Paul (Rand Paul?) libertarians are also some of the most “out to lunch” on Islam activists around. I am not saying Ann Rand would be out to lunch on Islam, yet many of her acolytes are.

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MSimon

11 years ago

Let us take a look into the future:
The Right is losing 5,000 old old farts a day from death. The left the same. The kids left and right are liberal on social issues. Gays, abortion, pot, the whole schmeer. The old farts are the only cohort not on board with legalization. What does this tell you? It is just a matter of time. Ten years at most with 3.5 million every two years.
The right is going to wake up one day and “overnight” everything will have changed.
Especially given:
Medical Marijuana prohibition is a crime against humanity and a violation of the religious precept – heal the sick.
The right has no defense against that – especially given the science.
http://classicalvalues.com/2013/02/cbd-science-hplc-analysis/
==================
BTW the denial of medicine to the sick means “christianity” will be taking a hit too.
As to jihad? The head in the sand of CPAC is amazing. What are they hoping for in the future? To fill their missing “conservative” ranks with “conservative” jihadis? If all they care about is social issues it makes sense.

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MSimon

11 years ago

Yes to both you and Ralph.
BTW I made my comment Tuesday, March 05, 2013 at 08:39 PM before reading yours. We are of the same mind.

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Jim Lampe

11 years ago

No one deserves to be speaking at CPAC more than Pam Geller! I was with Geller in Tampa to protest the killing a Muslim girl who the police said committed suicide by pounding her head on a coffee table. I didn’t see Cardenas, Rove, or any of the Bush’s. I only saw Pamela Geller. She is fighting for the Constitution and western civilization.
Al Cardenas (former head of the Republican Party of Florida) is the voice of the establishment GOP, which has sold us out.
I wrote about the Corruption of the ACU a year ago. Apparently, nothing has changed.
http://b1ff5939f6.nxcli.net/corruption-at-the-acu
Pamela Geller is a Patriot and should be treated as such.

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mollie

11 years ago

I am waiting for the day, maybe soon, when a well-organised rightwing faction goes into serious action and the Communist destroyers and their fellow travelers the jihadists start to disappear from the world. I’m too broke and too old to think about joining them but I hope the explosions start before my time runs out. As for the “old farts” dying off and leaving the young L & R at each others’ throats, good luck, young’uns. After you “make peace” with each other, you will get what all good dhimmis deserve–slavery.

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Rose

11 years ago

” …civility from all of our guests? Guests? Attendants are not guests, they are participants. They pay to attend CPAC. These are not guest invited to Mr. Cardenas home, where particular rules of civility apply.
Robert and Pamela were not insulting when confronting Khan last year at CPAC. He felt challenged, and had no answers. He was being unmasked, that’s why this year he and the other minion made sure Robert and Pamela would not participate.
Miserable, insignificant, but dangerous infiltrators.

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Kufar Dawg

11 years ago

A “theocracy”? Really? I call shenanigans. Has anyone conservative advocated for the establishment of a religious police, or blasphemy laws, or heresy laws or the stoning to death of adulterers?

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RR

11 years ago

I am so sick of Grover Norquisling

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wolfpack1

11 years ago

This commentary is absolutely hysterical. I have never read so many so disconnected with reality! 🙂

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