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ABSTRACT
How are activists molded into middlemen in a polarized two-party system? Using the case of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), this paper examines the process of activist mobilization that occurs at political gatherings. Using two rounds of interviews and participant observation from CPAC in 2019 and 2020, I argue that contrary to popular media portrayals of CPAC as political theater now rooted in the spectacle of President Trump, the conference is an important site of mobilizing activists into party middlemen. This happens through three processes: first conference attendees are taught conservative policy stances and presented with a bundle of issue positions; second, they are provided with the tools for effective activism formally through provided training and informally through socialization; and finally, their conservative identity is continually defined and reinforced with cultural meaning-making practices throughout the conference.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Genevieve Bates, Mackenzie Israel-Trummel, Andres Uribe, Stephanie Ternullo, Mary Dudas, Anna-Maria Marshall, the participants of DIG (Dissertation Improvement Group), and the 2020–2021 cohort of Urban Doctoral Fellows at the University of Chicago for feedback on this manuscript. I would also like to thank the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture (CSRPC) at the University of Chicago for supporting this project. This research was reviewed by the IRB at the University of Chicago.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Each year, CPAC does a straw poll of conference attendees to gauge support for possible presidential candidates. Results from: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/28/cpac-2015-see-the-full-straw-poll-results/
2 This is a reference to Coachella, an annual music and arts festival, criticizing CPAC for lacking substance and instead focusing on meaningless cultural displays.
3 Most attendees assumed that my presence at CPAC and affiliation with the University of Chicago meant that I shared their politics. Only 6 of the attendees that I interviewed across the two conference years specifically asked me about my personal political beliefs.
4 Interview protocols from both years are in the appendix.
5 Interviews varied in length and were often short because interviews took place during conference events. Most interviews were kept short because respondents were eager to attend conference functions and panels.
6 This introduction was fashioned to avoid overly priming interview subjects on the content of my interview protocol.
7 Respondents are pseudonymized in accordance with the IRB protocol, and basic demographic information and year of interview can be found in the appendix.
8 The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank founded in 1973 in opposition to mainstream conservatism. The stated mission is to “formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.”
10 The full conference program for activist boot camp is in the appendix.
11 The #WalkAway campaign is a social media campaign started by self-professed former liberal Brandon Straka ahead of the 2018 midterms to encourage people to walk away from “the lies, the false narratives, the fake news, the race-baiting, the victim narrative, the violence, the vandalism, the vitriol” of the Democratic Party.
12 Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative advocacy group that targets youth and has chapters at colleges across the country. TPUSA holds multiple annual events that draw in thousands of college aged students and also makes a coordinated effort to bring many of these students to CPAC. In exchange for a shift at the TPUSA booth in the exhibit hall, students’ registration and lodging are covered and they are able to attend the annual party “AmericaFest” at a nearby bar where they can party with Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump Jr., Dan Crenshaw, and other conservative celebrities.
13 Even though he ran for office, Jacob would still be considered a political activist based on the definition from Noel (Citation2018).
14 AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, hosts a recurring policy conference that brings together politicians, students, synagogue delegates, and those who share a pro-Israel policy stance and provides keynotes, breakout sessions, and lobbying resources. More information can be found at: https://event.aipac.org/policyconference-about.
15 The Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is less centralized than AIPAC or CPAC, but is focused on training organizers and activists to work on issues in the public interest through grassroots organizing and canvassing. More information can be found at: https://pirg.org/about/.
16 IRB protocol for participant anonymity prevents me from going into more detail on the nature of this charge.