Talk:Conservative Political Action Conference

Ann Coulter's Comments at 2007 CPAC
74.232.5.105 and I really seem to disagree on whether the reaction of the audience was "laughter" or "hissing," and I would appreciate it if other editors would offer their opinions. Also, should the fact that many high-profile politicians from both parties condemned her comments be included in the article? Discuss! Dunne409 05:47, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Uh, look for yourself, it's all over GooTube. Sounds like a gasp and then laughing/clapping. Someone wrote "hissing" but I didn't hear any. I don't know if the condemnations are really necessary. This article is about the event, and none of them condemned her at the event. 68.33.185.185 06:46, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, I did watch the video myself, and agree that the reaction was laughter; please help protect this article from vandals who may want to distort the facts. I suppose I also agree that the information about condemnation should not be in the article. Dunne409 06:43, 7 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Wow, I was writing the exact same sentiment (about watching out for the "pro-hissing vandal" (LOL). He just now tried to change it back to "hissing" and called me an asshole -- right on the article page. I think the facts show that they laughed and applauded. I detest vandals. 68.33.185.185 06:46, 7 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I think it's a good idea to keep Coulter's '07 speech off of the CPAC page and make reference to it on her page. That's how it is now.

Andrewman327 (talk) 19:18, 25 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327

Matthew Sanchez
I have removed the bit about Matthew Sanchez being outed as a gay porn star (although I did leave the fact that he received an award that night, with the link to his entry intact). This had absolutely nothing to do with the proceedings of CPAC 2007, no matter what your political persuasion. 66.75.153.15 04:42, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Stephen Glass and CPAC 1997
Something could be said about the New Republic article by Stephen Glass on the 1997 edition. --Error (talk) 03:01, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Now I found a story about him. I don't see where it would fit, but feel free to refer to him.

Andrewman327 (talk) 20:39, 26 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327

John Birch Society
Some anons are edit-warring over whether to include, in the introductory section, the John Birch Society's co-sponsorship of the 2010 conference.

I think the fact is worth including but isn't important enough for the introductory section. It belongs in the section on the 2010 conference, where I had placed it before the edit war began.

I'm removing it from the introductory section. To the anonymous editors, please stop reverting each other and discuss the subject here. JamesMLane t c 11:51, 23 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I agree with you. The introductory section is for people who hear somebody mention CPAC and don't know whether it's a political conference or a chocolate dessert popular in the American southwest.  I'll probably put the John Birch Society under the forthcoming section on CPAC's role in addressing controversy. Andrewman327 (talk) 19:21, 25 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327

Jon Stewart
I removed the Sentence stating that Jon Stewart mocked Glenn Beck on the Daily Show. What Stewart or anyone else says or does it not relevant to this piece. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.24.121.73 (talk) 22:14, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

List of speakers
I've removed the list of speakers for two reasons. One, it is a BLP issue. Second, the size of the lists distracted from the sections, which should be going back to 1973 (and the speaker lists would be disaster there). Third, most importantly, the focus should be on independent sources about the CPAC conferences in a narrative, not just who showed up and spoke. -- Ricky81682 (talk) 10:38, 24 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The lists are lengthy but I believe they add something to the article. A conference like CPAC is primarily about the speakers -- there will be vendors and networking and whatnot, but the speeches are the main thing.  Therefore, the lists, although long, are informative about the nature of the event.


 * Can you explain what BLP issue you see? If any particular listed person is someone who might consider it a negative to be identified with CPAC, then we could make sure the sourcing was solid, but most of those people would be more likely to consider it a negative if their names were removed from this article. JamesMLane t c 20:36, 27 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I agree with the people who say the speakers are a major part of the article. They are obviously the main attraction of CPAC. The very fact that the conference is notable stems mainly from people being familiar with the speeches given by speakers like Rush/Beck/Coulter/Gingrich/Cheney/Bush etc. We should bring them back. J390< (talk) 9:10, 14 October 2010 (UTC)

Proposed New Outline for Article
I am in the process of overhauling the article. I have already made substantial changes, but here is a list of things I plan to do as I have the time. Let me know what you think and feel free to take care of some of them yourself. I'm still trying to figure out how to describe each year's CPAC without making it seem like lots of boring lists.


 * General intro similar to how it is now.
 * The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), ), is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States
 * Significance of CPAC (in the media, American politics, conservative movement, etc.).
 * CPAC logistics
 * Attendance
 * Numbers have been growing in recent years. I will add a graph with the number of attendees per year.  Here's the data set from which I will generate the graph and you can edit it or create the graph by yourself: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmEiMVBkov-xdEdncWpWdHpzNmFfNGhLSElBNDRqRlE&hl=en
 * Roughly half of attendees are college students.
 * Descriptions of all awards given
 * Jeane Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award
 * Ronald Reagan Award
 * Defender of the Constitution Award
 * Blogger of the Year Award
 * Straw poll
 * Role of CPAC as a means of settling disputes regarding what the conservative movement should stand for (e.g. tea partiers versus social conservatives and attendees in the 70s who wanted to found a 3rd party versus GOP supporters)
 * Early CPAC history.
 * Recent CPACs
 * CPAC 2011
 * CPAC 2010
 * CPAC 2009
 * CPAC 2008
 * CPAC 2007
 * CPAC 2006

Andrewman327 (talk) 16:38, 24 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327 Andrewman327 (talk) 20:27, 31 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327


 * I personally have no problem with including boring lists in the description of each year's CPAC. The information is much more accessible than if we were to attempt to name all the speakers in a narrative, and the list of all speakers is useful information about the conference. JamesMLane t c 20:38, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

I'm glad you feel that way. It makes me task easier. What do you think about the rest of the proposed changes? Andrewman327 (talk) 06:19, 25 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327


 * I'm waiting to see how the "role in settling disputes" part works out. Generally, in American politics, disputes don't get settled except by elections, so any assertion of such a role for CPAC will need to be solidly sourced.  Other than that, your proposal looks fine to me.  It's partly a reorganization but you're also proposing to add a lot of material that's not in the article now.  This will improve the article if it can be done in accordance with Wikipedia policies (NPOV and verifiability).  Good luck! JamesMLane t c 05:48, 26 August 2010 (UTC)


 * Well put all around. I'll start with the basics that can be easily verified, like the different awards that are given.  I'm trying to focus on what a typical person who doesn't know anything about CPAC would want to learn from the article.  Too many Wikipedia articles delve into minutia without giving enough basic information first.

I'm more glib on a talk page than an actual article, so the real section will probably revolve around how CPAC shows the diversity of opinion of the conservative movement as opposed to actually settling issues between different factions. To wit: Several articles on the early CPACs talk about whether or not to found a third party and feelings about Richard Nixon. This year the narrative was establishment conservatives versus tea party activists. There are also the battles between social conservatives and Libertarians (see Huckabee's comments on why he skipped this year) and gay conservatives versus anti-gay groups. And don't get me started on the John Birch Society controversy. CPAC is a place where all of these groups work under the same roof (or, to invoke a cliche, under the same big tent). Andrewman327 (talk) 19:02, 26 August 2010 (UTC)andrewman327

LINKS I PLAN TO ADD: http://twitter.com/LisaDeP/status/9406757391

http://www.politicsmagazine.com/magazine-issues/june_2010/2010-republican-rising-stars

http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=IPS&docId=A221450994&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=va0047_002&version=1.0

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Snow_We_didnt_create_war_in_0301.html

http://0-proquest.umi.com.millennium.fallschurchva.gov/pqdweb?did=3460420&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=32207&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Andrewman327 (talk) 17:07, 1 September 2010 (UTC)andrewman327

GOPround controversy
Should we mention that the boycotters are frequently making the false claim that GOProud advocates same-sex marriage? 75.76.213.106 (talk) 04:36, 11 February 2011 (UTC)


 * If you have a reliable source to back it up. NYyankees51 (talk) 21:43, 11 February 2011 (UTC)


 * I think in depth controversies about GOProud should be kept on their page and linked to from this one.

reasoning for wording edits
I dunno who thought adding the "many conservatives" bit when it came to the straw poll, but last I checked, the citing for it was one blogger who has a deep hatred for marijuana usage and homosexuals, going so far as to call both immoral. "many" should denote a poll of some kind if used, and until further research on the subject would be done, minor dissent would be the best descriptor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.182.220.220 (talk) 04:55, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Social conservatives make up a very large part of the conservative movement; the Paulites/libertarians are a small minority. "Many" is accurate. NYyankees51 (talk) 20:35, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Many is not accurate unless you can properly cite it. ViperEmpire (talk) 04:39, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

2011 Straw Poll winner
It currently says Ron Paul, but no source is provided. Herman Cain won a CPAC straw poll in Orlando in September, however. Could the article explain this discrepancy?--Brian Dell (talk) 15:45, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
 * CPAC in Washington is the conference the article is about. CPAC Florida is like a sub-conference. NYyankees51 (talk) 18:33, 27 September 2011 (UTC)

Criticism Section
If a Criticism section actually contributes to the understanding of CPAC, then let's have a Criticism section. However, the current content in that section hardly offers any real criticism. Whereas the current Criticism section serves up emotionally charged partisan rhetoric from the political left, one could condense it into something more politically neutral, such as saying that CPAC has had a few controversial speakers. Or something like that. What is currently in the Criticism section is clearly from someone who just hates the other viewpoint. Let's make this entry respectable. RedSix (talk) 05:39, 10 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Excellent points. Delete the section and start over? – Lionel (talk) 06:42, 10 February 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree. It sounds more like sour grapes than reality based criticism.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.189.221.40 (talk) 11:45, 10 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Thanks--I'd been meaning to make those changes myself. Honestly, I don't think we usually need a "criticism" section for partisan activities. We can take it as read that when people in a democracy are active for side A, they will be criticized by people who disagree with side A; if they have speakers, the speakers will certainly be "controversial", because there's no point in arguing if there isn't a controversy. I'd only open up a criticism section if there's particularly noteworthy criticism--e.g. from the group's own side, or from very prominent people on the other side (like high officeholders). (For example, I think it might be noteworthy that prominent conservatives criticized the conference for banning GOProud--though that's currently well enough covered in the "Recent Conferences" section.) Narsil (talk) 21:40, 10 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Agree with delete the section and start over. Criticism sections in general are frowned upon in the guidelines (but I can't tell you which guideline!).  Would it do any good to explain the the editor who added it why it is not appropriate—or would that be bullying?  --  Kenatipo    speak! 00:11, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

2015 Straw Poll winner
Today, at noon PT (3pmET) the annual straw poll will be taken. Here is the schedule: -- AstroU (talk) 10:57, 28 February 2015 (UTC)


 * The nod of CPAC goes to Ron Paul ("3-pete", third year in a row). Scott Walker surges to 2nd.

By Washington Times Staff - The Washington Times - Saturday, February 28, 2015 Percent (for) Candidate
 * 25.7% for Sen. Rand Paul
 * 21.4% for Gov. Scott Walker
 * 11.5% for Sen. Ted Cruz
 * 11.4% for Dr. Ben Carson
 * 8.3% for Former Gov. Jeb Bush
 * 4.3% for Former Sen. Rick Santorum
 * 3.7% for Sen. Marco Rubio
 * 3.5% for Donald Trump
 * 3.0% for Carly Fiorina
 * 2.8% for Gov. Chris Christie
 * 1.1% for Former Gov. Rick Perry
 * 0.9% for Gov. Bobby Jindal
 * 0.8% for Former Gov. Sarah Palin
 * 0.3% for Former Gov. Mike Huckabee
 * 0.3% for Former Ambassador John Bolton
 * 0.1% for Sen. Lindsey Graham
 * 0.1% for Former Gov. George Pataki
 * 1.0% for Undecided
 * 0.7% for Other  I'll add more references later. Charles Edwin Shipp (talk) 23:08, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Pre-2006 Straw Poll Data
I'm having a surprisingly difficult time finding data on the straw poll results from before 2006. If anyone has access to old news paper archives or ACU documents with this information, please contribute. It would be great if we could fill in the blanks! Bomberjacket5 (talk) 19:42, 8 March 2015 (UTC)

Controversy section
The controversy section is organically out of place, and actually unnecessary. If the only "controversy" is Milo Yiannopoulos's now canceled invitation, that merits no mention in any article except Milo Yiannopoulos' article. It's also a good idea to avoid "controversy" or "criticism" sections in partisan subjects. --Bigeyedbeansfromvenus (talk) 00:24, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

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CPAC Stage
This is a poorly sourced, non-notable incident. The cited source is a satirical editorial from The New Hampshire Gazette--with no listed author. It has exactly one sentence on the incident. This is wholly WP:UNDUE and non-WP:RS. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 04:30, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * And this last edit is a pure WP:SYNTH vio, Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 05:02, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Remedied. Radio Adept (talk) 05:52, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * To name a few, the incident has been covered in Snopes, Slate, and the German public radio Deutschlandfunk. It seems far from being poorly sourced or non-notable. Radio Adept (talk) 05:52, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * I'm not too sure about the German radio source. However, with the Slate source, this deserves--at most--two sentences. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 06:04, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * I'm in agreement, I already deleted the golden Trump statue part for both being really idiotic and for doing more damage to the slanted coverage of recent events, this one seems to be fueled partially on conspiracy. I wholly doubt an organization that runs CPAC attended by majorly members of one of the two largest political parties in the U.S. is trying to sneak symbolisim of Nazi iconology after they threw out white supremacists from the event already. I'm concuring with maybe the introduction of two sentences, but even at that I'm so hesitant. I'd rather this article didn't get bogged down in nonsense Twitter hysteria. CaliIndie (talk) 20:40, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * , although I agree with you and in regard to the stage, the statue is unquestionably worthy of inclusion. Google it and see. Besides the The Hill, Market Watch, Vox, and The Guardian, which are all used as sources and which you deleted, it's covered by CNN, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Houston Chronicle, the Washington Examiner, Yahoo News, Newsweek, Reuters, and many more. Some of these sources have multiple stories on it. While the stage may be questionable, the statue is clearly not. I've reverted both deletions to WP:STATUSQUO until a consensus can be reached. WestCD (talk) 21:28, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * How is the statue not questionable, no I really don't care about the coverage, websites want clicks and report sensational trash all the time. CaliIndie (talk) 21:34, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * , The sourcing for the golden statue is obviously more solid than the stage incident. However, there is still the question of lasting impact. As for the stage incident, if all we have are low-quality sources, then it's pretty guaranteed there will be no lasting impact. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 21:35, 28 February 2021 (UTC)

I hope we can at least agree on this trim I made. This is not an article on Nazi symbols, so lets only include matters/citations relevant to the subject. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 21:49, 28 February 2021 (UTC)

, why are you re-adding so much irrelevant details? This is not an article on the history of the Rune. If readers want to learn more, they can simply click on the link. (and please learn the definition of vandalism) Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 22:24, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * As I said below, all sources include the background of the symbol, because it is not the symbol itself that is notable, but the background of that symbol. Relevant information is central to the incident's notability. Also, calling the people noticing the resemblance "mentally unsound" and calling Snopes a "far left joke website" certainly seems like vandalism to me. Radio Adept (talk) 22:42, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * , This is not an article on the symbol. This is an article on CPAC. Readers can click the link to read more about the symbol. We follow what the soucres write. "Also, calling the people noticing the resemblance "mentally unsound" and calling Snopes a "far left joke website" certainly seems like vandalism to me"--Um, I definitely never said that. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 22:50, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * "This symbol was adopted in Nazi Germany as the badge of the SS Race and Settlement Main Office,[35] responsible for maintaining the racial purity of the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS), as well as by the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, and many neo-Nazi groups worldwide.[36] The particular rendition with wings or serifs has no historical significance outside of Nazi Germany." This amount of information is WP:UNDUE to the extreme. And it's easily becoming a WP:COAT. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 23:05, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * I agree. Also, explaining the Nazi symbol to such a lengthy extent legitimizes Twitter users'accusation of ill intention on CPAC. Thomas Meng (talk) 01:58, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * , So are you saying you want to exclude the material from the article? You struck out your !vote down below. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 03:19, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * , I've changed it back. Sorry about that. Had I known that this section went at such lengths explaining the Nazi symbol, I would not have struck out my vote. I should definitely read the material under discussion next time before voting. Thomas Meng (talk) 21:23, 8 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I'm aware you didn't say those words; I was referring to the IP edit that was the subject of my "Undo vandalism" comment. (Though looking at the edit history, it looks like another user beat me to the undo.) Radio Adept (talk) 23:37, 28 February 2021 (UTC)

Straw poll
Note: Please place your !vote in the formal RfC down below. Thank you. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 21:58, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

Let's do this in an orderly fashion. All opposed to keeping or deleting the info about the stage and statue speak now or forever hold your peace. I'll start:
 *  Weak keep for the stage, Strong keep for the statue. As I mentioned above this is based on the amount of coverage for each one. WestCD (talk) 21:37, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Radio Adept has now proved the notability of the stage controversy, as silly as it may be. They now both clearly at least deserve a mention of some type on the page. WestCD (talk) 04:10, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong delete for both. Utterly stupid, a golden statue the media wants to throw a tantrum about doesn't warrant Wikipedia dedicating a subsection to, and the stage is leftist Alex Jones hogwash. CaliIndie (talk) 21:40, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete for the stage. No opinion yet on the statue. Having multiple RSs is the minimum we need to establish due weight --and we simply don't have that for the stage . Now that we have some decent sourcing, there are other problems too. This is simply a trivial matter and a clear WP:PROPORTION vio. What does a stage design have to do with CPAC? We need to stay on WP:TOPIC and actually write about CPAC--their history, their speakers, their policy preferences, etc. People getting offended by a stage has no WP:LASTING impact. We are under no obligation to insert every faux breaking news controversy. On a further note, this article has been tagged with recentism since 2017, and a sysop recently added the controversy tag. Instead of exacerbating the issues of this article by adding another phony controversy, let's work on actually trying to remove the maintenance templates by fixing pre-existing problems with the article. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 21:43, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * , are the 16 sources presented below by Radio Adept (including gold standards such as The Guardian and The Washington Post) enough to sway your opinion on sourcing? –dlthewave ☎ 03:32, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Sway my opinion on sourcing? Sure. Sway my opinion on deleting or keeping the edit? No, not really. I could refactor my !vote with a different justification for excluding the edit, if you like. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 03:35, 2 March 2021 (UTC) th
 * I mean, if you want that part of your !vote to stand, you'll probably want to change it. When consensus is assessed, !votes based on concerns that have already been addressed are usually disregarded. –dlthewave ☎ 03:43, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * You're right, I changed it. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 04:48, 2 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Keep for both. User:WestCD already gave a thorough overview of the coverage on the statue. The stage's shape has been covered by Snopes, Slate, Business Insider, the Orlando Sentinel, IB Times, HuffPost, and the German public radio Deutschlandfunk, to name a few. It seems far from being poorly sourced or non-notable. Also, all sources include the background of the symbol, because it is not the symbol itself that is notable, but the background of that symbol. Relevant information is central to the incident's notability. Radio Adept (talk) 22:03, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Also, there is no "speak now or forever hold your peace" for an impromptu, unofficial poll. Radio Adept (talk) 22:14, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Since making this comment, The Guardian and Reuters have both published full-length articles about the stage's shape. Notability is no longer a question. Radio Adept (talk) 03:04, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep both the golden idol and the rune stage. The statue has been covered by The New York Times and BBC News, which establish notability without question. Conjecture about the rune stage is already so widespread that Snopes has published a page about it, saying the intent is not yet clear, indicating their expectation that more investigation will yield an answer. I agree with their assessment that further investigation will bring the intent to light. In the meantime, our readers can satisfy their interest with the pieces written by staff reporter Kelsey Vlamis of Insider, former columnist Daniel Politi writing for Slate.com, and the Orlando Sentinel. Of course, we conclude with Snopes' assessment. Binksternet (talk) 22:31, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete: This seems like a case of someone finding an excuse to be outranged and then a few unsympathetic sources running with it. Is there any evidence this was a deliberate choice or the organization in any way wanted to call upon Nazi or Nortic symbols vs this was simply a design choice? Springee (talk) 23:46, 28 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep the statue. Several reliable sources, such as NYT, Independent, CNN, The Guardian, The Hill, Slate, Vox, and Reuters have covered it. And there are also other, less reliable sources, such as Fox. As for the stage, I'm not sure. Ahmadtalk 01:29, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Hyatt issued a statement calling "symbols of hate" "abhorrent" (as reflected in the article). This statement got coverage in reliable sources: Reuters, The Guardian, Washington Post and Independent are the ones I could find, and, in my opinion, more are likely to follow. So, I'd say keep the part about the stage, too, but we should also cover the statements coming from CPAC organizers for the sake of neutrality. Ahmadtalk 11:11, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Delete. Re the statue: no need to give publicity for a sculptor's for-sale product. Re the supposed Nazi symbol: if it had looked like an H somebody could have decided that refers to Hitler, if it had looked like a V that's a symbol used by Churchill and he was a racist, etc. Peter Gulutzan (talk) 02:11, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Those analogies don't make sense. The Odal rune is known to be a popular alternative to Nazi symbols, in contexts where overt Nazi imagery would be distasteful. For example, from a 2016 statement by the National Socialist Movement: "The NSM will be ceasing public use of the swastika effective Nov. 5th, 2016. Our flags and banners now bear the Odal Rune, and our patches will soon follow suit. To some this may seem a major change, as we have fought long and hard under the swastika for decades. This change is not up for debate, nor was it done on a whim. The Party Leadership has every intention to bring our Party, our Leaders, our Members and Supporters into the halls of Government here in the United States, and to do that we must reach more of the public. The masses believe exactly as we do, but have steered clear of us due to our use of the swastika. Your Party Platform remains the same, your Party remains unchanged, it is a cosmetic overhaul only."Not exactly the same as interpreting "H" to refer to Hitler. Radio Adept (talk) 02:59, 1 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Based on the replies above I think it's clear there is no consensus for including this material here (stage, no comment on the statue). I have removed it from the article.  If consensus changes then of course it can be restored.  Springee (talk) 12:24, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * There's no reason to expect consensus on such an inherently politically charged topic. What matters are the facts, and the facts are clear—this incident, given its extensive coverage in many high-quality outlets, is notable. Radio Adept (talk) 14:51, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * 1) We always need consensus. 2) Please read WP:TRUE. We don't need to include every ridiculous "fact" in every article. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 15:01, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * When you are reduced to "I don't like it" arguments, your power of leverage is reduced, and a simple straw poll will not represent the proper consensus. Counting heads is not how we do consensus. I have not seen anyone on the "delete" side of the debate describe how Reuters and BBC News and the Orlando Sentinel and the Guardian UK etc. can be considered insufficient to establish the importance of this issue. Binksternet (talk) 15:32, 1 March 2021 (UTC)


 * (edit conflict) Consensus is based on policy based !votes, which I don't see at all on the "delete" side. Rationale such as "Utterly stupid, a golden statue the media wants to throw a tantrum about doesn't warrant Wikipedia dedicating a subsection to"; "This seems like a case of someone finding an excuse to be outranged; "no need to give publicity for a sculptor's for-sale product" are just editors' opinions which do not in any way reflect Wikipedia policy and would be thrown out by any closing admin. Dr. Swag Lord's mention of sourcing is more on the mark, but it seems that those concerns have been mitigated now that more sources are available. –dlthewave ☎ 15:34, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Which policy applies here? ONUS certainly applies.  This is trivia.  We have sources that started with a twitter account that said the stage looked like an Odal.  This seems to have caused a stir with click bait stories from sources that have been hostile to conservatives as of late.  But what does it actually tell the reader about CPAC?  Does anyone think CPAC actually meant to dog whistle a symbol used by some Nazi orgs?  Is this actually something that is widely recognized?  I suspect most people would avoid using things that looked like a swastikas' even accidentally.  The same is true of the stylized Nazi "SS".  But are people even widely aware of the Odal-Nazi connection?  Do any of the sources claim this was deliberate?  Conservatives are generally very supportive of Israel so why would CPAC want to use a Nazi associated symbol?  Additionally, when one looks at not just the stage but the whole set it's easier to see this this as an inadvertent likeness.  So why would we include an inadvertent likeness?  We aren't required to include trivia just because it was mentioned by generally RSs.  This is just such a case.  Springee (talk) 15:51, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * WP:DUE would be the relevant policy, and this section covers several viewpoints of a controversy that emerged from CPAC 2021 which was reported widely by reliable sources. Whether or not the incident was intentional is irrelevant to policy and not up to us to answer or decide. Its widespread coverage merits inclusion in my opinion. I would dispute the trivia characterization, this was a significant controversy related to the event. –dlthewave ☎ 16:09, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * WP:BALASP, An article should not give undue weight to minor aspects of its subject, but should strive to treat each aspect with a weight proportional to its treatment in the body of reliable, published material on the subject. For example, discussion of isolated events, criticisms, or news reports about a subject may be verifiable and impartial, but still disproportionate to their overall significance to the article topic. This is a concern especially in relation to recent events that may be in the news. This is a minor aspect of the subject.  This is a recent event that won't likely survive the 10 year test.  If it does then we can add the material then.  Springee (talk) 16:31, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Perhaps this Odal rune thing will be seen ten years from now as a foundational moment in the group's evolution. We don't know, of course, if the issue will later be deemed trivial or critical. So what we do in this situation is tell the reader about the things that they came here to read. If we don't summarize the widespread media depictions, then we are not serving the reader. Binksternet (talk) 16:53, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * It might but that would be a WP:CRYSTAL issue. Also, we don't know why people came here to read this article.  We aren't serving the reader by including content that runs afoul of RECENT and could suggest something about the group that isn't true.  Springee (talk) 17:07, 1 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Keep Both These incidents have received widespread coverage by reliable sources (See Radio Adept's list below), which is how WP:DUE WEIGHT is determined. –dlthewave ☎ 15:22, 1 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Strong deleteIt's bad enough the entire page seems to be centered around the controversies section let alone this nonsense being included. Twitter speculation? Spare me! Alexandre8 (talk) 22:19, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Did you...really just blank the entire section just because you didn't like it? The sources above include many universally considered to be high-quality and "mainstream". Your revision comment is this a joke? makes your blanking border on vandalism. Radio Adept (talk) 03:16, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * , Please try to WP:AGF. An edit that's made in good faith in an effort to improve Wikipedia--no matter how much you disagree with the edit--is not an act of vandalism. Also, questioning another editor's motives is not acceptable either. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 03:26, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * WP:AOBF cautions against accusing bad faith without clear evidence. The edit summary dismissed the cited mainstream sources at the time (Snopes, The Guardian, Reuters) as not main stream and exclaimed is this a joke?, which is hard to interpret as good faith. And frivolous blanking is considered vandalism; please consult WP:VANDTYPES. Radio Adept (talk) 03:39, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * A stage coincidentally looking like a Nazi symbol? You'll have to forgive me for my frivolous comment! Surely ladies and gentleman Wikipedia is not the home to such outlandish speculation, Guardian sources or not. This is not the Wikipedia that many of us who have been here for years wish to see! Wishing everyone a good day!Alexandre8 (talk) 13:50, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * , A formal RfC has been started down below. You may input your opinions there, if you wish. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 04:33, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Many thanks! Have added my tuppence! Alexandre8 (talk) 12:01, 4 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Strong delete Sorry but nonsense like this is why I've stopped donating to Wikipedia and while I was never a big content contributor I no longer wish to be associated with the people posting here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tvillars (talk • contribs) 21:16, 10 March 2021 (UTC)
 * , Since there was no clear consensus in this straw poll, a formal RfC was started below. Feel free to place your !vote there. (I'm gonna place a note up top). Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 21:55, 10 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Strong delete Please just stop, CPAC has been here for decades and only 2021 is listed? Bongey (talk) 23:59, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

Recentism?
The CPAC has existed since the 1970s and was attended by famous historical figures like Ronald Reagan. Yet almost the entire article text is focused on what happened in the 2010s and 2020s. PBZE (talk) 16:42, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I'm sure more historical information would be welcome. -- Pemilligan (talk) 17:02, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Recentism and a WP:CONTROVERSYSECTION to boot. This article needs work, especially from a historical perspective. – Muboshgu (talk) 21:55, 1 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Agreed. For starters, does anyone else see a problem with the "Fringe Groups" section? I don't think GOProud or the Log Cabin Republicans are considered fringe groups. And I don't really understand what's controversial about them co-sponsoring with CPAC. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 03:17, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * perhaps this is a bit much, but maybe we should have articles for each yearly CPAC? That would allow only having the most important topical information here. Elli (talk &#124; contribs) 01:54, 6 March 2021 (UTC)

RfC CPAC stage Odal shape
Should the article mention that some sources noted the CPAC 2021 stage had an appearance similar to the Odal rune, a symbol used by some Nazi units and neo-Nazi groups?

Sources listed in section above. Springee (talk) 04:51, 2 March 2021 (UTC)

Survey Stage

 * Oppose This is a classic example of RECENT. None of the sources are claiming this was an intentional association.  As such it says very little about the CPAC organization, their proposed policies etc.  It's a gaff and emphasizing it is in effect emphasizing something that is little more than trivia.  Many of the source reporting this are reporting on the Twitter activity around it and aren't ascribing any intent or motivation on the part of CPAC.  Other than having a laugh at an unfortunate design choice (and how many here would honestly have made the connection had it not been pointed out) what value is this in the article?  How would this stand up to the 10 year test? Springee (talk) 04:51, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose This is simply a trivial matter and a clear WP:PROPORTION vio. What does a stage design have to do with CPAC? We need to stay on WP:TOPIC and actually write about CPAC--their history, their speakers, their policy preferences, etc. People getting offended by a stage has no WP:LASTING impact. We are under no obligation to insert every faux breaking news controversy in this article. On a further note, this article has been tagged with recentism since 2017, and a sysop recently added the controversy tag. Instead of exacerbating the issues of this article by adding another phony controversy, let's work on actually trying to remove the maintenance templates by fixing pre-existing problems with the article Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 04:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Absolutely yes. Numerous high quality media reports have been dedicated to the issue. It's basically notable enough to meet WP:GNG and have its own article. But our readers will be better served by keeping the material here in this article to show the proper context, and in any case this article would have one paragraph about the issue with a link to the separate article, so there's really no point in writing a separate article. Binksternet (talk) 07:02, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong oppose As Springee said, there is no implication by the sources that this was intentional, and was little more than a gaff. He's also right when he says it's a classic case of WP:RECENT. I also echo Dr. Swag Lord's comments. — Czello 08:32, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong Support. Countless high-quality sources, left- and right-leaning, domestic and international, including gold standards such as Reuters and The Washington Post, have deemed this topic notable enough to dedicate full-length articles to its collectively tens of millions of readers worldwide (see above for list). The incident was notable enough to provoke a statement from Hyatt, a reply from the CPAC organizer, and a condemnation from the International Auschwitz Committee. None of them thought this was a "phony controversy"—otherwise, they wouldn't have paid this any mind. (Recall that Dr.Swag Lord, Ph.d's original reason for blanking this section was that it was WP:FORBESCON, then that it was "poorly sourced, non-notable".)
 * Intentional association does not matter and, unless the actual CAD designer of the stage takes a polygraph, may never be known; instead, the resemblance itself, and how it was perceived by vast sections of the general public, was notable. If the incident weren't politically polarizing—rather, if this were any other topic—there would be no doubt among editors that this passes notability as a topic about which readers would like to learn.
 * WP:RECENT is not the silver bullet against this incident's inclusion. Recent events are perfectly under the purview of Wikipedia, and this incident passes the WP:10YEARTEST: Far from a random gaffe or embarrassment (e.g., a wardrobe mishap, a misspoken word), this incident received exactly as much coverage and scrutiny as it did because it came at the heels of a trend of rising far-right and populist sentiment within the United States and worldwide. It is not hard to imagine that in 10 years' time, historians may mark this incident as a significant moment in the trend.
 * I therefore strongly support including this clearly notable incident—with the added caveat that it also include the CPAC organizer's statement, as Ahmad252 said in the previous poll above, for sake of neutrality. Radio Adept (talk) 09:16, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Comment: looking through the sources discussing this, what seems to be notable or newsworthy is the social media response/outrage to the incident, rather than the shape of the stage itself. That historians would think in 10 years that some social media outrage over a silly gaffe is "a significant moment in the trend [of rising far-right and populist sentiment]" is kind of ridiculous. Volteer1 (talk) 17:55, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Actually, most sources focused on either Hyatt's statement, the CPAC organizer's response, or both. (Interestingly, many German sources focused on the Auschwitz Committee's statement.) It is clear from their words that no party involved thought this was a "silly gaffe"; Hyatt said they were taking this incident "very seriously" and had "deep concerns", and the CPAC organizer Matt Schlapp said the claim was "outrageous and slanderous". Not the kind of words you use for something silly. Radio Adept (talk) 19:04, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Did any source claim it was an intentional association? Did any source claim it represented the message/intent/etc of CPAC? Springee (talk) 19:07, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Please read my comment above about intentionality. Radio Adept (talk) 19:09, 2 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Oppose. The claim that the British royal family are shape-shifting lizards goes in the article about the claimer (David Icke) rather than in the article about the British royal family, because the sources cited for it are really about the claim and not about them. The odal claim is also silly as explained in our earlier discussion, and the sources cited for it could be about the Twitter claimers rather than about CPAC. Peter Gulutzan (talk) 15:18, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose For reasons I've already stated in the prior section. CaliIndie (talk) 17:26, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Your reasons given above include "seems to be fueled partially on conspiracy", "no I really don't care about the coverage", and "the stage is leftist Alex Jones hogwash" along with your personal opinion that CPAC would not do this intentionally. We can and do cover notable controversies and even conspiracies associated with the topic. These types of arguments are routinely thrown out by closing admins; if you have a policy-based reason for exclusion (perhaps I've missed it), I would suggest adding it here. –dlthewave ☎ 18:06, 2 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Support This is a noted controversy associated with the event that has received significant RS coverage, enough to establish due weight. The thing that sets this apart from mere trivia is the extent to which involved parties as well as experts in the field have weighed in; we have sources that cover the views of the American Conservative Union, Hyatt (which hosted the conference) and even dive into the history of the rune's use as a white supremacist symbol. Intentional or not, at this point the rune resemblance is far beyond social media controversy status. –dlthewave ☎ 17:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * What is the controversy? Are sources saying that CPAC knowingly used the symbol?  Remember, this is an article about CPAC not about how social media can run away with a gaff.  Springee (talk) 18:33, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * If it was a simple gaffe then CPAC would have reconfigured the stage overnight to avoid the association with neo-Nazis. Binksternet (talk) 21:41, 2 March 2021 (UTC)


 * STRONG Oppose - it's not a controversy, it's clickbait and it's based on pure speculation and political yada yada - it even has a conspiracy theory ring to it. Worse yet, it dishonors, and makes light of the suffering of the people who actually lost loved ones to extremist genocidal political parties. I've never seen that shape before in my life, and certainly wouldn't associate it to such an abhorrent time in our world history; it doesn't look anything like a Swastika. I cannot believe media has stooped to that low a level - actually taking the shape of a stage and trying to make it into something it clearly is not. That is not news, and it certainly is not encyclopedic. Just because a few extremists happen to support a particular candidate doesn't mean the whole party aligns with their extremist views - that's political BS. Are people going to see the Democrats as communists because communists support them? This is ludicrous! It tells me media is struggling for readers if they're stooping that low.  Atsme 💬 📧 20:48, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Comment: Your vote is rife with unsourced claims. It dishonors, and makes light of the suffering of the people who actually lost their loved ones, according to whom? The actual Auschwitz Committee, formed by survivors of the Auschwitz death camp, disagrees with your claim; the Auschwitz Committee "sharply criticized the stage design", saying that "for several years now, Nazi groups in the USA have been using the Odal rune in their dealings with the public". Also, what is your source that communists support [the Democrat party]? I would think that communists would support the Communist Party USA instead. Radio Adept (talk) 21:15, 2 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Oppose It just obviously has little encyclopedic value if it isn't intentional, and sources don't say it was intentional. Did anyone check the shapes of the clouds over the event? Shinealittlelight (talk) 22:23, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Well, no one noted the shape of the clouds, so I'd say the clouds were fine. If the shape of the clouds that day had spurred widespread global coverage by mainstream reputable sources as well as statements from Hyatt, CPAC and prominent Jewish groups, then we can debate its inclusion in Wikipedia. Radio Adept (talk) 03:12, 3 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Oppose, per . Additionally, I think covering this speculative theory seems like an ad hominum attack: without countering the arguments made at the event, this speculation directly attacks the event's reputation by labeling it as Nazi. On the other hand, if it were to be included, it would just make people who agree with CPAC's views detest Wikipedia, as they might view WP as promoting conspiracy theories. Thomas Meng (talk) 02:37, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * There is no "attack"—the section in its present state includes the CPAC organizer's total dismissal of any intentional resemblance, which all sources cited also mention. Both sides are presented here. Why censor it? Because some people might dislike it? Radio Adept (talk) 03:12, 3 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Comment A coincidental resemblance is not encyclopedic. However, the spate of tweets shows that Twitter users have an intimate familiarity with and interest in Nazi symbols. Therefore, it would be appropriate to mention this at Twitter. Adoring nanny (talk) 02:55, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose A couple of lines may be appropriate within the context of a good article, but this currently takes up 8% of an article concerning a significant annual event that has been running for nearly half a century. Rubiscous (talk) 10:44, 3 March 2021 (UTC)


 * To illustrate my point, here are articles in The Independent relating to the stage controversy:
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/hyatt-cpac-stage-nazi-odal-rune-b1810233.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-hyatt-nazi-rune-b1808993.html
 * Whereas, here are articles published by The Independent about CPAC this year which are unrelated to the stage controversy:
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-cpac-speech-2021-b1809208.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-cpac-speech-today-2024-b1808902.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-trump-gold-statue-mexico-b1811720.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-trucks-trump-january-6th-b1808943.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/watch-live-as-donald-trump-speaks-at-cpac-2021-lngiZduo
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-supporters-money-cpac-speech-b1808998.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-speech-fact-check-b1808957.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-speech-today-2021-b1808907.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-speech-b1808824.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-schedule-speakers-trump-cruz-2024-b1807632.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-transgender-athletes-cpac-speech-b1808917.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-trump-news-latest-updates-live-cpac-b1809073.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-covid-vaccine-credit-cpac-b1808929.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/paul-gosar-afpac-cpac-fuenetes-b1808678.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-lindell-mypillow-ceo-conspiracy-b1809053.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-japanese-cult-leader-hrioaki-jay-aeb-b1808229.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/cpac-donald-trump-jr-kimberly-guilfoyle-speech-b1808338.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-cnn-jim-acosta-video-b1808234.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pete-hegseth-donald-trump-diners-cpac-b1808868.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/republicans-gop-cpac-covid-relief-b1808424.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-speech-supreme-court-election-b1809009.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ted-cruz-aoc-cpac-speech-b1808197.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-2021-masks-covid-crowd-b1808160.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ted-cruz-cpac-speech-cancun-trip-mexico-b1808610.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-merchandise-trump-biden-b1808186.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/marsha-blackburn-cpac-trump-fact-check-b1808321.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mary-trump-donald-president-2024-b1809502.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pence-cpac-2021-trump-b1805721.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-speech-2024-republican-party-b1808930.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-golden-statue-cpac-mexico-b1808553.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pompeo-cpac-aoc-democrats-b1808851.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/john-brennan-cia-msnbc-cpac-b1810912.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-jr-cpac-speech-2021-b1808328.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-trump-ron-desantis-mike-lee-covid-b1808106.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-2024-election-cpac-speech-b1808911.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-office-speech-b1805201.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-young-pharaoh-america-uncanceled-speaker-jews-b1805950.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-pence-cpac-capitol-republicans-b1805940.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-ted-cruz-john-boehner-gop-b1808223.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/biden-covid-texas-trump-cpac-b1806376.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-2024-election-republicans-cpac-b1809286.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/editors-letters/cpac-trump-mike-pence-kimberley-guilfoyle-ted-cruz-b1806974.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/liz-cheney-kevin-mccarthy-trump-cpcac-b1806948.html
 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/liz-cheney-kevin-mccarthy-trump-cpcac-b1806948.html


 * That's just one source, and it's not even American. Just because articles have been written about an incident doesn't mean it's significant when in context. Rubiscous (talk) 16:55, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Given the prominence of CPAC that you demonstrated, I'd say that's all the more reason that its Wikipedia article should be expanded with more information. The History section is pitifully lacking, and another concern raised was that the present article focuses too much on controversies. An expanded History section that includes the prominent notable controversies would solve all these issues. Not including the notable controversy about its stage shape, just to ensure that the article remains in a uniformly sorry state, is no solution. Radio Adept (talk) 18:11, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * The idea that this article should be expanded simply by looking for past controversies is concerning. Our articles are supposed to be balanced, not a laundry list of negative things we can find.  Springee (talk) 19:01, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * What do you mean "looking for past controversies"? There is barely any history of CPAC represented here, except its founding year and its association to ACU and YAF. Even a cursory Google search reveals a history tying CPAC to the ouster of Nixon amid the Watergate scandal, launching the Reagan era, and boosting potential Republican stars, including Donald Trump long before even his candidacy. The way to maintain balance is to add notable information to the article, not to censor notable controversies that some editors personally dislike. Radio Adept (talk) 20:49, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * We're up to 9% of the article now. For an incident that only constituted 4% of CPAC coverage in The Independent over the last two weeks. An article specifically about CPAC 2021 would have to be twice as long as this one is currently for 3575 bytes to constitute due weight. This article concerns every CPAC going back to 1974, for the current text to be appropriate the rest would have to be expanded to become the longest article on Wikipedia. Rubiscous (talk) 21:35, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Thinking about that further, CPAC 2021 clearly passes WP:GNG in its own right, and I would argue easily passes WP:EVENT also. It would be difficult for anyone to argue that the stage controversy wouldn't belong in a CPAC 2021 article. Perhaps that is the answer. Rubiscous (talk) 22:16, 3 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Support Given the wide coverage, it should be mentioned, and it is relevant given widespread suspicion of Nazi influence on the far right.Brianyoumans (talk) 19:31, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Support BUT it should be shortened and maybe merged into another section if possible. Although it has enough coverage to be mentioned, it is still fairly silly and most likely unintentional, and so doesn't need the in-depth attention it currently is receiving on the page. It deserves one, maybe two sentences. For instance: maybe think about expanding the "Fringe groups at CPAC" sub-section to explicitly mention Nazis, then mention the stage there as a possible example of their influence. I don't know exactly, but the whole "Controversies" section probably needs to be re-worked, so I think it would be possible to find a place for a sentence or two about the stage without having its own sub section with two whole paragraphs about it. WestCD (talk) 20:51, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong Oppose Information like this adds little to no encaeclopaedic value. It's speculation, sourced or un sourced. What is the intended goal? To call CPAC nazis? To highlight a funny coincidence? To bulk out the article with opinion pieces? WP:Proportion. Peace out. Alexandre8 (talk) 11:58, 4 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Which of the cited sources is an opinion piece? –dlthewave ☎ 16:07, 7 March 2021 (UTC)

Support Widely covered in many major sources. Maybe doesn't need its own section but definitely coverage. Reywas92Talk 10:07, 9 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong Support, since the topic is definitely notable enough to warrant inclusion, with the caveat that this should only be mentioned minimally (at most, one or two sentences); generally, controversies should be moved from the History to a new Controversies section. The layout right now doesn't make any sense. TucanHolmes  (talk) 17:31, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong delete Sorry but nonsense like this is why I've stopped donating to Wikipedia and while I was never a big content contributor I no longer wish to be associated with the people posting here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tvillars (talk • contribs) 21:16, 10 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong Oppose Again this isn't something that should even be talked about it is nothing but rumor mill. Bongey (talk) 00:03, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong Oppose, unintentional and not noteworthy--Steamboat2020 (talk) 15:58, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Weak Support: I don't think a gaffe that went viral on social media 10 years ago is going to be particularly noteworthy in 10 years time, but I think this event has received enough coverage to warrant inclusion. I do, however, think this section should be far shorter than it currently is, the detail doesn't seem due. Volteer1 (talk) 17:12, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
 * As a minor point in context - Having the rune resemblance being such a prominent part of the "history" section, one of a handful of subsections, doesn't make sense to me (I'm going by this version, current at time of writing). What makes more sense is a subsection/paragraph(s) about the 2021 event, which received a huge amount of coverage, with a big portion of that coverage highlighting disinformation, extremism, and yes, race-related issues. Within that context, the rune should be a sentence or two at most. It got a lot of coverage, but comparatively less than other aspects of the event, except as a brief mention. &mdash; Rhododendrites  talk \\ 18:14, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Strong Oppose I was sure I had already given an opinion, but clearly not. Even if it wasn't just some Twitter theory and did need including, it shouldn't be included in this article as CPAC had little or nothing to do with the stage design as outlined in sources. Kind regards, Willbb234Talk (please &#123;&#123;ping&#125;&#125; me in replies) 12:39, 29 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Oppose. If you dig into the news archives about CPACs past, you'll find all sorts of controversies that nobody remembers today. It's the nature of the political news cycle. These mini-controversies aren't fit for extensive coverage in an encyclopedia. Andrew327 15:39, 30 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Support There are many, many good sources referring to this incident and it led to a huge increase in traffic on the Odal (rune) page. Whether it was inadvertent or not is not the relevant issue here. I'm not what sure what basis there could be for excluding it Noteduck (talk) 06:54, 1 April 2021 (UTC)

Discussion Stage

 * I think we should point out that this observation was not made by any of the sources. Basically every single source attributes the outcry to Twitter users. Why do we care what a bunch of Twitter users have to say? It's not the purpose of Wikipedia to report viral social media sensationalism  Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 22:03, 2 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Wow, you're straining for reasons. Certainly the issue has moved past Twitter. But if the media thought so little of Twitter in the first place, they would not have reported on the issue. Binksternet (talk) 22:16, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Once again, we are not the media. We write articles from a historical perspective. The media will literally report on anything that will result in clicks. And absolutely anything with "Nazi" in the headline is guaranteed to generate clicks. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 22:28, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Not true. The latest drama about Minecraft YouTubers will generate (and has generated) a LOT of clicks. But you didn't see Reuters, The Washington Post, The Guardian and The Independent covering it, because it was not notable to the general public and didn't meet editorial scrutiny. This incident involving the CPAC stage shape, however, did. Radio Adept (talk) 23:03, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * The average Washington Post or Guardian reader does not care about Minecraft. I guarantee you that if there was any way to connect Minecraft Youtubers to Nazism/white supremacy then the media would certainly cover it. And I don't even have to guess! Just Google "PewDiePie + racism." Or, look just look at these articles:, , , , , , , . Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 23:34, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * So what's your point? That PewDiePie's alleged racism controversies should be included in his Wikipedia page? You're in luck, because they already are. And if you're saying CPAC's stage shape controversy should be included in CPAC's article, then I wholeheartedly agree. Radio Adept (talk) 23:50, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * No, my point is that the purpose of the media is to generate clicks. The media can generate clicks by connecting things to white supremacy/nazism. The purpose of Wikipedia is not to generate clicks. That's why we need to write articles from a historical perspective and resist adding in every breaking news controversy. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 23:59, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * So how would you explain the inclusion of PewDiePie's alleged racism incidents in his Wikipedia article? I remember those were quite the breaking-news controversies back in the day. Radio Adept (talk) 00:05, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Why are you cherry-picking and slice-and-dicing specific sentences from the middles of articles? Let's look at the headlines of those same articles you cited, for a more objective view:
 * Reuters: "Hyatt calls hate symbols 'abhorrent' after CPAC stage compared to sign used by Nazis"
 * US News: "Hyatt Calls Hate Symbols 'Abhorrent' After CPAC Stage Compared to Sign Used by Nazis"
 * Snopes: "Was the CPAC Stage Intentionally Shaped Like a Nazi Symbol?"
 * The Independent: "Hyatt Hotels says hate symbols ‘abhorrent’ amid comparisons of CPAC stage to Nazi rune"
 * Business Insider: "CPAC stage is shaped like a Nordic rune used on some Nazi uniforms"
 * The Guardian: "CPAC: Hyatt Hotels says stage resembling Nazi rune is 'abhorrent'"
 * Forbes:"How A Nazi Symbol At CPAC Turned Into A Massive Hyatt Public Relations Disaster"
 * With the exception of Snopes (a fact-checking website), basically every single source focuses on the incidents' implications on CPAC and Hyatt's public images, as well as their statements and ramifications. Radio Adept (talk) 23:03, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Per WP:HEADLINES, headlines are completely irrelevant and we should not pay attention to them. Practically every article says two things: 1) Angry Twitter users were outraged over a stage design; 2) Hyatt was forced to apologize to angry Twitter users for PR purposes. That's all there is to this pseudo-controversy. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 23:50, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * That is in fact not what WP:HEADLINES says, and I'm not sure why you said so since it is very easy to check—it says News headlines are not a reliable source if the information in the headline is not explicitly supported in the body of the source. As it turns out, the headlines were explicitly supported in the body of the source. Also, an editor's personal opinion that this is a "pseudo-controversy" is irrelevant when determining notability. Radio Adept (talk) 23:56, 2 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Ah, but you forgot the best part: Headlines are written to grab readers' attention quickly and briefly; they may be overstated or lack context, and sometimes contain exaggerations or sensationalized claims with the intention of attracting readers to an otherwise reliable article. We shouldn't use a headline as a way to summarize the article. Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 00:02, 3 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Snopes should not be treated differently to other sources just because of the format in which it presents its journalism. Rubiscous (talk) 11:05, 3 March 2021 (UTC)

*Comment Who put up the canvassing template? Dr. Swag Lord (talk) 21:21, 10 March 2021 (UTC)
 * It appears the the firm that designed the stage, Design Foundry is taking responsibility for this [][]. Design foundry has done previous CPAC work as well as work for Citibank, Target, MSNBC.  Springee (talk) 23:51, 3 March 2021 (UTC)

RfC CPAC stage Odal shape - at Odal_(rune) article
A RfC has been opened at Talk:Odal_(rune). The question is, "Should the article mention the that some sources noted the CPAC stage had an appearance similar to a Odal?". This is largely the same question as above but applied to the Odal article vs the CPAC article. Springee (talk) 01:49, 14 March 2021 (UTC)

Hungary
Is it clear whether the Hungary conference in fact had any connection with the American CPAC/ACU? If it doesn't, we should indicate that and discuss how closely they were connected - for instance, did the ACU specifically disclaim any connection? Brianyoumans (talk) 15:56, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
 * I think you are correct. It's not clear the group is associated with the one based in the US.
 * Since that section is being discussed, I disagree with calling Jack Posobiec a conspiracy theorist in wiki voice in this article. The sourcing in this article certainly doesn't support it.  In the Posobic BLP isn't not clear if the sources are strong enough to include such a LABEL in wiki voice.  Even if we take for granted that the other article is correct in using the term in wiki voice, a critical difference is that the primary article provides (or at least should provide) the context associated with that claim.  This article does not thus we need to keep contentious labels about BLP subjects to a minimum.  Even "far-right" could be a concern but it at least is basically supported by the citation, the other isn't.  That said, I think your concern regarding if this is even the same association takes precedence here.  If it's not the same group or an officially associated group then it should be removed from this article.  Springee (talk) 22:52, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Different conferences?
I've seen a lot of chatter about an imminent CPAC (writing this on 6th August) but the article says CPAC 2022 already happened in February. Is that an error, or are there 2 different conferences (or similarly named conferences with the same acronym)? If there are different conferences, could someone make a disambiguation link? 84.71.128.124 (talk) 13:41, 6 August 2022 (UTC)


 * The page states there were 2 CPAC conferences in the U.S. in 2021 and 2 CPAC conferences in the U.S. in 2022, in addition to CPACs outside the U.S. With so many conferences, CPAC is really a "semi-annual political conference" now and no longer just an "annual political conference". TomStike (talk) 16:25, 4 March 2023 (UTC)

"we are all domestic terrorists"
Sourced and relevant content about the most recent CPAC has been reverted with the argument that it isn't an article about the 2022 conference. This claim is hard for me to believe, given that about 50% of the page content is devoted to stuff that happened at individual CPACs (and not diverted to individual articles on the specific years--which of course don't exist).

What should happen now is we find a way to include this material in a manner consistent with the way we already include year-specific content. Protonk (talk) 23:34, 21 August 2022 (UTC)
 * this is a proposed compromise, taking out the new section header and removing some information which isn't strictly necessary. I'd prefer we say more and I would like us to reintroduce commentary on it (including that it was ostensibly intended as a joke), but since mention of this association with terrorism has been deemed "UNDUE" I'm trying to work with that. Protonk (talk) 23:38, 21 August 2022 (UTC)
 * It would have been better (more NOCON compliant) to wait until this discussion had completed to restore the disputed content. Your edits don't really address the concern.  Springee (talk) 23:42, 21 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Your concern appears to be that it doesn't belong at all so there's no way for me to address that. Protonk (talk) 00:07, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * We didn't have consensus when you restored disrupted content. I was noting NOCON says we should get consensus first.  That said, starting this discussion is certainly the correct next step. Springee (talk) 00:17, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * And again, I'll note that your concern is it shouldn't be in the article so it is impossible for my edits to address the concern. So it's perhaps fair to say that I should have gone to the talk page on behalf of some IP editor you reverted, but that's not what I'm objecting to here. Protonk (talk) 00:34, 22 August 2022 (UTC)


 * Oppose as undue. First, this is an article about CPAC in general, not a specific minor incident that won't pass the 10 year test.  Second, the sourcing isn't strong.  Chron appears to be a lifestyle media source.  Snopes confirms it happened but is that sufficient to give it WEIGHT for inclusion?  A decade from now will this be worth discussing?  I don't think so and if I'm wrong we can add it later.  It's not DUE now.  Springee (talk) 23:42, 21 August 2022 (UTC)
 * "A decade from now will this be worth discussing?" This is not the standard for inclusion of content in an article. Further, this article includes lots of detail which is specific to a given conference year like straw poll results, speakers, and so forth. Very few of those will be discussed in any meaningful fashion 10 years from now, yet here they are. Protonk (talk) 00:02, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * The 10YEAR test is a pretty common method to use when deciding if some content that is wp:V is due. I agree that much of what is in currently in the article seems to be year to year trivia. Springee (talk) 00:19, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I'm looking forward to see what you prune. Protonk (talk) 00:34, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Articles (including this one) routinely and unproblematically include material which isn't discussed in any source ten years hence and, even absent perfect foresight, we could imagine won't be actively discussed ten years hence. When working on, for instance, a BLP, we should avoid emphasis on material which only represents one event in a person's life, but this isn't a BLP. It's a major political conference expressing support for terrorism. I could peer into my crystal ball and say nobody will think twice about this in the future but I could just as easily look ahead to a future where hundreds of americans are emboldened to shoot, bomb, or terrorize their neighbors as a result of this cute little joke. Neither compels me to add or remove content, because both are speculative. We aggregate and summarize what sources say, not what we imagine they might say in the future. Protonk (talk) 01:01, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * As for the sourcing, you're right that one of those sources which first reported on it isn't the most august of publications. I've since added another. Protonk (talk) 00:07, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Not really an improvement. Another minor source. Springee (talk) 00:22, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
 * I don't know what "minor source" means in this context, but thanks for the assessment. Protonk (talk) 00:34, 22 August 2022 (UTC)

Tulsi Gabbard 2023?
Tulsi Gabbard spoke at the CPAC 2023, as far as I know. Should that be mentioned? Mats33 (talk) 22:00, 8 March 2023 (UTC)

Hungary 2023
I don't have the energy to put this in at the moment, but there was apparently a 2023 CPAC Hungary with the Georgian PM as a keynote speaker. Someone should put in a sentence or two about it. See https://agenda.ge/en/news/2023/1750 for instance.Brianyoumans (talk) 23:15, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

2023 absentees and rival event
the 2023 conference is notable for absence of DeSantis, with several other prominent Republicans like Ronna McDaniel, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell and Glenn Youngkin all skipping the conference. DeSantis headlined a Club for Growth event as a rival to Trump, Haley attended both events. See jonas (talk) 10:10, 22 January 2024 (UTC)