The Conservative Political Action Conference is held every year as a gathering for right-of-center discourse. An event known in certain circles for its after-dark escapades as much as for its program, CPAC touts its annual consolidation of top conservative figures and draws thousands of attendees every year.

But of late, their definition of “conservative” has expanded so much as to include at times the likes of Milo Yiannopoulos (until he was booted), former sheriff and member of the Democratic Party David Clarke, and a member of the French nationalist Le Pen dynasty (whose family rose to fame on the coattails of virulent anti-Semitism). These are perhaps the worst mistakes the American Conservative Union has made in selecting its speakers. But another individual whose attendance has become an annual occurrence more represents the drift away from conservatism of years past and toward one of political showmanship and demagoguery.