David Pakman

What we are seeing, I believe, on one side is with CPAC, a centralized top down hierarchical event with controlled messaging and predictable speakers.

It sort of went off the rails when they cheered for impeachment.

But for the most part, it's an entire event based around a very familiar script.

On the other hand, with the no kings protests, even if the protests themselves didn't achieve something, as some of you wrote to me, we saw successful, decentralized, bottom up mobilization, eight million showing up, filling public spaces.

That's a very important difference.

CPAC is trying to do maintenance on a dying vehicle.

The No Kings protests are building something new.

Now, it doesn't mean Republicans are finished.

It doesn't mean this is Trump's last political breath.

It doesn't mean the protests automatically turn into people voting.

It doesn't mean that like a single event decides anything, but it does mean that something is shifting here.

And there is visible, undeniable energy outside of the MAGA ecosystem.

And the part that I don't think MAGA is willing to admit is that they see it.

They see the dwindling enthusiasm at CPAC as eight million took to the streets over the weekend.

They see the split screens.

They see the comparisons, empty chairs at CPAC.

and 100000 at the Boston Common, tens of thousands marching in Dallas, Texas.

This is more than policy.

And if you're a concern as well, there wasn't much policy at either.

If we're trying to build a movement here and get people enthused and passionate, you've got to start by creating a story.