CPAC, like all Americans of conscience, must reject Milo.
Milo Yiannopoulos is a sick man. Today, an audio tape of Milo defending pedophiles, while at the same time blaming the victims, emerged and people are rightfully horrified. This indefensible revelation comes less than a day after Milo was named the keynote speaker at CPAC, the annual gathering of conservative activists.
Before the tape, Milo was an already controversial pick by the American Conservative Union (ACU) who organizes CPAC. Now, he is absolutely toxic. To say that people who molest and rape children are the actual victims, as well as that the kids themselves are the true sexual assaulters is not only patently false, but just repulsive.
The schtick of Milo, to be as outrageous as possible in order to receive headlines, is something that nobody should pay attention to, as it is like giving oxygen to a fire However, today’s revelation makes abundantly clear that Milo Yiannopoulos is a truly despicable human being who should be shunned.
Milo’s defense of pedophilia, a vile act that goes against moral values, is an affront to both conservative and liberal principles. In fact, it flies in the face of basic human decency.
This leaves the ACU in a rather precarious situation. They invited Milo because he bills himself as a crusader for free speech, a core conservative belief. Yet, can having a man who says that, “We get hung up on this sort of child abuse stuff,” and that kids themselves are taking advantage of their molesters be a positive or add anything of value to a conversation? Simply put, no. It never will.
CPAC has long been a gathering of conservatives who seek to make the United States a better place. These very conservatives now must ask the ACU to immediately rescind Milo’s invitation to deliver the keynote address (or any address for that matter) at this year’s CPAC. His own words make it quite clear that he does not represent anyone in the conservative movement, let alone Americans who believe in moral values or protecting our children from monsters.
However, it is important that this be fair to the organizers of CPAC. Prior to today’s discovery of the tape of Milo, members of the board of the ACU privately communicated that they believe that the inclusion of Milo was wrong. Now, it is a safe bet that their numbers are growing. The ACU’s board is the polar opposite of Milo Yiannopoulus, as they are the very best of conservatism.
Milo Yiannopoulos used to be viewed as a craven opportunist who thrived on the outrage of his opponents. Now, this audio tape makes it clear that he is a sick man who advocates for the immoral sexual exploitation of children. Milo’s position is a sickness that cannot be tolerated by Americans of any political stripe. To enable his repugnant brand of conservatism is an affront to basic human decency. We must all deprive Milo of the very thing that he most desires: attention.
Update: ACU chairman Matt Schlapp just tweeted that Milo has been disinvited from CPAC.