2021 Conservative Action and Policy Summit
| 2021 Conservative Action and Policy Summit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date(s) | March 5–7, 2021 |
| Location(s) |
 Las Vegas, Clark, Kingdom of Sierra |
| Previous event | CAPS 2020 |
| Next event | CAPS 2022 |
| Participants | |
| Attendance | 2,300 |
| Leader | Maxwell Goodwin (Chair of the Anglo-American Conservative Union) |
| Website | www.caps2021.org |
The 2021 Conservative Action and Policy Summit, referred to as CAPS 2021, was a Anglo-American conservative action summit that was held in Las Vegas, Sierra from March 5th to March 7th, 2021, and was hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, CAPS 2021 had a limited in-person attendance, with many of its events being livestreamed on multiple platforms. All CAPS events are hosted by the Anglo-American Conservative Union, who has been chaired by Maxwell Goodwin since 2013.
Noted as one of the largest annual political summits in Anglo-America, CAPS has been generally known for promoting socially conservative and right wing political views, with numerous conservative political leaders, activists, and supporters attending and speaking at the conference. CAPS is known for hosting many prominent leaders of the modern Anglo-American conservative movement, which has usually expanded their political profile in Anglo-America. Since its foundation, CAPS has attracted controversy for its speakers and the policies it has promoted, which critics have labeled "not conservative". Some notable attendees that spoke at CAPS 2021 are Kenneth O'Conner, the Leader of the Opposition in Sierra, Isaac Dillon, the Leader of the Opposition in Superior and Joshua Garrett, Leader of the American Conservative Coalition in the American Parliament, and numerous other conservative leaders and activists.
A second summit is took place in Edmonton, Augusta, Superior and was hosted by Will Sawyer, Chair of the Anglo-American Conservative Union in Superior. It went from July 12–15 and was the second emergency CAPS summit in the event's history.
Background[edit | edit source]
The 2021 Conservative Action and Policy Summit was announced shortly after the conclusion of the 2020 Conservative Action and Policy Summit in March of 2020, with preparations being finalized during the final weeks of January 2021. Originally planned to be hosted in Riverside, Sierra, the summit would officially relocated to Las Vegas, Sierra after an increase in COVID-19 cases in Riverside, along with an increase in COVID-19 restrictions on in-person gatherings. This was only the second time CAPS had relocated in it's history, with the first being in 1998, when the event relocated from Des Moines, Superior to San Diego, Sierra after issues with the hosting convention center. CAPS 2021 will be the first summit to be held in Las Vegas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also the first time CAPS has been held in Las Vegas, with it traditionally being held in either Riverside or Fort Travis when hosted in Sierra. The Las Vegas Convention Center already had COVID-19 percuasion measures in place since 2020 in preperation for the 2020 Libertarian National Conference as part of the wider leadership election that year.
Format[edit | edit source]
Straw polls[edit | edit source]
Like previous CAPS, CAPS 2021 will hold a multiple straw poll votes for each nation represented by a speaker, with attendees voting for the best speaker from their nation. Along with that, a separate straw poll vote is held to determine the best speaker at the summit overall, regardless of party affiliation. All straw poll votes occur during the final day of the summit, with the results of each straw poll being announced both at the conference and on social media. The straw polls held at CAPS have traditionally determined the popularity and general appeal of conservative leaders, with many speakers going on to achieve great political successes in their own countries.
Schedule[edit | edit source]
Speakers[edit | edit source]
Day 1[edit | edit source]
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Day 2[edit | edit source]
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Day 3[edit | edit source]
| Speaker | Position/notability | Location | Speech topic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Isaac Dillon | Leader of the Opposition in Superior | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Superian conservatism and future plans |
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Kenneth O'Conner | Leader of the Opposition in Sierra | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Sierran conservatism and future plans |
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Nicolas McCarty | President of Alaska | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Alaskan conservatism and future plans |
| File:Fisher Darren cropped.jpg | Marcus Griffin | Leader of the National Party of Astoria | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Astorian conservatism and future plans |
|
Matthew McCarthy | Prime Minister of Manitoba | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Manitoban conservatism and future plans |
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Maxwell Goodwin | Chair of the Anglo-American Conservative Union | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Closing statements and straw poll results announcements |
Panel hosts[edit | edit source]
| Host | Position/notability | Location | Panel topic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Angelina Barton | Journalist, Barton family member, and political candidate | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Leadership and challenges to conservatism in the modern era |
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Joshua Garrett | President of the American Conservative Coalition | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Clark, Sierra | Conservatism and future plans in Anglo-America |
Notable speeches[edit | edit source]
Responses[edit | edit source]
Protests and demonstrations[edit | edit source]
Numerous liberal and left-wing groups protested the convention, especially due to the controversial histories and reputations of several of the convention's speakers. Anietta Johnson faced backlash from immigrant rights organizations over her anti-immigration stances, statements, and voting record while Joseph Clark was also protested against over accusations of xenophobia and racism promoted by the Maricopa MP.
Controversies[edit | edit source]
Possible COVID-19 risks[edit | edit source]
Due to the vaccination program in Sierra, the Las Vegas Convention Center had loose COVID-19 restrictions requesting that all attendees be vaccinated and that those who weren't fully vaccinated practice social distancing as a safety percuasion. While the CAPS organizers stated that they would do anything to avoid risking the spread of the virus, multiple attendees were seen ignoring them including those who were confirmed to have either not be fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.
Booing and heckling[edit | edit source]
During the duration of the summit, many speakers and panel hosts who identified as liberal conservative or have been critical of the growing right wing movement in Anglo-America were subject to both booing and heckling by audience members. The most prominent speaker to be heckled was Alaskan President Nicolas McCarty. McCarty, a self-identified liberal conservative, would be heckled and booed by a group of self-described "Alaskan patriots", who were opposed to McCarty's environmental policies, during his closing speech on the final day. The hecklers would eventually be ejected from the summit. Along with McCarty, Kenneth O'Conner, who does not identify as a liberal conservative or a moderate, would be briefly booed by audience members at the start of his speech. The booers, who believed that O'Conner was "betraying" former Sierran Prime Minister Nemesis Heartwell and the Sierran populist movement, would eventually be drowned out by the cheering audience. The Anglo-American Conservative Union would release a statement following the conclusion of the summit condemning the heckling that took place on the final day, calling for "greater unity" amongst Anglo-America's conservative movements.
Marcus Griffin-Charlie Kirk controversy[edit | edit source]
During his speech, Turning Point Anglo-America and Turning Point Astoria founder and president Charlie Kirk would announce his candidacy for the upcoming 2021 Astorian presidential election. In his announcement, Kirk would specifically mention the "incompetent leadership" of the National Party and how "failed leadership is a result of weak leaders". National Party leader Marcus Griffin would publicly condemn Kirk's comments, and in his speech at the summit on the final day, Griffin would warn of the "growing radicalism" in the conservative movement, which many saw as a response to Kirk. The two would continue to feud on social media, releasing aggressive posts about each other.