Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference were met with boos on Friday morning as they encouraged the crowd inside a Florida hotel ballroom to put on face masks in compliance with the host venue\u2019s policies. <\/p>\n
The awkward moment unfolded early on the first day of programming at the American Conservative Union\u2019s annual confab and represented a confusing shift in rhetoric from prior speakers who uniformly mocked coronavirus-related restrictions in a series of sharply partisan remarks.<\/p>\n
Just after former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel finished his speech by leading the audience in chants of \u201cfreedom,\u201d ACU executive director Dan Schneider and CPAC deputy director Carly Patrick took the stage to deliver a more sober message to the attendees gathered at the Hyatt Regency Orlando \u2014 who appeared overwhelmingly maskless.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this might sound like a little bit of a downer, but we also believe in property rights, and this is a private hotel,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cAnd we believe in the rule of law, so we need to comply with the laws of this county that we\u2019re in. But a private hotel, just like your house, gets to set its own rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick went on to explain that \u201cwe are in a private facility, and we do want to be respectful of the ordinances that they have as their private property. So please, everyone: When you\u2019re in the ballroom, when you\u2019re seated, you should still be wearing a mask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if everybody can go ahead, work on that. I know, I know, it\u2019s not the most fun,\u201d Patrick continued, as scattered shouts of \u201cfreedom\u201d gave way to louder complaints from the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have the right to set [your] own rules in your own house,\u201d Schneider interjected. \u201cAnd we\u2019re borrowing somebody else\u2019s house. So we need to comply with their rules. So thank you all for putting on your masks. I wear a mask when I\u2019m in the halls, and we\u2019re going to comply with their rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schneider and Patrick\u2019s pleas came after numerous speakers had criticized the pandemic measures put in place by Democratic state and local officials across the country, as well as the advice of public health experts. <\/p>\n
But their comments particularly clashed with earlier remarks by ACU Chair Matt Schlapp and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who boasted at the opening of Day One of the conference: \u201cWelcome to our oasis of freedom!\u201d<\/p>\n