Well, yes. That’s generally to be expected when you hold a glorified happy hour in a room that holds 100 at a conference with 8,000 attendees and a hotel bar that’s running out of beer.
CEI and GOProud aren’t stupid. That much is obvious. Their timing was brilliant – the event was held at the same time as a VIP reception and, in a stroke of further genius, offered booze. Anyone wanting a drink after a long day of speeches could pay $1500 to hobnob with policymakers, wait in a ridiculous line to pay $12 per drink at the hotel bar (where they were out of several kinds of beer), brave the frigid March winds to walk to a restaurant … or take five steps off the main hall and drink with GOProud. I was actually surprised more people didn’t take advantage. (…)
At one point, a panelist shouted gleefully to the reporters at the back of the room, “Make sure you report it was standing-room only!” Most outlets dutifully did exactly that, never mentioning how small the room was compared to other venues in the same hotel.
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Read the whole thing.
