CPAC 2013: The racism at CPAC

The needed introduction: yep, I'm at CPAC right now. And while Thursday was relatively sedate and businesslike, on Friday, all hell broke loose and then some.

First off, the elephant in the room full of elephants. So, this happened:

A panel at the Conservative Political Action Committee on Republican minority outreach exploded into controversy on Friday afternoon, after an audience member defended slavery as good for African-Americans.

The exchange occurred after an audience member from North Carolina, 30-year-old Scott Terry, asked whether Republicans could endorse races remaining separate but equal. After the presenter, K. Carl Smith of Frederick Douglass Republicans, answered by referencing a letter by Frederick Douglass forgiving his former master, the audience member said 'For what? For feeding him and housing him?' Several people in the audience cheered and applauded Terry's outburst.

And then, yes, everything went to hell. Much, much more below the fold.