the group continues to host its annual symposium, the cascade conference. in 2007, former united states attorney john mckay, who had been fired by the george w. bush administration in the dismissal of u.s. attorneys controversy, received enthusiastic applause when he addressed the conference. the 2013 event featured a speech by tacoma mayor marilyn strickland, a democratic party activist who had previously made headlines when she described republicans as "racist," a remark for which she later apologized.