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Glenn Beck: I Used to Be a Social Liberal Before I Discovered Alcoholics Anonymous and Sobered Up
Associated Content (AC) ^ | February 28, 2010 | Marc Schenker

Posted on 02/28/2010 2:16:13 AM PST by Suvroc10

Glenn Beck used to be a social liberal before he discovered Alcoholics Anonymous and then consequently sobered up. This admission—coming straight from the man's lips on his Friday TV show on FNC during a special entitled "Who Are You?"—may not be a surprise to some who know Beck's backstory, but it certainly reinforces the conventional wisdom that liberalism breeds weakness and is oftentimes an impediment to personal self-improvement. His declaration came in the context of "knowing yourself" politically and ideologically, the theme of Friday's Glenn Beck show special on FNC. Stating that his recovery from alcoholism came only after he truly discovered who he was—libertarian conservative—Beck also went on to assert that he later realized he was only a liberal because he didn't want to make tough choices or be consistent.

(Excerpt) Read more at associatedcontent.com ...


TOPICS: Religion
KEYWORDS: aa; glennbeck; lds; liberals; libertarians; medicalmarijuana; mormon; robot
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1 posted on 02/28/2010 2:16:14 AM PST by Suvroc10
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To: Suvroc10

...I’ll drink to to that.(-;0)...

...in all due support, my sister is an alcoholic, she has been in recovery for 10 years, Bravo to her and Mr. Beck, one radio and telly person that has my respect...


2 posted on 02/28/2010 2:37:39 AM PST by gargoyle (..."I have not yet begun to fight" John Paul Jones...)
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To: Suvroc10
but it certainly reinforces the conventional wisdom that liberalism breeds weakness and is oftentimes an impediment to personal self-improvement.

Worth repeating. Convincing yourself that you are a victim and/or someone else is responsible for the consequences of your actions is no way to improve at all. Possibly worse than others working to convince you that you are a victim.
3 posted on 02/28/2010 2:42:12 AM PST by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: Suvroc10

I’ve done some stupid things in my life but vote democRAT was never one of them.


4 posted on 02/28/2010 2:43:19 AM PST by South40 ("Islam has a long tradition of tolerance." ~Hussein Obama, June 4, 2009, Cairo, Egypt)
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To: Suvroc10

Dennis Hopper has related a similar story.


5 posted on 02/28/2010 2:57:15 AM PST by Ghengis
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To: Suvroc10
It's called Alcoholics Anonymous for a reason; Beck isn't the first guy
to get sober, and certainly isn't the first to foolishly and anti-ethically
go public with it.
6 posted on 02/28/2010 3:34:13 AM PST by 4buttons
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To: 4buttons

So you have to be drunk to be a social liberal, or in other words...socially liberal folks a mentally impared...got it!

So there is hope! Better politica through psychotropic drugs


7 posted on 02/28/2010 3:37:05 AM PST by JohnD9207 (REGISTERED RIGHT WING THUG!)
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To: proud_yank

Is there a ‘12 step’ program for liberals ?

Seriously, I can’t tell you how many people I deal with around state political issues who I consider to be:

.....Victims by choise...

People who just can’t seem to live without the attention and support (including financial) of do-gooders and hack politicians.

Most public hearings at the capital are attended by only a few citizens not directly involved in a given issue; But let somebody suggest looking at state aid programs, and the rotunda is packed with busloads of people who are totally dependant on the system.

I could go on, but it’s too early to get a really good rant going.


8 posted on 02/28/2010 3:37:51 AM PST by maine yankee
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To: JohnD9207

Whatever ya say, friend. I have no idea what you are referring to.


9 posted on 02/28/2010 3:42:19 AM PST by 4buttons
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To: 4buttons

I agree. Alcoholism and liberalism are apples and oranges. Sobriety isn’t about politics.

parsy


10 posted on 02/28/2010 3:50:55 AM PST by parsifal (Abatis: Rubbish in front of a fort, to prevent the rubbish outside from molesting the rubbish inside)
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To: gargoyle

How about just eating to it.


11 posted on 02/28/2010 3:57:49 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (I am in America but not of America (per bible: am in the world but not of it))
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To: parsifal

We shouldn’t miss, however, that drunkenness as we know it with liquor serves fairly well as a metaphorical illustration of modern liberalism. Whether Beck should come out as a former boozer is a matter between Beck and God.


12 posted on 02/28/2010 4:02:41 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (I am in America but not of America (per bible: am in the world but not of it))
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To: Suvroc10

Looking at how Beck is dressed at times one might believe him to still be drinking.


13 posted on 02/28/2010 4:06:03 AM PST by jla
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To: 4buttons

I am asking this because I sincerely don’t know. Why is it foolish and anti-ethical for him to go public? I always assumed that it was anonymous to protect the person that was sobering up. I assumed that if they wanted to reveal their identity that it was up to them. Is there a contract or something at AA that says you can’t go public?


14 posted on 02/28/2010 4:07:31 AM PST by christianhomeschoolmommaof3 (Proverbs 18:2 A fool has no delight in understanding but in expressing his own heart.)
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To: Suvroc10

How does one explain his adoration for Romney? Beck has tasted the RINO Kool-Aid. The question is, was it spiked with something?


15 posted on 02/28/2010 4:09:52 AM PST by peyton randolph (Obama Luti)
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To: peyton randolph

Probably because there is a difference between a Southern Republican and a Massachusetts Republican


16 posted on 02/28/2010 4:13:11 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: Suvroc10

I think Beck sometimes uses shorthand speech.

An addict or even the codependents supporting the addicts all engage in the practice of denial. Denial becomes a way of life and the obvious problems and consequences of certain behaviors are not connected. Often, the entire family is involved. Also, the addict explains his behaviors are because he is a victim and the codependents (family) take on the appropriate roles.

Many but not all liberal social positions reinforce these roles. For example, the teen is a victim of his hormones and cannot be expected to avoid sex. The poor person is a victim and cannot be expected to avoid stealing. Likewise, just like the codependent wife the social liberal steps in and gets his helper needs met by telling them victims its not their fault and they are here to help them avoid the consequences of their actions.

During recovery from denial the addict and his codependents become aware of how they were fooling themselves and the role denial had in hiding the obvious. Once the process of denial no longer works it has repercussions on every other part of ones life because the mind no longer allows one to compartmentalize things. In addition one can become quite zealous about searching out lies that we accept as truths and be very unrestrained in letting others know.

So those who are social liberals who like Beck arrived at those positions without doing the hard work of analysis of cause and affect etc, will have an awakening and could very likely end up conservatives. Others may (but Lord knows how) logically conclude that social liberals conclusions are logical and practical answers to the problems.


17 posted on 02/28/2010 4:15:51 AM PST by Raycpa
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To: Suvroc10

bttt


18 posted on 02/28/2010 4:16:45 AM PST by Guenevere (....)
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To: parsifal
Alcoholism and liberalism are apples and oranges. Sobriety isn?t about politics.

Right you are. I would have to think that there do exist some alcoholics who are pro-life/family.
Regardless of that, Beck dresses as an unsupervised teen might.

jla, fair & balanced on all matters

19 posted on 02/28/2010 4:16:58 AM PST by jla
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To: 4buttons

You have AA wrong,the Alcoholic is encouraged to go public by themselves. The anonymous is that you respect the confidentiality of the other members so they can be free to express themselves in the group:

THE TWELVE STEPS

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

11. Sought though prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

-Reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc


20 posted on 02/28/2010 4:23:23 AM PST by Raycpa
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