Posted on 09/25/2009 7:33:20 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
When FOX News host Glenn Beck said during an interview with Katie Couric this week, “John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama,” his comments made headlines. Beck explained that “McCain is this weird progressive like Theodore Roosevelt was.” Beck laid out this view in better detail on his television program earlier this month:
I am becoming more and more libertarian every day, I guess the scales are falling off of my eyes, as I’m doing more and more research into history and learning real history. Back at the turn of the century in 1900, with Teddy Roosevelt—a Republican—we started this, “we’re going to tell the rest of the world,” “we’re going to spread democracy,” and we really became, down in Latin America, we really became thuggish and brutish. It only got worse with the next progressive that came into office—Teddy Roosevelt, Republican progressive—the next one was a Democratic progressive, Woodrow Wilson, and we did … we empire built. The Democrats felt we needed to empire build with one giant global government ... The Republicans took it as, we’re going to lead the world and we’ll be the leader of it … I don’t think we should be either of those. I think we need to mind our own business and protect our own people. When somebody hits us, hit back hard, then come home.
Beck is trying to explain how Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican precursor to what historians call “liberal internationalism,” a foreign policy view that contends the role of the U.S. is to intervene around the globe to advance liberal objectives. This progressive doctrine, later called “Wilsonian” after Woodrow Wilson, was intended to “make the world safe for democracy,” to quote our 28th president. Wilsonian globalism was embraced fully by George W. Bush, and as Beck notes, was also a guiding philosophy for his could-have-been successor, John McCain. In their application, there is very little difference between “neoconservative” foreign policy and “liberal internationalism,” and both views are progressive in origin.
Preferring to keep his audience in the dark on such distinctions, neoconservative talk host Mark Levin was angry that Beck would dare shine a light on them. Said Levin this week:
McCain is no conservative… but to say that he would be worse than a president who’s a Marxist, who’s running around the world apologizing for our nation, who’s slashing our defense budget… to say he would be worse is mindless… incoherent, as a matter of fact. There’s our 5 PMer on FOX.
It should be noted that Beck’s FOX News program airs at 5 PM EST.
Who else does Levin consider mindless? He continues:
I don’t know who people are playing to; I don’t know why they’re playing to certain people. Ron Paul’s another one ... this fascination with Ron Paul. Ron Paul, who blames America! American “imperialism,” quote, unquote, for the attacks on 9/11. How can any conservative embrace that? And yet the 5 PMer does.
For eight years, hosts like Levin and even Glenn Beck promoted full-blown neoconservatism without ever calling it by that name. For these mainstream pundits, conservatism simply equaled neoconservatism, and during the Bush years there was no talk of limited government, no concern about “socialism” and no real worries about anything else, other than the War on Terror. The Republican Party was a single issue party; Ron Paul was considered crazy, Joe Lieberman was considered cool—and government exploded.
But much to Levin’s chagrin, that impenetrable neoconservative unity no longer exists. Unlike Levin, Beck now claims “the scales are falling off of my eyes,” and he now questions old assumptions about foreign policy, the value of the GOP, the worth of the two-party system, or even if McCain would have been any better than Obama. Conservative columnist George Will once cheered Bush’s foreign policy, but now thinks it’s time to bring the troops home from both Iraq and Afghanistan. When Sarah Palin spoke in Hong Kong this week, a Wall Street Journal headline read, “Palin, Sounding Like Ron Paul, Takes on the Fed.” Few conservatives get excited by Joe Lieberman anymore. But many are starting to talk like Ron Paul.
The attacks on Beck by Levin are a reflection of what’s happening on the American Right as a whole, where the old fools’ game of merely corralling grassroots conservatives into the Republican Party is suffering from a severe shortage of fools. I’m not saying that Beck is an all-around, reliable conservative figure, nor do I believe the Republican Party is going to start seriously listening to Paul in the future, but there are at least now, finally, tiny slivers of truth making their way into the mainstream, thanks in no small part to a handful of celebrity truth-seekers, no matter how eccentric or inconsistent they may be.
And if there’s one thing we can be sure of—there would be no tea parties, no town hall protests, no marches on Washington, no questioning foreign policy, no attacking the Federal Reserve, no new-and-improved Glenn Beck and no new respect for Ron Paul—if John McCain had won the election. The neoconservative agenda would have continued, undisturbed, and according to plan. And something tells me Mark Levin would have preferred to keep it that way.
Figures
People have been saying this so I listened to some outtakes on C4P of his radio show this week and he dances around the subject, but I did not hear him say we need a third party... he is not a Republican, and he did spend a lot of time on CNN interviewing Bob Barr and Ron Paul.. but he also had Rudy and Mitt on.. he met Huck in an airport and took a very strong dislike to the man... basically I think he, like many of us, wants a good conservative to step forward and show some leadership.
“I get to bail them out twice, once by paying increased interest rates on my credit cards and other loans”
Not to mention the pitiful interest rates they’re all paying now on savings. It’s costing me several hundred dollars each month.
Read Becks bio about his mental instability.
Read about the way he used fire staffers publicly and slowly, like a torturous mean spirited assault.
Hes not completely stable, though he is powerful at times in how he presents his case.
I voted for Palin, McCain is no conservative. Becks assessment was dead on. Beck has had a marked effect on many people from different political backgrounds. Levin? I wouldnt know his name if I didn’t frequent FR.
I stopped listening to Savage when he started trashing BOR, Hannity, Levin, etc., and now that Levin is intent on savaging Beck he is off my radio dial as well... this country is in deep, deep, trouble and every single one of them should spend every minute of air time covering what this administration is doing... BECK is doing that, he isn’t wasting time carping about other competitors or playing footsie with liberals to get his jollies off on how much smarter he is than the caller or guest... he gets down to business.. they ALL need to get their heads out of their a$$e$ and get down to business or step aside for someone who will... we don’t even know how much longer they will have a mike to inform us with.
You know this... how? I watch his show every single day and he never mention’s Levin or his book, he mentions his own books... but I never hear him trash any other commentators.
I hate that KBH seems to be gaining ground in Texas on Perry... I’ve watched her voting record and it is terrible.
Just another word contrived by the left....and pushed by the MSM....your right on what it means in code,,,,jews.
Lots on Free Republic........:O)
Then, please look up the term "anal retentive" on Wikipedia.
It's too nice a day and too exhausting to deal with twitter-mom oratory with those who don't pick up on finer points made on posts and go on and on and on.......
In addition, I've been on this board over ten years and I don't need lectures on how to discern if Glenn is good or bad for our cause.....he IS good....and I'm a great fan of his.
But his constant allusions to moral "equivalency" between our two major parties is untenable, incorrect......and not helpful to the Cause. Will he continue this negative line right up to the critical election day looming ahead? He may find himself in a real Perot corner.
Beck isn't perfect on EVERYTHING.....much as some starry-eyed followers would like to think he is. Remember, there's only ONE perfect person on this earth.....and He's currently occupying the White House, blessed be His name.
Leni
Dittos!
I can never understand why some folks have to “end” forum discussions with condescending remarks; I just don’t get it.
“Beck isn’t perfect on EVERYTHING.....much as some starry-eyed followers would like to think he is. Remember, there’s only ONE perfect person on this earth.....and He’s currently occupying the White House, blessed be His name.”
ROFL! Thanks, Leni.
Elizabeth
Thanks for the wise words and the laugh. :)
To some, any conservative who is also Jewish is, ipso facto, a neo-con. No further study of his/her philosophy need be reviewed.
But it seems Beck is closer to Savage politically, as an independent conservative, rather than as a Bush-type-progressive internationalist.
Now tell me where I can see your TV expose of Valerie Jarrett, Mark Lloyd, Sunstein, etc.
Let us see your black board presentation of the way all of these folks are tied together. You know, the one you have been using to educate the public.
Or better yet, tell us why the country would be better off with these people in government rather than out.
Perhaps I misjudge. Perhaps you are more capable than Beck at getting the Marxists and other various crazies out of DC.
Show us your stuff or stuff it.
I agree with much of what you said... However, Levin’s “Liberty and Tyranny” is quite intellectual and very informational - while Beck’s approach is action oriented - results oriented...
Beck’s successes helped galvanize the March on DC... the ACORN revelations and Van Jones came out the week leading up to the DC Protest... The effect of those successes was palatable...
Bottom line we need all the talents of the Talkers and the DOERS... we need even newer - different approaches... For one I wish we had a whistle blower fund for those who might rat out the behind the scenes dirty dealing going on in the Administration.
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