Posted on 02/21/2010 1:14:06 PM PST by Sergeant Tim
I was invited to be the opening speaker at Saturday's CPAC session. I had accepted but then, to my amazement, I learned that the John Birch Society would be one of many co-sponsors. This takes the big-tent idea many steps too far for me. So, I withdrew. Apparently, others were not so moved. That's fine. But it wasn't for me. Bill Buckley and Barry Goldwater, among others, chased the Birchers from the movement decades ago. And they're not a part of the movement. So, to give them a booth at CPAC was boneheaded.
I want to commend Bill Bennett for his wise piece this morning on the Corner. I agree with him.
I have no idea what philosophy Glenn Beck is promoting. And neither does he. It's incoherent. One day it's populist, the next it's libertarian bordering on anarchy, next it's conservative but not really, etc. And to what end? I believe he has announced that he is no longer going to endorse candidates because our problems are bigger than politics. Well, of course, our problems are not easily dissected into categories, but to reject politics is to reject the manner in which we try to organize ourselves. This is as old as Plato and Aristotle. Why would conservatives choose to surrender the political battlefield to our adversaries -- who are trashing this society -- when we must retake it in order to preserve our society? Philosophy, politics, culture, family, etc., are all of one. Edmund Burke, among others, wrote about it extensively, and far better that I possibly can. But all elements of the civil society require our defense. Besides, why preach such a strategy when conservatism is on the rise and the GOP is acting more responsibly?
Moreover, when he does discuss politics, which, ironically, is often, how can he claim today that there is no difference between the two parties when, but for the Republicans in Congress, government-run health care, cap-and-trade, card check, and a long list of other disastrous policies would already be law? The GOP is becoming more conservative thanks to the grass-roots movement and a political uprising across the country, which has even reached into New Jersey and Massachusetts. Why keep pretending otherwise? My only conclusion is that he is promoting a third party or some third way, which is counter-productive to defeating Obama and the Democrat Congress. These are perilous times and this kind of an approach will keep the statists in power for decades.
And what of his flirtations with Ron Paul's lunacy respecting America's supposed provocations with her enemies, including al-Qaeda? Why should such a fatal defect in thinking be ignored? Do we conservatives agree with this?
Finally, Beck is fond of congratulating himself for being the only or the first host to criticize George Bush's spending. This is demonstrably false. I not only attacked his spending, but the creation of the Homeland Security Department, the prescription drug add-on for Medicare, his "moderate" tax cuts, as well as his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, "comprehensive immigration reform," and so forth. And I was not alone -- Rush and Sean did the same, for example. And as someone who fought liberal Republicans in the trenches when campaigning for Reagan in 1976 and 1980, I don't need lectures from Beck, who was nowhere to be found, about big-spending Republicans. But this is not about me, or Beck, or Beck's past drunkenness (which he endlessly wears as some kind of badge of honor). It is about preserving our society for our children and grandchildren. Beck spent precious little time aiming fire at Obama-Pelosi-Reid in his speech, and it is they who are destroying our country.
On as a positive note, I am personally happy to see that Beck has cleaned up his public act -- as best I can tell, no more boiling fake frogs on TV or pretending to pour gasoline on someone -- and the rest of it. But I do think his speech, which contained nuggets of truth heard before and read elsewhere, including on Rush's show and in my book and many other books, may have distracted from some of the more compelling and coherent speeches at the event, including Marco Rubio's superb speech. I fear the media will see to this. I hope not.
In this case, it’s not just a few RINOs. McConnell and company supported a more expensive “bipartisan jobs” bill, but this one passed first.
So, do you think the GOP will not give us a Romney in 2012? What has changed that you can see so far? Ron Paul & a straw poll?
It is one thing to say the conservatives have to take over the party and quite another to actually do it, well I guess they needed to in 2008. So far that is not happening.
We are going to end up with another Bob Dole unless the GOP changes its stripes.
Time does not linger.
tttt
Beck is defintely a lightweight. His junior high facial histrionics are not funny.
do you think the gop is ‘them’? are you inside preventing a romney?
if it is not happening so far, it is because you are not inside changing it
and i agree - time is short
(the local gop insiders gave us scozzafava (or whatever) - i hope someone in ny is inside booting those local officials)
if a rino can help put the fire out (brown) then i say we take it - then work on redesigning the fireplugs tomorrow
as bad as the economy is, these could be considered the days of prosperity if the democratz get their way
I agree! I'm just saying keep our eyes open about Brown, Palin, etc. The GOP leadership is not always right (Charlie Crist).
BTW I am working within the GOP to make it better. I think we have some great conservative candidates this time, not only for national office, but also for state legislature, etc.
and thanks for your work - we have a buttload more to do, but we have the heavy load moving in the ‘right’ direction
see you in the trenches
go back and read everything I’ve written, I’m tired of responding to stupidity.
You're on!
Need to educate the Obama-bots too. I got into an argument with an O-bot Home Depot employee the other day. I started shopping at Lowe's instead.
Is it just my imagination, or has the "transformational" POTUS caused not only "political partisanship," but also strife among the folks? I don't remember this degree of intensity when Clinton was POTUS.
I’ll include Beck in the ‘fruits and nuts’ category. Specifically, a nut.
to the top
Well, hoity toity! I asked you twice, you never answered, and you want me to wade through hundreds of replies?
Again - what do you mean by “gay bashing”?
I even did try to find out if you’d replied earlier, but couldn’t find anything.
And what “stupidity” are you referring to?
Take a look at this arrogance - s/he won’t answer my simple question - what s/he means by “gay bashing” - and now instructs me to look through “everything” s/he has written!
Hey, jenk - by “gay bashing” do you mean hitting homosexuals (or maybe just happy, carefree people, the actual meaning of “gay”) with baseball bats, or do you mean criticizing the homosexual agenda?
I just saw on Latest Articles page something about Beck and “climate change”. I’ve never listened to him and for sure I never will.
Meet kinder, gentler Glenn Beck: New ‘global warming’ believer
Monday, February 22, 2010 6:45:19 PM · by Man50D · 17 replies · 261+ views
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | February 22, 2010
While polls show more people drifting away from acceptance of “global warming,” the newest superstar among conservatives – Glenn Beck – is embracing it. “You’d be an idiot not to notice the temperature change,” he says. He also thinks it could be caused by man’s activity. At home, he’s going green by using energy-saving products. “I’m willing to do anything but use the CFLs,” he says of compact fluorescent light bulbs. “I put them in once and couldn’t stand the way they lit up the room.” The kinder, gentler, greener and warmer side of Beck, known as a firebrand conservative,...
don’t hold your breath for an answer.
Amazing what obvious trolls are allowed to stink up the place lately.
You belong on Oprah!
He doesn't have to, his ratings are better.
Well no need to sound like one. I can see why you call yourself blue-collar.
It's a noble Christian concept to love your fellow homo, however Jesus epitomized the correction that comes with that love when he told the adulteress whore Mary Magdalene to "Go and Sin no More" not I love you in spite of what you do. Also Jesus was not very 'loving' to his fellow Pharisees and Sadducees because they were mocking His Father, the very thing homosexuals are doing today.
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