Saturday Night Beck (Bennett's Beefs with Beck's Bloviations)

National Review Online ^ | Sunday, February 21, 2010 | Bill Bennett

[TruthHound]

To say the GOP and the Democrats are no different, to say the GOP needs to hit a recovery-program-type bottom and hang its head in remorse, is to delay our own country’s recovery from the problems the Democratic left is inflicting. The stakes are too important to go through that kind of exercise, which will ultimately go nowhere anyway — because it’s already happened.

The first task of a serious political analyst is to see things as they are. There is a difference between morning and night. There is a difference between drunk and sober. And there is a difference between the Republican and Democratic parties. To ignore these differences, or propagate the myth that they don’t exist, is not only discouraging, it is dangerous.

[Kimberly GG]

John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Olympia Snowe, George Voinovich, Susan Collins...and so on.

[jessduntno]

“Why don’t all of these pundits put their hat in the political ring?”

How many professional “pundits” have gone from punditry to a career in politics? Isn’t it usually the opposite track?

Pundits do not get elected...they can’t shake the talking head image. The reason I hated to see Sarah Palin go to Fox.

And no, Reagan doesn’t count. He was not a pundit, but a business spokesperson who became involved in Demoncrat politics before he became politically savvy and came over to the light.

[nathanbedford]

I reproduce here my reaction to Levin's criticism of Beck which is on the same subject:

I make three observations from Mark Levin's remarks:

First, he is absolutely right about the danger to the conservative movement presented by the tendency to veer away to form a splinter party and Levin is absolutely correct in indicting Glenn Beck for this very dangerous deviancy.

Second, Glenn Beck is an extraordinary talent but one which is very much the product of his experience as well as of his very lively intellect. I believe the Glenn Beck is, in addition to being a recovering alcoholic who may or may not be on a dry drunk, a self-acknowledged bipolar personality. For someone uninformed about these diseases as Mr. Levin's remark about Beck wearing his alcoholism on his sleeve reveals Levin to be, Mark ought to understand that this does not impair the man's intellect and does not diminish the quality of his work or the shine of his talent, it merely puts a potential cloud over the horizon of Glenn Beck's future. What Mark Levin ought to understand from Beck's history is not the importance of the recitals of his bad behavior which Levin apparently finds offputting, but the significance of his recovery which came about by way of an epiphany. The power of epiphany has been well documented since the time of Saul of Tarsus through the experience both of John McCain and George Bush. To understand the man without understanding the effects of that experience, is to comprehend but a part of the person. You cannot understand George Bush, as the Democrats never could understand George Bush, without knowing that he was living out the epiphany he experienced with Billy Graham.

Third, it ill becomes Mark Levin to comment on Beck's histrionics in view of the inexcusable behavior of Mark Levin toward his callers which diminishes him and compromises every intellectual pretension as well as the genuine moments of tender humility which Levin is capable of revealing. Levin is quite correct to challenge Beck's incoherence and his illogic in attacking Republicans when he equates them with Democrats. I echo that sentiment as I watched Glenn Beck's speech at CPAC which I thought was rambling and incoherent but powerful because of its passion and honesty. Here are three posts about Glenn Beck going back to September 2009: I had never heard of Glenn back until after the election yet he is closest to my views of any radio talk jock today. More than any other radio personality, even including Dennis Prager, Beck thinks thematically rather than episodically, that is, reacting to events. He clearly sees the threat to the nation and pulls together the threads to explain the motivation and methods of the Obama administration. He explores in depth, for example, the relationship between Obama and Acorn and the influence of George Soros and the implications for American liberty and does so in a way that makes the whole pattern plain and understandable.

For those of us who have been calling Obama a Manchurian Marxist since before the election, all of this is very gratifying. That is not to say that Limbaugh is not brilliant at skewering Obama. Hannity is a great chronicaler of the sins of the administration. Levin also operates thematically and is implacable devoted to liberty and reacts with repugnance to stateism, but he vitiates his credibility with pointless and excessive humiliation of his callers.

On first impression one would not detect that Glenn Beck has a extremely facile mind. He is probably as bright as Levin and carries a great deal of charisma and an unassuming boy next-door kind of likability. In my judgment, Glenn Beck's greatest liability is what I detect to be a tendency towards bipolar excess. A recovering alcoholic, he might be what they describe as on a "dry drunk." This has nothing whatever to do with the quality of this analysis but it does have to do with his emotional stability. I hope and trust that he can `maintain a true course because he represents a very valuable voice for conservatism/libertarianism.

More, he puts together the whole package and illustrates the very real multifaceted threat to our liberties presented by the Manchurian Marxist.

I do take issue with Beck on his persistent and unnecessary lashing out against Republicans when he equates them with Democrats. No one should ask me to take a back seat in the game of criticizing the Republicans including George Bush. I have my posts which I can produce showing that I predicted the defeat in 2006 because the Republicans departed from conservative values. I took a lot of flack for predicting the defeats in 2006 and 2008. For a long time my favorite slap at the Republicans was, "the only thing we learned from the election of 2008 is that we have learned nothing from the election of 2006." I think the party has since learned much of the lesson, although that is not to predict that they will hold fast to their rediscovered truths. But as flawed as the Republicans are, they are infinitely preferable to the modern Democrat party which is infected with a virus of stateism to a degree that it constitutes a real and mortal threat to our constitutional republic.

I part with Beck because he engages in moral relativism when it comes to equating Republicans and their declensions with the truly dangerous threat presented by Democrats. It tells me that Beck misunderstands the nature of the electoral system in America when he tells his listeners to vote for independents. America operates on a two-party system and any deviation from that convention will bring electoral woe to the deviant. I consider that this foolishness is the result of a bent toward libertarianism. The point is not to have fidelity to a business called the Republican Party, the point is that conservatism needs a vehicle to wield political power and there is no viable option exists except the Republican Party which conservatism can exploit to save the Republic.

Otherwise Beck is a great talent and very, very sound.

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I think that he has "tendency" toward a bipolar personality.

Do you recall that he has more than once told the story of firing a man because he brought him the wrong pen. He uses the story to illustrate the kind of person he was. By his own admission he was a man haunted by aberrant behavior.

He has had a spiritual epiphany. So did George Bush and, although George Bush certainly is not bipolar and certainly never took a drink while he was in the White House, there is an obvious parallel to observe. I think Glenn Beck resembles George Bush in the respect that he was saved from himself by his epiphany. Both men claim that to be the case.

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He has a disturbing tendency to finish other people sentences and interrupt them before they've completed their statement which is often a reply to a question he had asked. I think that is because he is as you have described him, going off in a wholly new direction and assumes that others have intuited the rest of his guest's answer to his question as he has.

I think your insight about his commitment, literally a life and death commitment for him, to serving the truth is key. That means that his motives are pure, his heart is white. However, it may also indicate an impatience with others who disagree with him who are also possessed of white hearts. And, if he does not have a spiritual or psychological mentor at his side, his vision of the truth can easily be distorted into a kind of megalomania. I think that is why he has that psychologist on his show so often and why I intuited that the man is probably treating him or mentoring him somehow.

So we are dealing here with glimpses of genius and a potential for disaster. Incidentally, most of the objections to Winston Churchill could be framed in the same kind of language. Even after the war his professional military men would say things to this effect , he had a dozen ideas every day and one of them would be good, my job was to prevent the other 11."

I believe Glenn Beck when he says that he is marching to a different drummer. I think you have identified the music. He is not after ratings, he is not after money, he is not really after adulation, he is on a crusade. He has had a spiritual epiphany.

[taildragger]

"Third, to admit it is still “morning in America” but a “vomiting for four hours” kind of morning is to diminish, discourage, and disparage all the work of the conservative, Republican, and independent resistance of the past year. The Tea Partiers know better than this. I don’t think they would describe their rallies and resistance as a bilious purging but, rather, as a very positive democratic reaction aimed at correcting the wrongs of the current political leadership. The mainstream media may describe their reactions as an unhealthy expurgation. I do not.

No Bill you are wrong...

He was not speaking of the Tea Parties and our efforts. He was speaking of the State of the Republic, It's direction and Progressivism on Steriods amongst other things.

If you can't see that, it is time to retire to North Carolina....Good Grief....

[parisa]

Thank you for posting this. I agree with you.

Although Beck has some good educational value especially for the young ones, the question is where do those young ones end up when you bash EVERYTHING equally?

He is playing a dangerous shortsighted game IMO.

[Hodar]

You haven’t considered the fact that Glenn may be right.

Consider, 85% of the people are happy with their current medical coverage. The polls HEAVILY suggest that people want Congress to leave Healtcare alone.

So, what do our inspired members of the RNC do? Do they echo what the peole say (Hell no!!), ... nope. Why they come up with their own Healtcare plan. Are the deaf? Are they retarded? Apparently so.

The Democrats want you to eat a sh*t sandwich, and the American people rebel ... but never fear, the Republicans will fix you one on Rye. The answer is obvious, but it does not match the plan the RNC and the DNC are both working towards. The most elementry idiot can tell you he does not want a sh*t sandwhich at all. But if we won’t eat the one prepared by the DNC, the RNC has one that we will be forced to eat.

The RNC knows this, even their children could tell them this - but the RNC has the same plan as the DNC - the plan is the SAME, but their approach is different. The DNC is charging to bring Marxism to us this year; while the RNC is working to bring it to us more slowly.

The bottom line, both parties are moving in the same direction.

[ohioWfan]

Yes indeed. Purge the ranks of Roberts and Alito. That's the trick!

Purge the ranks of tax cuts, strong national defense, and a strong pro-life stance.

You've certainly got our problems solved, sam! /SARcasm!!

[hinckley buzzard]

Glen Beck vs Bill Bennett is a pretty unlikely contest. Beck may have a wacky streak, but at least he is in the arena, getting grimy and working up a sweat. What has Bennett done the last year besides his dancing bear act with Donna Brazile on CNN and going on cruises with people in his audience?

[samtheman]

You’re inferring a lot from my words. And what you infer is all wrong. I strongly supported the nominations of both Roberts and Alito and my support for them does not mean we can’t look back and say “the Bush spending spree was a mistake”.

I can. And I do.

And, for the record, I’m not trying to fight with you or anyone else here. I think this is a good discussion that’s going on in this thread.

[ohioWfan]

I'll second that HEAR, HEAR!!! STARWISE.

When Beck says there is NO difference between the parties, he is lying every bit as much as leftists do about Republicans. It is one thing to say the Republican party needs to be shaken up and reformed, it's quite another to push the outrageous idea that they are the same as Dems.

Good to see Bennett and Levin correct Beck. He's a novice and not nearly as educated as either of them, and frankly, he's clueless when he shouts the "NO difference" tripe.

I watched him and listened to him faithfully when he was outting the traitors in the White House and in ACORN.

Now, even when I try, I turn him off within minutes.

He's gone off the proverbial deep end, and is aiming at the wrong side.

[xkaydet65]

"Beck’s a pompous self-important boob"

I somewhat agree, and I think his speech at CPAC went astray, but with due regard to Bennett, Beck has done more the last year to excite the conservative movement than all of Bennett's political interviews, 50s rock music and, shout outs to truck drivers for the last three years

My problem woth Beck began with his self serving performance on 9/12, but I wonder if he's responding to prompts from Fox. Thay are in the marketing and entertainment business, first and foremost.

[Prokopton]

and Bill “the Gambler” Bennett has been just great for conservatism and the GOP hasn’t he?

Most people have no problem with gambling. Early American lotteries were not uncommon including lotteries to raise funds for the revolutionary war. Washington himself endorsed lotteries. Whether you like it or not, it's in our blood and in our history.

Gambling money you can't afford to or that is needed for necessities may be wrong, but this certainly wasn't the case with Bennett.

Bennett's gambling was made a big deal by anti-freedom, nanny state liberals who were incensed because he was writing about morality.

[depressed in 06]

Just when I was starting to feel good about the country with Scott Brown, Beck’s rain on the parade was unwelcome. Yes, TR was a progressive, Wilson was less than a conservative Democrat. And, McCain would have passed health care by now, 90% of what the Fascicrats wanted, but, that crucial 10% makes the difference. Beck’s party will number in how many can dance on the head of a pinhead.

Lighten up Glenn, know your friends.

[ohioWfan]

For a good discussion it's important to state clearly what you mean.

Your initial comment was highly misleading, but frankly all to common from some around here.

I appreciate your clearing up that you really didn't mean we needed to purge the Republican party of pro-life, pro-Constitutionalist judges, pro-tax cutting, pro-national defense Presidents, as well as men and women of integrity.

That's a whole lot different than saying President Bush spent too much money, isn't it?

[FrdmLvr]

Yes we do need a purging of the Republican party. We do not need a third party as Beck insinuates. (If he’s not insinuating that, then he’s a very poor communicator). The Republican party already has the conservative platform. We just need people with those values and a comittment to the Republican platform. A party is only as good as the people you elect.

[streetpreacher]

Beck’s a pompous self-important boob, who only recently discovered the Constitution — not exactly some constitutional historian/wonk.

Prior to 2008ish, he was your run of the mill, middle of the road conservative talker with a low rated CNN show.

I've been listening too him since 2006 so I know for a fact that you are not telling the truth.

Bennett was a braggard and a blowhard that couldn't control his gambling habit so he had to turn down the VP nomination from Dole. Like Kemp and the "Empower America" crowd, he favored low taxes without cutting spending. I can see why Beck's analysis rubbed him the wrong way.

[small voice in the wilderness]

I think Beck is simply employing the Tough Love Strategy. So what if the Republicans only drink 5 martinis while the Democrats drink 8?? Whoohoo. The Republicans need to sober up, admit they have a problem, and begin restoration of dignity, honor, and self-sacrifice. Hiding behind the 8-martini limit to excuse their own excesses is the path a denying fool takes.

[samtheman]

What are you looking for, ohioWfan? An apology from me for you misunderstanding what I said?

I said what I said, you misinterpreted it, I cleared up your misunderstanding and then you’re asking me if I’ve seen the error of my ways? Who’s on the redemption kick now, hey? It’s not me. It might be Glenn Beck. And it might be you. But it’s not me.

Anyway, I’ll say what I originally said before you threw in curve balls about Alito and Roberts:

The Republican Party has a very evil and stupid tendency to try to “get along to go along”. They suffer from a near terminal case of “bipartisanship”. McCain is one of the worst examples, but the Party is much bigger than John McCain and shares many of his faults. Who refused to veto McCain-Feingold? Any idea?

But whatever. I’m not trying to muckrake all the details of the past, just defend Beck in his assertion that BOTH parties are to blame for the current miserable state of our country and that it is We The People who must stand up and whip the Republicans into shape (because, obviously, the Democrats are the Enemy and beyond hope).

[DrDeb]

DECEPTION AS A PRINCIPLE OF GOVERANCE (and, too frequently here at FR, as a principle of argument/debate):
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/deception_as_a_principle_of_go.html

[freespirited]

I more or less agree with Bennett. Life is better under the lesser of evils than of the worst of them.

Ann Coulter says “There are a lot of bad Republicans, but there are no good Democrats.” That sums up my view pretty well, with the exception of Zell Miller.