Posted on 02/22/2010 2:11:01 AM PST by Brugmansian
Ron Paul out-polled Sarah Palin almost 5 to 1 and keynoter Glenn Beck got huge ovations as he disavowed any conservative ascendency within the Republican Party.
So someone please tell me - just what the heck happened to a convention that was off to such a wonderful conservative start? Where is the momentum from the Marco Rubio speech and the Dick Cheney "Obama is a one term President" moment?
Perhaps David Keene of the American Conservative Union will be a bit more careful when picking keynote speakers from now on. What happened was predictable, given that the man he picked uses a daily TV show to make it clear that he blames Republicans, Democrats, the left and the right and politics in general all equally for America's woes.
While he has a huge audience, some of these thoughts are not exactly the consensus among American conservatives. They are not consistent with reality either. Besides, CPAC stands for Conservative Political Action Committee.
Oh I realize that in a ballroom jammed with a disproportionate share of Paul supporters and Beck groupie Keene is likely not aware of how conservatives across the country viewed this soiree. Not yet . . .
I just have to ask: what Republican Party has Beck been watching the past year?
The following lines from his CPAC address -- which are the lines the media have been spreading as his theme -- are simply baffling:
I have not heard people in the Republican Party admit yet that they have a problem. I haven't seen the Come-To-Jesus moment from Republicans yet.
Huh? Is he serious?
Has he not heard about Marco Rubio? Rubio is now up 12 points on Charlie Crist among GOP voters. That sounds to me like a lot of Florida Republicans admit there's a problem.
What about Governor Chris Christie in New Jersey? The lesson he is teaching the New Jersey legislature this week about government spending could have come straight off of Beck's blackboard. He should be proud of this. Why is he ignoring it?
Has he not heard about J.D. Hayworth challenging John McCain in the Arizona primary? Say what you will about J.D, but the idea that a 30-year incumbent is facing a serious primary challenge indicates that some Republicans are admitting they have a problem.
Beck said in his speech that Rush Limbaugh is one of his heroes. Rush is a Republican by the way. He has been onto Republican problems longer than Beck has. Rush is . . .
So all of a sudden Beck gets a big megaphone outside of his daily TV and radio shows and the puking begins because someone who is from the outside of the party does it in a very illustritive and analogistic way to attack the PROGRESSIVES in both parties and then some take it as an attack on everyone who calls themselves Republicans?
Excellent point, thanks for making it. You are also 100% right that this internal fight has the lines being drawn between those who really want limited government and those who want the continuation of the GOP establishment.
The Republicans are continuing with the Washington DC sport of being “drunk with power”. CPAC did nothing to convince me that they’ve caught on to anything. Trading in zero’s brand of drunkenness for theirs is not an attractive alternative to me. I’m thinking third or independent party!
That is what Beck does. He equates the GOP with Democrats. He does it everyday and went over the top at CPAC with it. Conservatives have always seen the differences among Republicans. They fought RINOs before they were called RINOs.
So another thead to bash Beck? Don't fall for it...it's a trap to divide.
Beck said what needed to be said...and he is right, as distasteful as it may seem now....in the long run we win, but only after admitting the problems..
...”The GOP Old Guard has failed. They shot themselves in the foot over and over and over again, and honestly, how much better do you think McCain would’ve been? He might’ve vetoed some of the loony stuff that would’ve surely come his way, but he was for immigration “reform” , pro-environmentalism, pro-bailouts and TARP”...
YES! And, this is what Beck refers to when he criticizes Republicans along with Democrats..(The rest of my reply is addressed to other Freepers posting here:) When Republicans had the majority what did they do? They spent, spent, spent and played politics. Republicans did protect us from terrorists which is huge. Glen Beck is educating America about how we got to the sad place we find ourselves in currently. Hopefully, if we remember the past, we can go back to our principles so that we do not repeat those mistakes. Beck may make some mistakes but he is taking on the huge task of educating Americans, many of whom know little about the difference in political systems and many of us feel just as he does that blind devotion to any party if it leaves it’s principles behind is not a good thing. The other thing is that a lot of the reaction against the leftist government we now have in Washington D.C. is not coming from old line Republicans but from Independents, like myself. We just need to not go along with the trashing of our Consitution, regardless of who is doing it. We need to recognize our problems, repent, and go out there to do something about righting what is wrong. And, that is happening, thanks to the Tea Parties and to the attractive young, fresh candidates who are coming along. Morning in America is coming but do not turn on one of the best resources conservatives have..His name is Glen Beck.
What???
No we are on the offensive because what Beck says simply isn't true. I don't support McCain. I don't support RINOs. Other conservatives on this forum who took offensive don't either. Mark Levin isn't being defensive. He is not a "squishy conservative". He's calling Glenn Beck on a falsehood.
You don't know me. You don't know, I assume, everyone else here. To say people you do not know the history of have obvious flaws is absurd. I can't even think of what flaws you might be assigning. Everyone I know is out to purge the GOP of RINOS and have been their whole lives.
Not so fast. Rubio and Hayworth represent a sort of dissension between competing politicians. Nothing wrong with that, per se. Now, are Rubio and Hayworth the direction of the party? Or do they threaten the party establishment? As between Crist and Rubio, which obtains more party support and favor? Between McCain and Hayworth?
That said, I agree with your general point that the GOP isn't a monolith. But other than isolated points, for example DeMint's floor speech against the Bush bailout, the GOP has been "crowing about its positive accomplishments." Feh.
Some of the founders wrote about government via party politics, and where that heads.
One way or another, business as usual will come to an end.
With all due espect, that is the wrong way to go. Just as I said earlier, we need to bring the GOP back and let the Progressives follow their bretheren on the left who are playing the same game with their side.
Marco Rubio made the same point in his speech that opened CPAC in that we don't need two Democrat parties in DC. Again, nobody is getting their panties in a wad over his assertion that was identical in message as Beck's but worded differently. This is nothing more than a concerted effort to marginalize Beck because he is skewering Progressives daily on his TV and radio shows.
I could care less about Beck's theatrics but I love the chalkboard. I listen to the information and disregard the goofy stuff because it is in his nature to be who he is. I listen to Democrats and Progressives to hear the information they foist on a daily basis just so I can be prepared to present my poker face to their usually infantile arguements.
The GOP is going to ask us to just trust them again.
Yes, there is a difference between what comes out of the mouths of the GOP and the RATS, but in practice, the results are almost the same.
How could there be much difference between the results produced by the GOP and the RATS -- they have the same owners.
BTW, every time I see Bill Bennett, he looks more and more like Jabba the Hut.
...”Your views are in line with my own. While Glenn Beck has done and said some things that I could not wholly endorse, he is, by far, more correct than incorrect. It has been his voice, along with other radio personalities (including a personal favorite of mine, Jim Quinn) that has given rise and fuel to the tea-party movement. It has been that movement, not the GOP, that has given us victories in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusettes. While the GOP snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in New York.
The presidency of Barack Obama has been the spark to light the fires, something that would have not happened if McCain had won. The fact that a few Republicans are now making “conservative” noises, should not be surprising. Politicians (with the exception of those on the extreme left) have been adept at sticking a wet finger in the air to check the direction of the wind (and too often for other reasons as well). Where were they when the GOP was paving the way for the Democrat takeover, which they most certainly did?”...
I completely agree. Great Post!
Now, does that sound like he's hit rock bottom?
I deeply want the GOP to have "gotten it." I will not support a 3d party, which means the dominance of Democrats. But things like this lead me to think that perhaps Beck is right, and that the GOP may be in that alcoholic "recovery" moment where they think it's ok to have "just a little drinkie."
Good. I'm all for that. If it causes them to compromise conservative positions. But Beck doesn't leave it at that. He took a 'gratuitous" shot at Dick Cheney. He ignored the millions of Republicans who have worked all their lives to get the RINOs out. He used the same line he always uses, the line liberals use when they are cornered: "Everybody does it, Republicans are just as bad". Obviously that isn't true. Rush isn't the same as Keith Olbermann. Dick Cheney is not the same as Joe Biden. Michelle Bachmann isn' the same as Barbara Lee.
There is one party he doesn't do this to: The Libertarian Party. He never has mentioned that Reid is majority speaker today because the LP campaigned against Ensign in 1998. He never has mentioned Reid won by 401 votes that year and the LP candidate received over 6,000. He doesn't mention the LP took $100,000 from the DNC in the 2002 midterms to run ads against a Republican candidate. He doesn't mention the LP joined forces with Greens to contest the 2004 Ohio vote. He doesn't mention MoveOn was holding rallies in support of Ron Paul in 2008.
To Beck, the GOP and DNC are one. Then there are those libertarians and the LP who are untainted by all of it.
I hope Beck response to this OP and the reaction of conservatives to him. I want him to explain why he spent more time on Teddy Roosevelt than FDR. Why he said almost nothing about Reid and Pelosi. Why he didn't say the reason ObamaCare, Cap & Trade and Card Check are not the law of the land today is because Republicans have been fighting them for the last year.
Have to go along a bit with Beck...saw Orin Hatch talking crap on the TV. He was angry..real angry...that a few questioned him during a town hall meeting. Hope it didnt upset his facelift, sprayed on make up or his DC social life.
Then there is McConnel...who caves at anything. Or lil dickie burr of NC who loves acorn and has no opinion on anything. Throw in McCain, Graham and a few others and this proves what Beck is saying. As long as the above are in control all the JD Hayworths/Marco Rubios will just be tokens.
...”So Sean Hannity reiterates every election cycle that he expects the Republican LEADERSHIP to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Rush has also been VERY conrary to the obvious lethargic attitude of the LEADERSHIP as well. I have heard no whining and hand wringing or jaw knashing of their critiques of the GOP.
So all of a sudden Beck gets a big megaphone outside of his daily TV and radio shows and the puking begins because someone who is from the outside of the party does it in a very illustritive and analogistic way to attack the PROGRESSIVES in both parties and then some take it as an attack on everyone who calls themselves Republicans?
Blather I say! “Shoot the messenger” on total display because the laundry smelled bad and was not clean. Sorry, Charlie; I am a registered Republican and member of the local REC and I thought the MESSAGE was dead zero on target. One of the main reasons I took the initiative to get involved was because the party was leaving me and just maybe if some Democrats had stood up and called a spade a spade, their party may not have left them so easily as well.
To further make a point, I guess the Tea Party movement got started because the GOP was standing up for conservative ideals? Yea, right. We now have a true grassroots movement whose main objective is to bring governance back to the Constitution. Beck is also making that his main driving point and now some who call themselves Republicans have a problem with that message? Be careful what you whine for because it has been lost on your rants that you already have what you are railing against and maybe it’s just because it tastes too bad to swallow this time and you are the Chef”...
YES! And, that old green monster, ENVY, is now raising it’s ugly head against Beck. I am sure he can see through some of this.
Huh? I watched the whole speech and didn't hear that.
Beck is featured in USA Today weekend edition, 10 things you didn’t know about him.
I didn’t know he was good friends with George Clooney and has many other liberal pals, didn’t know he contributed to liberal causes.
Also, that he’s a believer in manmade global warming.
Looks like Beck has turned liberal.
Beck is intelligent and instructive UNTIL he says there is NO difference between the 2 parties....one is a party of DEATH and the other of LIFE.....that’s a HUGE difference!
Maybe a Sister Souljah?
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