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.
To all Becker drone droning on this thread:
Hundreds of posts ago I provided evidence which you either ignored or did not comprehend a Beck trait as well. Also, it appears those defending Beck’s originalism don’t back up their claims of originalism by using anything Beck has written or said. What has Beck NOT lifted from authors and bloggers? Name one original thought? And provide links, of course. They divert to his ability to tap and dance, which they find appealing.
If you’ve not read Levin’s book then you’ll never see Beck’s plagarism. ‘Arguing with Idiots’ was a Beck autobiography.
See, when Beck says this, he ignores and insults the conservatives working within the party to change it. That is reprehensible.
no doubt Beck has a larger audience but sometimes for me I find him a bit wacky and Tom Paine-ish...which is his intent
having been a head in my youth I can see how he was too...not dry drunk but zany
he’s fine and he is making waves for our side and he is maybe now second only to Talent on Loan From Gawd but for social conservatism meets traditional values meets realistic views of the dangerous world I like Mark Levin better...Mark’s last book is a must have for any kid today wanting to know who were are and how we got here and what we hope to save
my point is that each of them has a purpose and reaches an audience and to have all of this in-fighting diminishes all of us and our cause. Mark Levin is hands down the brainest and deepest thinker of the lot of them, but there are people watching glenn beck who will NEVER listen to mark, never read his books. Glenn’s specialty is breaking the concepts down to the lowest common denominator and helping them to GET IT. Brainiacs probably aren’t going to like Glenn, but we need more than smart people to be on our side and to understand the issues. i’m a lawyer, i read Mark’s books and listen to his show, but i know plenty of people who won’t do that and if Glenn Beck can get those concepts to a level that the rank and file can understand, more power to him. IMO, it’s petty to worry about attribution when the stakes are as high as they are.
I totally agree with you. Many of us who are bemoaning the infighting like and respect both and just wish that the focus could be reclaiming our country rather than sniping at each other.
I understand...I have two of Beck’s books. I actually like him better on TV than on radio but some folks...my wife and aunt..both righties...find him offputting.
My religious freedom is being infringe upon every time I go to the News post as well!
I was on this thread before you were, restornu.
As long as you are still able to post, your so-called "religious freedom on FR" is not being "infringed" upon.
Your fallacies and lies are challenged in the same way other fallacies and lies are challenged on FR.
i love them both. i bawled myself sick reading Saving Sprite on an airplane once; and learned much from Liberty and Tyranny. Glenn’s books are a bit too simplistic for me, but i love his presentations on TV, i am not put off by the drama and the clowning. and my 15 yo adores Glenn, he helps HER get it. She’s the most politically astute in her class and recognized as such. she wrote an ODE to glenn beck in her english writing class. Mark’s style would not work for her. They each are important and bring different things to the table. Lashing out at each other [and unfortunately it seems to be Mark doing the lashing] serves no useful purpose.
I am not obsessed with him, I am in love with my country and he is threatening, with is bumbling-no sense of direction and his sloppy turn of phrase, to wreak havoc on the November elections. Think much? Doubt it.
take your condescension and shove it
I think Mark would agree that what we don’t need now is ‘no difference’ branding of conservatives Republicans in Congress and running for Congress this year. “Ah yeah,” be specific; name names, blame the deserving using facts, and point to a viable alternative candidates.
What the 2010 election is about is sending new conservative Republicans to make the Republican Party the majority in Congress and, most importantly, conservatives the vast majority of the Republican caucus. That would also send a message to the moderates: stay straight and fly right or your butts are also out of here in 2012 or 2014.
I forgot about Andrew! I no longer get Patriot radio, but need to find Wilkow again!
Fish in a barrel...
Sometimes so-called "republicans" are worse than Dems. Look at Schwartzenegger defending Obama while damning other republicans. Republicans (other than Arnold, who is clearly not conservative) I thought were conservative have betrayed all of us by trying to ram through bills that both conservatives and "moderates" hated, and that is infuriating. We need to have our eyes open when pushing the Vote button.
I do hope that conservatives win big this year. The leftists deserve to be smacked down hard.
I've been a listener for years, going back to when you were just on WABC. I'm actually upset not because I don't like your show, but because I DID very much like your show prior to this departure into this one-man pissing contest with Glenn Beck. As far as I'm concerned, you are one of the brightest minds on constitutional law around today. Anyone who minimizes your contribution to the movement is completely off-base.
I have read Liberty and Tyranny (I've actually read all your books and even have a signed copy of Men In Black on my shelf that you signed personally for me after a million years on line at the Palisades Center Mall.) as well as Beck's Common Sense. I didn't see anything stolen at all. Common themes? Sure. But they're American themes and both books have their place. Common Sense is more accessible to non-political types, while your book is more of a call-to-arms for those of us who are more active participants.
At first, it seemed you were upset that Beck didn't mention your books on his show. Then, you were upset that he was mentioning other books and claimed he was trying to get you off the best seller list. Then he was stealing. People parrot these comments and not a single one of them can back it up with anything tangible. I think it is beneath a man of your intellect to make such claims. If there truly is something that was stolen from you, then one would think that you would seek relief through proper legal channels.
Even John McCain has said again and again that “the Republican party lost its way.”
It illustrates just how far this has gone that you are actually referring to a piece that contained such blindly partisan hackery as the above line as 'wise'. This isn't wisdom. John McCain played a large role in helping the GOP lose its way and we all know that quote from him means something different to him than it does to any conservative. The Republican Party would be 'finding its way' to socialized medicine and crap and tax if McCain had his way. Then, you criticize Beck for being 15 years old or so when Reagan was elected? Come on, it's just beneath you!
So, I'm not bitching at you because I dislike your show. Truth be told, you're actually a great inspiration to me and have been for a number of years. I'm bitching at you because I am tired of switching to Weiner Nation at the 6pm hour, but at least there I get a meatball recipe along with my daily helping of Beck bashing!
I think Beck would agree with most of that as well. I haven’t seen Glenn attacking conservatives so much as those Mark would refer to as “Repubics”.
They may have altogether different approaches to the problem, but they both understand that progressivism within the GOP poses as much of threat to the nation as progressive democrats do. One seeks to destroy our nation, the other seeks to destroy our only means of saving it. It’s a six of one, half dozen the other scenario.
But I will concede, Beck needs to be more focused in his criticism and give credit to the conservatives who truly are standing strong. He does that to some extent, especially with Palin, but he needs to do it more.
And I’d like to see Mark go on Glenn’s show, or vice versa, and work this out. They both reach a lot of people, and we need them, and their audiences, to come together and beat back this tyranny before it’s too late.
na huh, he supported Fred Thompson.
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