Posted on 07/22/2014 2:45:47 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
There’s a lot of talk about optics in politics, and generally speaking, I am wildly opposed to the notion of optics. Optics refers to how one is viewed by the general public, how one’s actions are perceived. Optics are, in essence, a manipulation of perception. In my opinion, the top priority on a politician’s mind should not be optics, but actions. Actions–if they are driven by noble intent–should speak for themselves. Action should not require extra manufacturing. However, there is something to be said about making sure one’s actions are not perceived negatively, thus undermining one’s entire political philosophy.
We have a problem. Thousands of illegal immigrant children are flooding across the southern border, and Obama is promoting it. The reaction to this crisis has been sharply divided, with one side of the Republican Party viewing it as evidence of the necessity of amnesty, and the other viewing it as the opposite. Then there is Glenn Beck.
Glenn Beck decided that he was going to go down to the border, and distribute teddy bears, and soccer balls to the children. In a vacuum, this idea is a kind one, given that many of these kids aren’t the masterminds of their illegal crossing. They are pawns, in a way. They are being treated deplorably by the Obama administration, and they are indeed human. So, in that regard, Beck is doing something good. On the other hand, his behavior is emboldening the amnesty crowd, and making anti-amnesty conservatives look bad.
According to Beck:
“This is about mercy not just for the people coming across the border; this is about mercy to our own Americans – the people who are the farmers, the ranchers, the sheriff’s department that don’t sleep anymore, the border patrol…Don’t focus on the MS-13 gang members, rapists and the killers. That’s for the government. That’s for the government to do their job. That’s justice, and I demand justice. But we are to provide mercy.”
Beck then slammed the coverage of his trip by Breitbart, and FOX:
“Nobody’s reading [The Blaze's coverage of Ted Cruz going to border]. Our viewers and our readers are not even reading it. That should be the number-one retweeted story. If you like Ted Cruz [you should promote this story.] Where’s Breitbart on that story? Where’s Fox News on that story?”
Yes, Ted Cruz did go with Beck to the border, but there is a difference between what Beck is doing, and what Cruz did. Here’s the difference: Beck used his trip, and the coverage it garnered, to slam conservatives who didn’t support him. He also made the mistake of dismissing the legitimate concerns of many Americans regarding the unmitigated flow of gang members, sexual offenders, and drug suppliers into the United States. I doubt Glenn Beck’s intent was negative, but his choice of words, and behavior just contributed to already negative perceptions of anti-amnesty conservatives.
On the other hand, Ted Cruz used the opportunity to not only swipe Obama, and his allies, but to reinforce the notion of a secure America. Catherine Frazier, Cruz’s spokeswoman, had this to say:
“…from day one, Sen. Cruz has been leading the charge to stop President Obama’s lawlessness, which is the direct cause of this humanitarian crisis…these young children are very real victims of the President’s promise of amnesty—because of it, they have been subjected to horrific physical and sexual abuse from international drug cartels smuggling them into the country…Private charities and churches are stepping up to provide food, medicine, and toys for these young children, which is a compassionate response that embodies American values…But the most compassionate response—which Senator Cruz is leading the fight to accomplish—is to end the President’s amnesty and to humanely and expeditiously reunite these children with their families back home.”
That, right there, is genius. Ted Cruz, through his spokeswoman, has laid out his position with compassion, and a thorough understanding of the law. He nailed Obama’s amnesty state while constructing his own position, which stands in complete opposition to the president’s. It’s a move that Glenn Beck doesn’t seem to understand. It is a brilliantly constructed move that uses Beck’s trip to shine a light on real conservatism, while demonstrating just how radical and slimy Obama is. I can’t say enough good things about it.
The optics of Beck’s border trip are awful. He slammed fellow conservatives, he reinforced the lie that conservatives are not compassionate, he was dismissive of a legitimate problem, and he wasted an opportunity to criticize the opposition. Cruz, on the other hand, killed it.
There is something to be said about the optics of our actions as conservatives. We cannot allow ourselves to make the mistake of reinforcing negative stereotypes, or negating our own philosophies. If we do that, the Left can and will use it against us. Unfortunately, we live in a country in which we, as conservatives, must be extra careful because the media is not on our side. The left can do, and say whatever they want because they have the media in their pocket, but we must be cautious. Ted Cruz knows exactly what he’s doing, and we need more like him to represent conservatism for what it really is.
Glenn Beck decided that he was going to go down to the border, and distribute teddy bears, and soccer balls to the children... his behavior is emboldening the amnesty crowd, and making anti-amnesty conservatives look bad.The current meme-building going on (Facebook for example) is to call everyone in favor of deporting Obama's illegal recruits "racist".
Go figure children. DISMANTLE the governments that have destroyed you, your family. Yours is not a declaration of dependence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04rClGsbWp4
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Beck made the swing-by appearance more about him and what he was doing and whom it was he was bringing with him and who was going to promote his appearance and who was not covering his appearance and how he felt about them not covering his appearance, and on and on, etc., etc.
Beck is not very sophisticated about some things, and evidently it never has entered his mind that charity can ever be shown privately, off screen, humbly.
Cruz is savy and decent, making the appearance about others, fact finding, bringing back a story, cause and effect, and tying it around Obama’s neck.
Not Beck’s best day, for sure.
Good post. Thanks for the response.
Ted is right. Liberals are really tring to cover up 2 very important facts:
1: That Obama drew theses kids here thus putting them in great danger and taking them from their parents, on false promises.
2: There is absolute nothing compassionate about holding run away children hostage away from their families.
Theses children need to be sent home to their parents and loved ones as soon as possible.
It is not acceptable for the United States Government to keep these minors from their homes and families. The only responsible thing to do is to is to see to it that they make it home to their parents safely.
I agree with the need to care for the children, but not while their kidnapper(Obama) still intends to keep them here away from their home and family.
This is indeed Obama’s most inhumane act yet. Drawing 10s of thousands of children across dangerous and Barron desert to a foreign land where they are alone and keeping them here. What sort of child molesting monster is Obama? Send theses kids home!
Exactly. He wanted that personal experience so he would be able to make use of it, IMO.
Interesting that Savage's attack on Cruz coincides with rumors that his man Jerry Brown may throw his hat into the ring.
The sort of monster that would support letting doctors allow babies who survived abortions, to die gasping on a table.
I agree with you- Glenn opened up a wealth of knowledge to many folks, including me. I loved his black-board drawings, writing who, what, where, when, etc. I hadn’t heard of Soros and others until I watched Glen Beck. I became a Tea Party person because of Glen Beck.
I don’t agree with his border mercy- But, this man contributed so much in educating folks about Obama, Holder, Jarrett, Soros, Weathermen, Clivens, Alinsky, etc. I loved his men of the Constitution series, the series about Blacks were Republicans before they became Democrats.
That is the correct solution to this problem but Obambi and the Left want to use this as a way to bring their parents, and about five to ten million extra people,here to become instant citizens. They will scream about how compassionate it is to get those parents to the USA pronto so they can be reunited with their children. Along with the parents the Democrats will sneak as many others as they can in to make sure the ranks of Dem voters will forever outnumber conservative voters.
So many people in our Country have no real education anymore due to public schools they will blindly agree with this fake compassion and that will be the end of the United States of America, and the Dems do not even realize how short their lives will be once these majority foreigners take over everything.
Ted needs to stay far away from Beck.
What was Savage savaging?
He Savages any politician who will not go on his program, and it’s worse if they’ve been on his program then won’t answer his calls, which happens every time a good pol goes on his program.
He is a bully.
It is always best to stay away from him, unless irretrievably powerful, ie, Trump, Brown.
Levin has a similar tone, but is always logical and always good to anyone sincerely trying to uphold the rule of law.
Savage will go after him every time, just for taking up real estate, not for doing anything actually wrong, but he’ll propagandize it anyway.
Cruz did a very good move here. he went to the border without making it about him, Hannity, Perry or Obama.
And he got in there and out with minimal attachment to Beck, who is on a downer now that he’s decided to dis conservatives for not enabling this crap.
“...he (Cruz) went to the border without making it about him...”
Beck is an unguided missile who loves getting on his high horse so he can talk down to the rabble like Monterrosa-24.
I like Cruz more and more.
Sure. He’s able to speak about what’s going on down there, AND he did so - on the sunday talk show deal (Fox).
“Savage was savaging Cruz for it yesterday. He said it would be the end of his presidential aspirations. He also said Cruz was a creation of the talk shows. I don’t think that could be further from the truth.”
I heard that yesterday as well. He also called Glenn Beck a harlot and a “tent preacher”, which both seem fitting.
As for Ted being “done” .. you’re way off the mark.
Right on.
If you don’t like Senator Cruz; that’s just fine with me; but to bad mouth him is just childish.”
For some its childish for others its principals...
I liked Cruz a lot. I have sent him more than a few hundred dollars and was hugely disappointed to see him lend his face to Beck and the border toy handout we are good guys stick.
Immigration fumbling is an “unforgivable” error in my book. To me there are no heroes left that bear the “R” stamp they all succumb to the “wanna be liked” syndrome and I see Cruz going down that path. Sooooo for me he is done unless or until he convinces me otherwise.
I have never in the history of American Politics ever learned of such an aggressive effort by one party to exterminate the other not in the field of Ideas but in demographics.
This was a crime against humanity when the Chinese did this in Quebec and now the Obama and the Democratic party cautiously do the same thing to us.
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