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Glenn Beck Is Not A Fad
The Looking Spoon ^ | 8-31-10 | Jared H. McAndersen

Posted on 08/31/2010 7:32:11 PM PDT by The Looking Spoon

New York Times conservative columnist Ross Douthat attended the Restoring Honor Rally and wrote a column on it that must've really unnevered the opinion editor, who was undoubetly forced to choose between that and the letters to the editor detailing "eyewitness" accounts from "readers" like Daureen Moud and Kaul Prugman, who saw Beck turn into a dragon and forced everyone to repent or face the hellfire clamoring for release from his demonically conservative gullet.

You can read the piece here, or you can see the concluding paragraphs, which give a pretty good idea of the direction it went in.

In a sense, Beck’s “Restoring Honor” was like an Obama rally through the looking glass. It was a long festival of affirmation for middle-class white Christians — square, earnest, patriotic and religious. If a speaker had suddenly burst out with an Obama-esque “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” the message would have fit right in.

But whereas Obama wouldn’t have been Obama if he weren’t running for president, Beck’s packed, three-hour jamboree was floated entirely on patriotism and piety, with no “get thee to a voting booth” message. It blessed a particular way of life without burdening that blessing with the compromises of a campaign, or the disillusioning work of governance.

For a weekend, at least, Beck proved that he can conjure the thrill of a culture war without the costs of combat, and the solidarity of identity politics without any actual politics. If his influence outlasts the current election cycle, this will be the secret of his success.

I know Douthat has some pretty impressive credentials, but this is supposed to pass for the conservative voice at the Times? I guess over there conservative = "medicated liberal."

Douthat was ALMOST there wasn't he? But like Biden holding a flash card of when television was really invented he completely misses the point about Glenn Beck's mission. He's not trying to be the conservative Michael Moore (as stated near the beginning of his column). He's fighting for ideals that are more univeral and enduring than the result of any one election.

I don't know, he writes for the most liberal rag in the country, so maybe he's just trying to speak to them slowly...

"What was it like Ross!?! Why did they look so clean? Did they bathe in the reflecting pool beforehand?"

"Were there minorites there? What special effects did they use to hide their chains?"

"Did they camp out the night before or did they claw they're way out of the dirt the morning of?"

"When did they sacrifice the progressive virgins? Was that off-air?"

...and dumb down the column in terms that even a Manhattan liberal can understand...

By the way, I want to apologize for not knowing of a good web-safe font to communicate "idiot" for the above questions...oh and also for that crack about "progressives" hanging on to their virginity.

The bottom line is this, Beck is the 21st century Paul Revere, not for the political world...for the spiritual one. Fighting for God in our hearts isn't the fad that tub Michael Moore turned out to be, it is SO MUCH MORE than that, and I hope Douthat knew this and was just being forced to play to his audience.


The Looking Spoon is a conservative humor/satire/art/commentary blog, visit www.thelookingspoon.com to see more posts and art


TOPICS: Humor; Politics
KEYWORDS: glennbeck; newyorktimes; restoringhonor; rossdouthat

1 posted on 08/31/2010 7:32:15 PM PDT by The Looking Spoon
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To: The Looking Spoon

Yeah sure. I give the guy 20 years tops. Maybe 25. Then he’ll burn out.


2 posted on 08/31/2010 7:33:05 PM PDT by domenad (In all things, in all ways, at all times, let honor guide me.)
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To: The Looking Spoon
"Did they camp out the night before or did they claw they're way out of the dirt the morning of?"

LOL That right there is funny, I don't care who ya are.
3 posted on 08/31/2010 7:36:03 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: The Looking Spoon
I like Beck. I think he is doing a great job in teaching American history to a lot of folks who didn't learn it when they should have.

He is also exposing to a national audience the seamier, un-American connections of barry hussein soetero and his anti-American agenda.

The fact that he can bring that many people to DC, many that are like me to a certain extent, is tremendous.

That being said, he may be today's Paul Revere in the political world but I disagree that he is anyone of the sort in the spiritual world.

I cringe at his rewriting of history, especially when it comes to Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

His weepy "My religion is the only one that the government has issued "shoot to kill orders" was over the top.

4 posted on 08/31/2010 7:55:29 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck.)
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To: Eagles6

Yeah, I agree. There are a lot of things about Beck I like - I’ve learned history from him that teachers never taught...but at times I, too, cringe.

But overall, I’m fine with him. I think his heart is in the right place and no one is perfect, well, almost no one.


5 posted on 08/31/2010 8:09:29 PM PDT by Aria ( "The US republic will endure until Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the people's $.")
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To: Aria

Yep. I am glad that he is on our side. Folks just have to do a little research and take him for what he is.


6 posted on 08/31/2010 8:17:08 PM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck.)
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To: The Looking Spoon

Beck is not my cup of tea, but I’m impressed, very impressed at the size of the rally and the fallout it has caused.


7 posted on 08/31/2010 8:23:55 PM PDT by GunRunner
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To: The Looking Spoon
Photobucket
8 posted on 08/31/2010 8:26:44 PM PDT by TruthHound ("He who does not punish evil commands it to be done." --Leonardo da Vinci)
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To: domenad

LOL!


9 posted on 08/31/2010 8:39:07 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: domenad

The hook’s already in.


10 posted on 08/31/2010 9:48:30 PM PDT by yesca
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