Coffee is Served
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.
Too bad that Joseph Smith failed to heed the same advice.
He might still be alive today!
1,000
1,000
1,000
Then you must have some early Book of Mormon editions; too.
AW I refreshed but it still showed 997...
HMMmmm...
Wasn't there a ROMNEY in Michigan at one time?
So many talkers;
So little time to listen.
I am respectfully not being specific. Beck knows and so does Levin.
Now just HOW we gonna do THIS?
I am respectfully not being specific. Beck knows and so does Levin.
Beck repeatedly claims to be a libertarian more than anything.
Savage is eccentric but no liberal.
I think we can utilize all of them in some way but when it comes to elections our only option is to make the flawed GOP as conservative as we can.
Anyone (notu) who thinks 3rd part is willing to get beat and we are taking a helluva whopping right now already with Bro and his folks in power for 2-4
I think we will end up with another moderate GOP with little substance on culture war because that is what most folks ..especially under 45 types ...who call themselves GOP want.
It is a direct result of progressivism and the demonization of western Christian culture being so effectivly waged on these younger folks for so long now. At 52 I’m the last of those who can remember different.
Sux.
Nice spin. You’re not being specific because there is ZERO evidence of any such ‘theft’ and because any ‘proof’ that you did present would get you laughed off the forum.
Beast and a half!
(Take THAT, Nana!)
LOL
You are SO late, dear!
You got up early to milk the goats...
:)
When an ELSIETHON really gets rollin’; it claims ALL the good numbers!
you are not the last, i am 53 and remember also and i agree with you. i loathe this infighting. Levin may have been saying all the right things for umpteen years but if he’s not reaching the majority of the populace, it’s not all that helpful to the cause. Levin’s manner puts off at least as many listeners as beck’s manner puts off others, but Beck is drawing in and educating more people than Mark is. There are all kinds of egos involved here, but the bottom line to me is educating the people who would not otherwise hear this stuff. Mark isn’t reaching them.
It’s a soggy mess outside, I’ve not gotten to them yet.
Saturday I trimmed their hooves - does THAT count?
I'm a fan of both, and I've been a fan of Levin for a lot longer than Beck and I've read more of Levin's books. But you're absolutely right. This is unseemly and petty. And it's been all Levin badmouthing Beck and nothing the other way around.
I really hope Rush steps in here and negotiates a truce. We need this circular firing squad like we need a Muslim Marxist in the White House.
Coffee is Served
Thanks for the ping :) I just finished reading many of the posts on the thread and see we’re still having our lively debate on who the REAL conservatives are and are not!
I’m fed up with Beck- have been for quite awhile -so I agree with both Bennett and Levin in this instance.
He’s self-absorbed and unstable and I worry he’s becoming more of a laughing-stock than someone to be taken seriously.
When a recovering alcoholic forgets the “anonymous” in Alcoholics Anonymous- trouble is sure to follow.
Thanks for the ping :) I just finished reading many of the posts on the thread and see we’re still having our lively debate on who the REAL conservatives are and are not!
I’m fed up with Beck- have been for quite awhile -so I agree with both Bennett and Levin in this instance.
He’s self-absorbed and unstable and I worry he’s becoming more of a laughing-stock than someone to be taken seriously.
When a recovering alcoholic forgets the “anonymous” in Alcoholics Anonymous- trouble is sure to follow.
Well now they have clean hands...
:)
There are two choices here;
1.) Either provide proof of Reganauts "hatred of mormons"
or
2.) apologize to Reaganaut and retract the statement.
That is what an adult who has made a mistake would do.
Reaganut's post to you was in relation to the topic of this thread.
YOU are the one "spinning"!
If Levin is willing to make the accusation publicly, why isn’t he willing to back it up publicly?
I question whose side some so-called GOP members are on.
http://www.boergoatshome.com/hooves.php
Now my 4 babies are minatures, but it still took two grown men to hold them steady for the process.
I have GOT to build a stantion to immobilize them so I can do it myself and also not to be so stressful on the goats.
That looks like a job-and-a-half
Same here. I’ve started turning off the teevee during that hour.
Yeah, Mark, that's one heck of a good question. Since you've seen fit to ruin your radio show with almost non-stop juvenile rants about Beck stealing from you, why not back it up with some documentation?
I want to commend Bill Bennett for his wise piece this morning on the Corner. I agree with him.
Come on. Mr. Levin hates Beck. He's always accusing Beck -- and everyone else but especially Beck -- of stealing his material and research.
Michael Savage hates Beck also. Here at least Levin and Savage are amigos. Savage calls Beck "the hem" for hemorrhoid.
Beck's also got the Republican establishment riled. Mr. William Bennett held his outrage in check but Bennett expressed a lot of outrage on his radio show.
“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.”
I’m not good at graphics, but my son is working on one for me: a spiral showing the continual decline into socialism.
Difference between Republican and Democrat Parties? There is, but is there ENOUGH yet????
We continue to spiral downward into socialism with government agencies and bureaucracies taking more control of our lives and families regardless of who is in the White House and who is in Congress.
The party that reigns in the federal bureaucracies like the EPA is going to get my support. The Republicans don’t seem to do much about this even when they are in the majority with a Repub president in the White House.
The spiral downward continues.
Or get elected as governor. That is one of Beck's points.
Let’s see those “facts”. And I guess Bill Buckley, Russel Kirk, and Barry Goldwater were wrong about Birchers. I doubt it. And let me ask you, was or was not Eisenhower a commie or a commie tool?
<-—KIng Dude and Wilkow fan :p
that may be the case but they both want to get to the same place. one is overt pushing socialism the other is incrementally pushing it, by reconcilliation
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.
Anyway, condescension? You are the one who is referring to those who disagree with you as "sick". "Think much", indeed.
You sound like the left who is trying to marginalize conservatism by referring to it as a mental disorder.
The fact is there are reasonable and unreasonable people who agree with the things that Beck is saying. Just as there are reasonable and unreasonable people who disagree with what he is saying.
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.
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