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.
Libertarianism is really just about the exact opposite of progressive; they believe in personal responsibility and small government.
How about the gay issue?
Thanks! Are you enjoying Honest Conservative’s show?
Plug for HC! :-) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2456363/posts
You are right, no surprise Beck worships Skousen.
Sarah Palin has run a city, run a state, and run for VP of the United States.
The idea that an entertainer (and not always a good one) thinks he can analyze a do-er and we should accept his "take" is absurd.
And yes. I hadn't thought of it before, but "putz" is a good word. :)
“but he has Ron on his show”
Does that mean he agrees with Paul?
Now I like Bill but sense you brought it up!
Bill Bennett’s Gambling “Problem”
The author of “The Book of Virtues” is a high roller. Does it matter? Should we care?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/content/public/articles/000/000/002/643kabms.asp
The point is people who live in glass house really should not throw stones!
Was that being virtuous?
Maybe I just catch the general tone of Beck's show, but when he had Sarah Palin on he was practically salivating in convincing her to run on some third-party ticket. She handled the question expertly, however - she is smart enough to know that a 3rd party would be our downfall. I've heard him on other occasions seem overly excited at the prospect of a 3rd party. I fear that he's just driving more of the sentiment that drove the surge behind Perot.
Yes I agree. The gay spectacle was not good. They are not the majority in the country by a long shot and definitely not in the conservative movement. Still I was glad some good speakers showed up. Hopefully the organizers of this event will do a better job next year.
I see it differently.
I like Glenn, I am sick of the RNC and broken promises. I am conservative 1st, (Republican 2nd maybe), and I hate to be a smart @$$ but I want them to grovel and work for my vote. No more money to the RNC, no more volunteering for them. Individual candidates (who will still break out hearts, yes.)
The RNC has been downsized and outsourced to FreeRepublic, The Tea Parties, and groups like Rattle with Us, and they just don't know it or get it yet....
I refuse to be the Republican Party Reptile in the bad checkerd pants and the lamp shade and martini, I leave that duty to Bennett.....
They have no freakin clue how pissed we are do they....
Indeed there are individuals and factions within the parties that differ. Within the GOP there is a dominant anti-constitutional welfare state faction of RINOs (or perhaps given their prominence it is we constitutional conservatives who are the RINOs?) with a small but vocal wing of free-market constitutionalists. Within the Evil Party there are only variations spanning the spectrum from Maoists to Fabian socialist collectivists with NO constitutionalist liberty based thinking. So yes, there are some differences is personalities and guidling philosophies, to the extant that they can be discerned.
But put things into a different perspective: what happens to the institutions of governance when either are driving the bus? True, spending may increase faster under Communists than it does under corporatists, but in the area of programmatic expansion it is pretty hard to argue that the GOP is a soul of probity. In fact, as a practical matter, when it comes to the functional expansion of the central collective, there is virtually no discernable difference between the two parties. Withholding tax. EPA. ADA. Prescription benefits. NCLB. The entire Bush 41/43 domestic agenda, etc. Proof of this malevolence is that GOP “leadership” has not even proposed freezing the size, scope, power, and influence of Leviathan (much less shrinking it) for a generation, and in fact defends entitlements with great vigor.
Proof of Beck’s veering dangerously close to the truth is no doubt evident in your own attitudes and reactions. Who makes your blood boil more, when a true Marxist like Pelousy acts like a collectivist thug, or when a GOP “stalwart” like McCain or Graham or Hatch Bill Bennett sells us out?
FWIW I find myself listening to music more and more and syndicated talk less and less, and Levin’s constant shrieking makes him just not worth the trouble to listen. Beck is at times equally irritating with his obtuseness and failure to address real issues. For his apocalyptic stuff I can find better sources within the homesteading/survivalist community. Rush is gifted, but he is simply too much a creature of the GOP establishment. I find more interesting discussion from local guys like Chris Plante, a morning guy here in DC, and Brian Wilson on WSPD in Toledo, or Pete Kalinor from WBT in Charlotte. Conservatism is a revolutionary ideology, which is why it must be muted for a syndicate.
We don’t need a new philosophy. We have the Constitution. All the rest is smoke and mirrors and snake oil salesmen. The American voter is being inundated with “pied-pipers” and “saviors” of every stripe and persuasion. It’s one of the weaknesses in an open society. And people like Soros and organizations like the Trilateral Commission know how to manipulate the strings quite well.
No, its what CNN called Jewish defense hawks and big public spenders in Bush 43’s early cabinet. Basically, neo-cons are Dixie Crats without the social beliefs.
The first part of your sentence is exactly my point. Not very long ago, he was doing amazing things to expose the EVIL in the Obama administration. He was optimistic about turning the corner in America and pleased with the Tea Party movement.
I don't listen much any more, but the reason I stopped was that he suddenly got on a Republican bashing (not correcting, or instructing, but bashing) kick, and this apololyptic, "the sky is falling" doom and gloom pessimism.
It's not that he's doing some things I don't like. It's that he's barely doing anything that's constructive for conservatism.
I could put up with some of the weirdness when he was doing the heavy lifting. Now he seriously sounds like he's losing his mind.
Another freeper on another thread mentioned praying for him, and I agreed. I think he's losing it and needs help.
They rate politicians on politics and economics not on whether they are Pro life or pro traditional marriage etc.
In other words they have sold their souls to Mammon.
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