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.
LOL, I give example of Beck’s rip offs and you want links? You can read Levin’s book and that chapter. You can read? Beck is only recently a conservative, or is it ibertarian. Levin has been blasting Sunstein on the air for years, before Beck had a TV show. There’s no archives to link to, as you know. I would link to Thomas Paine’s Commom Sense but you can find that yourself. As for Beck ripping off Breitbart, I saw that with my own two eyes. He has since started citing him. Maybe you can tell us now what original thought Beck has? And give us links, of course. Oh and that line Beck used in his speech about a big tent - big tents are for circuses - Levin has been using it for months.
Agreed. And, speaking of awakening. I would dare say there are few liberals who could watch an hour of Glenn Beck with even a semi-open mind and not grasp the magnitude of facts and history lessons he provides and not come away unaltered in their views on their beliefs. For this...I say, thank you to Glenn for reminding us of the courageous and the damned that have lead our Country. For the first time in a long time, people are FINALLY paying attention! I’m a precinct walker and I’ve seen the best and the decline to the “teach them a lesson” worst in the Republican party. I would say to them, people in Iraq marked themselves for death with an inked finger, yet they voted. It didn’t help. I wasn’t very proud during those days. It hurt me deeply that so few seemed to care. Now, I’m energized. Thanks to what the TEA parties have been able to ignite in voter’s bellies. I love it and I hope it continues to help us all care more. I also hope it shakes the core of the Republican Party to the bone and they wake up and READ THEIR PHILOSOPHY AND FOLLOW IT again.
i am in good company though - it happens all the time on beck threads
true you didn’t. Kinda wish you had, i wouldn’t have been so mad I couldn’t sleep. lol
Seems like the same mentality as the blacks who voted for Barry just because he’s black.
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IMO, it is the same.
I never heard of Jesus doin’ any secret handshakes
Believe me Levin’s voice is much easier to take than Beck’s sweating like Rosie O’Donnell. Now that’s ugly. Links required? Beck plays the same game as Jon Stewart. He’s a stooge comedian who pretends to be a thinker.
I spend a lot of time in the Religion forum, sub topics to threads are rampant.
I never heard of Jesus doin’ any secret handshakes
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Nope, much less Masonic ones.
I guess Jesus’ hands were too busy being nailed to the cross weren’t they
You are accusing Glenn Beck of plagiarism. I would think that would make some sort of news, wouldn’t you? Of course Media Matters would bury something like that.
I honestly do not believe Mark Levin would ever be so petty as to stoop to the envies you attach to him via your own love of the man. I love Mark too, and respect him enough to know he would be the first to say, it's not about him/credit, it's about the cause and effect.
I know. I’ve been out of the loop for a while. Nice to be back! Passion is good, which is why I like Mark, but I’m hardly a ‘worshipper’ as someone said earlier; in a way I would prefer that he tone it down a bit at times-but it’s not my radio show, and it doesn’t turn me off one little bit. Because he’s GENUINE-he doesn’t keep one eye on that windsock and the other on the damn polls-he shoots from hip.
Well-jumped off topic myself! Or did I? Thanks, reaganaut-and I like that handle.
Which is Mark’s point, conservatism the battle for Congress this year, and stopping the statists is not about him or Beck, it is about our country and our children,
What’s your problem? I’m learning about Mormanism. Unfortunately, I misunderstood a few things but it’s so new to me, don’t know the lingo, and a few things were hard to grasp.
Troll food? How so? People are entitled to their beliefs - and to me it’s way out there but to them it’s not. The good part is, from what I gather, they aren’t liberals and that makes them A OK in my book! So all is well, IMO.
Bullwinkle had a line about the “Birch John Society”; the definition being the society for the preservation of wooden toilet seats.
Gotcha! Thanks for the education. Didn’t realize it was such a touchy subject for some - I wouldn’t have asked any questions. I’m more than willing to share my beliefs so I can’t understand why for some it would be considered an off topic or troll food.
Good night! I’m happy with my beliefs and wish the same for others as well.
She is not even on his ping list strange!
I intended no offense. And the proper spelling is Mormonism, but that’s irrelevent.
I meant to point out that we’re being watched here. Not paranoia, just a fact. Why give them ammo?
In some cases, not being leftists or Marxists is only a good start. Ed Schultz used to be a ‘conservative’, as I recall. Google the name if you don’t know it.
In any case, I have no problem with you.
“If you were well read, you would know that the founding of the Hong Kong colony was to be a base for the Windsor family’s opium and heroin distribution business.”
Oh.
So in fact the England’s royal family is indeed a major drug smuggling cartel?
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