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Ross Douthat: Mr. Beck Goes to Washington
The New York Times ^ | August 29, 2010 | Ross Douthat

Posted on 08/29/2010 10:09:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Entering this weekend, I was convinced that Glenn Beck’s star was about to go into eclipse.

Just as Michael Moore, amid Democratic disarray, became the unlikely face of liberal opposition to George W. Bush, the mercurial, weepy, demagogic Beck has spent the last 18 months filling the void left by the institutional collapse of the Republican Party. And just as Moore’s influence diminished as the Democrats came roaring back, it seemed plausible that Beck would matter less and less as the midterms and then the 2012 election re-empowered actual Republican politicians.

But after spending my Saturday at Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally on the Washington Mall, I’m beginning to think that I underestimated the man.

The Fox News host had promised that the rally, billed as a celebration of American values, would be an explicitly apolitical event. And so it came to pass: save for an occasional “Don’t Tread On Me,” banner, the crowded Mall was nearly free of political signs and T-shirt slogans, and there was barely a whisper of the crusade against liberalism that consumes most of Beck’s on-air hours.

Instead, Beck served up something considerably stranger. This was a tent revival crossed with a pep rally intertwined with a history lecture married to a U.S.O. telethon — and that was just in the first hour.

There was piety — endless piety, as speaker after speaker demanded that Americans rededicate themselves to God. There was patriotism: fund- raising for children of slain Special Forces vets, paeans to military heroism (delivered by Sarah Palin, among others), encomiums to the founding fathers. There was an awards ceremony on the theme of “Faith, Hope and Charity,” in which community-service prizes were handed out to a black minister, a Mormon businessman...

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2010; beck; douthat; glennbeck; obama; palin; rally; restoringhonorrally; rossdouthat; sarahpalin; talkradio
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Will it help turn back the tide?
1 posted on 08/29/2010 10:09:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Well, this guy showed up and tried to formulate what at least has the appearance of an honest assessment of the actual phenomenon in front of him, which is more than you can say for most of the media.


2 posted on 08/29/2010 10:19:48 PM PDT by The Man
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t know about turning the tide, but it leads logically to the next step, to a November Tsunami.

Remember, November is Coming.


3 posted on 08/29/2010 10:22:00 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You can’t turn back a tide but it will help float a lot of boats and the tide will turn back eventually.


4 posted on 08/29/2010 10:24:05 PM PDT by Errant
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t trust anything Ross Douchebag writes after the hatchet job he did to Sarah Palin


5 posted on 08/29/2010 10:34:45 PM PDT by backwoods-engineer (There is no "common good" which minimizes or sacrifices the individual. --Walter Scott Hudson)
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To: The Man
but he still couldn't bring himself to mention the Dr Alveda King,King's niece was there as a featured speaker -

they sure are trying to keep this quiet. Can't have any blacks looking into this and maybe leaving the plantation

I also haven't seen one media mention of Beck's 'in your face' defiance to the powers that be at the Kennedy Center Friday night concerning their edict "NO OPENING PRAYER!" He, basically told 'em to stuff it and sicked his lawyers on 'em. He said there was nothing in the contract that said "no prayer." (I'm guessing because they know it's unconstitutional to forbid prayer.

Ditto at the Washington mall - Park police had even forbid some young girls from saying a prayer that a week or so ago.

Beck was told no prayer and no singing the anthem. They did both - in spades.

It was like calling the schoolyard bully's bluff: What could the park police do? Can you imagine if they had marched up there and tried tostop them? This country would have exploded.

Hopefully, more people will take heart and defy the prayer police.

6 posted on 08/29/2010 10:36:55 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (g)
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To: The Man

You are right. He did attempt to comprehend the situation as well as a liberal could. He got one thing glaringly right, though, when he mentioned the “...the institutional collapse of the Republican Party...”. What gets me is that RINOS and “institutional Republicans” like Mitch McConnell STILL don’t get it. They are going to take the anti-institutional victory that Republicans are going to get in November and still try to cut deals with the Democrats. What they don’t get is that conservative Republicans and libertarians are sick and tired of Washington ‘Pubs bargaining away principle for advantage to Democrats and corporate lobbyists.


7 posted on 08/29/2010 11:04:20 PM PDT by Nucluside (ready)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; The Man; Texas Fossil; maine-iac7; backwoods-engineer

Poor man, he was reduced to damning Beck for being too evil and crafty to wave the bloody shirt of political partisanship at the event and giving his critics something to sink their teeth into.


8 posted on 08/29/2010 11:06:29 PM PDT by sinanju
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ross Asshat, in typical NYT fashion, has no idea what they are experiencing and how deep the hatred of Washington is. Becks rally confused the cocktail circuit crowd because it was steeped in pro-American ideals of which most of the country follows.


9 posted on 08/29/2010 11:07:32 PM PDT by Lazlo in PA
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

What I find sad is that so many, including Douthat, seem to be unable to comprehend what a truly inspiring event was held yesterday.

It was honorable, truthful, spiritual, patriotic...and full of the “hope” that so many Americans strive to achieve.

Sad that they can’t see it for what it was.

So...I now say...CHANGE IT BACK!


10 posted on 08/30/2010 12:26:46 AM PDT by dixiechick2000 (Remember November...I can see it from my house!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m starting to think we might be better off if we deliberately lose this election. Or at least deliberately fail to show up to vote for any lackluster Federal republican.

What good is victory if republicans come in with the same big government “solutions”. Even to many republicans the very idea that we might actually roll back government into something we can least afford to support is or rather has been unthinkable.

Just as unthinkable giving government the appropriate blame for the existing economic and health-care mess. BOTH of which are directly a result of our own Governments interference in the market. Past polices both republican and democrat created this mess. Believe to or not there have been many “progressive” republicans who have created a lot of government expansion with very destructive consequence.

We cannot continue to defend or ignore theses acts, and we would be better off losing if we tried.

If they want to think people like Sharron Angle are extremest for wanting to get rid of social(socialist) security and the Federal department of education. Then I say let them stand upon their own. We would be better off letting the democrats drive the United States into total dysfunction and collapse then to fight them to a standstill or even a moderation.


11 posted on 08/30/2010 2:18:13 AM PDT by Monorprise
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To: backwoods-engineer

How to Say Nothing at Great Length
by Ross d’Ouchebag


12 posted on 08/30/2010 2:28:43 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan (In Edward Kennedy's America, federal funding of brothels is a right, not a privilege.)
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To: Lazlo in PA

He knows what the event really meant. But thye NYT is paying his rent now. Any interpretation other than that Beck is a pied piper would get Ross fired.


13 posted on 08/30/2010 2:34:32 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan (In Edward Kennedy's America, federal funding of brothels is a right, not a privilege.)
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To: Arthur McGowan

Aslan is on the move!


14 posted on 08/30/2010 3:32:35 AM PDT by Rodm
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To: Monorprise

Well, I might agree with you, if it hadn’t been for the fact that this is exactly the attitude that kept people home in 2008 and helped elect Obummer and his stooges. And just look what THEY are doing.


15 posted on 08/30/2010 3:42:30 AM PDT by Purrcival (Proud to share my birthday with President Reagan)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I was there Saturday there were vendors selling white T-shirts
with the a graphic similar to the official Restoring honor shirt but on the back they had How is that Hope and change working for you. They did not do to good selling T shirts. If they left the words off the back they probably would have sold a ton of T-shirts The message on the back did not fit. The people who showed up where your parents and grandparent people who do not normally protest and their were some black people not many but some. The vendors were mainly black

Though it is not taught in school any more the founders of this country were very religious. If we can not get that religious fervor back to the people the country will fail T-Party or not. That is what this rally was about to start a spiritual awakening. That happens people again will see the differences of right and wrong. That is very dangerous for both political parties.
Will the rally work I think it will the people at the rally were not mindless droids following some master. They all had many different reasons for being there. The Left know this and so does the Republican party and they are scared


16 posted on 08/30/2010 4:12:59 AM PDT by jroneil (2010 is all that matter now!)
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To: Texas Fossil

You’re right. As I said yesterday on some thread, no matter what their interpretation of the rally or it’s message, they now know that those folks who were energized enough to travel cross country to attend a rally in DC, will go to vote in November. They are energized, and the polilticians should take notice!


17 posted on 08/30/2010 4:15:14 AM PDT by dawn53
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To: Purrcival

“Well, I might agree with you, if it hadn’t been for the fact that this is exactly the attitude that kept people home in 2008 and helped elect Obummer and his stooges. And just look what THEY are doing.”

Yes indeed look what they are doing and look what we are finally starting to seriously look at doing in response.

Many times the cost of winning a battle is soo much that we would have been better off losing the battle.

I beleive electing John McCain in 2008 in hindsight would have been just such a Pyrrhic victory for the Conservative cause. I say this in hindsight cause I actually voted for John McCain in 2008 (although my state didn’t).

The truth is if he were president now, he would be doing many of the bad things Obama is doing of course not nearly as badly, but he still would have been doing them things and doing them under the clam of the conservative banner.

Meanwhile we conservatives would have no voice to resist, no means to form and implement an alternative truly conservative agenda. The curse of winning an election in the United States in moderate times is the curse of “moderations” a “moderation” which brings with it a whole host of highly destructive contradictions.

No my friend we are much better off where we are today preparing our states to Resist Washington D.C. from the Ground up then where we would be if John McCain had won.

We are Far better off letting liberals learn first hand the consequences of their actions, then showing them such consequence under an impostor who calls himself a conservative. Simply put as long as we can’t get rid of the vast federal Government intrusions in to the market lock stock and barrel. It will still be an out of control vehicle. Minor reductions in the same analogy are analogous to maybe 1 or 2 mph reductions. Were still flying out of control at 99mph.

It is perhaps best that we assume our crash positions.


18 posted on 08/30/2010 4:17:10 AM PDT by Monorprise
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To: The Man
at least has the appearance of an honest assessment

Which makes it even more dishonest, IMHO.

19 posted on 08/30/2010 4:34:28 AM PDT by Tribune7 (The Democrat Party is not a political organization but a religious cult.)
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To: Monorprise
I’m starting to think we might be better off if we deliberately lose this election.

Definitely not, unless you hate this country. There are a LOT of good people running on the Pub ticket.

I will say if I lived in Alaska and Murky cheats to get on the ballot, I would vote the Libertarian.

20 posted on 08/30/2010 4:36:45 AM PDT by Tribune7 (The Democrat Party is not a political organization but a religious cult.)
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