On Glenn Beck's Speech at CPAC

I watched a number of the speeches at the 2010 CPAC. Some were boringly predictable, very "Republican Establishment". Some were opportunistic, seizing on the energy and momentum of the TEA party movement, using all the right words, but lacking sincerity. But others were brutally honest and heartfelt. Glenn Beck's keynote speech was one such presentation.

If I had given the same speech, or something very close to it, one major difference would have been that I would emphasize the spiritual aspect that most--even Beck--don't quite grasp. Glenn several times referred to an ability of Americans to survive doing the hard thing, making the tough choices, hitting our bottom and climbing back out. He kept saying it's "because we're Americans". I'd argue that being Americans is really nothing, in and of itself. But, what does make us different is that our country was founded upon the understanding that God's hand was on it and would succeed, no matter what the challenge, by relying upon God. And, consistently, the people of this nation has returned to its knees at its darkest times. So far, God has answered the prayers of the faithful.

Because Glenn Beck's speech was both scathing of its indictment of the HUGE failings of the Republican party and hopeful that this nation can again rise to greatness--not necessarily depending on a party, but rather returning to the ideals of our founders--there are some who take offense at either the message or the method Beck presented. Bill Bennet, long considered a stalwart of the Republican party, quickly attempted to throw water on the fire Glenn ignited. Personally, I consider Bill Bennet to be nothing more than the tired antique of a party that looks down its nose on us "common folk", much the way the Democrats do. I'll address the concerns that Mr. Bennet raised in a recent article.

First off, he clearly didn't like that Beck used the analogy of his own battle with alcohol to illustrate the abuses of the Republican Establishment. Bennet's complaint had nothing to do with the point of the analogy, which I contend was absolutely fitting, but with his claim that using personal failings to extrapolate into the public sphere is taboo. Mr. Bennet, what you apparently are incapable of considering is that the very tendencies of human beings in a fallen state, the ones that also make alcoholism a problem, are the same ones that make greed for money and power and the short-sightedness to realize that what we are doing is ultimately wrong and dangerous. If you care to take me on in a more in-depth debate over the validity of such an analogy, I'll happy take you on.

Next, Mr. Bennet actually believes that Glenn Beck's contention that the Republican party is not admitting it actually has a problem. He cites examples like McCain, DeMint, Coburn and Pence, all allegedly have admitted the excesses of the party and done "constructive and serious work to correct them and find and promote solutions". Really? Are you serious? I'm sorry, Mr. Bennet, but you lost all credibility with me as soon as you brought up McCain, who is a RINO. As I've mentioned earlier, too many of the Establishment Republicans caught the wind of the TEA party and realized they need to change their tune or face the threat of being ousted by the same wave that will oust a good many of Democrats. We who understand the issues that the TEA party movement represents can smell insincerity a mile off. People like Bill Bennet are old-school and simply do not get it. Bill Bennet then asked a rhetorical question about whether Glenn Beck lumped people like Michele Bachmann in the same group as Nancy Pelosi. What a preposterous bunch of trash. Beck did nothing of the sort. And, in fact, he has, on his program, looked quite closely at a number of the newer Republicans, like Bachmann (of whom I have great admiration), and recognized the potential in them. What Beck is saying -- what I've been saying -- is that the old and tired guard in the Republican party refuses to truly, deeply, honestly believe they've screwed up big time and that people like Bachmann, Rubio, Palin all have elements that, if properly assisted, could create a new renaissance.

Next, amazingly, Bennet truly didn't like Beck's admonishment that it is "morning in America", but that it was analogous to the sickening, hung-over kind of morning that often accompanies either realizing you've hit bottom and finally make that life-changing decision to do the hard thing...or prompts you to find a quick fix, a "hair of the dog", that calms your nerves and fools you into thinking you don't really have a problem, enabling you to hit another binge party a couple of weeks later. Mr. Bennet, are you so ignorant of history that you don't see that, repeatedly, the Republicans have been in this position before? The Republicans get into power, squander it, like the taste of power, and waste money on as much senselessness as the Democrats and are shocked when they are summarily swept out of power. As a lean process improvement facilitator, I clearly recognize repeat problems that are the result of people who never really did a root cause analysis and refuse to admit their band-aids were a sham and a waste. Bennet's complaint that Beck dares to suggest that purging the party of what he perceives as the problem (what I'd call a cancer) is weak. In fact, just as Scripture refers to the lukewarm being spit out (which is precisely what is going on worldwide--the hot and the cold are being more defined every day). The point and the analogy is appropriate.

Bennet himself mentioned the repeated cycle involving the movement back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, but didn't see the sense of breaking that chain by doing something different, taking a different approach. This is exactly what I'd expect from someone who has been too long a part of the tired establishment. He doesn't think that there are a great many similarities in the two parties. Perhaps not with specific people, but the behaviors and predictable weaknesses are, in fact, horribly similar. Again, a point I would love to debate Bennet on.

Bennet's last paragraph is simplistic at best and shows that either he is incapable of understanding the nuances of Glenn Beck's analogies or decided expending the energy to craft a more thought-out response wasn't worth it. Well, Mr. Bennet, I use to be a dues-paying member of the Republican party. I left that party shortly after the Republican Congress became drunken sailors with power, feeding into every special interest that would line their greedy little coffers, shortly after GW Bush showed he was clueless to the problem of illegal immigration and other issues. As I have posted time and again, the Republican party simply morphed into Democrat-lite. Yes, Bill, there is a difference between drunk and sober. The Democrats were drunk to the point of near lack of consciousness. The Republicans were simply drunk to the point of sleeping with the enemy and having no memory of it the next day. Not recongizing that, Mr. Bennet is what is dangerous. You are cordially invited to get the heck out of our way.