GLENN BECK´S FOOT HAS ONCE AGAIN FOUND A FAMILIAR PLACE IN HIS MOUTH
Gary Ater
March 02, 2010
...the sobbing Glenn Beck as portrayed by a major publication
It took a while, but I finally followed up on what "the mouth", Glenn Beck had to say in his speech at the CPAC conference last week. (I tend to do that with Mr. Beck´s speeches as it usually gives me either a good laugh, a large gasp from a totally ridiculous "Becksterism", or something to shake my head at in total disbelief.)
As usual, Mr. Beck did not disappoint.
What did set me back was one of his comments against the usually revered progressive Republican president of the past, Theodore Roosevelt.
I understand that there are those "dyed-in-the-wool" conservatives that feel that TR was way too liberal. But Beck really went too far (from my opinion) when he said about the man, "We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used."
At first I read over the comment with the positive reaction that it deserved. But then Beck went on to make a 180º turn when he stated; "This is not our Founders' idea of America. And this is the cancer that's eating at America. It is big government……it's a socialist utopia."
Apparently, as it was back in the days of the giant industrialists and the "Robber Barons" of the late 1800´s, Beck feels that the founders believed that to be a "real American", one must become of wealth in a "dishonorable fashion" and should not use that wealth in any efforts for the greater good. (I know, that may sound like a somewhat far-out assumption, but with the "Beckster", you never really know.)
As someone that has prided himself on my support for this Republican president from the past, TR seemed to have an approach such as what I also supported with another Republican US president: Dwight David Eisenhower.
Both TR and Eisenhower felt that the size of government needed to be watched closely, but they both also felt that there was a definite place for government to do those things that were difficult to achieve without some level of government involvement. This was demonstrated by TR´s dealings with the building of the Panama Canal and Eisenhower´s support of the American Interstate Highway System.
So where does Beck´s statements of "cancer and socialist utopia" come from?
History has it well documented that both of these past GOP presidents despised the idea of "Socialism". Roosevelt actually had said that he hated socialism. In one of his speeches TR stated; "It [Socialism] would spell sheer destruction. It would produce grosser wrong and outrage, fouler immorality, than any existing system." In fact, TR was totally in support of modern "Capitalism" and he felt that it was the inevitable and only system for a democratic America.
But he also believed that without some protection for the average working American, laissez faire capitalism would become the bane of a safe, healthy and robust nation and its economy. TR´s concept was that a capitalist system without basic regulations would create destructive clashes between labor and capital and the rich and the poor. Based on that thinking, he busted monopolistic trusts, imposed health standards on filthy meatpacking plants and promoted a more professional, merit-based civil service. Is this "Socialism", or is it being responsible to the nations citizens, both the rich and the poor, but especially to the average working American?
And so, apparently Mr. Beck really thinks that the founders development of the US Constitution was for the nation´s citizens to earn their riches "dishonorably"? If that were the case, why did the founders write a document that was for protecting all American citizens, rich and poor, and regardless of their heritage and religion? And does Beck really believe that President Roosevelt was a supporter of the "socialist utopia" that´s a "cancer that's eating at America"…….?" And all this time I thought that Mr. Beck was a recovering "dry alcoholic Mormon". (He must have fallen off the wagon again….)
The Roosevelt courts had removed laws allowing labor strikes and for limiting maximum work hours. And why would TR do this? Does this sound like a raging liberal "Socialist"? Obviously not. It was because TR was trying to avoid a real "street-fighting revolution" between the workers and the wealthy business owners. Roosevelt´s goal was to preserve the then fair market system, but to also regulate its health, safety and fairness to the workers. And this was also a true "conservative tradition" of the time for using incremental positive reform to diffuse radicalism. And I would doubt that Mr. Beck would wish to return to the pre-TR, 19th-century labor, health and antitrust standards.
The following is a comment from an article about the recent CPAC conference written by the Washington Post´s Michael Gerson. He also sees that Glenn Beck and many of the attendees at CPAC are part of an angry crowed that wants to go way beyond stopping or blocking the latest actions of the current US president.
Per Mr. Gerson: "All....those in attendance at CPAC, [were] determined to sharpen an ideological debate. In the name of constitutional purity, they propose a great undoing. Not just the undoing of Obamaism. Undo Medicare and Social Security. Undo the expansive American global commitments that proceeded from World War II and the Cold War. Undo progressive-era economic regulations. Undo the executive power grab that preserved the union. Undo it all -- until America is left with a government appropriate to an isolated, 18th-century farming republic. "
In other words, attendees of CPAC would support a new revolution that would remove any of the advances that have been made for civil rights, voting rights, women´s rights, labor rights, child labor laws, and a century of successfully building a strong middle class.
Glenn Beck has become the antithesis of what is needed to take our current broken systems and fix it for ourselves, our children and our children´s children. He is the classic, "Throw the baby out with the bath water." protégée
It is both disturbing and frightening when I hear how many people listen to Mr. Beck and also believe in and follow his every word. Glenn Beck is beginning to remind me of the radical Wisconsin US Senator Joseph McCarthy of the 1950´s that saw a "Red Communist" under every rock. The senator´s long enemies-list and accusations falsely ruined hundreds, possibly thousands of American´s lives and reputations before he was finally removed from the scene.
My hope is that kind of character assassination won´t be allowed to occur again based on the many false claims as have been made by Mr. Beck.
Copyright G.Ater 2010
Follow me on Twitter: gater01
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