Quotes of the day
posted at 10:30 pm on September 17, 2009 by Allahpundit
“As melodrama, it’s thumping good stuff. But as politics, it’s sort of a train wreck — at once powerful, spellbinding and uncontrolled. Like William Jennings Bryan whipping up populist Democrats over moneyed interests or the John Birch Society brooding over fluoride, Beck mines the timeless theme of the corrupt Them thwarting a virtuous Us. This flexible narrative often contains genuinely uncomfortable truths. Some days ‘they’ are the unconfirmed policy ‘czars’ whom Beck fears Obama is using to subvert constitutional government — and he has some radical-sounding sound bites to back it up. Some days ‘they’ are the network of leftist community organizers known as ACORN — and his indictment of the group is looking stronger every day. But he also spins yarns of less substance. He tells his viewers that Obama’s volunteerism efforts are really an attempt to create a ‘civilian national-security force that is just as strong, just as powerful as the military.’ While scourging Obama and the Democratic Congress, Beck takes pains to say that the ranks of the nation’s would-be oppressors know no party. In his recent instabook — Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, a huge best seller, with more than 1 million copies moved in less than four months — he wrote, ‘Most Americans remain convinced that the country is on the wrong track. They know that SOMETHING JUST DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT but they don’t know how to describe it or, more importantly, how to stop it.’ The book’s pox-on-both-parties populism evokes the quixotic campaigns of Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, but with an eerie sound track.”
***
“In an e-mail to POLITICO, Limbaugh said any attempt to compare him with Beck in terms of Washington influence rests on a ‘flawed premise.’
‘I do not, and never have, measured my success in ways you describe, such as ‘impact’ in Washington,’ Limbaugh said. ‘I am a broadcaster and judge my success by those standards.’…
Radio host Mark Levin, whose book ‘Liberty & Tyranny’ just surpassed 1 million sales this week, laughed off the suggestion that Beck may be eclipsing Limbaugh as the voice of the right.
‘Are you kidding?’ Levin said in an e-mail. ‘Comparing Rush Limbaugh to Glenn Beck is like comparing George Washington to George Jefferson. Beck can be very entertaining and even informative, but he is neither the face nor the voice of the conservative movement. He is one of many.’”
Blowback
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Rush, Beck, Hannity, Levin need to leave their egos at the door and have a weekly phone summit to discuss their direction. Chart a course of attack and each take a piece of the puzzle to hammer.
It’s so crucial right now to expose this administration. They have socialized the mortgage industry and outlawed private college lending, attempting to take over and unionize healthcare, stomping on the constitution and attempting to fundamentally change it with the Supreme Court. We need to get on the stick to SLOW THIS GUY DOWN before we send his sorry, crooked, socialist ass back to Chicago.
marklmail on September 18, 2009 at 8:28 AM
Great point..the way to attack this cabal of lefty’s is to hit them every day from a new direction. So far it’s exposed the news media to America as worthless for getting the facts out quickly and without bias.
Jeff from WI on September 18, 2009 at 8:33 AM
Levin’s right on there.Beck is good but he’s not Rush,neither is Hannity for that matter.Sean has too many politicians on to suit me.
ohiobabe on September 18, 2009 at 8:34 AM
“Democrats are Stupid Traitors”
TMK on September 18, 2009 at 8:38 AM
These charlatans are not interested in exposing this administration. They are interested in misinforming Republicans so they can wear money hats. They are competing with each other for your dollars. They have no interest in working together.
Keeping Obama or any Democrat in office is in their best interest. They make more money throwing bricks at the people in charge than they make defending a Republican administration.
Decider on September 18, 2009 at 8:41 AM
I’ll take my 16-year-old liberal copypasta with marinara and parmesan cheese, thatnk-you.
Kinda dry and flavorless, what with it being such an old and worn-out copypasta.
TMK on September 18, 2009 at 8:46 AM
Exactly correct! That’s the thing with Conservatives. We need ALL of our many voices. We need to remember that we are FIGHTING collectivism. The liberals will always seek to divide. We MUST not allow it. Never violate the Eleventh commandment. When we follow our game plan, they don’t stand a chance. Conservatives must win the day!
Blacksmith8 on September 18, 2009 at 8:47 AM
It’s gonna take a lot of us to fight the Borg!
lovingmyUSA on September 18, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Did you feel that?
I think the ground just shook.
Hey, look at that…
…on the horizon…
…Dawn.
It’s a beautiful day to fight!
Saltysam on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Agreed.
Morons need not assume I dislike Beck. I have no problem with Beck. From my perspective, Beck is the relevant version for the right that Jon Stewart can only wish he were to the left. And I congratulate Beck for succeeding with his claim to fame. Whether or not Beck “discovered” the Van corruption, Beck absolutely delivered the necessary death shake over the air waves.
But Beck’s mannerisms do flirt with the ridiculous. Would Allahpundit and Gabe Malor make amends for having ridiculed Beck’s over-the-top non-stop seemingly fanatical rant? When hell freezes over. Whoever expects Beck to get any sort of acknowledgment of support from Time is holding their breath during an exercise in futility.
maverick muse on September 18, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Jeepers, I like Rush, Hannity, Beck, Levin, Coulter, and even Savage.
I didn’t realize that I had to pick just one!!!
When’s the deadline for making a decision??!!!???
justltl on September 18, 2009 at 9:07 AM
On the other hand, if the left had even a hint that these guys were coordinating their message, they would do their best to blow this up into a scandal that could damage all 4 of them.
MarkTheGreat on September 18, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Holger on September 18, 2009 at 12:40 AM
As Holger eloquently stated, every popular Conservative Talk Show Host has their own gifts. When Glen had Rush as a telephone guest on his TV show recently, they were extremely gracious and complimentary to one another. The only problem right now seems to be between Sean and Levin and Beck. Hannity and Levin need to leave their egos at the door. Beck has been on point recently and doing a good job. If Sean and Mark want positive attention, do something to further the good fight and they’ll receive it.
kingsjester on September 18, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Obviously you have never been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
ALL Yoopers have an accent.
“Say yah to da UP, eh.”
Yoop on September 18, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Holger: excellent analysis. By portraying this QOTD as a Beck v. Limbaugh through Levin it continues to narrow the debate as up/down left/right and isn’t as nuanced as thinkers such as ourselves see conservatism.
good job.
Conservatism shouldn’t be perverted with the weak thinking that plagues those that cannot understand the world through our lens.
ted c on September 18, 2009 at 9:14 AM
It would be to the left’s advantage if we made a choice. Ignore them. Attack from all flanks, continuously, with vigor. Let the victims fall where they may.
Yoop on September 18, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Was Beck’s fanaticism most likely required in order for Beck to be heard above the fray against him? It made him the center of everyone’s attention. Is that then accepted as the behavioral norm for everyone now? Or is only Beck to be excused for ranting when accurately on target?
Specifically, Michael Savage has consistently been correctly on target for years. Yet Savage’s persecution ‘Banned in Britain’ has not been acknowledged by HotAir. Once upon a time, Savage was grudgingly granted an obligatory Thread Post with the specific qualification that Allahpundit “didn’t know Savage” and would leave it to his readers.
So what now, Fear and Loathing? Too much competition for the HotAir personality cult to share attention? Granted, Ed and Allahpundit are progressive in comparison to Michael Savage. All the more reason to post a contrasting rebuttal editorial. I’ve sadly made the observation previously that Michelle Malkin’s claim to fame vs. amnesty for illegal aliens was a historical spin off from the Savage root: Borders, Language, Culture. Yet she can’t find it in herself to admit any alignment whatsoever. I’ve also sadly noted the HotAir anti-elderly political views for ridiculing Fred Thompson’s age with Alinsky fashioned rhetoric.
Right now, ignoring the British ban on Savage is a pathetic and a hypocritical stance. Savage is the target whipping-boy, not only abused by Leftists but by his jealous peers. All these so-called conservatives (feigning to be ‘too smart’ for this to happen to them) are too thin-skinned AND cowardly to stand up against the political abuse he is weathering on the behalf of conservatism. To claim “we didn’t ask him to” as an excuse to silently witness his persecution is akin to responding, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE VANQUISHES EVIL. As if that will keep you safe from evil, no; it takes each of us to contribute some mutual effort. When the Left deal a conservative what is emphatically delivered to be a mortal blow, don’t stand aside when you see fraud attacking truth. Just as I stand with Malkin and Stacy McCain against Charles Johnson in that idiot’s self constructed blackhole of hate, I stand with Michael Savage against the Left who would deprive him, conservative talk radio, and us all of free speech.
maverick muse on September 18, 2009 at 9:23 AM
Perhaps; but we’ve seen (or are beginning to see) that resistance is not futile.
massrighty on September 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
I agree. Look at how Joe Wilson was rewarded by the conservative/right/TEA crowd. When his website came up for air the next day, it was clear the conservative voice of the US says “Fight for us and we will reward you”. I don’t know if Beck has the juice to go 24/7 until the Bamster is run out of office on a rail. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to. The founders didn’t have just one man driving, we don’t have just one man driving. I’m thinking there is a lot of wasted airtime AM radio, FM radio, and Video. There are still some blank lines on the team roster.
Blacksmith8 on September 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Very true, better to have legion than a solitary One Voice to counter Ob-opposition.
And the same goes for the candidate premature promotionals.
BUILD THE PLATFORM FIRST, NOW. Then address who is best based upon the established foundation. A progressive would do it backwards, particularly to avoid focus on certain planks as distractions seem of greater interest.
And before any candidate poll begins, let’s clean up the Republican Primary Process. First things first.
maverick muse on September 18, 2009 at 9:31 AM
lovingmyUSA on September 18, 2009 at 8:22 AM
:) enjoy
maverick muse on September 18, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Beck is guilty of hyperbole, used as a rhetorical device, to prove a larger point.
Sunstein is guilty of being a very dangerous man, whose ideas don’t sit well with those who love liberty.
If those are the only two choices, I’ll take hyperbole.
massrighty on September 18, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Good point.
Open primaries = weak candidates.
massrighty on September 18, 2009 at 9:37 AM
Rush makes mountains out of molehills too at times, but that’s a matter of perspective, obviously. Beck is, as you say, sometimes very pointed and compelling. Other times, he’s just so out there that it’s hard not to laugh.
I think ALL of the punditry shows have that same flaw.
AnninCA on September 18, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Beck is going to burn himself out if he doesn’t slow down. Whither then this manufactured conflict?
spmat on September 18, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Nice try AP. By the quote above you make it seem as if Beck pulled that one out of his butt.
You left off the part where Beck proceeds to show a video where Obama is saying, “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.“
FYI (I’m sure I’m not alone in this either), when I heard Obama say that I said “WTF!” I didn’t need Beck to say it for me to know about it. However, theatrical Beck is, he says what most of us wish we could tell the rest of the nation….THAT SOMETHING JUST DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT.
moonsbreath on September 18, 2009 at 10:01 AM
MB4:
Your comments are always well worth considering. Your Churchill quote does not disappoint. In a recent story about Margaret Thatcher she told of being inspired by another Churchill speech given in April, 1941, when the outcome was still gravely in doubt. I believe it resonates with our situation today. It ends thus:
“Last time I spoke to you I quoted the lilies of Longfellow which President Roosevelt had written out for me in his own hand. I have some other lines which are less well known but which seem apt and appropriate to our fortunes tonight, and I believe they will be so judged wherever the English language is spoken or the flag of freedom flies:
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back, through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.
And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light;
in front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright.”
holger:
Sometimes when I am down, thinking about how formidable a task we face in setting things aright, I read Patrick Henry’s speech and am recharged.
JackOkie on September 18, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Glen Beck may be the most important man in the world right now.
I love Rush, Levin, Sean, Laura and all of the rest.
But Beck is the one charging the ramparts of the radical in the White House.
The others are important too, and along with Michelle, Anne, Morris and many others are having a huge impact.
But Beck is at the tip of the spear.
God bless him.
notagool on September 18, 2009 at 10:40 AM
The Left and the MSM are trying to sow dissension in conservative ranks. Don’t fall for this phony argument. We are all soldiers in the war against Obammunism.
RandyChandler on September 18, 2009 at 10:47 AM
In deed.
Collusion is a bad idea, in general. Let them compete with each other–the product will inevitably be better.
Count to 10 on September 18, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Yes, but NONE of the punditry shows ever made cruel comments about Alzheimers.
massrighty on September 18, 2009 at 11:00 AM
I’ve listened to Rush since the early 90s….but in the last year or so I switched to BECK!
he’s my new GURU!!!
right4life on September 18, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Bottom line: all the Left has is waning power. They have no one who commands the respect and adoration of Rush, or even Levin, Beck, Hannity etc. They have lost the battle for hearts and minds (among those who possess hearts and minds).
Akzed on September 18, 2009 at 11:17 AM
As an upstate NY’er, I’m afraid that I require a translation.
piglet on September 18, 2009 at 11:18 AM
massrighty, agree completely that we need closed primaries. I don’t want independents deciding on the Republican candidate. If they can’t commit to a party, they can’t choose the candidate.
piglet on September 18, 2009 at 11:19 AM
I think Glenn’s TV show is better than his radio show. I view him as more the successor to Bill O’Reilly than to Rushbo.
JKahn913 on September 18, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Michael Savage’s vanity obscures his message. He is not as brilliant as he constantly tells us he is.
Plus, he daily berates other major hosts, then wonders why they are not obsequiously acknowledging him as their master.
Akzed on September 18, 2009 at 11:22 AM
The leftist media is trying to destroy the momentum of the ascendence of conservatism by trying to start in fighting among the conservative talk show hosts. Eating our own will take the focus off of the corruptocrats in Washington. I hope Rush and Beck are wise enough to see that. I feel confident they are, but egos are funny things. And Levin needs to get over himself. I love him. He is brilliant and a great radio host, but his constant whining about Beck merely dimishes Levin and not Beck.
ihasurnominashun on September 18, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Yes, Levin is smart, but he is too stupid to keep his mouth shut about Beck. Remember the free market,Levin!!! It applies to YOU, too.
mobydutch on September 18, 2009 at 11:39 AM
The mainstream media undermine their effort to promote Glenn as a successor to Rush because they just got done anointing Sean when he was leading on Reverend Wright.
If I had to pick a known personality as Rush’s heir, I’d choose Mark Steyn. He’s funny, but also has some of Rush’s sincere and respectful demeanor when talking with seminar and liberal callers. And like Rush, he teaches effectively because he’s well-studied.
Sean also has a very good radio knack. Honestly, I learn more from Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt, but Sean’s personality is sunnier. Still, neither he nor Beck offer the combination of philosophy, production, and personality that Rush does.
JKahn913 on September 18, 2009 at 11:47 AM
I like to listen to Rush every day because he helps lift me out of the pits of depression. Glenn Beck seems to do the opposite. I am all for him exposing the corruption that is going on and threatens to destroy us, but I can’t take it every day. There will never be another Rush.
theaddora on September 18, 2009 at 11:50 AM
I like Rush because he does not spend valuable time bashing the competition. He has class!!!
mobydutch on September 18, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Levin is smart, and is right on about the substance of the issues.
But unfortunately, his bashing of other personalities on the right, his unpleasant, humorless, cranky personality, and his fits of screaming like a crazy person in that annoying high-pitched voice of his really turn me off from listening to him for very long.
Is Brian Sussman broadcast on the air anywhere besides KSFO in the Bay Area, or are the out-of-state callers he gets all listening on line? Check him out sometime.
Alex_SF on September 18, 2009 at 11:55 AM
I love Glenn Beck and greatly admire and appreciate his role in the ACORN bust but if I watched him everyday, I’d kill myself. I hope he has a way of decompressing after every show. He is helping and I wouldn’t want to lose him. He has an audience that is listening and is active – we need everyone we can get. This is no time for in fighting. I don’t think Limbaugh, et al really care if there is another voice out there. I believe there is room for all of them on our side and I think they all know it. We may need lots of chiefs but we need even more braves.
gopmom on September 18, 2009 at 12:52 PM
I’m pretty sure that Rush, Hannity and Levin are good pals and Hannity’s contractually obligated to put up with Beck, due to their shared status as Fox TV hosts. I’ve heard Limbaugh and Beck say complimentary things about each other and they seem to be on good enough terms, considering how they ought to be at least somewhat at each other’s throats since they’re competing for the same market at the same time slot. Of those four, the only two who really seem to go after each other are Levin and Beck, and mostly just from Levin’s direction. But he hardly gets along with any other radio hosts.
Sign of the Dollar on September 18, 2009 at 1:01 PM
I listen to Neal Boortz, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Levin, Herman Cain (a local Atlanta host) and Michael Savage, as I like to get their different takes on the same issues – and they are often different.
You have to remember, in most markets some of their respective shows are on at the same time on competing stations, so it stands to reason they aren’t all going to be buddy-buddy all the time.
I appreciate the contributions made by each of them.
Dave R. on September 18, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Mark Levin is right. I like Beck to a point, especially the impact he is having lately, but he’s no where near Levin for the Conservative Movement.
Look up the LandMark Legal Foundation.
Mark R. Levin is the President.
They got Clinton disbarred.
They caught Carol Brauner destroying documents under subpoena at Clinton’s EPA.
They have had the NEA in court forcing them to defend their non-partisan tax exemption.
He was the one that nominated Rush for the Nobel Peace Prize, leading to a great exposure of that crooked process.
Levin started by campaigning for Reagan in 1976, and wound up as the Chief of Staff to the Attorney General of the US.
Levin told of his experience when Reagan was first elected, his task was to go through the Departments of the Executive Branch, identifying, defunding and dismantling the leftists architecture put in place by President Carter. He told of finding hundreds of boxes of documents and records, and cases upon cases of little red paperback copies of Rules for Radicals to be sent out to all the local district activists, paid for by federal tax dollars.
Mark Levin has had these liberal groups’ number for decades, and has been very effective fighting them with the law.
Levin was doing this when Beck was drunk throwing up on his own shoes.
Like I said, I like Beck, but do not make the mistake of vaulting him past Levin.
When it comes to matters of the Constitution, Mark Levin is the go to guy.
His whole life has been about the reverence for our Founding Fathers and what they did for us.
That is why he detests liberals so intensely, and feels they deserve humiliating mockery, which I love by the way.
AS far as his “annoying voice”, I find it to be like fine whiskey. You learn to love the burn!
Liberty and Tyranny is over 1,000,000 copies sold, in HARDBACK. That beats Common Sense in PAPERBACK.
I’m glad they are both doing what they are doing, but facts are facts. Levin is right.
Brian1972 on September 18, 2009 at 4:30 PM
I’ve listened to Glenn Beck for years, back when he was on local radio in Cleveland, Ohio. He comes across an issue that he is passionate about and fights that issue. In Cleveland, back in the late 80′s, early 90′s, I believe it was, he was against e-check, an emissions check for all vehicles. He talked about it, people got involved, and although it wasn’t dropped, we no longer have to pay the $25 per car that we had to pay back then for the e-check.
I love listening to Glenn Beck and like Rush Limbaugh, though for different reasons. There’s room for everyone. In my opinion, Beck is a leader, always has been, he’s not in it for the credit. Listen to him and you’ll learn a lot and have a good advocate on your side who always spreads the truth. He and his team are good at searching our information and breaking scandals.
oneconcernedcitizen on September 18, 2009 at 9:11 PM
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