My, my. Seems that the Beckster doesn't like a part of Paul Ryan's 'progressive' speech.
Here's the part which Beck disliked the most during his broadcast yesterday:
Early Progressives wanted to empower and engage the people. They fought for populist reforms like initiative and referendum...
Beck went bonzo because "initiative and referendum" are too 'democratic' for his taste--after all, he thundered, "This is a Republic!!"
(Beck may have disliked more than that, but I didn't hear all of his broadcast.)
Although Mr. Beck may have missed it, both "initiative" and "referendum" were made legal by precisely those elected representatives which governed the States and subdivisions thereof. In other words, 'the Republic's' governance-structure legitimized those "democratic" vehicles.
Beck's posture could be characterized as "elitist," although he'd not like that, I suppose.
Secondly: I&R are not Federal vehicles; they are STATE vehicles. Something to do with the 10th Amendment, or like that.......similar to RomneyCare, you know.
Third: I&R are generally somewhat limited in their scope and utility. Even so, they serve a purpose, allowing the citizens to push (or drag) their government in a particular direction without waiting for an election.
It seems that Beck kinda dislikes anything associated with the Progressives. For a guy who is reputed to be very smart, that's not..........ahh.........very smart. Ryan's speech is very clear on that:
But Progressivism turned away from popular control toward central government planning. It lost most Americans and consumed itself in paternalism, arrogance, and snobbish condescension. "Fighting Bob" LaFollette, Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson would have scorned the self-proclaimed "Progressives" of our day for handing out bailout checks to giant corporations, corrupting the Congress to purchase votes for government controlled health care, and funneling billions in Jobs Stimulus money to local politicians to pay for make-work patronage. That's not "Progressivism," that's what real Progressives fought against!
Not all "progress" is good. Not all "progress" is bad.
Glenn: get used to thinking harder.
HT: HotAir
No kidding, it kind of depends on what people are progressing toward. "Progress is a comparative of which we have not settled the superlative." - GKC
ReplyDeleteWould the Beckster not like that I use Progressive auto insurance?
ReplyDeleteI like Beck, but he is clearly missing the bigger picture here.... Although, I am a little squeamish about the words of praise that Ryan had for TR and Wilson... Wilson especially was an SOB of the highest order and certainly not worthy of a lot of accolades.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree with you about Wilson, but Ryan really didn't really "praise" him all that much.
ReplyDeleteRyan was making a larger point: that the Progs morphed into Elites and power-thugs.
Same as the Socialists in Milwaukee, who started out ultra-clean and slowly deteriorated into Dem machine pols.
Absolutely agree with you on the nuance. Hence the reason we are fighting the nanny-state before it morphs into complete tyranny.
ReplyDeleteRyan is turning into a clear rock star on the stuff that matters and I support him all the way. Wrote him a thank you note in DC when I was there. But he needs to tread lightly on the "Progressive" symantics.
Glenn Beck is a fraud. Here's a cut 'n paste from todays news:
ReplyDeleteGlenn Beck, 46, is raking in the bucks. According to a new Forbes story, Glenn Beck Inc. made $32 million for the year ending March 1.
But the conservative Fox News Channel show host says he's not political. "I could give a flying c--p about the political process."
Instead, he says: "We're an entertainment company." The entertainment? His mouth. He gets $13 million a year from print. Radio brings in $10 million. Digital pulls in $4 million. Speaking and events are good for $3 million and television for $2 million.
And so?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Glenn Beck spoke with Paul Ryan after the big misunderstanding and Paul Ryan set him straight. Glenn Beck and Paul Ryan, if you read the transcript of the show have EXACTLY the same ideas about Progressives.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, sure. Glenn Beck really does mean he doesn't give a crap about politics. He then says, "I care about Principles."
Stop misquoting, and taking things out of context. Find out the truth. Dig a littler deeper than what is on the surface. Because if all you are is a person who is surface deep, than you utterly fail as a human being.
To read the transcript http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/39068/
Umnnhhh,...Kimberly....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your mommy-ing. Don't know what I'd do without it.
CLearly, Beck "took things out of context" with his utterly inane remarks about Ryan.
Happy to know that he found Ryan to be acceptable.