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Glenn Beck recently delivered the keynote speech at CPAC. AP Photo Jose Luis Magana
Last night Glenn Beck delivered his keynote speech before CPAC. In typical Beck fashion he attacked what he called the progressive agenda and hailed conservatives as the future to provide America a new start. Here is a commentary and fact check of the speech a full video of which can be seen below.
(1) At the 7:00 mark in the video clip Beck said that he had a "hope for America" because of Ronald Reagan. Reagan in fact increased the federal debt tremendously during his tenure. Beck continually cites the federal debt as one of the reasons the country is headed for an "economic holocaust." At the start of Reagan's terms in office the federal debt made up 33.4% of GDP. By the time Reagan left office the debt made up 51.9% of GDP. Reagan also had record deficits during his time in office. By the time Reagan was done cutting taxes and increasing defense spending the total amount of federal debt had more than tripled. The last time a President produced a surplus it was under a "progressive" President named Bill Clinton.
(2) At 7:54 Beck stated that he "doesn't speak from teleprompters. I speak from here" pointing to his heart. During much of the speech Beck refers to a notebook. Beck himself admits to using teleprompter on his television show. Now we can say that this is a side issue but if so Beck himself should stop bringing it up to attack the President.
(3) At 10:45 Beck states that progressivism was "designed to destroy the Constitution." In fact progressive policies included Constitutional amendments which established, among other things, the direct election of Senators under the 17th amendment. Before that "progressive" policy U.S. Senators were selected by State legislatures who often were controlled by the kind of "party politics" Beck complains about just a minute earlier. The "progressive" policies also included the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. Progressive would argue these two measures were designed to protect not destroy the Constitution.
(4) At 11:00 Beck quotes from a pamphlet called "progress for democracy" Beck quotes portions from the pamphlet in making the argument that Marxist and progressives are the same. What Beck neglects to mention is that the pamphlet is written by communists expressing their support for some progressives. This is equivalent to saying Beck is a racist if the Ku Klux Klan decides to support him. Beck allows his opponents to be defined by anyone that professes support for them. It would be interesting to see where that would lead us if we looked at all of Beck's supporters.
(5) At 13:00 Beck claims the only difference between communism and progressivism is "revolution" and "evolution." In fact there are numerous other differences. A communist system also believes in state control over the economy to the degree that the government owns all major factors of production. Among the "progressives" Beck cites (including Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and and President Obama) none of them have every advocated total state ownership of the factors of production. There is a tremendous difference between regulating industry and owning it.
(6) At 13:42 Beck states that "Van Jones is a communist." Jones has disavowed any links to communism and has specifically advocated for free market solutions. Specifically Van Jones stated:
We are not promoting welfare. We are promoting work. ... We are not expanding entitlements. We are expanding enterprise and investment. ... We are not trying to redistribute existing wealth. We are trying to reinvent an existing sector, so that we can create NEW wealth - by unleashing innovation and entrepreneurship. This should be common ground."
(7) At 15:30 Beck argues that progressivism is a cancer and says that it "can not coexist" with other philosophies. He even goes as far as to say progressivism must be "eradicated." When critics of Beck have used less harsh language to describe his rhetoric he has accused them of advocating violence. When the Obama administration said they would be more "aggressive" in countering arguments from the other side Beck compared them to gangs. So it is acceptable to call for the "eradication" of some people but not to "aggressively" counter their arguments.
(8) At 23:30 Beck states that 40% of Americans call themselves conservatives and 36% call themselves moderate while only 20% call themselves liberals. This fact is actually true. However it should also be noted in the same poll that 49% of Americans identify themselves as Democrats. Another poll found that 65% of Americans support the "progressive" public option in health care reform. So clearly some people who call themselves "moderate" and even "conservative" would not define "conservative" the way Beck defines it.
(9) At 34:00 Beck argued that government does not create jobs and that businesses are trying to save jobs. In fact the some eight million job losses over the last year have almost solely been because of businesses, including many making a profit, cutting back their workforce. In addition the government has in fact created at least 1.6 million jobs through the stimulus package.
(10) Beck states at 36:07 that as he reads the Constitution the only job of government is to protect us from the "bad guys." The preamble of the Constitution in fact prescribes the role of government is to "establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity." These duties seem to encompass more than simply protecting us from "bad guys." In addition Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution spells out many duties for the government outside of simply providing for the common defense.
(11) At 37:00 Beck argues that Americans do not need to be encouraged to give. He then cites the fact that American, per capita, give ten times as much as the people of France. First it should be noted that these donations were made under a tax code that does in fact "encourage" giving by exempting charitable donations from income. Beck is correct on his numbers of per capita giving of both the United States and France. However it should be noted that the large majority of U.S. charitable giving goes to places of worship in our own country. Donating to a new church building does qualify as charitable but it certainly differs from donations to the Haitian relief fund for example.
(12) At 42:00 Beck warns that an "economic holocaust is coming" not simply that it might come. Beck cites no economist to support his bold assertion. Many economists project a slow recovery to continue fo America in the coming years.
(13) At 43:50 Beck discusses the Depression of 1920-1921. Beck is correct in asserting there was a depression during this time period and that the economic downturn was relatively brief. Beck blames Woodrow Wilson for the depression but in fact many economist simply blame the decrease in government spending following the end of World War I. Factories which were making arms and supplies for the war were shut down which naturally led to sharp economic decline.
(14) At 45:00 Beck then blames Woodrow Wilson for a myriad of things including the progressive income tax, prohibition, and the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was hardly written by President Wilson. In fact it was mostly formulated according to the wishes of Great Britain and France. The Volstead Act was the piece of legislation which actually enforced prohibition and Woodrow Wilson vetoed that law. FDR, another progressive, led the effort to repeal prohibition. The progressive income tax was implemented under progressives. However Beck neglects to mention that the high tax rate of Wilson was partially designed to help pay for the war. The high rate of 77% also only applied to the highest wage earners not the middle class or the poor.
(15) At 47:50 Beck argues that progressives keep changing their names from liberal to progressive to liberal again and so on. In fact the two terms have always been used interchangeably though it is debatable as to whether they mean exactly the same thing in American politics. It should also be noted that conservatives also attempt to brand themselves in politics as seen now by the avoidance of the phrase "right-wing."
(16) At 49:00 Beck argues that the reduced taxes and decreased spending of Harding and Coolidge allowed for the roaring twenties. Beck never mentions the fact that spending was much easier to bring down given the end of WWI just as President Wilson left office. In addition Beck never brings up the argument of many economists who argue the deregulation of Coolidge led to the kind of risky investments and dangerous lending that eventually brought about the Great Depression of the 1930's.
(17) At 50:30 Beck cites Hoover as a progressive who tried to spend more to get us out of the Great Depression. In fact Hoover's first move was to adopt to "conservative" principles by restricting the flow of money from the Fed and reducing government spending. Much like Beck Hoover argued that the country was simply going through an economic cycle that must be experienced and that if people are simply optimistic things will eventually get better. It was only later that Hoover began to implement some small measures to try and relieve the Great Depression through spending because of the pressure of public opinion. Finally Beck never points out the fact that the Great Depression only ended after massive government spending brought on by WWII which did create jobs.
(18) Most of Beck's factual assertions on the Statue of Liberty are true. His claim that the Statue was meant to be some kind of insult or reprimand to Europe is a "creative" way of interpreting history to say the least. Most have said the Statue is simply a symbol of the friendship and shared values of France and the United States. Unlike Beck most French do not believe they are currently under the evil chains of socialism. Instead they see freedom and things like "socialized medicine" as completely compatible.
Comments
Keep up the good work Glenn Beck! It is good for America to hear the truth!
Progressivism is the cancer, and our vote will be the cure!
NOBAMA!
nice fact check, you don't state too many 'facts' yourself.
Glenn you made me laugh and cry, the truth you bring will stand as the critics try and tear you down! We know that BOTH parties are responsible and have been scvrewing us for years!
Ryan (T)Witt,
Don't you have anything better to do? I'm sure somewhere there's a tree that needs loving or a polar bear that needs more ice. Glenn Beck IS the best! Keep up the awesome work Glenn.
What a joke this is. I love how every comment is in support of glenn beck! You progressives are losing ground fast. It's about time America reclaimed itself. (Did i miss a comma somewhere? typos? why dont you fact check it for me!)
Did either of you even read the article? Or graduate high school?
In true Glenn Beck fashion, your comments have gone for style over substance. Both democrats and republicans are failing us, but Glenn Beck is not the solution.
Outstanding speech. Outstanding research. Outstanding application of the political history to the economic and social outcomes.
Fact check is weak. I was going to go point by point through all 18, but there is not enough fact in the fact check to justify that. but your hear was clearly in it, ryan.
Sure thing mister erudite traitor. Sorry we dont agree with your disgusting communist cloward piven purposeful destruction of America. We are going for Ron Paul, Beck or whoever else gives a crap about freedom and the traitor in the Whitehouse is against freedom. Screw you commie.
Glenn did a great job. Both parties are to blame. They need to forget their elitist attitude. Nobody in Washington is better then the people who live and work on Mainstreet USA. They work for us and we need to hold them accountable.
On the other hand, I found your fact check to be very biased. You only called out his errors/ommissions. Frankly, I was expecting a more balanced article.
Just to begin. Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neil had an agreement. Taxes would be cut and spending would be cut. Taxes were cut, but the Democrats did not cut spending. Therefore the deficit went up under Reagan, but at the behest of the Democrats.
I thought "fact checks" were supposed to determine whether or not a "fact" was true. I didn't realize that a fact could be "true" but some people don't like the fact, therefore we should ignore the fact or muddle the waters by citing something that has nothing to do with the "fact".
Dave: Beck only pointed out the apparent errors/omissions of progressives. It was very biased. I did point out where Beck was correct but honestly I did not have a lot to work with there.
Slingshot: Oh I see...debts are always Democrats fault even when the Republican is President. How about when the President AND Congress are Republican under the Bush administration and deficits still skyrocket? What about the fact that under President Clinton we finally did have a surplus? Oh and most of the increased spending under Reagan was devoted to defense. That was hardly at the behest of Democrats. Keep trying though.
Mick: Glad we could have a reasoned debate.
Responses to someones opinion is cake. Nice job Ryan Witt. What are your ideas? Oh yeah, it is easier to express an opinion rather than do something. You should be proud. Too bad Beck can't
"fact check" your "facts/half truths"
Great Report!!! Thank you Ryan for the the GB link. Your reports have always been very thought provoking. I've watched this GB video several times now. It is fantastic. it is unbelievably motivating. GB is a great American. I havenb't seen any thing like this since Ronald Reagan. You have brought that to us; what it means to be American. I continue to enjoy your web site and your contributors. One day I hope you will find fulfillment in a great conservative cause. If not, the United States will still be here and a refuge for all those yearning to be free.
Toby: Actually read my articles. I consistently advocate for very specific policy proposals, unlike Beck who thinks if we just say "freedom" as many times as possible everything will be ok.
I will admit GB had me close to tears at the end. (Real close.) This is the best motivating speech since Ronald Reagan's D-Day speach in France.
It is heart felt. And then I manned up. Shook it off and said, "Yes.we can do this!"
Thank you Glenn Beck. Thank you Ryan Witt.
Ryan,
quick responses:
1. Do you support Obama's health care plan?
2. Did/do you support Stimulus?
3. Do you support the gov. buying out GM?
4. Do you believe paving roads again and rebuilding bridges creates continuing job growth and stimulates the economy?
Hi Ryan,
Just a couple of quick thoughts and notes on your fact checking.
1) Yes Reagan had extremely high debt during his administration. There was a combination of things regarding including massive spending on the military at that point. But let's not forget that Congress, both houses, were run by the Democrats at that time. And they played a big role with the budget.
Also, I believe Mr. Beck addressed that in the speech saying that the Republicans need to not speed more either. If anything cut back.
2) I agree.
3) Good point. The progresses should work within the constraints of the Constitution more. Thanks for point that out.
4) I agree with this as well. Did you Woodrow Wilson, who has a school at Princeton named after him, helped to formal segregation during his administration. Pretty progress of him. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson#Segregation_in_the_federal_government
5) These are your and his opinions. I tend to favor Beck, but whatev
6) You act like this is all Beck's when Van Jones described himself as a communist.
www.examiner.com/examiner/x-722-Conservative-Politics-Examiner~y2009m7d17-Van-Jones-Green-Jobs-Czar-a-selfdescribed-communist-arrested-during-Rodney-King-riots
Thanks to Glenn Beck to at least point this out to everyone so they could make up their own mind.
7) I agree. At least you don't advocate shooting him in the head like the Huffington Post.
www.fansofglennbeck.com/?p=168 (Thank's Fred)
8) Thanks for adding context
9) The math around all of this is so fuzzy. I would like to see hard numbers. They might have created jobs but they lost far more than created or "saved". Unemployeement was not suppose to go above 9%. And right now they have no idea what is the true unemployment figure.
10) You are correct.
11) I will just point you here.
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/27/charity-tax-challenged-by-political-friends/
cont....
12) Yeah, the economists have never been wrong. Especially lately they have had a stellar track record. I'm taking a wait and see on this one.
13) Another arguement for that would also be that because the tax rate for businesses and wealthiest was at 77% that since the government wasn't spending the same amount of money back to whom it was taken from that products could not be created for a price that people could consume. Hence nothing being bought, nothing being made, skyrocketing unemployeement, etc etc etc. But this is Reagonmics. Some people will agree, some won't.
14) The Treaty of Versailles shouldn't *only* be hung on Woodrow Wilson. Agreed. Not sure where you are going with the rest of the statement. Taxes were cut, then post-WWI spending was cut and the depression ended. I didn't see Woodrow Wilson attempting to bring taxes down after they stopped spending on WWI.
15) Yup.
cont....
16 & 17) There was a lot of deregulation. Perhaps to much. Here is some additional information.
www.objectivistcenter.org/showcontent.aspx?ct=207&h=51
18) Look at the context of France during the 1870s and 1880s and you get a whole differnet perspective.
Thanks
You are correct Ryan. The United States Government needs to cut spending drastically. To Hell with the French. If you want Socialized medicine, MOVE TO FRANCE OR CUBA! The United States will continue to be a bastion of freedom where the will of the people trumps the federal government. If you want tyrany, go to where such is found. If you desire freedom come to the United States and demand yuor representatives secure your unalienable god given rights.
fact check seems more of an opinion page.
thanks for the video, though.
Prgressive tyrany and constitutional freedom cannot co-exist. One has to go.
Ryan! So you support the right of the government to selectively breed the human race?
Klatoo: What?!?! How did we get to selective breeding? Klatoo I know you think all conservatives are moderate and all progressives are extremists Hitlers but please accept for just a second that maybe just maybe not all progressives favor the final solution. Maybe just maybe they too want to generate more wealth and happiness for society just through different means than conservatives. Maybe you can have some "socialist" systems like health care (see Great Britain, France, every other developed country) and not live under tyranny. Do you really think the French are living under tyranny like the people of North Korea are? North Korea is a tyranny. It is a purely socialist system. There are shades of gray Klatoo and your failure to see them makes it impossible to have a reasoned debate with you.
Dave: You makes some good points. Possibly later I will write up a "response to the comment on my fact check" post but right now I do not have the time. Thank you for some good input though.
Ryan Witt,
Thanks. I do enjoy your articles. Healthy debate is a good thing.
A future reader.
Klatoo you are a mess!
Hey folks, for a little different take on this, and to prove that Glenn twists history to fit his story, try googling the national debt and find a chart that tracks the debt from one administration to the next. Surprise! Guess which party pays down the debt and guess which sends it rocketing up? Any guesses?
I've read enough of this author's work and listened enough to Beck to know which one I trust.
Comparing using the names "conservative" and "Right-Wing" to progressives switching to liberal and then back to progressive when liberal wore out it's welcome is lame.
The Statue of Liberty poem-made Beck's point about what the French thought of liberty in America vs. life in Europe.
The economy stunk under Carter, was restored under Reagan with tax cuts and reduced government spending. Obama's doing the opposite, why?
Clinton's success with the economy came after we threw the libs out in 1994 and he was forced to be responsible.
Yes, 8 million jobs were lost because of business! Obama did nothing to HELP Businesses. His policies do just the opposite!
We can look back at history and see what works and what doesn't. FDR's policies didn't work! Why are we doing it again?
This author's arguments defy logic & common sense and expose his leftist (progressive) ideology.
Toby: Ok here we go...
(1) I support the current House and Senate bills. Obama does not have a health care reform bill yet but he is writing one. Why do I support them...they lower debt over the long term (see CBO), they cover at minimum 30 million uninsured Americans, 44,000 Americans die each year from lack of health insurance coverage. That seems pretty convincing to me.
(2) Yes I did. May I mention that a 1/3 of it was tax cuts.
(3) You know I have not researched it enough. On first thought yes because if it had collapsed it would have caused economic ripple effects at the worst time. I also think there are national security reasons for us having a car industry. See WWI and WWII for how such factories were used for examples.
(4) Yes actually. Without an infrastructure the economy is going to suffer. China is investing tremendously more in their infrastructure then we are. Will those jobs last forever, no. But neither will all private jobs.
Klatoo: Continued...in the absence of a growth in private spending (which happens naturally in a recession) the government must provide a temporary stopgap through increased public expenditures. This is not meant to be permanent but it does soften what otherwise is a very painful economic downturn. Since the "progressive" policies of FDR we have had 0 depressions. Before then we had a DEPRESSION about once every thirty years, sometimes more often. This was under the "laissez-faire" philosophy Beck loves.
Now my turn.
(1) Were you in favor of the war in Iraq?
(2) Were you in favor of the Bush tax cuts?
(3) How would you realistically eliminate the debt?
I have your answer STF 897. The republican party! They love to spend and spend and spend and spend and spend and spend and spend and spend and spend and...
This article is a classic on how Becks critics get him all wrong. I was going to waste my time typing previous Beck quotes to refute Witt’s comments. Then using just one of Witt’s examples was all I needed to make my point. It was clear Beck was using his ‘notebook’ as an outline to refresh himself on his earlier thoughts for this speech-not an exact script – Beck may have facts noted on a teleprompter but unlike the Obama example WITT uses the words there are a suggestion that an excited Beck deviates wildly off of. It’s one of those human traits that make people love Beck and keeps us all tuning in. His relaxed speaking style ( remember, this man speaks to the public for 5-6 hours every day) is why one must realize that he might speak in generalizations or says a few things that one can only fully understand in context with watching him regularly. Beck simply speaks like a REAL PERSON, a person who sometimes gets excited, sometimes gets ahead of himself, and maybe even makes some hum
Cont...some human errors. When he needs to cite facts, numbers-he uses the blackboard. His style is what makes it clear that above all else, he is a person who has immense passion for this country and a fire so bright it ignites the hearts and minds of anyone who ever wanted the greater good to win in this country.
Klatoo you're right it's the Republicans that like to spend as much (or more in the case of Bush) as the Democrats, but more importantly they don't like to pay for it. Republican administrations like to put everything on the credit card and then leave it to the next group in office to sort out the mess.
Winter: A teleprompter is not for notes. When Beck was saying he used a teleprompter on his show sometimes he was saying he reads. You can tell especially during his "One Thing" segments. Those many times are written out. I do not have problem with it actually. I have a problem with it when he criticizes Obama for the same thing though.
Oh and Obama also goes without a teleprompter many times. See the many blogs I have done on his town hall and on his question and answer session with Republican lawmakers. All done without a teleprompter.
If the difference between communism & progressivism is only the difference between regulating and owning industry, then we're in trouble. The Nazi's didn't 'own' the industry, but the government regulated it to the point that the "owners" were in name ownly. The government made all the business decisions. Socialism, communism, progressivism only differ in small degrees, but they all rob us of the liberty we are guaranteed under the constitution. Beck read from a pamphlet published by communists which praised progressives as political allies. Communists ought to know who's on their side!
It's obvious from Beck's show that he doesn't rely much on a teleprompter and any idiot knows there's a difference between using a few notes & reading word for word from a telepromter. Obama deserves to be mocked for it.
Van Jones bragged about being a communist and never said he wasn't, depite this author's isolated quote out of context.
We know what progressivism is and we don't want it!
Anyone who still thinks the president needs a teleprompter didn't see him in action at the GOP caucus.
Just the author's choice of the most unflattering photo possible should tell you that he's incapable of being fair or the least bit objective.
He's made up his mind. It doesn't matter how much evidence is presented, all he does is get his propaganda and talking points out and go down his list of lame warmed over arguments and an intellectually dishonest, illogical defense of the indefensable. You're just the kind of America hating, backwards thinking "government" teacher I've had to endure in "tax payer funded schools" We can throw out the lib politicians, but how do we get rid of all the wack job teachers!
I think Glenn would like that Mussolini like image. I really do.
And he really does do a little Nazi salute when he first comes on stage. Check it out. Folks, you can tell by his book cover that he likes the Nazi look.
Observer: Have you seen the images of Obama that Beck uses? Please...
*When Obama goes without a teleprompter, he tells us he's been to 57 States.
*Tell the bond holders at GM and Chrysler, that Obama does not control those "private industries". You are a blind fool.
*By lowering taxes, Reagan doubled, in eight years, the tax revenue to the Treasury. Obama's deficit spending, for one year, has equalled Bush's 8 years. Not even analogous.
*Amending the Constitution is "Constitutional" Einstein, not Progressive. Beck speaks of usurping and going around the Constituion, through policy etc., which is indeed the Progressive way.
*The current President of France certainly does believe they are in the clutches of Socialsim.
Your arguments are lame and sophomoric, Beck is a scholar you are a wannabe, and Beck is exposing the Progressive agenda to the world. The game is over.
It's time to honor our Foudning Fathers, and the Constitution once more, and stop spending money which does not belong to us.
Keep your filthy hands out of our pockets
I'm still trying to figure out how the progressives caused us to enter in to the war in Iraq and then cause the collapse of the auto and investment banking industries. I suppose Glenn will lay it all out on the chalkboard soon enough.
Ryan: The tempory stop gap isn't temporary. Congress caused this mess. If you don't recognize you have a problem you can't fix the problem.
1.) Regarding first question; as a private citizen I had no way of knowing who started it on 9/11 but it was an obvious act of war. The gov't said it was Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda said it was Al Qaeda so eliminate Al Qaeda where ever they are. I MEAN where ever they are! So far we are doing that. Both Dems and Reps said Iraq was a problem.
2.) I am favorable regarding smaller gov't, more liberty. Tax cuts need to include spending cuts. Obviously the republicans and democrats won't do that. (not yet!)
3.) Eliminate debt: Cut spending. That isn't going to happen at the voting booth in November. Find good candidates at the precinct level. Nominate party candidates that will work to shrink big gov't.
Obama stutters and pauses like porky pig, when of teleprompter.
Articualte, bright? Hardly.
Cont...some human errors. When he needs to cite facts, numbers-he uses the blackboard. His style is what makes it clear that above all else, he is a person who has immense passion for this country and a fire so bright it ignites the hearts and minds of anyone who ever wanted the greater good to win in this country.
STF #823: For once we agree.
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