Glenn Beck rally will be a measure of the tea party's strength

[j-mac]

When Fox News and talk radio host Glenn Beck comes to Washington this weekend to headline a rally intended to "restore honor" to America, he will test the strength - and potentially expose the weaknesses - of a conservative grass-roots movement that remains an unpredictable force in the country's politics.

Beck, who is both admired and assailed for his faith-based patriotism and his brash criticism of President Obama, plans in part to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. as an American hero. He will speak on the anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech, from the spot where King delivered it.

Some "tea party" activists say the event, at which former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is also scheduled to speak, will have a greater impact than last September's "9/12" march along Pennsylvania Avenue. Though the attendance figures for that anti-tax rally are disputed, it was the first national gathering to demonstrate the size and influence of the tea party movement.

But with just a few days before the Beck rally, basic questions linger, including how big it will be and whether the event, which Beck says is nonpolitical, will help or hurt Republicans in November. Also unanswered is whether Beck can pull off the connection to King without creating offense - or confrontation with another event the same day led by the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Glenn Beck rally will be a measure of the tea party's strength

Boy, oh boy....Can you feel the contempt in Amy Gardner's words here from the Washington 'Com'Post....Let me ask, when demo's use activism as a blunt tool for their message, are they expected to pull it off in a non political way? Are they expected to not offend anyone? I would say hell no, in fact their purpose is often to offend. But now at least in Ms. Gardner's mind it has to be non offensive....


j-mac

 

[ScottD]

Boy, oh boy....Can you feel the contempt in Amy Gardner's words here from the Washington 'Com'Post....Let me ask, when demo's use activism as a blunt tool for their message, are they expected to pull it off in a non political way? Are they expected to not offend anyone? I would say hell no, in fact their purpose is often to offend. But now at least in Ms. Gardner's mind it has to be non offensive....


j-mac

I think the whole thing about it being political is because Glenn Beck says it won't be, so he has set the expectation HIMSELF that it won't be political.

What was the last Democratic protest? Would you say the gay rights protest in Washington that had 75,000+ people in it? I don't really remember that protest offending anyone. I can't even remember the last Democratic protest before that.

 

[EnigmaO01]

So Fox news and Glen Wreck are once again proving they have an agenda and reporting news is secondary. No surprise there I guess.

If I was black I would take offense by this political stunt.

 

[Jetboogieman]

I don't take offense to what they're doing, where they're doing it.

I do however think that Mr. Beck is pretty disengenious with his reasoning, I actually heard him say

"We're going to reclaim the civil rights movement"

What? Reclaim the civil rights movement? Are conservatives being hosed down by firefighters at bridges? Or did I miss something...

 

[Your Star]

Watch Beck come out as a liberal :2razz:

 

[Catz Part Deux]

Boy, oh boy....Can you feel the contempt in Amy Gardner's words here from the Washington 'Com'Post....Let me ask, when demo's use activism as a blunt tool for their message, are they expected to pull it off in a non political way? Are they expected to not offend anyone? I would say hell no, in fact their purpose is often to offend. But now at least in Ms. Gardner's mind it has to be non offensive....
j-mac

No offense, but most of the tea party candidates lost in the primaries. That was the best measure of their lack of strength as a group.

 

[Harshaw]

Watch Beck come out as a liberal :2razz:

If he does, then liberals will start to love him, he'll suddenly become brilliant, and all his thoughts will have Deep Merit. And he'll be funny and entertaining, too. Without chaning anything other than his political bent. Hazlnut will have an epiphany and recognize Beck's true genius.

And then conservatives will pile on with all the things liberals say about him at the moment. He'll be the new Olbermann.

 

[Your Star]

If he does, then liberals will start to love him, he'll suddenly become brilliant, and all his thoughts will have Deep Merit. And he'll be funny and entertaining, too. Without chaning anything other than his political bent. Hazlnut will have an epiphany and recognize Beck's true genius.

And then conservatives will pile on with all the things liberals say about him at the moment. He'll be the new Olbermann.

That's such a sad thing to think about people. But probably true.

 

[Harshaw]

No offense, but most of the tea party candidates lost in the primaries. That was the best measure of their lack of strength as a group.

While they certainly haven't won in every case, saying "most" of them lost is a bit of a distortion.

 

[Catz Part Deux]

While they certainly haven't won in every case, saying "most" of them lost is a bit of a distortion.

Who won, exactly? Did ANYONE that Sarah Palin supported win this week?

 

[Harshaw]

Sharron Angle. Nikki Haley. Paul LePage. Anna Little. Rand Paul. Kristi Noem. Tim Scott. Et al.

Palin backed Carly Fiorina.

Last I saw, Murkowski is behind in the count in Alaska.

Why are you limiting results only to this week?

 

[texmaster]

Who won, exactly? Did ANYONE that Sarah Palin supported win this week?

Can't you research it for yourself?

Won:

Pat Toomey
Rand Paul
Mike Lee
Raul Labrador
Nikki Haley
Tom Graves
Tim Crawford
Scott Brown
Mo Brooks
Sharron Angle

Lost:

Chuck DeVore
Doug Hoffman
Pat Hughes
Don Lowery
Marlin Stutzman
John Hostettler
Bob Vander Plaats

And Joe Miller is about to win in Alaska.

Kind of goes against your claim that "most" lost doesn't it? Are you prepared to retract your claim?

Chart: How Have the 2010 Tea Party Candidates Fared? « The Washington Independent

 

[texmaster]

Sharron Angle. Nikki Haley. Paul LePage. Anna Little. Rand Paul. Kristi Noem. Tim Scott. Et al.

Palin backed Carly Fiorina.

Last I saw, Murkowski is behind in the count in Alaska.

Why are you limiting results only to this week?

Remember her first statement was

"most of the tea party candidates lost in the primaries. "

She changed that to "this week" to limit the results because she probably figured out her first statement was inaccurate.

 

[Catz Part Deux]

I'm going to laugh my ass off about this thread in November.

 

[justonemorevoice]

I'm going to laugh my ass off about this thread in November.

me too. :O

 

[Harshaw]

I'm going to laugh my ass off about this thread in November.

Or you might not. Who knows? Either way, this is a rather transparent deflection from what you said concerning the primaries.

 

[danarhea]

The Tea Party's strength or weakness will not be measured on the national level, but will vary according to specific states and areas. It will be weak in some places, but strong in others. And it won't be hijacker Glen Beck driving the discussion either, in any of the areas. His kind of hate was already repudiated when the national Tea Party kicked out the Tea Party Express.

 

[Ockham]

I don't take offense to what they're doing, where they're doing it.

I do however think that Mr. Beck is pretty disengenious with his reasoning, I actually heard him say

"We're going to reclaim the civil rights movement"

What? Reclaim the civil rights movement? Are conservatives being hosed down by firefighters at bridges? Or did I miss something...

A portion of the population believe that the Civil Rights movement has been coopted by the Liberal Democrats. I for example, believe the Democrats want to keep minorities repressed and believing they are victims because that works to the Liberal Democrat's political asperations of getting elected. I'm not sure if that's what Beck has said, but that's what I observe. Without victims, Democrats would not have as much support and by educating and providing minorities the ability to take control of their own destiny instead of putting out their palms for government handouts via social and welfare programs, Democrats would probably lose some of their voting block. :shrug:

 

[Jetboogieman]

A portion of the population believe that the Civil Rights movement has been coopted by the Liberal Democrats. I for example, believe the Democrats want to keep minorities repressed and believing they are victims because that works to the Liberal Democrat's political asperations of getting elected. I'm not sure if that's what Beck has said, but that's what I observe. Without victims, Democrats would not have as much support and by educating and providing minorities the ability to take control of their own destiny instead of putting out their palms for government handouts via social and welfare programs, Democrats would probably lose some of their voting block. :shrug:

That's actually as hyperbole as saying all Republicans wanna see a theocratical Christian state...

I mean do you think Obama's master plan is to keep a brother down so they keep voting for him?

 

[Ockham]

That's actually as hyperbole as saying all Republicans wanna see a theocratical Christian state...

I mean do you think Obama's master plan is to keep a brother down so they keep voting for him?

It may be hyperbole but I also believe it's true. And it's not Obama - it's the DNC leadership and has been for a long time. This isn't new - it's been going on for decades.

 

[Jetboogieman]

It may be hyperbole but I also believe it's true.

K............. So you believe hyperbole?

And it's not Obama - it's the DNC leadership and has been for a long time. This isn't new - it's been going on for decades.

It's possible... but more possibly not.

 

[Ockham]

K............. So you believe hyperbole?

When it's obvious as this is... yes.

It's possible... but more possibly not.

Actually the reverse. Decades of it make it more possible, no less.

 

[Jetboogieman]

When it's obvious as this is... yes.

Your exact words were "it may be hyperbole, but I think it's true"

So you basically believe something you know to be untrue?

There's no way you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that democratics strategy is to make sure people stay poor and downtrodden.

 

[Josie]

The tea party's strength? ??? This isn't a tea party.

 

[Ockham]

Your exact words were "it may be hyperbole, but I think it's true"

So you basically believe something you know to be untrue?

My exact words identify a want to doubt, hence, using the word "may". I want it to be untrue, but as I stated already twice, after decades, the chances that it's hyperbole are slim. What I want and what is, are two different things.

There's no way you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that democratics strategy is to make sure people stay poor and downtrodden.

Nor do I have to since I'm not a lawyer and DP is not a court room. All I ask is for those who have open minds to review the past 30 years of DNC policy, social engineering, welfare and social programs. The political benefit to giving handouts is that those accepting the handouts will vote for more hand outs. Going back biblically - the story of the giving a man a fish or teaching him how to fish. Democrats have been giving out fish for a long time now while promising to to show people how to fish. But really - why go fishing if you get free fish already?

To me it's obvious and has been for a long time, which is why I cannot under any circumstances adopt a liberals view of hypocritically stating Democrats are champions for the downtrodden - they're not. They make it seem like they are by giving out all sorts of things, but at the end of the day, it's just a bribe to keep people dependent and voting for more Democrats. If Democrats were really for the downtrodden, they'd stop social programs and put together education, skills based training etc... where people can lift themselves up, not become more dependent on government programs.

Wonder why that doesn't happen much.

You see the conundrum ... big government gives big handouts keeps me voting for those who support more programs for the handouts. The other guys want me require me to work hard, put in long hours, take risks of failure, take my own responsibility and accountability.