Beck vs. the GOP
Kathryn Jean Lopez
The Corner
I'm noticing some pushback on Twitter and in my inbox in response to Bill Bennett's Beck post. Here's one e-mailer who begins by saying that Bennett is "wrong":
<<< His message is that there is no difference in the progressive wing of the Republican party and the Democrat party. John McCain and the progressives in the Republican party led the party to the largest and most profound political defeat imaginable. They rejected the conservatives in the party and told us that we had to be more like the Democrats if we were to succeed. We conservatives decided that if we had to be like Democrats we may as well vote for a Democrat—and we did.
Here, in Florida where I live, when Obama won the election Gov. Charlie Crist lectured us at great length about how the Republican party must be more "inclusive" in order to be elected again. He, then, embraced President Obama and his ideology. Being a political opportunist Crist thought that becoming Democrat Lite was the route to join the Senate and the country club set in Washington. The progressive wing of the Republican party is awash with people like John McCain and Charlie Crist—and George W. Bush for that matter. It is clear that the Republican party is in the firm control of the country club RINO progressives. That is the message of Glenn Beck.
It may take a generation and a new political party but we conservatives will no longer allow the John McCain RINOs to use us to get elected—-and then promptly set out on a course to appease the Democrats. We know that the progressives make lofty statements for public consumption and then go to the country club that night to discuss with their Democrat cohorts how they can fool us tomorrow.
Remember, Mr. Bennett, it is the party leadership that has abandoned the ideals and principles of the Republican party. It is not us conservatives that abandoned those ideals. Furthermore, if the RINOs continue on their duplicitous course of political accommodation then we will leave the party for a new one. It is no more complicated than that. >>>
I, of course, agree entirely that Crist is not someone conservatives or Republicans should rally behind. And, yes, the national Republican party did, in fact, put their support behind Crist almost a year ago. But the Republican party also has Marco Rubio — and hard-working, principled conservatives in Washington and around the country. While it may feel good on a Saturday night to pretend that's not the case, it does a disservice to reality and to some good men and women in statehouses and on the Hill with Rs after their names. Of course Republicans deserve criticism — goodness knows the history of National Review is full of words aimed right at them. But, to borrow from Beck's construct, let's be (a little) sober about it. For the sake of truth and justice and avoiding the Perot temptation.
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