JEFFREY LORD: The Success of the Beck Rally – The American Spectator

The Success of the Beck Rally

Glenn Beck is doing his thing, which only he can do and do well. This is no slam at Beck. It is just an expression of, well, not understanding where he’s going with this. Those half million on the mall with him are now part of this chapter of the Conservative Revolution. Whether they were showing up for God or America or tax cuts or to support the troops, whatever it is or was is having an impact. And so too the thousands who showed up at Sean Hannity’s Freedom Concerts are part of all of this. Yes, don’t forget the people who bought — and continue to buy — Mark Levin’s book. Or Laura Ingraham’s or Ann Coulter’s or Michelle Malkin’s or — yes again — Glenn Beck’s. Not to mention who those who voted for Sharron Angle or Joe Miller or conservative candidate X. Or those who tune in faithfully to Rush.

But never forget that the real hero here is, well, you. Or, as Beck might have it, the children of God.

By Jeffrey Lord on 8.31.10 @ 6:09AM

I love watching Glenn Beck on TV.

Day winding down, he makes so many good points. As someone who has spent a lifetime studying history, been there in government and politics, I find it great to watch Beck’s particular insistence on educating Americans about real history that has gone missing. Having long ago learned first hand the progressive-race connection, for example, by having lived for a couple years in Woodrow Wilson’s hometown, I am stunned to see someone have the wit and the chops to detail this particularly disturbing history of America’s “progressive” president on popular television.

Bravo.

So I watched the rally on C-SPAN.

And you know what? (He says gently…)

I was elated — and concerned.

Elated because putting together something like this is no day at the beach. Beck clearly worked his heart out on it and so too the Tea Party folks and all manner of others. It was a triumph. A huge success and Beck deserves congratulations for it.

If I may raise one concern.

Believe it or not, I found this event to be a bit of an intellectual muddle.

After considerable amounts of time doing a superb job on his television show analyzing American history — from early American religion to the Founders to the Progressives — and managing to draw a television audience of amazing size with all this, it was almost as if there was a bit of indecision as to what to say at this rally. Was this politics? Or religion? Or something else?

In truth, I wasn’t sure. There’s a difference between spot-on political assessments of “social justice” and being Billy Graham. Of urging people to political action — and religious action. Oddly, this is one of the reasons (in reverse) why Beck opponents in the world of liberal religion have lost members: they have presented themselves as religious leaders yet behave as if they were secular politicians. Beck seems to be struggling with being a secular talk radio commentator — or the Reverend Glenn.

via The American Spectator : The Success of the Beck Rally.