Monica Crowley: Tea Party not a response to progressives, but to failures by the GOP

On radio this morning, Glenn interviewed Fox News contributor, radio host, columnist, and author Monica Crowley. They talked about her latest book, What the Bleep Just Happened: The Happy Warrior's Guide to a Great American Comeback, which breaks down the state of America three and a half years into the Obama administration, the role of the Tea Party in this election, and the culture that got us into this mess to begin with.

A rough transcript of the interview is below:

GLENN: Monica Crowley has an amazing radio show, she's done television as well. And she's also a writer. She's written a new book. And it really is, I mean if you're going out to get Cowards, grab this one as well, What the Bleep Just Happened: The Happy Warrior's Guide to a Great American Comeback. Hi, Monica, how are you?

CROWLEY: Great. Great to be here. Congratulations on your book too.

GLENN: Great. Tell me about the point of your book. It reads like a real easy conversation. Tell me about the main message of the book.

CROWLEY: Well, there are two main messages, Glenn. The first one is, I was thinking about how this administration has subjected this country to a new and astonishing piece of leftist madness just about every day of the last 3 1/2 years. And we spend a lot of time talking about how he is he distributing the wealth. And while that's true, I thought there's something bigger going on here than just the redistribution of wealth. And as I thought about it, and I thought about his entire domestic policy record, as well as his entire foreign policy record, and I put it all together in one place. And when you see it in one place in this book, the evidence is absolutely devastating to him.

But when you take a step back and you look at the forest through the trees, Glenn, what you see is that he is not simply redistributing America's wealth here at home. If he were just limited to doing that, we could replace and repudiate his leftist agenda in November and begin to heal the country. But what he has done over the last 3 1/2 years has been so much bigger than that. And by that, Glenn, I mean that he is redistributing everything that has made America great. So yes, our wealth, our economic energy, our political strengths, our military power, our cultural appeal, our borders, check out just what he did last week on the illegal immigration move. And our very exceptionalism.

GLENN: And our churches.

CROWLEY: So by redistributing everything that has made America great, he is actually diluting our very exceptionalism. And that is the bigger scheme that he has taken.

GLENN: Do you think that people are waking up to this, Monica?

CROWLEY: I do, Glenn, I do. And that's why I'm very optimistic in the book. And that's what I do. And it's the happy warrior's guide. You absolutely embody the happy warrior, Glenn, and I had you in mind when I came up with the concept here. Look, every time the American people have gone to the polls since this man has been elected, since 2008, the great silent majority, has stood up to repudiate in the radical agenda. So in 2009, in Virginia. 2010, Massachusetts Senate seat goes to a republican. Ted Kennedy's Senate seat for crying out loud. Republicans have a near sweep. 2012, Wisconsin, republican Governor Scott Walker holds on to his office by 7 points. I think the American people, Glenn, have had enough. I think they're on to what Obama has done. And I think now the time is right for every American, I mean this book is not just for conservatives or republicans or independents, it's for every American to embody that happy warrior spirit and say, you know what? Not only can America be saved, but she is worth saving.

GLENN: You know, here's the thing. I don't think, the conservatives, unless your friends are stupid, your conservatives have gotten it for a long time. But we haven't been able to make the case for one reason or another. And that's what we've tried to do with cowards. And you're doing here in a different way. I mean just, you just take page 91. 91 in Monica's book talks about the stimulus and all of the crazy things that are happening in the stimulus. Let me just give you a little bit of it. $1.2 million to study the mating habits of the woodchuck. $3.1 million to convert a ferry boat into a restaurant. $1 million to preserve a sewer in New Jersey as a historic monument. When your friends read the facts of what happened, and you lay them all out, in the last 3 1/2 years, that's when your friends, doesn't matter if they're left or right or conservative or liberal, that's when your friends look at that and say, you know what? I don't like George Bush and George bush did a lot of bad things, but this is insane.

CROWLEY: It's absolutely insane, Glenn. In fact, you left off my favorite one which tops the list in the book. $200,000 for gang tattoo removal in Los Angeles. So Glenn, I think you need to work a little harder because you're paying for the Crips and the Bloods to have their tattoos removed from their biceps. Look, our government has been out of control for a long time. And I hit the republicans in this book too. Because for decades, the republicans have gone down that road of big government, big spending. And when we talk about the Tea Party, and I know I'm going to be on GBTV next week when we're talking about the Tea Party and the importance of it. The rise of the Tea Party, a lot of people assume now or just believe that the Tea Party arose just as a reaction to all this leftist insanity coming from Barack Obama. This spending, this stimulus, socialized medicine. Actually, the Tea Party arose as a reaction to the fact that the Republican Party lost its way, lost its moorings on limited government and fiscal responsibility. If the republicans had stuck to their guns all along and stuck to their beliefs about what America was really all about from the very beginning, there would be no need for the Tea Party.

GLENN: They have no idea. And that's the thing I'm still out on, because a lot of Americans were asleep under George W. Bush. And Obama woke them up. That's why when I gave that speech at C Pac a couple of years ago, the republicans hate my guts. The power establishment hates my guts on the progressive side because the progressive party is a disease in both parties. Progressivism is a disease in both parties. I woke up not under Barack Obama, I woke up under George W. bush. I'm watching the spending and everything else, and I'm like, what are we doing? These aren't my values. What are we doing here?

CROWLEY: That's exactly right. And you know what, Glenn, when you look at every major problem we have in America, from the debt to public education, and the crisis in the inner cities, every single major problem we've got here can be traced back to progressivism, liberalism, socialism, Marxism, whatever you want to call it. And actually, the label doesn't even matter. What matters is the content of the policies and the consequences. And when you look at western Europe and you see the collapse going on there after decades of socialism, and you see what's happening in this country under the guidance of what I call the kooks, and Obama is the big kookuna, as I call him in the book, this is not your grandfather's democrat party. This party was taken over by the kooks in 1968. They run it into the ground. They've taken a lot of republicans with them. And that's where we've gotten to the point, Glenn, where we've got $16 trillion in debt. What the bleep.

GLENN: What the Bleep Just Happened is the name of the book by Monica Crowley. Thanks for being on with us. Best of luck. We'll talk to you next week.

CROWLEY: My pleasure, Glenn.

GLENN: She's really a smart woman and deeply concerned and committed to the cause, no matter the expense. If you're going out and you're looking for a book to share with a friend, may I recommend Cowards. But a great companion piece. We've got to support these authors and we have to support this message and get it out as many ways as we possibly can. There are so many different writers out there that are telling kind of the same story, just different pieces of it. And we've got to give them to our friends. It's not just for us, we've got to get them to our friends and our family who you think you might be able to convince. What the Bleep, available in book stores everywhere.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE