Blog
LatestArticlesVideos
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcasts
The Glenn Beck ProgramThe Glenn Beck PodcastThe Beck Story
Fine Art
Real Estate
More
AboutCharityBooksSponsorsShopContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2024 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Looking ahead to 2016 - Who do you really trust?

September 25, 2013
Wilson

Writer

On radio this morning, Glenn, Pat, and Stu found themselves in a conversation they didn’t expect to have so soon: What does the Republican candidate pool look like for 2016?

“We're having a fascinating conversation, not one we planned to have today, but I think we should. We're talking about 2016 and Ted Cruz,” Glenn said. “Here's what the field is going to be next time around, the GOP candidate will be Marco Rubio or Chris Christie. That's who the machinery is going to want.”

While many conservatives, Glenn included, have had their ups and downs with Sen. Rubio (R-FL) over the last few months, Glenn allowed Stu to make the argument for Sen. Rubio as the 2016 GOP nominee.

“And if you look at Marco Rubio, he was speaking a few minutes ago. He's a great candidate,” Glenn conceded. “And I listened to Stu for about five minutes in a commercial break go on and on and on. And I've got to be fair, he was saying, ‘I just want to look at him as the way everybody always looks at candidates.’ Make the case.”

“I mean, this is the guy,” Stu said. “You might not think he's conservative enough, but take all that out for a second. And this is going to sound a little man‑crushy, but I'm willing to go there. The guy's a good looking guy. He's young. He's energetic. He's Hispanic. He is bilingual. He is also not an idiot. He's a very smart guy. He's well spoken. He can take on debates. Things off the top of his head come out not like the famous George W. Bush or Harry Reid the other day. It's not like that. I mean, Marco Rubio, if you could insert Ted Cruz's politics into Marco Rubio… Now, that's not to say, you know, look, Ted Cruz, you know, I'm sure he's very sexy as well. And I don't mean to take away anything… he has a lot of the same qualities that Marco Rubio has.”

“But Ted Cruz is not a heartthrob. Ted Cruz is more of a prosecutor. Ted Cruz is the guy that shows up in court and he's against you and you go, ‘Oh, crap.’ You know you're going to jail,” Glenn added. “And that's who Ted Cruz is. And, quite honestly, that's what the country needs. But I will tell you that for me, Marco Rubio, this is all about your stripes. All this is this time, it always has been, ‘Well, I kind of feel good about this guy.’ That's not the way it's going to be for Republicans. They are not going to be like, ‘I kind of feel good about this guy.’ They're going to know. We're going to know.”

Watching Sen. Cruz take a strong stand on the Senate floor last night, Glenn found himself believing he could be the person to lead this country out of the “dire straights” we will find ourselves in by 2016.

“Can this guy do it? Can he stand up against the whole world and everything else? Can he do it? I think the answer so far is yes,” Glenn said. “So here's your field. Your field is going to be your GOP favorites and it's going to be Marco Rubio and it's going to be Chris Christie. Chris Christie I think actually will probably be the one that is over Marco Rubio, quite honestly, because Chris Christie is so well spoken. However, that didn't help Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich is a progressive, but Newt Gingrich had all this other baggage going on but he was well spoken… And Chris Christie's going to be good in the debates because he's just kind of like, he's a fat man. He's like, ‘I don't care what you think. Here's what it is.’ And that's going to be refreshing after all of this bullcrap from Washington. Then you're going to have three other candidates, all of which I think could be president. You're going to have Ted Cruz, you will have Rand Paul, and… Paul Ryan. I think Paul Ryan is a waste of time.”

With those names in mind, the American people will have to decide who is the best person for the job. Making that decision, Glenn explained, will come done to trust.

“You look at Rand Paul and you look at Ted Cruz. They are proving themselves now – ‘I'll stand in the hard times. I will stand when all the odds are against me. I'll stand. And I am not going to waiver from what I told you I would do. No matter what the political elite say,’” Glenn said. “What America's looking for is somebody just saying, ‘This is who I am. This is what I believe and this is how we're moving.’ I think that's so refreshing [compared to] the people who are making these backroom deals because people don't trust anybody anymore.”

“Who do you really trust? I don't trust people like Mitch McConnell. I don't trust John Boehner. I don't trust the GOP leadership. I don't trust them. And if you do trust them, that tells me something about you and I don't know if it's right or wrong, but it tells me I've got to watch you because I'm not sure who you are now. And that is a tough position to be in, but I think that is where America, especially in 2016, will be,” he continued.

The reason Glenn sees a Ted Cruz or Rand Paul having an advantage in 2016 (even without the help of the GOP establishment) is because of the way these guys are positioning themselves now. They are taking strong stances on issues that will resonate far beyond 2013.

“And if you didn't go balls to the wall to stop universal healthcare, by 2016 I don't know how we have an economy. I don't know how you have healthcare. I mean, I think this is the best campaign ad for 2016 because things are going to be so bad with healthcare by 2016. is the guy now who's the poster child who can say, ‘I stood against it.’ It will be a great ad because things will be so bad,” Glenn explained. “Look at what's happening with Brazil, where the president of Brazil yesterday at the United Nations stood up and said, ‘I've cancelled my trip to Washington D.C. to meet with the U.S. government because they're spying on us.’ Who's the poster child of that? It's Rand Paul. These are poster child moments and this one is going to be something that affects absolutely everybody by 2016.”

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE