Big votes coming up

May 29, 2012

Writer

Several big primary votes are coming up and it’s a big chance to rid the GOP of some long time politicians who have succumbed to the power of the party. Glenn chats with Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks on which of the coming elections are most important.

Interview Transcript below:

GLENN: I want to talk to Matt Kibbe. He is from Freedom Works and he is one of the good guys. He's ‑‑ Freedom Works I've watched for a very long time and these guys mean what they say, say what they mean. They're taking on the Republican Party just as much as they are the Democratic Party and he's a guy who believes in libertarian values, conservative libertarian values and small government. Welcome to the program, Matt Kibbe. Tell me, let me get a couple of updates here. What do you think's going to happen? Texas, the primary is today.

KIBBE: Yes, it's today, and I think that Ted Cruz against all odds is going to push the establishment Republican into a runoff and I think the more time we have, the more likely that there will be another Tea Party upset in Texas.

GLENN: Can you ‑‑ I mean, everyone is saying, Matt, that the Tea Party is not making a difference. The Tea Party is just not doing the Occupy Wall Street thing. They are just not out on the streets, but they are wielding tremendous power.

KIBBE: Well, we're not a protest movement anymore. And you're seeing all of these local leaders focus at the local level of building community and doing important things like get out the vote but it's just not like that. But you look at the results in Indiana and it's hard to argue that the Tea Party's dead. Just ask Greg Fettig and Monica Boyer who beat the establishment Republican by 21 points.

GLENN: Wow. What do you think is going to ‑‑ what's going to happen with Orrin Hatch?

KIBBE: I think that Dan Liljenquist has a real shot of upsetting ‑‑ and this will be the biggest upset yet if he pulls it off. He needs to get his brand out there. All the conversation has been about Orrin Hatch's failing so far. But if Dan can get his name out there and his record as a reformer, his record as someone that actually fixed a broken public employee pension system in Utah, I think he can pull an upset off as well.

GLENN: Everybody is saying that Orrin Hatch, though, I mean, he's a respected guy, everybody likes him, you know, yada, yada, which is all true. Everybody likes Orrin Hatch. But this is not ‑‑ I mean, this seems to be the one that may be bucking the system.

KIBBE: Well, this isn't Orrin Hatch is focused on trying to convince everybody that he's one of us since the day that we beat Senator Bennett but this isn't personal. This isn't about who we like and don't like. It's about taking on the problems that for 36 years Orrin Hatch has been unwilling to take on. And it's a little bit late now.

GLENN: But do you really think that he is trying to convince everybody that he's ‑‑ isn't he the guy who came out and said that there is no such thing as a libertarian that he likes or something like that?

KIBBE: Well, he said ‑‑ well, he said that he despises us.

GLENN: That's right.

KIBBE: And he wanted to punch us in the mouth. So that's not really reaching out.

GLENN: Yeah, I don't know if that really, really is. And Walker, give me an update on Walker.

KIBBE: I think, you know, I don't want to jinx this but I think we're looking good here and I think it's going to be the ground game that matters. There's just $10 zillion spent on both sides in that race but it's got to be about the community getting out the vote and defending a guy that actually did what he said he was going to do. If we don't deliver on this, it sets everything back, not just in Wisconsin.

GLENN: Well, that is the key, too. I mean, the unions will bus people, they will do everything to get the vote out.

KIBBE: It's remarkable, the most ‑‑ one of the most I think underreported stories about the Tea Party movement is how we have been able to go toe to toe with the most sophisticated, well funded get‑out‑the‑vote machine and that's the public employees unions and we're doing it without getting paid, without anyone telling us what to do. It's really the power of decentralization at work. And I think what's going on in business is one bellwether as to whether or not this new paradigm not just fixes Wisconsin but fixes our country.

GLENN: All right. I want to talk to you a little bit about Free PAC here. This is something that is happening the week of 7/28, July 28th for Restoring Love. This is happening at the American Airlines center July 26, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Explain exactly what's going to happen here.

KIBBE: Well, I like to call this Tea Party 3.0 because it's not a protest. We're pulling together the community from all over the country and, in fact, all over the world. I think we're going to have 25 to 30 countries represented, including from Greece of all places. We've recruited a handful of students when I was in Thessaloniki and they're coming to Dallas to talk about how they are going to fix their country and: And talk about a project, that's something that I wouldn't want to take on myself.

GLENN: Yeah.

KIBBE: So it's part global. It's a little bit of protest. We're going to do "Get out the vote" training from 4:00 to 5:30 and that's got to be a separate event because it's political. But I object that signs up and buys a ticket is going to be invited to some very hands‑on training. We're going to talk about the Indiana model and the folks that pulled off that tremendous upset in Indiana. It's going to be part ideas and values, and it's going to be all about building a community and having fun. And I think we're going to have some pretty cool speakers that we're going to announce over the next couple of weeks, but I couldn't be more excited about this because I think this is where the movement has to go. We have to come together, we have to stay connected and we have to understand what we can accomplish as a community that we can't accomplish just as individuals.

GLENN: You and I have had several discussions that it is time for the Tea Party to change. It is time for the Tea Party to realize that it isn't ‑‑ and they already are ‑‑ that it isn't a protest vehicle, that it's not enough to stand with the signs, and now you have to ‑‑ we've had a lot of power not given to us. We've received a lot of power because we did stand up. Now there's a difference between gaining power and keeping power. Gaining power and ruling, protesting and ruling. It's a totally different model, and if we are to survive, we can't be the same kind of people that the Republicans are and we can't just be protestors.

KIBBE: We have one seat at the table. With any luck we're going to gain a number of seats at the table in November. But we've got to get back to the ideas and we've got to figure out how to translate our values into very specific proposals that do things like balance the budget, that actually reform entitlements and tackle all of these problems that both parties have created for us. But it's our responsibility to take that back. And the only way that this changes, the only way we fix our country is an ongoing commitment. We don't have to spend 24 hours a day but we have to commit to doing something and connecting with other people every day because that's the only way we're going to take our country back.

GLENN: Go to FreePAC.org, FreePAC.org, and make sure that you're there. That is on Thursday, July 26th; Friday, July 27th is a service project; and also a faith program which we haven't really announced yet; and then Saturday is at Dallas Cowboys stadium, Restoring Love. You don't want to miss any of this. This is a historic event. Make sure you're there. Dallas, Texas, July 26th through the 28th, and you can find out all information at FreePAC.org or MercuryOne.org.

One more thing. The fact that Mitt Romney is out campaigning now with Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich, how's that making you feel?

KIBBE: Anxious. Nervous. But I ‑‑ you know, I know we've been pretty clear about what we can and can't accomplish with our presidential candidate. We've got to focus on the candidates that really matter, that share our values. And we do have to take the White House. But whoever wins, we're going to have to hold that person accountable just like everybody else.

GLENN: Yeah. Romney's not going to get it ‑‑ nobody should be looking at Romney as the answer to cancer here.

KIBBE: Right.

GLENN: Because he's ‑‑ he seems to have a touch of it himself and it's an odd choice to go out on the campaign trail with Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich, you know. At least he ‑‑ at least he threw a bone to Rand Paul this weekend.

KIBBE: Well, I think we need to make sure that the Tea Party activists and the people that share our values are the most pursued voters in this election and that's how you get politicians to do the right thing, by showing up. And that's the model. We're never going to find the perfect benevolent dictator to solve all our problems. We have to drive it from the bottom up.

GLENN: Thanks, Matt, appreciate it.

KIBBE: Thanks a lot.

GLENN: Go to FreePAC.org.

'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

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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