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

June 22, 2012

Writer

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.

Hunter pleads GUILTY, but did he get a pass on these 3 GLARING crimes?

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Last week, Hunter Biden made the shocking decision to suddenly plead guilty to all nine charges of tax-related crimes after claiming innocence since 2018.

Hunter first tried an "Alford plead" in which a defendant maintains their innocence while accepting the sentencing, typically due to the overwhelming evidence against them. Hunter's Alford plead was not accepted after the prosecutors objected to the suggestion, and Hunter quickly pleaded guilty.

Glenn could not believe just how disrespectful this situation was to the justice system and the American people. After years of lying about his innocence, which only served to deepen the divide in our country, Hunter decided to change his tune at the last minute and admit his guilt. Moreover, many expect Joe Biden will swoop in after the election and bail his son out with a presidential pardon.

This isn't the first time Hunter's crimes have turned out to be more than just a "right-wing conspiracy theory," and, odds are, it won't be the last. Here are three crimes Hunter may or may not be guilty of:

Gun charges: Found guilty

This June, Hunter Biden was found guilty of three federal gun charges, which could possibly land him up to 25 years in prison. Hunter purchased a revolver in 2018 while addicted to crack, and lied to the gun dealer about his addiction. While Hunter could face up to 25 years in prison, it's unlikely to be the case as first-time offenders rarely receive the maximum sentence. That's assuming Joe even lets it go that far.

Tax evasion: Plead guilty

Last week, Hunter changed his plea to "guilty" after years of pleading innocent to federal tax evasion charges. Since 2018, Delaware attorneys have been working on Hunter's case, and just before the trial was set to begin, Hunter changed his plea. According to the investigation, Hunter owed upwards of $1.4 million in federal taxes that he avoided by writing them off as fraudulent business deductions. Instead, Hunter spent this money on strippers, escorts, luxury cars, hotels, and, undoubtedly, crack.

Joe's involvement with Hunter's foreign dealings: Yet to be proven

Despite repeated claims against it, there is ample evidence supporting the theory Joe Biden was aware of Hunter's business dealings and even had a hand in them. This includes testimony from Devon Archer, one of Hunter's business partners, confirming Joe joined several business calls. Despite the mounting evidence Joe Biden was involved in Hunter's overseas business dealings and was using his influence to Hunter's benefit, the Bidens still maintain their innocence.

Why do we know so much about the Georgia shooter but NOTHING about Trump's shooter?

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It's only been a few days since the horrific shooting at the Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, and the shooter, Colt Gray, and his father, Colin Gray, have already made their first court appearance. Over the last few days, more and more information has come out about the shooter and his family, including details of Colt's troubled childhood and history of mental health issues. The FBI said Colton had been on their radar.

This situation has Glenn fired up, asking, "Why do we have an FBI?" It seems like every time there is a mass shooting, the FBI unhelpfully admits the shooter was "on the radar," but what good does that do? While it is great we know everything about the Georgia shooter, including what he got for Christmas, why do we still know next to NOTHING about Trump's would-be assassin? Here are three things we know about the Georgia shooter that we stilldon't know about the Trump shooter:

Digital footprint

Just a few days after the shooting, authorities have already released many details of the Georgia shooter, Colt Gray's, digital footprint. This includes extensive conversations and photographs revolving around school shootings that were pulled from Gray's Discord account, a digital messaging platform.

Compared to this, the FBI claims Thomas Crooks, the shooter who almost assassinated Donald Trump, had little to no digital footprint, and outside of an ominous message sent by Crooks on Steam (an online video game platform), we know nothing about his online activities. Doesn't it seem strange that Crooks, a young adult in 2024 who owned a cell phone and a laptop left behind no digital trail of any relevance to his crime?

Home life

The FBI has painted a vivid image of what Colt Gray's home life was like, including his troubling relationship with his parents. They released information about his parents' tumultuous divorce, being evicted from his home, several interactions with law enforcement and CPS, and abuse. Investigators also found written documents of Colt's related to other school shootings, suggesting he had been thinking of this for some time before committing the atrocity.

In contrast, we still know next to nothing about Crooks's home life.

How he got the weapon

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

Colt Gray was gifted the rifle he used in the shooting from his father for Christmas last year. We also know Colt's father is an avid hunter and would take Colt on hunting trips. In 2023, Colt was the subject of an investigation regarding a threat he made online to shoot up a school. During the interview, Colt stated he did not make the threat. Moreover, his father admitted to owning several firearms, but said Colt was not allowed full access to them. The investigation was later closed after the accusations could not be sustained.

In comparison, all we know is that Crooks stole his father's rifle and did not inform his parents of any part of his plan. We have no clue how Crooks acquired the rest of his equipment, which included nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, and several homemade bombs. How did Crooks manage to acquire all of his equipment without the FBI taking notice?

It feels like the FBI is either incompetent or hiding important information from the American people. Or both.

Join Glenn TONIGHT for BlazeTV's exclusive debate coverage!

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Join Glenn TONIGHT, September 10, at 8 p.m. Eastern, for his LIVE coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate!

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If you become a BlazeTV+ subscriber today, you can gain access to the live chat with your favorite hosts, including Glenn, Stu, Liz Wheeler, and more as they share their thoughts on the debate. Go to BlazeTV.com/debate and get $40 off of your annual subscription with code DEBATE. This is the largest discount we’ve ever offered, so don’t miss out! See you TONIGHT at 8!

You do NOT want to miss it!

These ‘conservative’ Glenn Beck critics are now supporting Kamala Harris

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There’s a certain irony in how some of the loudest critics of Glenn Beck within the conservative ranks have now thrown their support behind Kamala Harris, a figure whose politics stand in stark contrast to the values they once claimed to uphold. Let's take a look back at these self-proclaimed guardians of conservatism, who once claimed Glenn Beck was a threat to the conservative movement, but are now backing the most far-left, radical candidate the Democrats have ever produced.

Adam Kinzinger

Adam Kinzinger was elected in 2010 as a Tea Party conservative, riding the wave of anti-establishment sentiment that defined the movement. However, by 2013, he was already distancing himself from the principles that got him elected. Criticizing Glenn Beck for labeling him a RINO, Kinzinger said, "The perception is, if you do one thing out of line with what is considered hard-core conservatism, or what Glenn Beck says or what Mark Levin says, then you are a RINO." Now, he’s taken his political shift to the extreme, endorsing Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention and praising her as a defender of democracy—all while claiming to be a Republican and a conservative.

Bill Kristol

Bill Kristol’s flip-flop is even more astounding. Kristol, who once took it upon himself to attack Beck for his warnings about radical Islam and creeping authoritarianism, now finds himself on the same side as Kamala Harris. Kristol’s past criticisms of Beck, comparing him to fringe elements like the John Birch Society, now ring hollow as Kristol himself becomes an apologist for the far left. His endorsement of Harris shows that his commitment was never to conservatism but to whatever political winds would keep him in the spotlight.

Jennifer Rubin

Jennifer Rubin is a prime example of how establishment figures at outlets like The Washington Post have masqueraded as conservatives while working to undermine genuine conservative voices. Rubin, who once criticized Beck by saying, "Rather than reflexively rising to his defense when questioned about Beck, why don’t conservatives call him out and explain that he doesn’t represent the views of mainstream conservatives?" was never truly aligned with conservative values. Her columns have consistently pushed establishment narratives, and now they read like PR pieces for the Democratic Party, especially when it comes to Kamala Harris. Rubin’s journey from supposed conservative commentator to one of the Biden administration’s staunchest defenders shows that her critiques of Beck were always about protecting her place within the Washington elite, not about upholding any real conservative principles.

Kinzinger, Kristol, and Rubin once posed as guardians of conservatism, warning about the supposed dangers of Glenn Beck. Now, they’ve endorsed Kamala Harris, a candidate whose policies are anathema to conservatism. Their criticisms of Beck were never about protecting conservative values—they were about steering the party back under their control. But the real target wasn’t just Beck; it was the audience he represents—everyday conservatives who challenge the status quo. These insiders have always seen that base as the real threat, and their actions make it clear who they were really trying to sideline.

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