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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.”

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