Posted by
Catmman on Thursday, September 24, 2009 12:08:12 PM
The Democrat Party is corrupt.
The Republican Party is corrupt.
You can't keep voting for the same thing since it just perpetuates the corruption inherent in the parties and a third party isn't the answer either.
So far, so good.
The system is broke/corrupt, needs to be fixed, we need to vote for people of principle, we need to work with those who are there to make them accountable, but not vote within the system since it's corrupt so as to fix the system which is corrupt by not voting for the parties which are corrupt though we need to fix/change them since they are corrupt and do all of this ourselves since we can't vote within the corrupt system or try to fix/change it from the outside by way of a third party since that won't work either.
What?
I just heard Glenn tell a guy on the radio these very things. It is not a direct quote, but the essence of his message is that very thing. The parties are corrupt and you can't keep voting for the same thing since it isn't changing anything. When asked "What should we do?", Glenn says he isn't about advocating for a third party. So the caller is left confused as hell.
Now I just heard Glenn tell us that the way to fix things is to re-found it with the people we already have in. Ostensibly, to root out the corruption that is there and hold those in place accountable. How does that jive with what he just told this caller that we can't keep up with the same ol, same ol?
It is frustrating. I like Glenn Beck. I love his radio show - it's funny, entertaining, informative. His TV show is OK, but he just seems too gimmicky at times and his segments don't work out sometimes. It's a decent show, but I like the radio show better.
I like what Beck says, but this schtick is getting a bit trying. A guy called up trying to get clarification on what Beck was saying and he just got blown off and made fun of. Well, not blown off, but that was the result. The caller was trying to ask how we change the Republicans if we abandon the party. Glenn kept coming back by saying "How many times are you going to vote Republican getting the same results?" The caller did admit to voting for Arlen Specter a number of times, so Glenn did have a point, but so did the caller. The fact of the matter is you can't advocate for changing the parties - either one - without voting within the parties. Of course you should have good candidates and work to make sure the party puts forth principled ones, which I think is the general point, but then Beck says stuff like you can't vote for either party anymore since they're both corrupt.
To further compound the confusion, Glenn openly states he isn't advocating for a third party and says a third party isn't the answer. He's right. A third party is a waste of time. Anyone who disagree with me, and there are tons, two words - Ross Perot. I rest my case on third parties.
Now he's saying the same thing: It's up to us, not the Parties. Well, forgive me but don't we have to work within the Party framework? Glenn would counter that that is just more of the same. I get what he's saying and agree with it generally, but you can't say it's up to us and then tell us we can't work within the system, the parties or a third party. Then how are we to get anything done? You're just spinning your wheels.
Listen, I understand we need to get rid of corruption and hold politicians accountable. I understand about voting for whoever, from either party as long as they are principled. I've voted for Democrats (back home, locally) for that very reason. But there is something in his message that just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe it's me? Maybe Glenn just isn't stating his case clearly? I'm not one for nuance. If you want to get a message through, tell me straight.
In my eyes, to fix things we need to work within the system we have. Yes it's corrupt. But the only way to fix things is to fix them from the inside. I don't agree with Democrats. I don't agree with some Republicans. But we have the system we have. We can root out corruption, vote in principled politicians but to do these things we have to have somewhere to start. Glenn would say, start with the Constitution. Of course, but then what?
Glenn offers great suggestions, but offers no real way to implement them IMHO.