Glenn Beck is one of America’s best known radio and TV personalities. He might be called a conservative but that isn’t really accurate. Mr. Beck runs his own talk show, the Blaze TV and Internet network as well as a radio network that features his show as well as other shows.
Mr. Beck recently told the National Rifle Association that he would resign from that organization if Grover Norquist was re-elected to the NRA Board. Mr. Norquist, the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, has been frequently criticized for close ties to Islamist figures.
Now Mr. Beck has cut loose a broadside against the Republican Party and announced he is done with them. In blasting the Republican Party, Mr. Beck wrote, “You guys have the spine of a worm, the ethics of whores and the integrity of pirates. (My apologies to worms, whores and pirates.)”
The folks over at the Republican National Committee may not care that Glenn Beck is leaving the fold. They should. They should care not so much for Glenn Beck but because Mr. Beck has a huge platform that he uses to reach people on a daily basis.
Mr. Beck’s decision to leave the GOP is a premature decision. Many conservatives are outraged by the Republican Party. The Party of Reagan hasn’t really been the Party of Reagan since 1989. The only real resurgence in conservatism we have seen was the Gingrich revolution in 1994 and the rise of the Tea Party in 2009. If the Republican Party had stuck to its conservative roots, the Tea Party never would have been born.
Conservatives should remain in the Republican Party for at least a little while longer. Conservatives have some viable options for 2016. These include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. There are several candidates who could be nominated that conservatives would not feel like once again they are voting for the lesser of two evils. There are some good conservatives, such as Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who will be on the ballot in 2016 who need conservative support.
The leadership of the Republican Party needs to understand that Glenn Beck is the canary in the mine for them. While Mr. Beck sometimes strays away from the mainstream issues of his conservative base, he does not operate in an echo chamber. His views on the Republican Party reflect those of millions of people who listen to him.
The next 12 months will tell the future of the Republican Party. That assumes the GOP even has a future. If the establishment in the Republican Party pulls the strings to get Jeb Bush nominated, the conservative base will join Glenn Beck and walk from the Republican Party. If the Republican Party sides with the left wing “Main Street Partnership” founded by conservative-hating former Republican Congressman Steve LaTourette, the conservatives will walk. While Main Street Partnership’s political action committee, Defending Main Street PAC is mostly funded by Democrats, it is supported by people like House Speaker John Boehner, former Majority Leader Eric Cantor and other members of the Republican Leadership.
The Republican Party leadership does not understand the Glenn Beck problem. The moderate Republicans have long thought they could control conservatives because where else could conservatives go? Mr. Beck has the platform and the influence to create a third party or encourage many conservatives to abandon the Republican Party.
If the establishment Republicans’ war on conservatives continues, that is exactly what will happen.
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