Glenn Beck’s 21st book: ‘The Great Reset’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Talk radio host and longtime media presence Glenn Beck has written his 21st book. “The Great Reset: Joe Biden and the Rise of Twenty-First-Century Fascism” arrived Tuesday and is dedicated to “all those who believe that men are born to be free.”

The “Great Reset,” the author advises, is “the single most important topic I have covered in my career, and the movement that could finally snuff out the flame of liberty in America.”

Mr. Beck cites multiple eroding forces at work here, including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change fanaticism and politics.

“An international conspiracy between powerful bankers, business leaders, and government officials; closed-door meetings in the Swiss Alps; and calls for a radical transformation of every society on earth — ‘The Great Reset’ sounds like it is one henchman-with-an-eyepatch away from being the plot for the next James Bond movie. But ‘The Great Reset’ is not a work of fiction,” publisher Forefront Books said in advance notes.

Mr. Beck also offers a chapter devoted to “derailing the great reset.”

The 320-page book was written with Justin Haskins, director of the Stopping Socialism Center at the Heartland Institute — a free market think tank where he also serves as the organization’s editorial director. As of Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Beck’s book was ranked No. 3 on the Amazon bestseller list.

THE ‘U-HAUL REVOLUTION’

Now there’s an intriguing phrase.

It appeared in an Issues & Insights editorial published Tuesday and is a handy way to describe the exodus of people from Democrat-dominated cities and states in favor of locations dominated by Republicans.

“From 2010 to 2019, U.S. Census data show, the top 10 mostly Blue States lost 845,000 citizens, while the top 10 mostly Red States gained just over 1 million. In short, as the Blue State model crashes, the Red State model soars,” the editorial pointed out.

“America is changing. But maybe not how the far left thinks. Once-dominant Blue Cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and even mighty New York are, sadly, in decline. These are facts. States and cities that haven’t embraced the poisonous theory that more government, more taxes, more regulation, more bureaucratic control, more woke schools are what we need, are thriving,” the editorial noted.

“It’s not a civil war. Call it the U-haul Revolution. No shots fired. Just people moving for personal freedom and growth,” it said.

A SYMBOL OF ‘SOCIALIST AGENDA’

Shortages are becoming an uncomfortable, unsettling, unfamiliar reality around the U.S.

“Shoppers are ‘astounded’ by thinning grocery store supplies. It’s just empty shelves. From milk to beverages to produce, shoppers are seeing supplies dwindle,” Fox News reported in an in-depth analysis Tuesday.

There are both political and cultural overtones to this phenomenon, particularly when those shoppers facing empty shelves and barren bins have a say about the situation.

“It’s like a Soviet store during 1981. It’s horrible,” one shopper told the network.

None of this is lost on GOP observers.

“Republicans were mocked for warning Americans what Democrats’ socialist agenda would do to our country. Nobody is laughing — or getting groceries — now,” Mike Berg, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement shared with “Inside the Beltway.”

THE HOGAN EFFECT: ASTRONOMICAL

A Republican governor remains a favorite in a Democrat-leaning state.

“Another day, another poll showing astronomical job approval ratings for Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., as he enters his final legislative session as governor,” reports Maryland Matters, a nonprofit news site centered on the state’s government and politics.

The report cites a Gonzales Research & Media Services poll of 807 Maryland voters released Tuesday, revealing that Mr. Hogan has a 74% job approval rating in the survey, which was conducted Dec. 20-30 and released Tuesday.

“With a deft touch, Hogan has navigated the choppy, partisan puddle of politics and kept his ship sailing straight and fast, as others have sputtered and sunk during these turbulent times,” pollster Patrick E. Gonzales said in an accompanying analysis of the findings.

Mr. Hogan’s ratings trumped those of President Biden in the poll; Mr. Biden warranted a 54% job approval rating.

“As for Hogan’s own political fate, Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., are trying to recruit him to challenge Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Democrat) this year,” noted the Maryland Matters report, which said the governor would likely “resist those entreaties.”

FOXIFIED

During the week of Jan. 3-9, Fox News was the top network in the entire cable realm throughout the daytime viewing hours, earning 1.4 million viewers and airing 68 of the top 100 cable telecasts during the study period.

The network also bested its closest news rivals during primetime for the 21st straight week: Fox News drew 2.3 million viewers during the primetime hours, compared to MSNBC with 1.3 million viewers and CNN with 705,000. The biggest ratings winner of all was “The Five,” which enjoyed an audience of 3.4 million.

POLL DU JOUR

• 74% of U.S. adults say they donated money to a charitable cause in the last 12 months; 74% of Republicans, 74% of independents and 75% of Democrats agree.

• 44% overall donated money to a religious cause in that time period; 54% of Republicans, 42% of independents and 39% of Democrats agree.

• 47% overall volunteered their time to a charitable chase in the last 12 months; 40% of Republicans, 49% of independents and 51% of Democrats agree.

• 35% overall volunteered their time to a religious group or organization in that time period; 42% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 36% of Democrats agree.

• 15% overall donated blood; 11% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 14% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: A Gallup poll of 811 U.S. adults conducted Dec. 1-16 and released Tuesday.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.