The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Hey, Remember That Crazy Conspiracy Theory Glenn Beck Was Talking About?

Posted on | February 6, 2011 | 49 Comments

According to every Serious Foreign Policy Pundit, it’s absolutely insane for Beck to assert that the Left and the Islamists are in alliance to bring revolution to the Middle East. However, as Donald Douglas points out, that’s what the Left is telling us:

The neo-Stalinist ANSWER homepage has the announcement, “Emergency demonstrations: Stop all U.S. aid to Mubarak dictatorship” . . .
Code Pink’s Jodie Evans . . . served as a top campaign fundraiser for Barack Obama, and now her organization is leading a fundraising operation for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: “Code Pink: Obama, Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood Ally Raising (Tax Exempt) Money to Overthrow Egypt Gov’t” . . .

But don’t let yourself be distracted by mere facts. Bill Kristol says Glenn Beck is “hysterical” and it must be true because, after all, Bill Kristol is a Serious Foreign Policy Pundit and Glenn Beck is just . . . well, he’s just Glenn Beck, right?

And really, who is this Lisa Graas person who tells us about “Five Revolutions Backed by George Soros”?

“The Soros centre’s job in eastern Europe is nearly finished. Its main focus now is the Islamic world, Arab countries, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.”

Oh, that’s not a quote from Lisa Graas. That’s a 2007 quote by Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, a consultant for the Soros-funded Open Society Institute.

But don’t believe that crazy conspiracy-theory stuff. Trust the Serious Foreign Policy Pundits. Because they’ve never been wrong before.

My friend Dr. James Joyner, however, is of another opinion:

Going back at least to William F. Buckley, Jr.’s famous article casting the John Birch Society out of the legitimate conservative moment, it has been understood that letting the fringe define the cause hurts it. Buckley correctly reasoned that Birch founder Robert Welch’s crazy and outrageous conspiracy theories were tainting the legitimate anti-Communist movement.
Similarly, the psychotic rantings of Glenn Beck invite ridicule on the rest of us. Legitimate points are inevitably countered by comparisons with absurd variants by Beck, Coulter, Limbaugh, and others who make a living stoking the fears of the base. This is, at best, a distraction from the debate and, often, makes intelligent discussion of the issues next to impossible because they’ve been preemptively framed by the loudest, most shrill, most hyperbolic voices.

How many times have we heard variations of this argument? 

“Oh, Buckley purged the Birchers and therefore, we must now cast aside Uncouth Person X and distance ourselves from Populist Organization Y, because above all else, the Official Conservative Movement must maintain its precious respectability!”

If we had listened to that argument in 2009, there never would have been a Tea Party movement. Republicans would have rolled over and played dead and gone along with the whole Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda because it was not respectable to oppose Keynesian “stimulus” spending, cap-and-trade, nationalized health care, and so forth.

Now that “the loudest, most shrill, most hyperbolic voices” have succeeded in fomenting grassroots opposition, however, we are told that elected representatives must ignore the people who elected them and, instead, must heed those respectable voices who did nothing at all to help encourage the Tea Party movement.

Hey, let’s dump Ann Coulter because, after all, “the Age of Ann has passed,” right? She’s only the author of, what, five or six New York Times bestsellers?

Yeah, let’s get rid of Coulter because a bunch of bloggers said so.

Purge Coulter! Purge Beck! Purge Sarah Palin! Purge Mark Levin! Purge Rush Limbaugh!

Purge! Purge! Purge!

And keep right on purging until the only people inside the Big Tent are respectable Republicans like Mike Castle, Lincoln Chafee, Arlen Specter and Charlie Crist, and the motto of the Official Conservative Movement becomes, “Me, Too.”

UPDATE: Linked by The Great One: “Cool it with the Stalinist purge crap.”

UPDATE II: Please permit me to point out that, while any conservative who mentions the influence of George Soros is portrayed as a dangerous conspiracy kook, it is perfectly acceptable for liberals to demonize the Koch brothers as right-wing puppetmasters.

UPDATE III: Did I ever mention that you never want to make Dan Riehl pissed off at you?

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Category: American Power, Ann Coulter, Egypt, George Soros, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Tea Party

Comments

  • Joe

    Purge Coulter! Purge Beck! Purge Sarah Palin! Purge Mark Levin! Purge Rush Limbaugh!

    Purge! Purge! Purge!

    Don’t forget yourself on that list.

  • Anonymous

    Right: Charles Johnson is the Bill Buckley of the 21st century!

  • JeffS

    I recall an on-line discussion at Tim Blair’s old blog with a fellow who claimed to be a professional journalist. This was back in, oh, 2005 or so, when the anti-Iraq war hysteria was reaching a crescendo in the Lame Stream Media.

    I had made the comment that the media was pretty much in lock step when reporting on Iraq, and had an anti-Bush/USA agenda in mind. This fellow jumped on me, claiming that there couldn’t a, a, a, , a, a, ……conspiracy.

    He was a regular commenter there (I forget his name), but was aghast at even the implication of a “conspiracy”, especially on such a scale.

    I didn’t say “the c-word”, HE did. I pointed that out to him, and noted that a full-fledged conspiracy was not essential, and that it took only a few people in key places over a period of years to shift opinions and attitudes in any profession.

    The fellow made one more comment, to the effect of, “I really can’t believe that!”, and dropped the subject.

    But I think it’s safe to say that while we lack a smoking gun about a leftie media conspiracy, there’s more than enough evidence to support a leftie media conspiracy. For example, Journolist.

    My point being: genuine conspiracies work best when presented to the world as being “crazy”. People ignore crazy, or view it as amusing. The fact that there are genuine crazies hawking crazy conspiracies is gravy to the genuine conspiracies.

    So it’s easy for lefties to simply label Beck as “crazy”, and move on. Unfortunately.

  • Joe

    Yeah, in some bizzaro alternative universe. I do not want to go there!

  • Joe

    Yeah, in some bizzaro alternative universe. I do not want to go there!

  • Stanp

    Stacy—+1000!!!!

  • Anonymous

    The only problem I have with Beck’s outlines of the various threats to Humanity that Islam and Leftism poses is that he makes them seem more imminent and coherent than they actually are. It’s not that Beck is wrong about the connections he raises it’s that he gives them more credit than they merit. Merely being evil doesn’t automatically get their sh*t together. That the various tentacles of Islam and Manic Progressive ism are working towards the same general goals (extinguishing the light of Humanity) doesn’t mean they are as well coordinated as Beck’s presentations indicate.
    The reason that the Winston Smith media dismisses Beck’s arguments as deranged is that they share the same goals (extinguishing the light of Humanity) as those we are warned about.
    The reason Republican Elitists who wish they had a monopoly on what is proper conservative argument object is because they care about what the Leftist Elites think of them. They fear that they will be considered crude and uncouth and won’t get invites to the correspondent’s dinner. Their circle of drinking companion will shrink. OMG they might be ostracized by the genteel element of those who wish the destruction of western civilization.

  • JeffS

    That the various tentacles of Islam and Manic Progressive ism are working towards the same general goals (extinguishing the light of Humanity) doesn’t mean they are as well coordinated as Beck’s presentations indicate.

    Spot on, AW. The reason that the threats to Humanity appear bumbling to the world at large is because they ARE bumbling. There’s no single organization working towards the demise of Western Civilization; there are just several organizations working towards that same common goal.

    Conspiracies don’t need a formal charter and OPLAN to move forward; a few intellectuals sitting around a table and sipping wine and agreeing to common beliefs is all that’s really needed. Well, that, and a lot of time. Say, 2-4 generations.

    So, we don’t need a THRUSH style conspiracy. On this, Beck needs to cool his jets.

  • Susan

    I converted to Conservatism after the attack of war on 9/11/2001 and joined Protest Warrior in protesting ANSWER, United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink etc when these Leftist groups began their initial assault upon America (March 23, 2003)

    This Dr James Joyner is obviously stuck inside some Ivy-Inbred tower because if he were down the street- for the last decade- he would immediately recognize the infamous “Fist” signs represent those who are determined to destroy America.

    The pathetic aspect to this all is that so many Americans who righteously believed with all their pompous stainthood that they were against the war were really useful tools for the Left to abuse.

    Here’s your PEACE people; while you prayed in your cathedrals for your PEACE, marched for your PEACE, accepted lies in the name of your PEACE you ended up empowering those who are determined to destroy you, your homes, your church, your Freedom!

    Thanks Pope for the PEACE man!

  • http://sisu.typepad.com Anonymous

    Didn’t I say it was total awesomeness? Mark Levin thinks so too: http://on.fb.me/eaFcFS

  • http://sisu.typepad.com Anonymous

    Correct link for previous comment: http://on.fb.me/eSS0qt

  • Johnb316

    With all due respect to the substance of this article, Arlen Sphincter started as a Democrat, then turned Republican because he couldn’t win a Philadelphia elected office as a Democrat, then flipped back to being a Dem under the prodding of Dear Leader Chairman MaObama. Other than that one major correction, I agree with the substance of this post.

  • Rob-Rage

    Joe..Please quit drinking the Obama, MSNBC, Huffington Post Koolaid..they’re using the same recipe as Jimmy Jones..!

  • http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ritchie+the+Riveter Ritchie The Riveter

    Without individual liberty … and respect for it from all who govern … peace is just an illusion.

    Merely changing the leadership of a nation … even through democracy … without implementing that respect does not assure a sustainable peace.

    This is what the Egyptian people … those who support their efforts to cast off their police state … and those who support the current leadership as a bulwark against the Muslim Brotherhood … all need to understand.

    The fundamental choice is not between the status quo and the Brotherhood … the fundamental choice is between some form of tyranny, and a new course leading to rights-respecting governance.

    This new course, however, that may challenge the predisposition within Islam to encourage/compel submission to the clerical hierarchy … but it is the course to sustainable peace.

    Again, without respect for liberty on the part of those who govern … new, or old … peace is just an illusion.

  • Anonymous

    Almost as cool as getting Tweeted by Alyssa Milano. ;)

  • Tennwriter

    I’ve often wondered if Buckley was right to purge the John Birch Society. Sure, they may have been a bit crazy, but not long ago the idea of a Liberal Journalist Conspiracy aka the Journolist was proof positive of being crazy as JeffS points out.

    Perhaps Buckley was too elitist for the good of freedom, and a bit of a wild mob of occasionally nutty seeming sorts might have been what was needed to defeat the Hippies.

  • Anonymous

    It isn’t often Kirsten Powers and I agree but……..
    America’s Naivete About Egypt
    by Kirsten Powers
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-03/why-america-should-worry-about-an-islamic-government-in-egypt/
    The best two paragraphs I’ve read was written by Adjoran in the comments here.
    http://theothermccain.com/2011/02/03/egypt-todays-latest-news-updates-mubarak-warns-of-chaos-video/

    This is a country with no significant democratic tradition or institutions to support it. They were a monarchy until King Farouk was deposed by Col. Nasser, and have been ruled by military strongmen ever since.

    The choice isn’t between autocracy and Australian democracy, people – it’s between autocracy and Iranian “democracy.” Take your pick, but there’s no off-menu orders in this restaurant.

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  • Anonymous

    Face it you’ll cherish Alyssa Milano’s Tweet longer.

  • Anonymous

    It was harder then for the Bircher’s to prove their case than it would be now, thanks to Al Gore. Also in their frustration they started to accuse those who couldn’t see it their way of being co-conspirators rather than “Useful Idiots”. Given that they couldn’t prove (not conclusive evidence that they we’re wrong) the underlying conspiracies, accusing Eisenhower of being a Commie wasn’t a good idea. The advantage that Beck has is that while he can’t prove all of his conclusions, he can document the underlying facts.

  • TR Sterling

    RSM, When Mark Levin takes notice of you, its a good thing!
    Keep the quill sharp and dip often!

  • http://ak4mc.us/2c/2011/ McGehee

    This Dr James Joyner is obviously stuck inside some Ivy-Inbred tower

    Dr. Joyner calls his blog “Outside the Beltway,” but his mindset obviously commutes.

  • http://maggiesnotebook.blogspot.com Maggie @ Maggie’s Notebook

    Schazammmm!

  • http://www.serr8d.blogspot.com/ Serr8d

    …respectable Republicans…

    You’ll need to start using Jeff G’s defining idiom ‘pragmatic‘ for these tea-sipping fainting-couch-clinging Republicans and so-called ‘Conservatives’ from now on.

    Why? Why are there now 5 ‘A’s in RAAAAACIST! ?

  • http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ritchie+the+Riveter Ritchie The Riveter

    Thanks for giving us the “realist” conventional wisdom.

    However, there is a greater force than tradition … and that is human nature. And human nature has a greater need than “order” or even democracy … it needs rights-respecting governance in order to thrive, and avoid the temptation to resort to terror as a means of pursuing happiness.

    The lack of a democratic condition does not mean that it is not necessary for a sustainable peace inside and outside Egypt.

    It is imperative that they write a new menu … for the world is too small today to avoid the lethal levels of social “indigestion” the choices on the old one will create.

  • The Wondering Jew

    Actually we do need to have a purge, and that purge is of folks like Bill Kristol, whose foolish actions going back over a couple of decades have badly damaged the conservative movement (not to mention damaged the cause and reputation–by association) of Jewish conservatives such as myself who are far more interested in what is happening in our own country than we are in bringing revolution to Cairo.

  • Tom

    These guys seem to have done their homework –
    “U.S.-based Marxists Subvert Friendly Regimes and Support Foreign Terrorist Organizations”
    http://www.usasurvival.org/docs/ASI_Marxism_Islam-rprt.pdf

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  • Doomed

    The Right has gone nuts. Over the edge. They have allowed Libertarians like Beck paint the right as fringe kooks and we are handing the government back to the Socialist left with flowers in 2 years.

    Rather then to patiently work to restore order in the government the right is letting libertarian retards lead them on a campaign of idiocy…..taking a massive government and painting their anarchist portrait all over it…..

    If there is anarchy anywhere to be found….Glen Beck and his libertarian cronies are attracked to it like steel shavings to a super magnet.

    Its time for the GOP to give the GOP to the libertarians crazies and start a new moderate, centrist party that consists of exiled liberals and exiled conservatives.

    Then perhaps we can act as an anchor and bring the far left and far right back from the edge on insanity.

  • Susan

    Then perhaps the good Dr might care to read David Horowitz’s “Unholy Alliance: The American Left and Radical Islam” (published 2003) to un-beltway his mindset.

  • Atthepower2003

    Blame the “left “eh?Bush’s hold hand with Saudies and Bin Ladins no problamo..and Georgies advisor?
    Grover Norquist’s Strange Alliance With Radical Islam

    While nobody suggests that Norquist himself is soft on terrorism, his lobbying has helped provide radical Islamic groups–and their …
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/561786/posts – Cached – Similar

    Grover Norquist and radical Islam -

    Jihad WatchDec 9, 2003 … Grover Norquist has been confronted many times over his activities in behalf of the radical Islamic front in this country. …
    http://www.jihadwatch.org/…/grover-norquist-and-radical-islam.html – Cached – Similar

    hmmm…..could you find you way out of a paper bag?

  • http://tomcox.wordpress.com Tom

    If you’re expecting me or most on here to defend either Bush (41 or 43) or Norquist for sucking up to Islamic political powers, I hope you aren’t holding your breath. That certainly won’t come from here. I’m a constitutional conservative, not a “compassionate conservative,” whatever the hell that is.
    http://tomcox.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/compassionate-conservatism-and-other-reasons-why-the-republicans-lost/

  • wtl

    Seems to me the American government is putting us through the paces of the suggested model of leading the “Community of Democracies”, right?

    American exceptionalism, not so much.

    Also, seems to me the American government is trying on the new concept of “sovereignty of the people” ….”We the people”, not so much.

    The American government approach to Egypt just reminds me so much of the concepts espoused in the “The Bubble of American Supremacy” by Soros.

  • Anonymous

    I’m doubting you know what either term means.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, it means he thinks he’s found a fellow lying huckster.

    Still, reeling over Levin’s Friday contention that nothing illegal happened during Iran/Contra….that man amazes me with his ability to misrepresent anything in order to con the rubes

  • Anonymous

    The middle is a quagmire that the left lures Republicans into, they or at least enough of them to suit the left’s purposes, fall for that gag time after time. Polarization means clear political choices, I’m amazed that the muddled middle never tire of the splinters from straddling that fence.

  • Tomcox

    Doubt away. I don’t owe you anything.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, the media and Islam and “the Left” all seek to extinguish humanity. Nothing like dehumanizing one’s political opponents!

    Why just the other day when I was at the media/Leftist/Islamic conspiracy meeting, the dessert was served before the aperitif! Oh, such bumbling! The program was all messed up listing James Fallows as Muslim and Roger Ailes as a Leftist…. when will these evil people finally get their act together to “extinguish the light of humanity”?

    Jesus, Adobe, your belief are incredibly silly and just butt-munchingly retarded. If they weren’t, you wouldn’t have the angry, old, white guy cavalry riding behind you…

    Weird, how I see my political opposites as mis-guided tools of plutocrats, whereas they see me as an “enemy of mankind.” The conservatives are finally becoming to Rwandan Hutus

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Aaron-Baker/1455780065 Aaron Baker

    Wow. You’re all total lunatics. Apparently Glenn Beck is either correct about the leftist-Islamofascist Conspiracy to… something or other, or in bed with “libertarian anarchists,” which I assume means “anyone who does not agree with social conservative Republican orthodoxy in any facet whatsoever.”

    Do you people even listen to yourselves?

  • Jackman

    Do they pay you a lot over at Media Matters? You obviously don’t agree with the basic world view at this blog, why do you stay, day after day, naysaying everything? You don’t discuss, you aren’t interested in facts, there’s no pretense of debate…all your posts consist on variations of “God, I can’t believe what idiots y’all are”. Why do you do it? Wouldn’t your time be better spent nestled secure in the bosom of the collective at Huffy Poo or Kos?

  • Anonymous

    Still laughing over that Huffy poo line….man, you are one funny dude.

    However, if one is take your comment seriously, which I tried, then one is struck by the utter mis-characterization of my comments here. Take the post above, I listened to Levin and I was shocked at his lying over Casper Weinberger’s indictment for obstruction. The indictment is fact and Levin lied about it, so I am puzzled at this line: “…you aren’t interested in facts… ” because facts are all I’m interested in and you are a member of a political movement which denies them.

    You think health insurance reform is a “government takeover of health reform.” You think ON THIS VERY THREAD that somewhere people of liberal beliefs ally themselves of illiberal beliefs in an attempt to hurt America. You believe tax cuts raise revenue, without noting that richest 1% in this country own 8% of it in 1980 and now they own 25% of it and deficits have exploded because we don’t tax them enough. You think “the market” is the answer when “the market” gave us chattel slavery, child labor, polluted air, mountaintop removal mining, the 2008 financial crisis, etc.

    Jack, I respectfully submit that my larking around here amusing myself at the expense of the “basic worldview of this blog” (which is, for my understanding, Southern white plutocrats will rise again and re-establish Christian governance to the nation and, oh look, here’s a link to a picture of a woman we can admire) is based on the host’s lack of understanding of facts and basic denial of them.

    Still, you want to debate, which I have been doing, submit a thesis and let’s talk. ‘Cause in the end, it’s just internet commenting….much ado about nothing…..unless Adobe Wells is right and my real goal is to extinguish humanity, which must really mean I am confused when I raising those children of mine. Why did I have kids if my goal is extinguish humanity’s spark, Jack, oh why!?

  • Anonymous

    No, Aaron, they listen to others, who lead them down the bircher path to conspiracy and lunacy.

  • Anonymous

    No, Aaron, they listen to others, who lead them down the bircher path to conspiracy and lunacy.

  • Atthepower2003

    So as a “constitutional conservative” does that mean you would bring back slavery?Oh right you pretty much have.

  • Anonymous

    Or to do the same with Jeff Goldstein, OUTLAW and truth-teller? Amazing that no one ever listens to you prophets out there in the wilderness

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