Glenn Beck CPAC 2010 Keynote Speech—Specific Topics for All Americans

Glenn Beck was the keynote Speaker at the CPAC 2010 convention this year, and if you’d like, you can watch the entire speech at Ablur’s blog, where I watched it. Thanks Ablur!

Beck is very popular among Conservatives but not so with Liberals. You can find Beck’s speech deciphered all over the net by a lot of bloggers, authors and journalists, some positively, some not so favorably. I found a fair amount of what Beck had to say very sensible and think some of it is worth repeating.

Glenn Beck felt that, “...it’s not enough just to not suck as much as the other side”

Who can disagree with that! “Not sucking as much” isn’t BETTER, it’s just mediocre. This is a message that our Representatives NEED pounded into their heads. Who wants to SETTLE for mediocre? Certainly NOT me! Do you? Why would our Representatives? Why wouldn’t they want to be the absolute BEST that they can be? And more importantly, why aren’t MORE Americans demanding that our Officials be the BEST?

Beck went on to say that he was a recovering alcoholic and that he believes in redemption. I do too, by the way. Although I believe you must repent to those you’ve hurt. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks as long as you are truly sorry and make amends to those to whom you’ve caused grief. We’ve all screwed up, but, if we make amends, never do it again, and atone to those we hurt, I feel forgiveness is possible.

But what happens when it’s our Public Officials who are making the mistakes and causing the pain? Do they deserve forgiveness? Well, it’s my belief that if they admit to their mistakes and are truly remorseful, then yes, they should be forgiven. But do we have any Representatives who will actually stand up and tell us that they screwed up? Are any of our Representatives capable of remorse? Repentance? Or are they all too self-absorbed and “above us” to ever admit to anything, especially a major screw up?

Or as Beck said, “You are somebody who has said ‘Okay I’ll represent you’. Did you check your soul at the door? Make sure you hang onto your soul. Now if you are just like me, if you are just like the average every day person, you won’t lose your soul along with way. ”

He’s right. I didn’t lose my soul or check it at the door when I was in a position of power. I was in charge of hundreds of employees and I didn't "lose my way”. I conducted myself in an honorable manner as I was the role model. If my subordinates saw me behaving less than honorably what would stop them? Our Officials are role models but yet they don’t conduct themselves honorably. Why should Americans be honest on their taxes when we have a bunch of tax cheats in Public Office? Or put in an honest day’s work when our Officials aren’t working 40 or 50 hours per week yet getting paid a lot more than the average American and on OUR dime! Why should WE worry about a balanced budget or the deficit when Congress is on a spending spree that would put a drunken sailor on shore leave to shame—yet we’ve cut back on everything from movie tickets to haircuts! These people are out of control but they preach to US about fiscal responsibility. We NEED politicians in DC who will reflect decency, integrity and good moral character, plus NOT take advantage of us, our country or the position they hold.

Glenn said that he wasn’t sure what the definition of Conservatism was in America anymore, however, he knew what it meant to him. It meant “personal responsibility”. He and I couldn’t agree on something more. Also, if you’ve done something wrong then it’s up to YOU to pay the price. It’s up to YOU to make it right. Wouldn’t it have been great to have the CEO’s stand up and be “accountable” rather than have the American people “bail” their reckless butts out? That USED to be the American way. What the heck happened?

He said that people needed to stop jabbering about their childhoods. You know, he has a point. Personally I could “boo-hoo” about the nightmare of a childhood I endured, but I don’t, because everybody has a sob story. A bad childhood doesn’t give you the right to “bail-outs”, “hand-outs” or “opt-outs”. It’s over and done with; today is a new day and if you’re still “moaning” about your childhood then you’re using it as an excuse NOT to take “personal responsibility”.


Which leads me to Glenn’s point, “We have a right to fail. Without failure there is no growth.” Failure isn’t bad. I’ve had failure in my life and I’ll probably fail again. I’ve also had quite a few successes. It was my failures that made me strong. They taught me determination, self-discipline and courage. Without those I wouldn’t be the independent, brave, compassionate woman I am today. So, I’m thankful for my failures. If someone had bailed me out, how would I have learned a valuable lesson? Or take famous novelist John Grisham’s first novel, “A Time to Kill”, it was rejected by a dozen publishers and 16 agents before breaking into print and launching his career. Failure is only bad if we give up.

I’m with Beck 100% on this message, “This is America, there is no cap on success. There seems to be some sort of cap on willingness to search for success. That has to change in America. We have a different system here. We choose our own destiny. We choose. All men are created equal. All men will not end up equal. But all men are created equal. And in our daily choices that determines our outcome.”

There ISN’T a cap on success and it most definitely ISN’T limited. The only thing that is limited is our thought process. Many people have pulled themselves out of poverty to become extremely wealthy, although success isn’t only determined financially. For me success is determined by one’s level of happiness. [Achieve THAT and you have the world in the palm of your hand-- regardless of your W-2!] The message, however, is very clear—we are all equal, but we don’t all end up equal and that is due to our CHOICES. Again, don’t blame it on your childhood because a pleasant childhood doesn’t guarantee a good life just like an awful childhood doesn’t guarantee a bad life.

“We need an understanding that life is not fair. It is not fair. The bad guys sometimes wins. Sometimes OJ Simpson gets away with it. Sometimes the big banks fail. Sometimes the good banks fail. Not everybody gets a trophy. What is the point in competing for a trophy if everyone gets a trophy? Please stop teaching my children that everyone will get a trophy just for participating.”

Oh don’t get me started on giving trophies to everyone who participates! I find THAT practice not only ridiculous but damaging in more ways than one. We are teaching our youth that all you have to do is “show up” and you “win”. What kind of message is THAT? People need to realize that competition is healthy and not everybody wins. But it’s those who refuse to “give up” who eventually “win”. Again, everyone’s level of “success” is measured individually, but “participation” shouldn’t guarantee anything.


There are times when bad things happen to good people. There are times when we are victims of circumstance and sometimes life just happens and it’s JUST NOT FAIR. But guess what? We can wake up tomorrow and the sun will be out and we need to realize WE have the power to fix our OWN lives! We can make choices to alter our course, to alter our destiny and make a difference. Will this guarantee that bad things will never happen? No, of course not. But it will guarantee that OUR life and OUR destiny is in OUR hands and not the hands of someone else! I will be damned if I will hand my power over to someone else. I WANT the power over my own life. And anyone who doesn’t want that power has been brainwashed to believe that they have no power and THAT is shameful.

Glenn mentioned that, “People are losing a fundamental belief that it’s going to be better tomorrow than it is today.”

Of course they are. Our economy is in the tank. Unemployment is 10% and probably going to get higher. Inflation is sure to hit. Interest rates are low only because they are being held down on purpose. The housing industry is only doing as well as it is because of government intervention. But take those incentives away and what would happen? The economy is NOT getting better and I’ll go out on a limb and say that’s it’s going to take quite some time before it does. The price of everything from paper towels to ground meat has sky-rocketed but most salaries have not followed. People who have worked hard all their lives watched as their life savings was lost. They also watch as the Government spends their taxes frivolously with no regard for their future. We’re angry, frightened and disenfranchised. We have tightened our belts but Congress hasn’t. No, Congress has been doing business as usual and then some—all under the “guise” of “it’s best for our country”. That’s bull. Spending us into oblivion isn’t in our best interest. Congress states it can’t “cut” because everything is necessary. The first stimulus was necessary. This second stimulus is necessary—EVERYTHING Government does is NECESSARY—ever notice that? Yet we are bleeding through every vein, losing private sector jobs daily, BUT Government jobs are SAVED! Yippee! Tell that to the carpenters, hair stylists, waiters, car salesmen, technicians, secretaries and childcare workers, to name a few, who have been out of work for over a year and can’t find work and whose unemployment benefits have run out. Tell them how many jobs have been saved. They’ll tell you the government is full of it—and they are right. You NEED private sector jobs to pay for those “saved government jobs” and THAT is the FACT Jack.

I’m tired of the lies, the distortion of facts and the spin. I want honest people in Congress to tell me the truth—for once. We, as Americans, have the right to the truth. And by golly if they don’t start then we have every right to FIRE them! Forget the voting booths. These people aren’t “public servants” anymore—they are PAID employees! And we are their bosses! We have the RIGHT to fire them if they aren’t doing their job. You give me a list of those who are doing what is RIGHT, TRUE, HONEST and IN THE BEST INTEREST of our country and her people and I’ll get off my soap box…until then I will preach about the dishonesty of DC until the cows come home.

In closing, like or dislike Glenn Beck, he made some valid points in his speech. Personal responsibility shouldn’t be avoided and neither should failure as failure can lead us to our greatest success because success isn’t limited. We also need some optimism, which isn’t easy with what we’re faced with today. But it might help if our politicians were more honorable and decent and if they aren’t then we should be doing something about them—no more “status quo”. This is OUR country and we Americans need to take pride in her and make sure that everything our Representatives are doing is truly in the “best interest” of OUR country.