Beyond the Fringe: Voices from the Right

“Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on.” - Stephen Stills

As our nation basks in the love-filled, benevolent afterglow of Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally, it seems a most opportune time to take a more fact-based look at the Tea Party and the Far Right - what they represent and what they appear to desire for the future of our Republic. My prattling, my pop culture references, even my beloved alliterations will all be kept to a minimum. Today, I will allow the sage wisdom of the leaders of the Right to flower and to grow, as their profound and insightful words speak for themselves.

• The myth about the Republicans being the “party of no” simply is not true. They sincerely wish to reach across the ideological divide and accomplish things with this President in order to benefit the country and its people -

"If we're able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo -- it will break him." -- Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina

“The dirty little secret is that every Republican in this country wants Obama to fail but none of them have the guts to say so. I'm willing to say it.” --Rush Limbaugh, dancing monkey, prescription drug abuser and defacto leader of the Republican party

• Surely, nothing means more to these champions of personal liberty than the health, education, and economic well-being of the citizenry -

“The truth about it is that they keep extending these unemployment benefits to the point where people are afraid to go out and get a job because the job doesn't pay as much as the unemployment benefit does ... What has happened is this system of entitlement has caused us to have a spoilage with our ability to go out and get a job." - Sharron Angle, Nevada Republican Nominee for the U.S. Senate

“As your U.S. Senator, I am not in the business of creating jobs” - Sharron Angle

"To our seniors, I have a message for you: you're going to die sooner." –Sen. Tom Coburn , Oklahoma

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970's that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama. I just think it's an interesting coincidence." -- Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota

“National community service programs' real goal is to establish re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward." -- Rep. Michele Bachmann

• Of course, the most sacred thing of all to these, small government, self-proclaimed Constitutionalists, is the sanctity of that very hallowed document, the United States Constitution. If you don’t include the 1st, 14th or 17th Amendments as part of the Constitution, that is.

1st Amendment - Freedom of Religion -
"Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the homeland. Prayerful Muslims, please refudiate." -- Sarah Palin, former beauty contestant, local news sports anchor, Facebook friend, half-term, former Governor of Alaska, and holder of no office

14th Amendment - Birthright Citizenship
“ I do think that it’s time for us to secure our borders and enforce the law and allow this conversation about the 14th amendment to continue. Listen, I think it’s worth considering.” - John Boehner, House Minority Leader

17th Amendment - Direct Election of U.S. Senators by Popular Vote
"The Senate was supposed to be elected by the states, not the citizens: Voted on by the state legislature and then sent to Washington." -- Glenn Beck, well compensated, manic-depressive

Glenn Beck is an entertainer. A harlequin. A jester. A clown. I suspect that he’s rounding the corner on minute 14 of his 15 minutes. American broadcasting is littered with the forgotten bombast of the many Glenn Becks that it has given momentary rise to throughout it’s long history. He is by no means an original nor is he, in any way, unique. Alan Burke, Joe Pyne, Morton Downey Jr. - all virtually forgotten - all did Beck’s act years prior to the phenomenon of the 24 hour cable news networks. The real danger lies not in the nonsensical ranting of the future game show host and infomercial pitchman, but in the actual office seekers and office holders themselves. Just something to ponder come November, and come 2012.

Carry on.