Cass Sunstein

David Frum: GOP Surrenders To Beck’s Mob Rule

Posted by on September 11, 2009 at 10:15 am. 14 Comments :

In a column that portends a possible recovery by Republicans from their lunatic stupor, David Frum, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and erstwhile conservative icon, has composed a defense of sanity over the “recklessness and political cowardice” represented by the Glenn Becks of the world. Frum’s commentary is supportive of the Cass Sunstein nomination (confirmed yesterday by the Senate) that has drawn attacks from Beck despite being hailed by respected conservatives and free-market economists. Here are a couple of excerpts:

“Glenn Beck is not the first to make a pleasant living for himself by reckless defamation. We have seen his kind before in American journalism and American politics, and the good news is that their careers never last long. But the bad news is that while their careers do last, such people do terrible damage.”

~~~

“We conservatives are submitting our movement to some of the most unscrupulous people in American life. This submission disgraces conservatism, discredits Republicans, and damages the country. It’s beyond time for conservatives who know better to join us at NewMajority in emancipating ourselves from leadership by the most stupid, the most cynical, and the most truthless.”

Well said, David. But on this morning, when much of the conservative rabble is applauding the childish antics of Rep. Joe Wilson (who heckled President Obama’s speech on Wednesday), it may be tougher than you think to wean these wankers off of their adulation of clowns like Beck, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Joe the Plumber. But good luck to you.

Glenn Beck Loses This One: Cloture Vote On Cass Sunstein

Posted by on September 9, 2009 at 3:58 pm. 12 Comments :

For almost as long as Glenn Beck has been attacking Van Jones, he has also been smearing Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s nominee for Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. However, this afternoon the Senate passed a cloture vote cutting off debate and permitting a final vote on Sunstein’s confirmation.

The 63-35 vote for cloture included Republicans Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Robert Bennett (R-UT), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Democrats voting against: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), James Webb (D-VA).

Beck has been bashing Sunstein as another dangerous radical who is bent on destroying America. He has taken out of context remarks by Sunstein that Beck characterizes as insane (well, Beck should know). For instance, Beck says that Sunstein wants animals to get lawyers to represent them in cruelty cases against humans. Beck also said that Sunstein is in favor of forced organ donations. The truth is very different. Sunstein is an academic who has written on many issues from a theoretical perspective. That’s what academics do. But Beck isolates these professorial musings and recasts them as zany plots to impose some sort of tyrannical dictatorship that exists only in Beck’s diseased mind. And the funny thing is, Sunstein had been favorably received by many conservatives when his nomination was announced.

Beck seemed so dejected when announcing the results of the cloture vote. It was as if he couldn’t quite comprehend that the world wasn’t bending to his will. When the vote passed, Beck told his audience that their lives had changed FOREVER! Beck described the office Sunstein will hold as the most powerful position anywhere. He said that Sunstein will be able to tweak any and every law to pursue whatever ends he desires – and those desires, you can rest assured, are evil. Listening to Beck you would think that Sunstein’s post was even more powerful than Obama’s.

But this is just the typical hyperbole that Beck employs to scare the bejeebus out of his slack-jawed viewers. If whatever Beck is talking about at the moment isn’t the most fearsome thing of all time, his audience will become distracted by a leaf fluttering outside the window and it will take half an hour to get them worked up again. Beck was even downplaying the Van Jones matter, saying that while everyone wanted us to focus on Jones, the real threat was Sunstein. Of course it was Beck that was blathering incessantly about Jones for some sixteen programs. Now he accuses “someone” of using Jones as a diversion while the Senate secretly pushed Sunstein through.

Don’t expect Beck to loosen his grip. He will certainly resume his attack on Sunstein. But the truth is that Sunstein will shortly be confirmed by the Senate, which means he is not actually a “czar” at all (actually, there no czars. The whole concept was developed to deceive and frighten ignorant wingnuts). And Beck will expand his smear campaign to bash Mark Lloyd and Carol Browner and whoever else Beck thinks he spread his lies about. That is, if we let him.