Harry Reid endorses Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House

October 22, 2015

Editor

Glenn took to radio Thursday to express how far the House of Representatives has gone to the point they no longer represent anybody.

When all the people you don't like support someone, you have to pause for a second before supporting him yourself.

So what about Paul Ryan?

For starters, take a look at who apparently loves him: John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi.

Harry Reid came out with a full-on endorsement of Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House.

Glenn presented a sampling of policies Ryan has aligned himself with.

"He voted for Medicare Part D - socialist. No Child Left Behind - led to Common Core," Glenn said. He hasn't met a bailout he didn't like. He voted for TARP."

Then quoting Ryan, "This bill offends my principles, but I'm going to vote for this bill in order to preserve my principles."

Glenn continued.

"He was the architect of and voted for a budget that blew through spending caps. He's consistent voting to raise the debt ceiling, multiple votes. He is consistent with multiple votes on farm bills. The bloated highway bill, multiple votes. He voted against the Amash Amendment to end the NSA domestic surveillance. The fiscal cliff deal, which allowed all the tax hikes, he was for it. Remember those? He was for it. Now, are those your principles?" Glenn said.

Listen to the full segment or read the transcript below.

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.

GLENN: If there was criminal activity, they need to go to jail. No matter who they are. Republican, Democrat. I don't care if it was Ronald Reagan. You lie, you cheat, you steal, you go to jail. Period.

This is nothing, but -- all the world is but a stage, and we are merely its players. The House of Representatives no longer represents anybody. They represent the party.

Last night, they paved the way for Paul Ryan to become the Speaker of the House. The Freedom Caucus paved the way for Paul Ryan to become the Speaker of the House. Now, let me share a real good testimony here for Paul Ryan because he's -- he's -- he's almost universally loved

PAT: Yeah, everybody else is saying, "This is a great choice. Paul Ryan is a great choice."

GLENN: Yeah, he's a great choice. In fact, let me just play one of the big endorsements here from Harry Reid.

HARRY: I'm a Paul Ryan fan. I don't agree with him on much of what he does. I think what he's done with Medicare and Medicaid, what he's wanted to do, I disagree with. But generally speaking, I think that he's been -- we've been able to work with him as so.

GLENN: Oh, I'm sure you could.

HARRY: -- Senator Murray just a few minutes ago.

PAT: Yeah, they could work with him. Why? Because he caves in. He caves. The Republicans never press the advantage that they have. And they have a advantage right now.

GLENN: No. They never play offense. It's always defense. Always. Always. Always.

PAT: And they don't even do that well.

GLENN: And Paul Ryan is the Mitt Romney pick. The G.O.P. is being run right now by Mitt Romney.

Here's the thing, you took John Boehner out. Now we're in the middle of the fight. And the guys that we have fighting with our names on the back, they're weasels. They're chickens. They don't have enough -- they don't have any spine in them. I don't know if it's their lack of faith in God, their lack of faith in Divine Providence, their lack of faith in the Constitution, their lack of faith in the American people, I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just that they are already intoxicated with power. It doesn't take long to become intoxicated with power. There were five people. Five people that promised that -- they promised their constituents, you elect me, and I will vote against John Boehner. You elect me, and I will vote -- my first freshman vote, I will vote against John Boehner. They were elected. Out of those five, one had a spine. One.

Gary Palmer from Alabama. One.

There was six of them. Not five. The five of them turned their backs. Who are they? Alex Mooney from West Virginia, lied. Mark Walker, lied. Jody Hice, lied. Barry Loudermilk, lied. John Ratcliffe, lied.

Those guys came to you and said, "This is not the senators. This is the House of Representatives. This is the people's House. This is the one that is supposed to be just like you. The one where you're supposed to be able to have your voice heard." Do you feel your voice is being heard by the people who have lied to you?

You want to know why -- why Donald Trump is winning and why people in the freaking Tea Party are backing him? Do you know why that's happening? Because they are righteously tired of it. They have righteous indignation. They have lost their principles on the Constitution because they want somebody to do something. That's what's happening.

Now, what happens if Donald Trump doesn't win? What happens when the G.O.P. refuses to listen and represent the people? You will get someone far worse than Donald Trump. Because I got news for you, anybody who is supporting Donald Trump, Donald Trump is a big businessman. He plays the game. He bribes his own -- I'm sorry. He makes contributions to anybody on any side because he'll get the job done. The job he wants to get done.

When that man gets in, you will be betrayed again because he's a businessman. And the one who wins is Donald Trump.

You think that man has principles? What are the principles, besides Donald Trump? Certainly not the Constitution because he'll take your land, he will take your house, to be able to build a limousine parking lot on it. Those are not the principles of the Tea Party. So why is the Tea Party standing -- 20 percent of the Tea Party standing for him?

Because they're angry. Because they can't trust anyone. And so they go to a demagogue.

This is how Hitler gets elected. Everybody is so tired of it, they will just listen to the strong man who will just get it done.

And if you think that that can't happen in America, if you're toying with Donald Trump, look at -- look at what you already have in office. A guy who doesn't care. Now the Republicans are upping the ante. Now they've got Donald Trump.

What's after Donald Trump? Good news, we've got Kanye West in 2020. You're completely unhinged from any principles. And it's happening because the G.O.P. is betraying the people.

So why not Paul Ryan? Well, he voted for Medicare Part D, socialist. No Child Left Behind. Led to Common Core. He hasn't -- he hasn't met a bailout he didn't like. He voted for TARP. "This bill offends my principles, but I'm going to vote for this bill." Quote, "This bill offends my principles, but I'm going to vote for this bill in order to preserve my principles." Wait. Excuse me, what?

PAT: That's the George Bush one -- I'm -- principles to save them.

GLENN: Can I tell you something? Honey, having sex with that prostitute violated all of my principles, but I did it to save our marriage.

PAT: Same thing.

GLENN: Oh, okay. I get it. Sure. He was the architect of and voted for a budget that blew through spending caps. He's consistent voting to raise the debt ceiling, multiple votes. He is consistent with multiple votes on farm bills. The bloated highway bill, multiple votes. He voted against the Amash Amendment to end the NSA domestic surveillance. The fiscal cliff deal, which allowed all the tax hikes, he was for it. Remember those? He was for it. Now, are those your principles?

PAT: Check into immigration. So many people that love Trump love his immigration -- look at Paul Ryan's stance on immigration and amnesty.

GLENN: John Boehner, Mitt Romney, all of it -- Jeb Bush, all the people that you say you don't want love Paul Ryan. Love Paul Ryan.

PAT: Barack Obama loves Paul Ryan.

GLENN: Harry Reid. Nancy Pelosi love Paul Ryan.

Now, listen, I am really upset today. And here's why: I'm upset -- and excuse my language -- at the bastards that came to me and said to me, "Glenn, I want you to know -- and God is my witness -- or in this case, it's Pat.

PAT: Yeah. I was a little uncomfortable with you putting me as God.

GLENN: We were told -- we were told -- if -- if the wrong person goes into the Speaker of the House, the party is over. The G.O.P. is over. Because what they will do is more of the same stuff. They will disenfranchise the voter more and more. They will jam all of this progressive stuff down the throats of the voter. They will disenfranchise the base.

PAT: Going to lose the presidency.

GLENN: We will then lose the presidency because the voters will say, "What the hell do they even stand for?"

If we don't lose the presidency, you will strengthen people like Donald Trump and anybody who is really angry. Anybody who says, "I'll get it done," and is disconnected from the Constitution because there are no principles anymore.

Now, that is what I was told by several people, one of which is definitely not a guy that you sit around and say, "That guy is a crazy lunatic."

They're serious. Now, am I surprised by the John Boehners of the world? No, of course not. Of course not. The Freedom Caucus, yeah, I am. Yeah, I'm a little -- how dare you.

PAT: Especially when they were so adamant about Daniel Webster. Because of the process. Got to have him. The process restored. Blah. Blah.

GLENN: Got to have him. Got to have him. Have to have him. Here's what I want you to do, and I'm not -- I don't know if this makes any difference at all. They have a vote on October 29th next week. And it will be televised. You'll know exactly who voted what.

Featured Image: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (R) (D-NV) answers questions after a weekly policy meeting at the U.S. Capitol October 20, 2015 in Washington, DC. Reid indicated he would be in favor of Rep. Paul Ryan (D-WI) becoming the next Speaker of the House during his remarks. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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