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Ted Cruz Has No Swag—And That's a Good Thing

February 05, 2016
Lori Hanes

Writer

Following the Iowa Caucus, Matt Walsh, contributing editor at TheBlaze, wrote a spectacular piece titled, "Ted Cruz Has No Style And No Personality. That’s Why It’s A Good Sign He’s Winning."

Walsh made the case that voters responded to Cruz's constitutional principles and small government ideas rather than an over-the-top personality (which, according to Walsh, Cruz has in short supply).

"As for his personality, I admit it leaves plenty to be desired. It’s even kind of off-putting at times. He has no style," Walsh wrote. "He’s not much of a charmer. He tells bad jokes. He has a weird face. He’s not entertaining at all. He’s not the type of dude you’d necessarily want to get a beer with. I bet he’d order a Stella Artois and spend the whole time giving his list of the most outrageous 20th century Supreme Court decisions, which I actually think would be pretty interesting, but I’m guessing a lot of people would find it lame and head over to the other end of the bar where Chris Christie is shotgunning Miller Lite."

The article also outlined Walsh's view on Trump, the campaign's the larger-than-life personality and Cruz's main competition: "He is not a conservative, he has no principles, he has no integrity, he has no moral courage, and he lacks the judgment and wisdom to govern this country at such a volatile time, or at any time. But, up until now, he was a winner. He wins. He makes deals. He wins. He always wins. He never loses. He should win because he wins, we were told."

Glenn commented on Walsh's article this week on The Glenn Beck Program.

"He's really a great writer," Glenn said. "If you don't know Matt Walsh, he writes for TheBlaze. And he's just one of the best editorialists of the conservative movement, I think."

Walsh applauded Iowa caucus goers for voting on substance over style, calling it a healthy indicator.

"It would be a sign of national health if a wonkish nerd with no swag won the presidency."

Read Matt Walsh's full article at TheBlaze.

 

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

GLENN: All right. Hello, America. Coming up, we'll tell you a little about an article that Matt Walsh that I think is fantastic. It says basically that Ted Cruz has no personality. And that's a good thing. And it explains why he's winning and why he should win.

GLENN: So Matt Walsh wrote something, and he said, there's a few things that I just couldn't be happier about. He said, be nice to get a reprieve from a politician pretending to care about the state of Iowa. They can now move on to pretending they care about New Hampshire, then South Carolina, then Nevada for a few minutes.

As a Maryland resident, considering our primary isn't until late April, when the nomination is already decided, politicians never pretend to care about me. And I couldn't be happier about it.

Anyway, a few thoughts on the race. One, Ted Cruz won in an impressive fashion. Not only did he beat Donald Trump by four points, he outperformed the polls by five points and won more votes in an Iowa caucus than any G.O.P. candidate ever.

Everyone thought Trump was energized, but it turns out the folks in Iowa were much more excited about Ted Cruz. This is particularly impressive when you consider the fact that Cruz is running as a small government, issue-oriented conservative. For God's sake, he vigorously opposed ethanol subsidies in Iowa and still won. Not only that, he won Iowa's heaviest corn-producing counties. In an election cycle dominated by pandering, big government circus clowns, Cruz staying boring, stayed on message and managed the most massive Republican win in the history of the state.

What does that tell you?

Well, as pessimistic as I tend to be, it tells us there may be a reason for optimism. Whether you support Cruz or not, you should be encouraged that someone like Cruz can win so handily, even when the media does everything in its power to hand the election to the guy from The Apprentice.

Whatever else you might say about him, Cruz is radically conservative. He is, quote, so extreme. He's extreme, as Viagra pitchman Bob Dole puts it. And he runs on his own ideas and principles, not personality.

As for his personality, I admit, it leaves plenty to be desired. It's even kind of offputting at times. The man has no style. He's not much of a charmer. He tells bad jokes. He has a weird face. He's not entertaining at all. He's not the type of dude you want to go have a beer with. I'd bet he'd order a Stella Artois. I don't know. What is that? Is that a beer?

STU: Yeah, it's a beer.

GLENN: And spend the whole time giving his list of the most outrageous 20th-century Supreme Court decisions, which actually I think would be kind of interesting. But I'm guessing a lot of people would find it lame and head over to the other end of the bar, where Chris Christie is shotgunning Miller Lite.

The point is, people who support Ted Cruz support him because they like his ideas. They think he's competent. They trust him to stick to his principles once he's in office. You might think there's someone else in the race who better fits this bill: Rand Paul at least equals Cruz in this regard, but unfortunately he's not going to win. But you should still be happy that so many G.O.P. voters are voting based on the right things for the right reasons. It would be a sign of national health, if a wonkish nerd with no swag won the presidency.

It really would.

PAT: He's dead-on as always.

GLENN: He's really a great writer.

PAT: He really is. He is.

GLENN: If you don't know Matt Walsh, he writes for TheBlaze. And he's just one of the best editorialists of the conservative movement, I think.

Cruz is a long way from winning. But last night was a good start for anyone who values substance over style.

Second thing he's happy about: This should be the end of Trump's campaign. It won't be, sadly. But it should be because Trump's one single, solitary selling point was just destroyed. As we've covered ad nauseam, Trump is not a conservative. He has no principles. He has no integrity. He has no moral courage. He lacks the judgment and wisdom to govern this country at such a volatile time or any time. But up until now, hey, at least he was a winner. He wins. He makes deals. He wins. He always wins. He never loses. He should win because he wins, we were told.

JEFFY: Right.

GLENN: That's always bunk, considering the great winner bankrupted four businesses --

PAT: Right!

GLENN: -- destroyed two marriages, and failed spectacularly in many other ventures, sometimes so badly that he's being investigated for fraud. But that was all in the past. And now after a lifetime of failures, he's been reborn as a perpetual winner. And winners win, until they don't. Like this week.

JEFFY: That's right.

PAT: That's so good. That's so good.

JEFFY: And then he leads you to believe that he was planning on losing so it was still a win.

PAT: The Trump University lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General is for $40 million for fraud.

GLENN: Trump lost to Cruz and almost lost to Rubio, despite being a billionaire celebrity who had gotten more media coverage than every other candidate in the history of the party combined and despite ringing endorsements from supposed conservative stars like Sarah Palin and despite desperate shilling done on his behalf by the likes of conservative media powerhouses like Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Breitbart.com, and a variety of ridiculous personalities on Fox News.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: The media has spent this whole race talking about Trump's shocking political success. But, first of all, he hasn't had any actual success. Second, it's not shocking. He has all the attention, all the money, all the name recognition, and the enthusiastic or tactic endorsements of a bevy of conservative influencers.

Give an illiterate ex-con meth addict a few billion dollars and 8,000 hours of nonstop media coverage, and I bet he even leads the polls for a while. That's not winning. That's accepting a gift you've been handed. When it came time to actually win, he lost. Maybe he'll win in New Hampshire, next, but we've now all seen that the king bleeds. And that's a problem for a guy whose entire platform is, he never bleeds.

Fascinating. There's more to this article that you should read. It's up on TheBlaze.com. From Matt Walsh.

You deserve the truth, and it is just that simple. But some companies mislead you with come-ons, free stuff, and contracts. And lock you into a bad deal. Do you want to do business with a bad company that is not transparent? Or one that is fair, transparent, or honest?

STU: Bad company, I think.

GLENN: No, we're not voting for president.

STU: Okay. We'll do the good company then.

Featured Image: Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks at the Emmanuel Baptist Church on February 4, 2016 in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates are stumping for votes throughout New Hampshire leading up to the Presidential Primary on February 9th. (Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

The Deep State's NEW plan to backstab Trump

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move.

In 2016, Donald Trump shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton. Conservatives cheered, believing we’d taken back the reins of our country. But we missed the bigger battle. We failed to recognize the extent of the damage caused by eight years of Barack Obama and decades of progressive entrenchment. The real war isn’t won at the ballot box. It’s being waged against an insidious force embedded deep within our institutions: the administrative state, or the “deep state.”

This isn’t a new problem. America’s founders foresaw it, though they didn’t have a term for “deep state” back in the 1700s. James Madison, in Federalist 48, warned us that combining legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the same hands is “the very definition of tyranny.” Yet today, that’s exactly where we stand. Unelected bureaucrats in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Justice hold more power than the officials we vote for. They control the levers of government with impunity, dictating policies and stifling change.

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege.

We’ve felt the consequences of this growing tyranny firsthand. During COVID-19, so-called experts ran our lives, crushing civil liberties under the guise of public safety. Our intelligence agencies and justice system turned into weapons of political warfare, targeting a sitting president and his supporters. Meanwhile, actual criminals were given a pass, turning American cities into lawless war zones.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816 that “the functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty and property of their constituents.” Today, we see Jefferson’s prophecy fulfilled. The deep state exercises unchecked power over our freedoms, and information itself is controlled by the fourth branch of government: the legacy media.

Even when we win elections, the deep state doesn’t concede defeat. It switches to survival mode. Trump’s first term proved this. Despite a historic mandate to dismantle the bureaucracy, the deep state fought back with everything it had: leaks, investigations, court rulings, and obstruction at every turn. And now, with the possibility of Trump returning to office, the deep state is preparing to do it again.

Progressives are laying out their attack plan — and they’re not even hiding it.

U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) recently boasted about forming a “shadow cabinet” to govern alongside the deep state, regardless of who’s in the White House. Nickel called it “democracy’s insurance policy.” Let’s be clear: This isn’t insurance. It’s sabotage.

They’ll employ a “top down, bottom up, inside out” strategy to overwhelm and collapse any effort to reform the system. From the top, federal judges and shadow officials will block Trump’s every move. Governors in blue states like California and New York are gearing up to resist federal authority. During Trump’s first term, California filed over 100 lawsuits against his administration. Expect more of the same starting January 20.

From the bottom, progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union will flood the streets with protesters, much as they did to oppose Trump’s first-term immigration reforms. They’ve refined their tactics since 2016 and are prepared to unleash a wave of civil unrest. These aren’t spontaneous movements; they’re coordinated assaults designed to destabilize the administration.

Finally, from the inside, the deep state will continue its mission of self-preservation. Agencies will drag their feet, leak sensitive information, and undermine policies from within. Their goal is to make everything a chaotic mess, so the heart of their power — the bureaucratic core — remains untouched and grows stronger.

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move. Progressives never see themselves as losing. When they’re out of power, they simply shift tactics, pumping more blood into their bureaucratic heart. We may win elections, but the war against the deep state will only intensify. As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force; and force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege. The deep state has shown us its plan: to govern from the shadows, circumventing the will of the people. But now that the shadows have been exposed, we have a choice. Will we accept this silent tyranny, or will we demand accountability and reclaim our nation’s heart?

The battle is just beginning. We can’t afford to lose.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Drone mystery exposes GLARING government incompetence

Gary Hershorn / Contributor | Getty Images

The drone issue is getting way out of hand.

Earlier this month, Glenn first reported on the mysterious drones stalking the night sky over New Jersey, but the situation is increasingly concerning as the sightings have escalated. Not only have drones been seen across the Northeast Coast, including over New York City, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, but recently, they have been spotted over the night skies of San Diego and other parts of Southern California.

It doesn't take an expert to identify the potential dangers and risks that dozens of undetectable, unidentified six-foot or larger drones pose to national security. Yet, our government's response has been one of unimaginable incompetence, leaving us to speculate on the origin and intention of these drones and wonder in astonishment at the government's ineptitude. Here are three examples of the government's lackluster response to the mystery drones:

Iranian Mothership and Missing Nuclear Warheads

- / Stringer | Getty Images

After several weeks of hubbub, New Jersey Representative, Jeff Van Drew gave an interview on Fox News where he claimed that the drones originated from an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast of the United States. This theory has since been disproven by satellite images, which show that all Iranian drone carriers are far from U.S. shores. Another theory suggests that drones may be equipped with sensors capable of detecting nuclear material and that they are looking for a nuclear warhead that recently went missing! With these apocalyptic theories gaining traction in the absence of any real answer from our government, one can't help but question the motive behind the silence.

Pentagon's Limp Wristed Response

Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images

In a recent press conference, national security spokesman John Kirby responded to reporters demanding answers about the government's lack of transparency, which has caused increasing public anxiety. He insisted that the drones did not pose a threat and were not assets of a foreign power, such as from Iran or China--even though he is still uncertain about their identity and origin. He also claimed that many of the sightings were simply misidentifications of normal aircraft.

This lackluster answer has only further inflamed national anxieties and raised even more questions. If the government is unsure of the identity of the drones, how do they know if they are a threat or if they aren't foreign assets? If they aren't foreign, does that mean they are U.S. assets? If so, why not just say so?

The Pentagon has also stated that they are leaving it up to local law enforcement to spearhead the investigation after concluding that these drones pose no threat to any military installation. This has left many feeling like the federal government has turned a blind eye to a serious issue that many Americans are very concerned about.

Where's Pete Buttigieg?

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

We are in the closing weeks of the Biden administration, and with the finish line in sight, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg probably figured nothing else could go wrong on his watch—but boy was he wrong. As Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg is in charge of the FAA, the agency responsible for managing all air traffic across the nation. One would think that mysterious, 6-foot-long, seemingly intractable drones are invisible on radar and flying above major cities would pose a serious threat to the myriad of legal aircraft that traverse our skies. Yet, Buttigieg has been silent on the issue, adding another failure to his resume which includes: malfunctioning airplanes, the train derailment in Ohio, and the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, just to name a few.

Glenn: How Alvin Bragg turned hero Daniel Penny into a villain

Michael M. Santiago / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty.

America no longer has a single, shared understanding of justice. Two Americas now exist, each applying justice differently depending on who you are and where you live. One America, ruled by common sense and individual courage, praises heroes who stand up to protect others. The other, driven by political agendas and corrupted institutions, punishes those same heroes for daring to act.

This stark division couldn’t be clearer than in the case of Daniel Penny, the Marine whose trial in New York City this week drew strong reactions from both sides across the divided line of justice.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare.

Penny was on a subway train last year when Jordan Neely — a man suffering from severe mental illness and reportedly high on drugs — began threatening passengers, saying, “I’m going to kill you all.” The fear on that subway car was palpable, but nobody moved. Nobody, that is, until Penny did what needed to be done. He took action to protect innocent lives.

In the America many of us used to believe in, Penny’s response would be heralded as heroic. His actions mirrored the courage of Todd Beamer on Flight 93, who, on September 11, 2001, rallied others with the words, “Let’s roll,” to prevent further tragedy. But in New York, courage doesn’t seem to count anymore. There, the system turns heroes into villains.

Penny subdued Neely using a chokehold, intending only to restrain him, not kill him. Tragically, Neely died. Penny, filled with remorse, told the police he never meant to hurt anyone. Yet, instead of being recognized for protecting others from a clear and present threat, Penny stood trial for criminally negligent homicide.

In Alvin Bragg’s New York, justice bends to ideology. The Manhattan district attorney has made a career of weaponizing the law, selectively prosecuting those who don’t fit his narrative. He’s the same prosecutor who twisted legal precedent to go after Donald Trump on business charges no one had ever faced before. Then, he turned his sights on Daniel Penny.

A jury may have acquitted Penny, but what happened in New York City this week isn’t justice. When the rule of law changes depending on the defendant’s identity or the prosecutor's political motives, we’re no longer living in a free country. We’re living in a state where justice is a game, and ordinary Americans are the pawns.

The system failed Jordan Neely

It’s worth asking: Where were activists like Alvin Bragg when Neely was suffering on the streets? Jordan Neely was a tragic figure — a man with a long history of mental illness and over 40 arrests, including violent assaults. The system failed him long before he stepped onto that subway train. Yet rather than confront that uncomfortable truth, Bragg’s office decided to target the man who stepped in to prevent a tragedy.

This isn’t about justice. It’s about power. It’s about advancing a narrative where race and identity matter more than truth and common sense.

It’s time to demand change

The Daniel Penny case — and others like it — is a wake-up call. We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty. Americans must demand an end to politically driven prosecutions, hold DAs like Alvin Bragg accountable, and stand up for the principle that true justice is blind, consistent, and fair.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare. It’s time to choose which America we want to live in.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

CEO Brian Thompson's killer reveals COWARDICE of the far-left death cult

Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Early on the chilly morning of Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance giant, UnitedHealthcare, was walking through Midtown Manhattan on his way to a company conference. Suddenly, a masked and hooded figure silently allegedly stepped onto the sidewalk behind Thompson, drew a 3-D printed, silenced pistol, and without warning fired multiple shots into Thompson's back before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. After a multiple-day manhunt, a 26-year-old lead suspect was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania after being recognized by an employee.

This was not "vigilante justice." This was cold-blooded murder.

As horrific as the murder of a husband and father in broad daylight in the center of New York City is, the story only gets worse. Even before the murder suspect was arrested, left-wing extremists were already taking to X to call him a "hero" and a "vigilante" who "took matters into his own hands." Even the mainstream media joined in on the glorification, as Glenn pointed out on air recently, going out of the way to show how physically attractive the murder suspect was. This wave of revolting and nihilistic fanfare came in response to the findings of online investigators who surmised the murder suspect's motives to retaliate against healthcare companies for corruption and denied coverage. The murder suspect supposedly underwent a major back surgery that left him with back pain, and some of his internet fans apparently viewed his murder of Thompson as retribution for the mistreatment that he and many other Americans have suffered from healthcare companies.

The murder suspect and his lackeys don't seem to understand that, other than depriving two children of their father right before Christmas, he accomplished nothing.

The murder suspect failed to achieve his goal because he was too cowardly to try.

If the murder suspect's goals were truly to "right the wrongs" of the U.S. healthcare system, he had every tool available to him to do so in a constructive and meaningful manner. He came from a wealthy and prominent family in the Baltimore area, became the valedictorian at a prestigious all-boys prep school, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master's in engineering. Clearly, the murder suspect was intelligent and capable, and if he had put his talent into creating solutions for the healthcare industry, who knows what he could have accomplished?

This is the kind of behavior the far-left idolizes, like communists on college campuses who wear shirts that celebrate the brutal Cuban warlord, Che Guevara. Merchandise celebrating the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect is already available, including shirts, hoodies, mugs, and even Christmas ornaments. Will they be sporting his face on their T-shirts too?

This macabre behavior does not breed creation, achievement, success, or life. It only brings death and risks more Americans falling into this dangerous paradigm. But we still have a chance to choose life. We just have to wake up and take it.