RADIOSeptember 09, 2024

Why Alan Dershowitz LEFT the Democrat Party after 70 years

Attorney Alan Dershowitz has been a Democrat for 70 years. He has only voted for Democratic presidents since JFK. But now, he no longer recognizes the Democratic Party. Dershowitz joins Glenn to explain why he left the Democrats behind to become an independent. After defending then-president Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, many Democrats distanced themselves from him. Since then, hatred of Israel and Jews has grown amongst their ranks, censorship has become the norm, and the Party has embraced the socialist leanings of Bernie Sanders and AOC. But Dershowitz tells Glenn that he’s not alone: liberals are fleeing the Democratic Party in droves! Dershowitz also comments on Republicans Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney’s endorsements of Kamala Harris and RFK Jr.’s endorsement of Donald Trump.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law professor. Emeritus.

Host of the Dershow.

And Get Trump author.

He came out this weekend, joining his voice to many others.

Saying, I am not a Democrat anymore.

He's an independent. He's not saying he is going to vote for Trump. But there is a problem in the democratic party, as we've been pointing out for a while now.

They're not your grandfather's Democratic Party. Your father's. Even maybe your Democratic Party anymore. They're not. Dershowitz is joining us now. Alan, how are you, sir?

ALAN: Well, I'm feeling really good as an independent. I've been a Democrat for 70 years. I started supporting the Democratic Party, in the early 1950s, as a kid, who went around in a sound truck, supporting Phillip Shuffler. The Democratic candidate, the assemblyman in Brooklyn.

And I haven't voted for single non-Democrats for president, since -- since John Kennedy in 1960.

But like Ronald Reagan said, the Democratic Party has left me, by having people like Keith Ellison, who was a supporter of the reverend -- and the Reverend Sharpton, who conducted an anti-Semitic pogrom, in the Bronx and in Brooklyn back in the day. And AOC, who says that Israel is a genocidal state. And -- and -- and people like Bernie Sanders. That's not my party. I can't support a party like that.

I'm going to be independent. And I'm hoping maybe some day, the Democrats will come back to their roots.

But until then, don't count on my support.

GLENN: This is really earth-shattering, I think to some people.

And the minute I read this, Alan. I thought of your children and your wife.

Because I know, I know decisions that you make. Like decisions I make. Affect the whole family.

How -- how is that going?

ALAN: Yeah. Terrible. Terrible. My nephew wrote to me yesterday, and said, you're now to the right of -- and then he mentioned, some of the people who -- you know, the old Republicans.

Cheney and others who are now supporting Harris.

And my family -- every -- my family is a Democrat.

And most of my friends.

I don't have that many friends left.

Because I have supported Donald Trump's civil liberties. Even before I left the democratic party.

I'm a civil libertarian first.

And I hate what the Democrats have done to Donald Trump.

You know, that New York case. And --

GLENN: But you --

ALAN: I've been on his side of the legal issues for years now.

GLENN: But what they're doing on censorship overall is terrifying.

ALAN: Yeah. Yeah.

GLENN: Really terrifying.

ALAN: Well, it's happening around the world. It's what's happening in England. They're putting people in jail for protests.

GLENN: I know.

ALAN: It's horrible. And they're applying a double standard on universities. You know, you can't say a word negative about protected minorities on college campuses.

But, you know, if you use the wrong pronoun, you'll get expended. But you can call Israel a genocidal country. And you can say, you know, Jews are destroying America. That's okay. That's first America protected speech.

And I don't mind that, as long as you apply the same standard to everybody. They're not. They're not.

They're applying a double standard.

GLENN: So, Alan, do you sense that this is more than just you?

ALAN: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

I've gotten hundreds and hundreds of calls and emails, from people who say, you know, used to be Democrats. We still support a lot of the democratic platform.

On abortion rights and gay rights. But we can't be members of a party, for 50,000 -- or AOC. Or people like that. You know, the Republicans have their problem too, with Tucker Carlson.

He platformed recently a Holocaust denier. And he ought to be ashamed of himself for doing that. Neither party is perfect. But I think Republicans have done a better job of marginalizing their extremists than the Democrats have done.

GLENN: Well, I mean, you know, it's -- it's hard when Kamala came out, this weekend, saying, you know, I understand the Palestinians. Those who are standing up for the -- for Hamas.

Or the Palestinian cause.

I have sympathy for them.

And that's why Israel, they have to offer a two-state solution.

They don't want a two-state solution.

Israel has offered a two-state solution.

They don't want one.

ALAN: There isn't a single protester. I will give a thousand dollars to Hamas, if you can show me protesters, protesters who are calling for a two-state solution. What they're calling for is the end of Israel.

GLENN: River to the sea.

ALAN: What they're calling for is a victory of Hamas. What they're calling for is the end of Israel.

They're not calling for a two-state solution.

That's ridiculous.

And they're not even calling for a cease-fire.

Because Israel is agreeing to the cease-fire. Even the State Department says, it's all up to Hamas now.

Has a single protestor ever said, hey, Hamas, agree to a ceasefire, maybe then you can save some lives?

Nobody is calling for that. These are just calls for the end of Israel.

And they're calls for the end of America.

Recently, some of the protesters were burning American flags. And saying, our real goal is the destruction of America.

Because Israel is a surrogate for America. Why is there so much focus on Israel?

Is there any focus on Darfur and the Sudan, where people are literally dying of hunger and thirst? No! Because that has nothing to do with being anti-American. So it's all about anti-Americans.

GLENN: So when you left the democratic party, it's more than just their stance on Israel.

ALAN: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It's the whole movement to the hard left.

And look I'm a centrist Democrat. I'm a liberal. I'm an antiradical. I believe in civil liberties, and free speech. All the basic aspects of the Bill of Rights. And the Democrats aren't supporting that these days. To them, it's free speech for me, but not for thee.

GLENN: So Dick Cheney came out. Speaking of your nephew.

ALAN: Yeah. Yeah.

GLENN: Dick Cheney came out this weekend and said, there's never been a bigger threat to the republic. Or I think he probably said the democracy. Than Donald Trump.

What do you make of that?

ALAN: I don't know.

You know, he was a pretty tough vice president.

And pretty aggressive in his support, of American policies.

I don't know that it has to do with -- I don't know what it has to do with his feeling that the Republicans haven't give up him enough deference.

He hasn't quit the Republican Party.

As far as I know, he's still a Republican. But he will still vote for Harris and against Trump.

I know people like that as well. And I know people on the other side.

This is an election that is very much about personalities. You know, I don't know very many people who will vote for anybody in this election.

I think there are a lot of people voting against a candidate. And they haven't decided against the candidate they are voting against yet. The American people really were entitled to a better choice.

GLENN: Yeah. So if you were -- if you were talking in front of a jury. Let's make America 12 men and women.

ALAN: Yeah.

GLENN: And you had to make a case, that the Democrats are actually a bigger threat, at least the way they're currently put together. How would you change -- how would you approach the jury?

ALAN: Well, I would approach the jury, by be looking at the facts. By seeing what the Democrats have done. How they've abused the rule of law.

How they're violating the First Amendment. The Fifth Amendment.

The -- the Sixth Amendment.

They're using lawfare. And politics.

They're distorting democracy.

And look, I don't like the fact that President Trump claims he won the last election. He didn't win the last election.

Although, I think a lot of people think he did. But I don't like the way the world. And the country. And the Democrats have reacted to that.

He has a free speech where I can make that position. He shouldn't have been indicted for any of the charges that he was indicted for.

And I think if you would have singled out one case, it's the New York case, against him.

Where they made up a crime.

Has done more damage to the rule of law. And to democracy. Than anything Donald Trump has done.

GLENN: Alan, thank you so much.

I --

ALAN: My pleasure.

GLENN: I feel for your family.

Because I know what it's like. I know.

ALAN: It's tough for them. It's tough for them.

But look, they have to buy the whole package. They know who I am.

I stand up for principle. And, you know, I put family first. But I put principle first too.

GLENN: Yeah.

ALAN: And mostly my family has been supportive. Not everybody in the family. But mostly my family has been supportive.

GLENN: Yeah. Well, you're probably feeling a lot like Robert F. Kennedy.

Jr.

Right now.

ALAN: Well, Bobby is an old friend of mine.

I've known him since he was a young man.

Of course, I've supported the Kennedys, right from the beginning.

I tell you a funny story about that. I was at a dinner party. And they see this Caroline Kennedy next to me, and she said, I know you were -- I wouldn't have come because you defended Donald Trump.

And I said, yeah, but I also defended Ted Kennedy.

That's how I first came to Martha's Vineyard. Defending Ted Kennedy at Chappaquiddick. Would you have walked on me, for that? Well, she had no answer.

GLENN: Huh. What do you think of Robert F. Kennedy joining the Trump thing?

ALAN: I'm not advised. I mean, they have a lot in common.

And, you know, he has very strong views. Some of which I agree with. Some of which I disagree with.

And he's a serious guy.

And I have to tell you, he's a great volleyball player. I've played against him a couple of times. My nose still hurts.

Into my face. But I like Bobby.

GLENN: Yeah.

ALAN: And, you know, I like his spiciness. I don't agree with all of his politics.

But he shouldn't be attacked by his family. He's an individual. He should be entitled to his own opinions.

GLENN: Alan Dershowitz. Appreciate it. Good to talk to you.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

The Shroud of Turin and the Moment of Resurrection - Why Scientists are BAFFLED!

For centuries, the Shroud of Turin has baffled scientists and inspired believers. In this powerful conversation, Glenn Beck and Dr. Jeremiah Johnston explore the evidence — from carbon dating controversies to the face that appears only in photographic negative. Could this ancient linen be the very burial cloth of Jesus Christ, capturing the moment of resurrection itself? If science can’t explain it… what does that mean for faith?

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston HERE

How JD Vance & Marco Rubio Became Trump's Not-So-Secret Weapons

Glenn Beck and Stu Burguiere unpack JD Vance’s viral response to a potential 2028 Vance-Rubio presidential ticket, where Vance praises Rubio as his “best friend” and credits Trump’s “grand strategy” for the administration’s success.

Unveiling the secret to transforming angry boys into real men

The world has a plentiful, seemingly endless supply of angry boys. What it's lacking is real MEN. Glenn Beck shares the secret that our young men must learn if they truly want to protect and perfect our country.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: There's a difference between a revival and an awakening. We are in a revival right now, but that doesn't necessarily lead to anything. Except, oh, I have to re-learn those principles. But that doesn't mean you apply them in your life. Okay?

That's an awakening. There's been two great awakenings in American history. One brought us the American Revolution. The second one brought us the Civil War and the freedom of slaves.

We have the possibility of going into a third great awakening. That's the only thing that will save us. If you don't know the difference between a revival and an awakening. Let me give you the negative print of a godly awakening. Our kids right now, they don't have any purpose. They don't have any meaning.

They look at everything, and it doesn't -- it's not real. None of it is real. It's money. It's fame.

It's -- you know, it's ever changing truths and definitions. And they have no purpose in their life. Okay?

So they're looking for that. Because man has to have purpose in his life. Man has to search for meaning.

So they're searching for meaning. And they found a group of people that actually mean something. And they're willing to die for it. And it's ISIS.

And so they're like, at least these people believe in something. They believe it. And they're willing to die for it. I'm going to stand with them. And they put that twisted understanding into action. That's the -- that is -- that's an awakening. It's just an awakening to the dark side. And that one is already happening. It has to happen on the good side. And let me speak directly to young men: Look, you are inheriting a very loud, angry, cynical and worst of all spiritually starving and malnourished society. And you are being sold a future of cheap pleasures and hollow heroes and screens with blue light that just rob you of your strength, one distracted second after another.

And in the middle of all that noise, may I just give you one piece of instruction. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praise-worthy, seek those things.

Don't admire them. Don't nod at them. Seek them!

Hunt them. Chase them. Build your life around those things. A man who will do that. A boy. A young man who will do that, will become different. Noticeably different.

He will stop letting the culture feed him garbage. He stops applauding the trivial. He stops laughing at the obscene or cheering for the cruel.

He will become a curator of -- of real, lasting beauty in an age that has forgotten what beauty even looks like.

When other men are chasing down or holding up cynicism, this man holds up hope!

When everyone around him is chasing dopamine, he chooses discipline. When others will blame their circumstance, he'll take responsibility for his own action. When the world worships the shallow, he goes and searches for the deep!

You want to know what the secret of becoming strong is, or becoming trusted, or becoming the kind of man that your future wife, your future children, your future nation can depend on?

Here it is!

You become what you seek. If you seek trash, you become trash. If you seek virtue, you become a man of virtue. You seek excellence, and your life will begin to shine, not loudly, but steadily. Like the steel glow of a blade being forged.

That's who you'll be.

The world has a plentiful, seemingly never-ending supply of angry boys. We don't need any more addicted boys.

We don't need any more distracted boys. The world needs men. Whole men. Clear-eyed men.

Men whose souls are anchored to something higher than the algorithms, trying to own them!

Build a life worthy of admiration. Forget about the applause. Fill your mind with words that make you wiser. Fill your days with work, hard work, that makes you stronger. Fill your home with beauty that lifts every soul who walks into it.

Have your home a place where people walk in and go, man, I say so great here. I just love it here. I don't know what it is about your house. I just love it. It's the spirit that's there! Because you built it! You protect it.

Protect your integrity like a watchman on the wall. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't steal. And when you fail, and you will, stand back up again.

Because a man who seeks the virtuous, is not a man who never fails. He just -- he just becomes a man who refuses to stay on the ground.

If you seek things that are lovely and pure, trustworthy, praiseworthy, you'll become a kind of man this age almost never produces. A man whose very existence is a rebuke to the darkness.

That's your calling. That's why you were born.

Not to be lost. Not to play video games. Not to give up. Not to say, there's no hope. Not to end up in the trash bin of human history because you've -- you've taken so many drugs, you can't stand up straight anymore.

You're not destined to be alone.

You were destined for great things. You are destined to find an amazing woman!

Believe me. I didn't think I would ever find an amazing woman. Because I didn't think I was worth it. I didn't think I was worth it.

And until I started understanding how God works. That, yeah. I'm not worth any of the stuff that I have.

When you realize, it's all a gift. It's all a gift. And even if you work your brains out, you may not ever get all the things that you want. But you're going to have everything you need. Once you realize, carefully selecting friends makes a difference. My mother used to always say, show me your friends. I will show you your future.

It's true. Be careful who you select as friends. Watch your language. Watch what you're putting into your brain and what's coming out of your mouth. Because the brain is so amazing. It's being turned to mush. Did you know that there is a new study that just came out. I have to tell you about it next week, maybe.

New study going out. It is -- it's AI. And it has access to social media, and they have found that the AI -- the AI that is scrolling through social media all day, just to keep updated on everything that's going on in social media. It's getting brain mush. It's actually becoming dumber. It's become less effective!

It's a machine. What do you think this, flesh and blood, this thing is going to do?

We say life is meaningless. And life is the only thing that has any value. And yet, we spend all of our time, on things like social media. And that has absolutely no value.

But we think that's life.

I'm not that smart. I've just lived a long time. And I've made so many mistakes.

And I decided at one point, I'm going to stop saying, it's somebody else's fault. I'm going to start saying. Maybe -- what did I do to create that?

What did I do to attract that?

Why does this thing keep happening to me?

Why is it that I always find myself involved with these same kind of people?

Because, Glenn, dummy, it's you!

What you think, it's like -- it's like think of yourself as a -- as a beacon. It's just -- you're a beacon. Your GPS pin, that is constantly saying, here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

Except, it's transmitting more than just your location. It's -- it's transmitting what you're looking for, who you are. And it's attracting other dropped pins to you. It's saying, "I like this. I think this way. I believe these things. I am afraid of these things."

Whatever it is, you're thinking. It's constantly putting that out.

And saying, here I am. Is there anything else like that?

Anything else that can reinforce that? Anything else that can live like this?

Because that's me. Here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

That's why you keep finding yourself in exactly the same situations. Nothing will change, if nothing changes!

And the only thing that you can change, is you!

Seek the things, that have virtue.

Seek the things, that have beauty in music, in -- in art, in life, in architecture, in clothing! Whatever it is. Look for real, lasting beauty and value.

Find the things that are true! Truly true.

Universally true. Find the things that uplift. Seek those things!

And you will change your life and your world!