Beck Claims that George W. Bush and John McCain Are Progressives

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:07 pm

On his radio show today, Glenn Beck claimed that George W. Bush and John McCain were progressives, and this is exactly what hurt the Republican Party. Beck said, “George W. Bush was a progressive. He was a Republican. John McCain is a bigger progressive. He was a Republican.” In the new GOP, according to Glenn Beck, Bush and McCain are liberals. Wow.

Here is the audio courtesy of Media Matters:

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Beck said, “You know George Bush was a progressive. He was a Republican. John McCain is a bigger progressive. He was a Republican. What do you think hurt the Republican Party? Do you think it was conservative values, or do you think it was the progressive side of George W. Bush?”

You may be asking yourself, where does this leave Barack Obama? Well I am glad you asked because Beck said, “I think Barack Obama. The country may not survive Barack Obama, and it’s not just Barack Obama, but it is the progressive movement, that this is the fulfillment of it. This is the moment. This is the great progressive moment in American history. This is it. Now if he does fundamentally transform America, we’re done. We don’t have to worry about a 2012.”

I hope that there were no liberals or progressives eating or drinking while reading this story, because they probably chocked when they heard Beck call W. and McCain progressives. Of course, Bush and McCain have to be progressives in Beck’s political model, or Obama isn’t a socialist. Reality tells us that Bush and McCain are conservatives, but reality doesn’t pay many visits to Glenn Beck.

Beck’s opinion that George W. Bush was too liberal is a widely held view on the far right. They seriously believe that the path to victory is based on moving to further to the right. This belief completely ignores the fact that the bulk of the nation tends to be in the center, which is why this is the perfect strategy for the GOP be cruising towards a disaster of Goldwater like proportions in 2012.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association