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Glenn Beck

Media Attacks Sarah Palin; Can Palin Win Over Clintonites?; What is Troopergate?

Aired September 03, 2008 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, Sarah Palin prepares for the speech of her life. And I`ll tell you what she needs to say to rally the conservatives and silence the liberal hate-mongers.

Then Hillary supporters say the senator was thrown under the bus by Obama. So will Clinton loyalists hop on the Palin bandwagon? The answer may surprise you.

And the Ron Paul revolution, services (ph) next-door to the GOP convention.

REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: Even if they try, they can`t stop us.

BECK: I`ll talk to Ron Paul about his convention, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, and so much more, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, America.

I got up this morning and I, unfortunately, saw this in the subway. The media is terrified of this woman. Here`s "The Point" tonight.

The media is trying to tear down Sarah Palin. And I have never seen a dog pile like this in the 30 years that I have done this business. And here`s how I got there.

I -- I actually read the papers and watch the news. And here`s what the "New York Times" had to say today. "Her accomplishment was raising sales tax to build a hockey rink. She also sought to have booked banned from the local library." That`s an interesting turn there. "Choosing Ms. Palin raises serious questions about Mr. McCain`s qualifications."

"Us Weekly" joined in: "Babies, Lie and Scandals."

The media and progressive women are asking, can Palin be the vice president and a mother? You know, it`s funny. I don`t remember anybody asking Joe Biden if he could be a father and a senator after his -- his wife died and was -- and left two young sons for him to care for. No one has asked Barack Obama if he can be the father of two young girls while being president.

This sort of double standard usually takes a couple years to kick in. But it just took days with Palin. There is a -- there`s a sad but simple explanation for this. So America, here`s what you need to know tonight.

Two things are happening. First, the media establishment is pissed off. The Palin story has embarrassed them, because they didn`t see it coming. And the media is angry, because they didn`t have a chance to vet her. They get to decide the election, not you little people. And to pour salt in the wound, she`s from Alaska, which for the media, I mean, it might as well be the moon.

But secondly, the media is afraid of Palin, because she can end Barack Obama. And the progressive movement, I believe. Like Obama, she stirs up her party`s ideological base, but she also excites Republicans and, I believe, Reagan Democrats who are looking for real reform, and it starts with your own party.

Obama says he`s not a Washington-as-usual kind of guy, but Palin actually isn`t. Obama can`t call her inexperienced, because if she`s too inexperienced to be vice president, then he certainly is too inexperienced to be president. To put it simply, she is Obama`s Kryptonite, and the media, it`s driving them nuts.

Jonah Goldberg is the author of "Liberal Fascism" and the editor of "National Review" online.

And, you`re at the party now, at the convention right now. This "Us Weekly," have you seen this yet, Jonah?

JONAH GOLDBERG, AUTHOR, "LIBERAL FASCISM": Yes. No, I saw it. I saw it.

BECK: First of all, who`s the publisher of this?

GOLDBERG: You know, this is Jann Wenner`s magazine. Jann Wenner is also the guy who owns "Rolling Stone" and has been doing the most hagiographic coverage of Barack Obama...

BECK: I wish I knew what that meant.

GOLDBERG: ... for over a year now. It means that he`s been a head- past-the-sphincter suck-up of Barack Obama for a very long time now.

BECK: Here`s what I thought. Did you read the story?

GOLDBERG: Yes, I read the highlights.

BECK: Did you read the other Palin controversies? Here`s my favorite. Now, remember, this is from an Obama supporter. Quote, "Iffy friends." She apparently has iffy friends. If you`re an Obama supporter, are you bringing up shady friends?

GOLDBERG: Look, I know, but there is no principle that the press, that Obama supporters, that the Obama campaign that has been set up over the last 18 months about what is legitimate or illegitimate, right, what the rules are. Whatever the rules are, have been until Sarah Palin was announced, have all been thrown out the window. Every single thing that the Obama people said has illegitimate, out of bounds, not right, has all become the central attack on Sarah Palin.

I used to be a media critic. I believe in liberal media bias. But I got bored with that stuff. I have not been more outraged and disgusted with the groupthink feeding frenzy that we`ve seen over the last few days. It is disgusting. It is a scandal.

Six months, a year from now, there will be all these pointy-headed little panel discussions at the Columbia Journalism School about how we went to far, about how, you know, we really lost all of our safety guards, and isn`t it a shame. But hey, it`s not that bad because Barack Obama is president? It`s disgusting what`s happening.

BECK: OK. Hang on. Let me show you something. This -- America took 18 months before you saw this on your television screen. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, FORMER PASTOR OF TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: And he wants us to say God bless America? No, no, no. Not God bless America. God damn America -- that`s in the Bible -- for killing innocent people. God damn America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK. Media didn`t seem to have a problem with that. Again, it took forever before they decided to expose that. Took five days for them to find this on Palin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God. That`s what we have to make sure that we`re praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God`s plan. So bless them with your prayers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK. She`s talking about our troops. What the media -- I mean, who was it that said -- oh, this is from NBC. Michael Levine said, "It`s pretty uncomfortable stuff. It`s bad, really bad. It`s going to be interesting to see how this plays out."

All she`s talking about is pray that there is a plan and that it is God`s plan. In other words, your will, not mine. The media doesn`t even begin to understand this.

GOLDBERG: Well, also, if you actually go and you look at what Barack Obama has said at various religious, you know, forums, he has -- he has said explicitly that he`s a believer in the social gospel, that Jesus tells him to endorse his welfare-state policies, all these sorts of things. Is the exact same sort of language, but worse, very theocratic stuff.

He said that we can create a kingdom of heaven on earth if we follow his programs. The idea that somehow this stuff hasn`t come out, that Obama hasn`t said -- you know, wanted to merge religion and politics is ridiculous. When he was a community organizer, his job was to politicize churches. But none of that is scary.

BECK: Yes.

GOLDBERG: The double standards are enormous here.

BECK: Yes. You know what`s amazing is I did -- I did three hours today on the double standards on radio. And it`s so easy. I mean, it`s just -- for instance, the problem again, here for Michael Levine on NBC on this, was that she`s talking about we have to make sure we`re finding God`s will.

Well, I don`t need to tell you -- you know, I don`t need to give you anything but -- do you remember this picture, America, of Barack Obama at the wall? Remember that? And then his campaign OK`ed the release of the little prayer that he stuffed into the wall.

And here`s what it said. Quote, "Lord protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just and make me an instrument of your will."

What is the difference, media? None.

GOLDBERG: It is bowel-stewingly angry-making (ph). I mean, what Sarah Palin has shown up to be is she`s a die marker of asininity. Right? Is that you can tell who is just willing to make a fool out of themselves in defense of Barack Obama or out to get this Republican pro-life woman simply by this story. It is an amazing phenomenon that we`re watching. It`s going to be studied for a very long time.

BECK: So here`s -- here`s my theory, that the -- the media and everybody who is -- has been behind this clown show in the last couple of years, where the truth doesn`t matter, they know that Palin possibly -- I`m not saying she is -- but if she is who she says she is, and she is a true reformer and can reform the GOP from the inside like she has the politics of Alaska, the progressive movement will be set back by 50 years, because this woman could mean that Obama doesn`t mean the election.

If Obama doesn`t win, if you don`t win with a guy who -- what have we spent, a billion dollars? He`s a guy who you can`t say anything about. He`s a perfectly politically correct. He`s handsome; he`s smart; he`s intelligent; he`s black. He`s everything. They put all of the chips here. If you can`t win with a progressive platform from Barack Obama, you can`t win with progressives in the United States.

GOLDBERG: I think there`s a lot to that. And we don`t know if Sarah Palin is going to be this, you know, Reaganite transformer, figure as a reformer.

BECK: Right.

GOLDBERG: There`s time to tell on that. But I think what -- I agree with you entirely. But you -- there are several reasons why this has happened. One is the press hates to be surprised.

BECK: Yes.

GOLDBERG: And it doesn`t know what to do when it`s surprised. It just floods the zone. It ignores all of the previous rules. It gets on this feeding frenzy thing.

But another thing is what -- presidential elections in the last 40 years have basically become the frontline battles in the culture war. And Sarah Palin represents an idea, a counter-narrative...

BECK: Yes.

GOLDBERG: ... about women, about religion, about life in America that drives the cultural left batty.

BECK: OK.

GOLDBERG: And they`re terrified of her.

BECK: Jonah, thank you very much. We`ll talk to you again.

Coming up, we`ll have much more on Governor Sarah Palin throughout the hour, including an update on the so-called Troopergate story. What the heck is that even about?

Plus, can Palin convert the Clintonites? Will Hillary supporters line up behind the GOP now?

And Texas Congressman Ron Paul holding a counter-convention in Minnesota. We`ll check in with Ron Paul in just a few minutes with an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, it`s a big night for Governor Sarah Palin. Not only does she have the chance to fire up true conservatives, but she also has the opportunity -- and this is what I`ve been looking for -- is to change the face of the entire GOP. What does she need to say in tonight`s speech to make both happen? Find out in tonight`s "Real Story."

But first, whether or not -- before I get into this other thing, I want to tell you that we have an author of a book. She is somebody who`s done, you know, a whole book on the Sarah Palin, and it came out months ago. You want to know what she`s really like? She`s coming up in a second.

First, whether McCain realized, you know, how vicious these attacks on Palin would be when he picked her, he could have never predicted the fallout. So far at least -- I mean, we`ll know a lot more after she speaks tonight -- but the conservatives have rallied around her. They`re defended her, and quite honestly, shown some passion about this election for the very first time.

So with the base finally motivated and the Obama zombies clearly not moving, the real key over the next few weeks is to see what happens to the independents and the Hillary supporters. Could Palin convince enough of them that she is the right woman to shatter the glass ceiling that Hillary put those 18 million cracks in?

To find out, we`ll bring in our token liberal and disenfranchised Hillary supporter, radio talk show host Ryan -- Bryan Whitman, and Stephen Moore, an economic editorial writer for the "Wall Street Journal."

Bryan, let me -- let me start with -- let me start with you.

BRYAN WHITMAN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Sure.

BECK: Were you a Hillary supporter for the policies or because "Go, chicks"?

WHITMAN: Go chicks.

BECK: Go checks.

WHITMAN: No. I was a supporter. You want me to be honest?

BECK: Yes.

WHITMAN: Let`s be honest. Because I really liked her husband very much. And I voted for Hillary almost as a thank-you to Bill for eight years of prosperity and wonderfulness. And also...

BECK: You`ve got to be kidding me.

WHITMAN: Well, no, that was a big part of it. I`m a Clinton loyalist.

BECK: Why didn`t you just send them a card instead of giving our country away to somebody you don`t necessarily agree with?

WHITMAN: No, but secondarily, I do agree with -- is that a word?

BECK: Yes, go ahead.

WHITMAN: Yes, and TV doesn`t know what some of these words are.

No, I agree with her on the issues, obviously. And you asked about whether or not these women will be Sarah Palin supporters.

BECK: Yes.

WHITMAN: And Glenn, you`re my friend, but that`s a silly question. The 18 million people who voted for Hillary Clinton, let`s say half of them were women. Let`s say, you know, nine million were women. They agree with her on the issues. And Sarah Palin is a polar opposite when it comes to the issue.

BECK: I understand that. I understand that. However, I think there are a lot of women out there that see what`s happening to Sarah Palin as unbelievably sexist.

I mean, Stephen -- I mean, look at the way they`re treating her on saying that she -- she`s got five children and her family`s falling apart, right?

STEPHEN MOORE, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": I -- I think -- I call them the Obama snobs. And I think that they`re overplaying their hand here. When you talked about these Hillary Clinton voters, he`s right that many of them are just kind of liberal elites who don`t -- you know, the kind of Emily`s List Democrats who would never vote for someone like Sarah Palin. In fact, they don`t want someone like Sarah Palin to crack the glass ceiling.

But I do think the people who are going to be attracted to her are the Reagan Democrats.

BECK: Yes.

MOORE: Many of them are male. Those are the people in states like Arkansas, West Virginia, Missouri, who do relate to a working mother, someone who has really mixed a career with a family, and in a very admirable way.

BECK: Brian, let me ask you this...

WHITMAN: Can I respond to that, Glenn?

BECK: Quickly.

WHITMAN: It`s really silly, Stephen, to suggest that, because you might be a Hillary Clinton supporter, you`re an elitist. And most of Hillary...

MOORE: No, no, no. Hillary...

WHITMAN: ... or that you don`t -- OK, not supporting Sarah Palin doesn`t make you an elitist. There`s a lot of reasons not to support Sarah.

BECK: He didn`t say that, Bryan. He didn`t say that. He said the Reagan Democrats.

WHITMAN: I`m -- I`m watching another show. I`m sorry.

BECK: The Reagan Democrat. I mean, here is my problem, is just consistency. If you want to say that you`re, you know -- you know, against Iran policy, that`s great, but I`m hearing a lot of people say things like what I just brought up: can`t raise kids and be a vice president. How irresponsible for this woman to do it? What a sexist thing to say.

Let me bring up a picture here. This is -- this is Joe Biden in the hospital, being sworn into office about five weeks after his wife died. That`s a picture in the hospital room where his kids had -- were in the hospital from injuries. And the entire world said, "Oh, my gosh. What a great story."

I mean, they lost their mother. The dad is there swearing into office, you know, with his kids who have just lost their mom, and nobody said a word about it. Yet, Sarah Palin can`t handle her family and have a job?

WHITMAN: Yes, you`re right. A man has never been asked -- Joe Biden aside -- I`m a big Joe Biden supporter. Sent him some money during the primaries even, spread some of my, you know, massive wealth around.

BECK: Yes. You look like you just got -- you woke up under a bridge.

WHITMAN: Thank you so much. That`s why I like coming on with you. You`re always so kind to me.

BECK: Yes.

WHITMAN: You know what? Sarah Palin is -- I have no reason -- you must remember. It`s the Democrats. It`s the liberals. It`s us who say private lives are private lives. The party...

MOORE: Why haven`t they...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITMAN: Let me finish this point. The party -- the party that decided to make private lives public issue is the Republican Party. They did that ten years ago with the great Bill Clinton. So it`s not -- it`s not Democrats who decided to make private lives...

MOORE: And here`s the point, Glenn.

BECK: Quickly.

MOORE: Sarah Palin is exactly the type of woman that Democrats used to go after. And here they put her under this kind of persecution. I don`t understand how the Democrats...

WHITMAN: Who is persecuting her?

Moore: She has been -- she has been -- the media, I think, the liberal northeastern media despises her. They don`t remember Alaska. They don`t know where it is on a map.

BECK: OK. Got to go. Guys, thanks a lot.

Coming up, Governor Palin prepares to address the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. An investigation into Troopergate continues back in Alaska. What the heck is Troopergate? I`ll explain, next.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, once the media gets bored of feasting on Sarah Palin`s 17-year-old daughter, my guess is they`ll turn to an actual issue. They`ll turn their full biased attention to a known as Troopergate.

Here`s what it is. This last July, Governor Palin used her executive discretion to dismiss Alaska`s public safety commissioner. Was it an ethics violation on her part? A state legislative panel is looking into it.

Palin says she relieved the commissioner of his command over a budget dispute. Her critics say that it was a retaliation for her refusal to fire her sister`s ex-husband, a state trooper who, by the way, had been reportedly threatening Mrs. Palin`s family and her kids.

So what exactly is going on here? Kaylene Johnson is the author of "Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska`s Politics Upside-Down." She joins me now on the phone.

Kaylene, what a surprise this must be for you that you -- you`ve written this book long before you knew that she would be the vice- presidential candidate.

KAYLENE JOHNSON, AUTHOR, "SARAH": That`s right. And she -- she remains a very popular politician and governor here in Alaska. And of course, there`s a lot of excitement here about her being nominated as vice- presidential nominee with McCain.

BECK: Tell me about Troopergate. Tell me what America -- because America has no idea what this even is. Give me the -- you know, the quick down-low on it.

JOHNSON: Well, the reason it began was she -- as you said earlier, she dismissed Walt Monegan, a public safety commissioner from his position. And in fact, she didn`t dismiss him. She actually offered him a different position, which he declined and then resigned from -- from his job.

Then allegations surfaced that the reason he had been dismissed was not because of a budget dispute but because of this -- this (AUDIO GAP) who was basically had been on -- this trooper was someone who had been a person of concern.

BECK: OK, stop calling Jaylene`s house. Stop calling.

JOHNSON: I`m sorry, we were supposed to have that technical detail taken care of.

BECK: Let me just cut to the chase here.

JOHNSON: Yes.

BECK: Is it true that this is the guy who was married to her sister or sister-in-law, and he was using a stun gun on the family? And then threatened the governor`s father?

JOHNSON: That`s correct. In April of 2005, Molly McCann got a domestic violence protective order against Wooten and -- because of her -- because of threats. And so, yes, I mean, there were concerns, including the time that I was interviewing the family.

And before this ever became a news item, this person was -- there was something that -- it was of concern for the safety of the family. This person was, you know, someone that the family was really concerned about.

BECK: How is -- let me change gears with you quickly. How is she on speeches? I mean, is she good at giving speeches? Is she good at being tough?

JOHNSON: You know, she is. And she has -- you know, her resolve is amazing. And she works very well under pressure, and she is an electric speaker. I think that the people will be very interested to hear what she has to say tonight. And I think that she will rise to the occasion, as she has in many other aspects.

BECK: Kaylene, thank you very much.

Now we turn to what Sarah Palin needs to say to win over the hearts and minds of true conservatives and the independents, as well. Find out, "Real Story," coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, as you are watching Fred Thompson point out what seemed to be somewhat obvious inconsistencies in Obama logic at the RNC last night, fellow Republican Ron Paul was throwing a party of his own across town. Over 10,000 people showed up to his rally for the republic and the Congressman is going to stop by and tell you all about it. Coming up in just a second

But first, welcome to "THE REAL STORY." Not too long from now, Sarah Palin will finally introduce herself to America. I`m sure the media, and I refuse to call them mainstream anymore, will be watching breathlessly to see how Palin defends herself tonight from their shock and awe attack campaign.

But to me, that just proves how little they understand who you and I are really looking for in a leader and I don`t care which party you`re in. Teenage pregnancies, loved ones who drink and drive, drama, it worked to the media, all of that, of course, is front page controversy. To the rest of us, I think it`s more like life.

"THE REAL STORY" is, at least in my white trash world, mistakes, struggles, family crisis, bad decisions, these things aren`t things that preclude you from running for office. They`re things that qualify you for it so long as you have shown you can conquer them.

Does anyone outside of the "New York Times" or basement bloggers who are in the basements of their mom or dad`s home really want someone sitting in the West Wing who has never had to say the words "What the hell were you thinking to the teenager?" or who`s never had to make a tough decision at the home? Of course not, those people don`t even exist outside of the world of the robotic politicians.

What the media doesn`t understand is that all of these so-called weaknesses they`re trying to attack are actually strengths. Who out there can`t relate to Sarah Palin`s life in some way. I`m from a small town. I have a special needs child. I have daughters who have made choices that quite frankly have kept me awake for months. And I want to thank them for that. I mean do you think my hair is always been this color?

I see part of my life in her. And I bet you and a lot of Americans do as well. Now that doesn`t mean she`s qualified to be vice president. I mean we still have a lot to learn about her.

She may stink as vice president on the issues; they haven`t been talking about the issues however. And there`s no disputing that. But there`s also no disputing that Republicans won`t have to put up any kind of fake, look, she`s just like you charade like the Democrats tried with Joe Biden.

Hello, I`m Joseph Biden. Call me Joe. I ride the train and love Amtrak like you. I have children. It`s like looking into a mirror, isn`t it. Anyone who talks over and over again, I`m just like you. Let me roll up the sleeves because I used to work in a steel mill. They`re usually not like you.

That`s why you won`t see Sarah Palin head to church this weekend with a bunch of TV cameras in tow, because she already does that in private. You don`t see her bring a pack of reporters with her as she stands at the sidelines you know at her kids` soccer games because she already does that in private as well.

Instead of being defensive tonight, what Palin needs to do is show surgical strength. She should stand in front of America and tell us how much she loves her country and how much she loves her family and she loves her family just as much and that she is capable and willing of protecting both of them.

She should show that she understands the economy, that she`s running a large one right now. She should explain that she can find Georgia on a map, and we`re not talking about the one with Atlanta in it.

She should show grace, humility, humor and strength. But most of all, Sarah Palin should show America that she`s just like us by never actually saying those words.

John Fund is the editorial writer for the "Wall Street Journal." Author of "Stealing Elections - How Voter Fraud Threatens our Democracy" and Joe Hicks is a conservative commentator and host of the Joe Hicks Show on KFI radio on Los Angeles and vice president of community advocates.

Let me start with you Joe, what do you think she needs to do tonight?

JOE HICKS, HOST OF JOE HICKS SHOW: Well, I think you hit it on the head. She`s got to, you know, first of all, connect with American people. She`s got to be able to demonstrate that she has some knowledge of issues beyond the borders of Alaska, which she obviously does.

And I think she`s got to be able to perform. She`s got to be able to perform on the campaign trail, she`s got to be able to take Joe Biden on and fight him to a standstill. If she can do all that, I think this one brings a great deal of strength to this ticket.

BECK: John, I think it should actually be very, very brief. But there needs to be a moment where she addresses the media and all of those people that are stalking her family and these bloggers who are saying awful things about her family and she needs to have that moment of, back off, but then she needs to lighten it up.

Do you think she needs to address all of these issues with her children firmly?

JOHN FUND, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Perhaps obliquely. I think she can reference them with humor. I think people will understand the kind of pressure she`s been under the last few days. It`s unprecedented.

And remember, Al Gore had to go through none of this in 2000 when his son during the Democratic convention was picked up for speeding and reckless driving.

BECK: Nobody has ever done this?

FUND: There`s a double standard here.

BECK: Yes.

FUND: So I think she says lighten up and back off, but does it in a humorous way which puts the ball back in their court. And then, if they continue this incredible Jihad against her qualifications, I think she`ll look like the one who is magnanimous, and they`ll look like the ones who are petty.

BECK: Yes, Joe, why the dog pile? I have heard a lot of theories -- I just got out of the makeup room a little while ago, and they`re like, oh you know what she`s just pressuring her daughter to get married. I`m like, what do you even know about this woman? I mean, is it -- is it that they just hate conservatives? That they -- that the media is pissed that they didn`t know who she was in advance?

What is it with this worst than Clarence Thomas dog pile on this woman?

HICKS: Well, listen, if I had not been a former Democrat, if I had not been a former ultra leftist, I wouldn`t understand it. But because I was those things, I get it.

They`ve got to not just sort of trash her. They`ve got to destroy this woman because I think they understand that she brings a great deal to the ticket that they fear. So I think they`re operating out of a sense of fear.

BECK: John, is it true, John, that you had lunch with a reporter who said, how dare they --

FUND: How dare they nominate someone like this? She`s not been on "Meet the Press" and she`s never had lunch with me. In other words these reporters are completely bereft of sources and stories to tell. They have to start from ground zero.

Joe Biden has been around since the place to see in Washington. Everybody knows Joe. Everybody excuses Joe`s gaffes. She, on the other hand, she hasn`t curried favor with them; she hasn`t gone on bended knee to them.

BECK: Right, ok so does it bother either one of you guys that she was -- that she`s just a governor. Even though the press keeps bringing up her mayoral roll, does it bother you guys that she was just a governor?

Bill Clinton was just a governor, Jimmy Carter was just a governor, Ronald Reagan was just a governor.

HICKS: You`ve got to also have to understand, this woman brings actual executive experience to the table, experience that neither Joe Biden nor for that matter does Barack Obama.

So this woman actually makes decisions. She oversees budgets. She does things that Barack Obama does not have nor does Joe Biden.

BECK: And here is what I think that America sees in her at least at this point, or they want to. She`s still kind of an empty vessel like Barack Obama was where you could just put all your hopes and dreams into them. And we`ll see in time whether she pans out or not, but I think conservative speaking from the conservative point of view, which I am, I`m tired of the Republican Party overlooking their own problems.

I want a reformer in there. But I -- you know, I want somebody who`s not just going to take on the Democrats. I want the Republicans to clean up their own house. She has that reformer experience in Alaska, and that`s what has given her an 83 percent popularity rating.

Is she the real deal? Do you guys believe she is the reformer of the Republican Party?

HICKS: Yes, as far as I can tell, she is the real deal. There`s a lot, of course, that we`re finding out about her. But listen, this woman seems to be a true reformer. And everybody knows that the brand of the Republican Party is in a great deal of trouble.

People like Sarah Palin are in fact the future of the Republican Party in terms of them re-establishing what it really means to be a conservative or a Republican from a governing stand point. So you know, yes this woman I think takes on a greater, a much larger importance here.

BECK: John do you think she --

FUND: Glenn, I was up in Alaska last month. Not only do they love her, they love her for the right reasons. Alaska is in part a Republican welfare state. And she challenged the big boys because she stands for individualism, she stands for free enterprise, she cancelled the bridge to nowhere saying, we can afford to pay this ourselves, we need to be self sufficient.

BECK: But they`re saying that John, clear up this fact because people are saying that, she was for the bridge to nowhere, and then she flip- flopped. Can you clean up that fact?

FUND: In 2006, she went to Ketchikan where the bridge was scheduled to be built, and she heard from all of the residents who wanted the bridge built and she said I feel your pain and I don`t think you`re nowhere, because that`s where everybody was saying, the bridge was to nowhere.

And she indicated mild support for the bridge. But she never supported it publicly, she never issued a statement for it; and she fought Ted Stevens and Don Young who where the fathers of he bridge tooth and nail. Now, even if she had mildly supported it, once she heard the blow- back, she dropped it like a hot potato. And killed the project; that`s the bottom line.

BECK: Ok.

FUND: Watch what she did, she killed it.

BECK: All right, gentlemen thank you very much. That is "The Real Story" tonight.

Coming up, Ron Paul is going to stop by with a complete recap of his rally for the republic. That`s been happening as well this week. Don`t go anywhere. He`ll be here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The Dutch Intelligence Service, the AIVD, has called off an operation aimed at infiltrating and sabotaging Iran`s weapon industry, but they called it off because of an assessment that the U.S. is going to attack the nuclear program. The Dutch have spies? Please tell me that they`re not still wearing the wooden shoes?

Just trying to get some information so we could stop the weapons program. I think I hear the Americans coming. Quick, let`s get out of here. Hey, everybody, the Americans are coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I was reading this morning about 100 newspapers when something stuck out at me. It was a quote from a voter. She was described as somebody who was describing her candidate as authentic. And it rang a bell, a loud one. Authenticity is I think what we`re craving from our leaders. Just tell us who you really are. I mean don`t try to pretend, just tell me what you want to do.

I think that`s why Sarah Palin has generated so much interest and honestly why Barack Obama did at the beginning. Because people said oh wait a minute, maybe he`s different. Maybe this is what people see in Congressman Ron Paul as well.

He was able to win 1.2 million primary votes, his alternative convention, "Rally for the Republic," came to a close just last night in Minneapolis, and the message, like the man himself, remained consistent; small government, civil liberties, fiscal responsibility.

Ten-term Texas Congressman, former Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul joins me now. Hello Congressman.

REP. RON PAUL, (R) TEXAS: Hello. Nice to be with you again.

BECK: You said something. Well, let me start here. First of all, you had about 12,000 people there. And you said, this is bigger than the Republican Party. What did you mean by that?

PAUL: I`m thinking philosophically, the Republican Party is purely political, and how do you bring people together? We`re thinking in terms of the direction of the country. And of course, you need to use a political party to move to direction of the country.

So I`m talking about whether or not we`re going to maintain our republic, whether we`re going to protect liberties, whether we will follow the rule of law, whether we care about the constitution. These are big issues which requires a re-education of a whole new generation.

And that`s what we`re involved in. We believe that we have been misled by our public school system and teaching young people bad economic policy and bad monetary policy. And we`re trying to change that.

So it`s bigger than me. It`s bigger than a small party. It`s something where we want to have a philosophic change. And that`s why we call it a revolutionary change.

BECK: You said that the Republicans have blocked you out. They said they will not welcome you with open arms, as I have found out. You didn`t get a speaking role at the Republican convention, which I thought was odd. But it leads me to the question, why are you still a Republican?

PAUL: I will, I`ve been elected as a Republican. I`m a Republican Congressman. I have never thought it was wise to be elected as a Republican and then drop the label. So, yes, and there`s a lot of people who vote for me merely because I`m a Republican. If I want to be Independent, it should be when I`m not in office.

But the truth is the Republican Party is the vehicle I have chosen because they really work very hard to exclude any alternative parties and third parties. And the rhetoric of the Republican Party is that they do believe in limited government and personal liberties and balanced budget.

BECK: Do you think there`s any way to get that soul back into the Republican Party? Because I don`t see -- I don`t see it coming.

PAUL: Well, that`s a big question. I guess if you don`t try, you can`t be sure. If you give up too soon, then you might have missed your chance.

So I think any effort is worthwhile. We may be able to, but if not, the message is so important because if we do have a financial crisis and a collapse, we want to know what we`re going to replace it with.

So the more our message gets out, the more impact we will have for rebuilding. Because quite frankly, I don`t think all of a sudden we`re going to have the majority in Congress voting the way I think they should. So I`m anticipating a lot more problems before we decide on a better course.

BECK: Sure. You know, Congressman, I have respect for you. I have respect for many of your positions. I don`t agree with you on rapid foreign policy change, but I wish we would have -- I wish we still were the Switzerland that our founding fathers wanted us to be.

PAUL: That`s right.

BECK: But part of my problem is, well, for instance, we just had a picture up of Jesse Ventura speaking. Jesse Ventura is a 9/11 Truther. The guy practically accosted me in the makeup room about a year ago. I think he is off the deep end. Don`t you think it hurts the credibility of what you`re trying to say when you`ve got people saying that we intentionally blew up the World Trade Center, standing with you on stage?

PAUL: Well, he was on the stage. One thing that we didn`t do, like the Republican Party would do, is if I had a speaking opportunity there, they would weigh every word and review it and edit it so there wouldn`t be first amendment rights on the Republican convention. So I obviously didn`t do that.

I do know about his position, but last night, he didn`t say anything, you know, about our government doing that. But he did ask two questions about why hasn`t Osama Bin Laden been put on a most wanted list, and why has he not been indicted? Don`t you think those are pretty reasonable questions?

BECK: Absolutely. I do think that.

PAUL: But I agreed with that. And I think he had a moderate tone. So you might argue up maybe I`ve toned him down a bit.

BECK: Right, and the Washington Times is reporting today that you are negotiating, or the McCain camp is negotiating with you to see if they can grab your support. Is there anything that they could do that would have you support John McCain?

PAUL: No, and I think that`s an overstatement about negotiating. They`ve had one individual contact us about maybe allowing us to come to the floor of the convention.

But as a Republican Congressman, I should have easy access to the floor and they have not given it to me. They said, well, if you come, you tell us when you`re coming, and we`ll give you temporary badge approval and that sort of thing but you can`t bring anybody with you. So that`s not much negotiating.

BECK: So keep trying to get the message out, sir. It`s a good message. I appreciate it.

Paul: Thank you.

BECK: We`ll be back in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: And finally tonight, every once in a while we all can be taught something by a great teacher, someone who communicates on such a high level that we can`t help but pay attention.

This generation`s version of that great communicator, of course, is P. Diddy. This new video shows Mr. Diddy increasingly concerned with the qualifications of Sarah Palin on matters of foreign policy. Watch.

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P. DIDDY, CUTTING EDGE COMMENTARY: She won`t be on reformer never South Korea or like -- what she -- I mean? What in the hell? Alaska, you should have gotten Michelle Obama to be her running mate. Now, that would have been something strategic and fly. This one right here is not respectful to our lives, diverse lives, anybody -- Yow. You would let her keep your kids?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Wow, attacking the family again. But it`s not just her qualifications as a mother or her ability to talk to my man in South Korea, who I`m pretty sure in South Korea he`s still an ally. I`m sure Diddy knows that. It`s something deeper to P.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIDDY: Alaska, what the [bleep]? What is the reality in Alaska? There`s not even no crack heads in Alaska. There`s not even -- no black people. There`s not even no, like, crime or like foreign policies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Crime or -- it doesn`t really come off. He`s really much more powerful in print. If I may, quote, "Alaska, mother-"f"er. What is the reality in Alaska? Like what is -- there`s not even no crack heads in Alaska. There`s not even no black people, there`s not even no like crime or like foreign policies." Beautiful, it really is, I`ve learned a lot.

By the way, Alaska has 3.7 percent of its population that is black, which is obviously lower than average, P. Diddy should know something about that, considering that when he had enough money to move anywhere on planet earth, he chose Alpine, New Jersey, which only has a population of 1.5 percent that is black.

Which I guess, means that Sarah Palin understand African-Americans about 2.5 times better than P. Diddy, who knew. Alpine by the way, Diddy has apologized to Alaska in another blog he just released and we`ll have that one for you tomorrow on the radio.

Until then, from New York, good night, America.

END