Beck Has Repeatedly Lavished Praise On Ryan

Beck: “Thank God For Paul Ryan. ... He Makes Some Sense.” From Beck's Fox News show:

BECK: But they're screwing us up by not undoing the stuff they screwed us up with. They need to undo the damage they've inflicted on America. But where are the leaders there?

Boy, I talked to Paul Ryan today. Thank God for Paul Ryan. First time I met that guy. He makes some sense.

But most of the clowns in Washington, they jam health care through. They hope for the best on the economy. I don't think most of them even understand the economy.

[...]

BECK: I talked to this guy today on my radio program -- Paul Ryan, he's a congressman from the land of progressives.

He's got a plan out, too. I have to tell you. He calls it roadmap for America's future. I don't know how I never met the guy. I don't know why we've never been on each other's radar.

He sounds to me like he gets it. Take a look at his website. Hell, you have an idea? Great. Let's talk about it. But can we please start to have this discussion? [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/12/10, via Nexis]

As Ryan Details His Efforts To “Indict The Entire Vision Of Progressivism,” Beck Tells Him, “I Love You.” From Beck's radio show:

BECK: I don't follow the people day-to-day in Washington, but I hear -- when I hear names over and over again, I look into them. Paul Ryan is a name I keep hearing, just, you know, “He's a god among conservatives.”

So I asked Stu, I don't know, about a week ago, I said, “Stu, can you look into Paul Ryan, find out what you can on him?” He found the speech that I read to you, or portions of, that he gave in Oklahoma, and it appeared to me that he was standing up for progressivism, which doesn't really sit well with me.

We heard from Paul Ryan's office as soon as the show was over, and they said, “No, you've got that all wrong.” If I get it wrong, I don't care what political party it's in, I will correct the record. Heritage.org has corrected the record today, and the guy who wrote the article is a guy who -- I know hates the progressives because he's one of our researchers on the progressive movement. And the best guy to do it is Paul Ryan, so he joins us now.

Hello, Congressman. How are you, sir?

RYAN: Hey, nice to meet you.

BECK: Nice to meet you, sir. Tell me -- tell me -- tell me your thoughts on progressivism.

RYAN: Right. What I have been trying to do, and if you read the entire Oklahoma speech or read my speech to Hillsdale College that they put in their Imprimis magazine -- you can get them on my Facebook page -- what I've been trying to do is indict the entire vision of progressivism. Because I see progressivism as the source, the intellectual source for the big-government problems that are plaguing us today. And so, to me, it's really important to flush progressives out into the field of open debate --

BECK: I love you.

RYAN: -- so people can actually see what this ideology means, and where it's going to lead us, and how it attacks the American idea. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 4/12/10]

Beck Calls Ryan “One Of The Good Guys,” Claims He Is “Consistent” On The Deficit. From his Fox News show:

BECK: And here are the GOP members now blaming the Democrats with Obama in power.

RYAN [video clip]: There have been so many massive spending increases. Twenty-four percent in the base budget, 84 percent when you add stimulus. We need to take all these spending increases back so we can get this deficit in the right direction and take pressure off tax increases.

BECK: OK. It's a little unfair, because Paul Ryan is actually consistent. Paul Ryan is one of the good guys, I think. But he's speaking for the Republicans, and the Republicans are definitely against the spending and the deficit. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/12/11]

Beck And Ryan Agree: Progressivism Is “A Cancer.” From his radio show:

BECK: OK. Hang on just a second. I -- did you see my speech at CPAC?

RYAN: Yeah, I've read it. I didn't see it. I've read a transcript of it.

BECK: OK. I think we're saying the same thing. I call it --

RYAN: We are saying the same thing.

BECK: it's a cancer.

RYAN: Exactly. Look, I come from -- I'm calling you from Janesville, Wisconsin --

BECK: Holy cow.

RYAN: -- where I'm born and raised, where we raised our family, 35 miles from Madison. I grew up hearing about this stuff. This stuff came from these German intellectuals to Madison, University of Wisconsin, and then sort of out from there at the beginning of the last century. So, this is something we are familiar with where I come from.

It never sat right with me, and as I grew up, I learned more about the Founders and reading the Austrians and others, that this is really a cancer. Because it basically takes the notion that our rights come from God and nature, and turns it on its head and says, “No, no, no, no. They come from government. And we here in government are here to give you your rights and therefore ration, redistribute, and regulate your rights.” It's a complete affront of the whole idea of this country. And that is, to me, what we as conservatives -- or classical liberals, if you want to get technical --

BECK: Thank you.

RYAN: -- ought to be doing to flush this out. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 4/12/10]