(FNC)
You know, symbols mean something. Anybody who's read the new Dan Brown book probably developed at least a passing interest in symbolism in the icons that we see every day. But let me show you something I find fascinating about two of history's most important icons. Stay with me; this is all going to make sense, maybe, hopefully today — maybe some day.
Let me show you first — this is a picture of the Colossus of Rhodes. They didn't have digital camera in 280 B.C. So, this is artist rendering of what it was. This was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It took 12 years to build. It stood about 107 feet high. I believe that's the height of the Statue of Liberty.
You can get a sense of how huge this thing was. We're not sure but we think that it was in somewhat of a slouched or relaxed position, because of the confidence people felt by the people of Rhodes. They have become an important economic port in the ancient world and felt invincible. I don't even know where Rhodes is, do you?
It's interesting to note that it stood for less than 50 years. The torch, the crown — look familiar? Fifty years this stood and then it was knocked down by an earthquake. And then it laid there in rubble for 800 years as people came from all over the known world to see its great fall. Got it?
Now, let me contrast this with the Statue of Liberty. Here's the Statue of Liberty. This was built by the French. It was a gift from the French to us, but it really was meant to wake Europeans up out of their system of liberty that was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes. This was really a thumb in the eye of Europe.
But the difference in its stance speaks volumes and it was meant to. First of all, you'll notice that he is holding arrows and a bow, right? What is she holding? She's holding the tablet of law.
If you notice also her feet, she's standing like she's almost on the balls of her feet. And she's moving forward. Her arm and torch is outstretched to the world. She's going this way while she's holding the tablets that signify the law, the Constitution that enables her to move forward and to break free of the chains that the European system had put in place. She's able to move forward.
I want to ask you a question: Is this still our stance?
I contend we're not following the law anymore. We haven't broken free. We're not looking at the Constitution anymore. We're forging chains again. The American people have always moved forward. But our government is not moving with us.
Let's go through a couple of examples and this is a question I want you to ask yourself: Did President Obama keep his promise?
There's really only one thing that we have that will save us, and that is honor, the truth. The truth shall set you free. That's what I think people were looking for when they said they wanted change in Washington. They wanted somebody just to tell them the truth.
Well, look at some of these things. First, the American people said no to health care. Even the people in Massachusetts that have this kind of health care say it doesn't work.
Well, Obama said again Tuesday that he's going to try to push health care through anyway. Why? Well, it's the progressive mentality. And we're going to get into a little bit of that maybe hopefully tomorrow. But part of that is that they can gain the power they need to control every aspect of your life.
They are now controlling the message. I want to ask you: Did he keep his promise?
Look at the message that he has been giving us. This is — this was critical to so many people. What was the message that he has been giving us on health care in the past?
Watch:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.
If you've got health insurance, you like your doctor, you like your plan, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your plan.
No matter what you've heard, if you like your doctor or health care plan, you can keep it. Under the reform we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
Got it? OK.
"No matter what you heard" — he was really referring to people like me because at that time they were calling us liars. "Oh, that's not in there. Of course, you're going to be able to — oh, stop the fear mongering."
I want you to listen carefully to what he said just a couple of days ago. Listen carefully:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We said from the start that it was going to be important for to us be consistent in saying to people if you can have your — if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it; that you're not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision-making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Wow! I mean, there's — we could do an hour just on this. Tonight, I want you to just carefully focus in on what he was saying. It's not just a broken promise. Look at this. I want to show you the full quote here.
"We said from the start that it was going to be important for to us be consistent in saying to people that you can have it if you want to keep your health insurance you got, you can keep it. You're not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor, decision-making."
You got it?
This isn't just a broken promise. It was a careful unveiling of the truth.
We have said from the start that it was going to be important for us to say, this is a glimpse to their inside conversations. And let me ask you this: When you get down to this line, "and I think some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge" — we're not talking about a little pledge. We are talking about you being able to keep your doctor.
Now, let's say I'm the president of the United States. I'm on TV and I'm saying, "Don't listen to these people, they're crazy." And a guy like me is on television saying, "You're not going to get your doctor. They're lying to you."
His credibility is on the line as much as my credibility was on the line. Now, if that's the case and you find out that somebody snuck stuff in, which makes what I and others like me were saying to be accurate, don't you give this speech?
Wouldn't he now come to us and say:
"Look, America, I gave you my word, I told you don't listen to them, that they were wrong. But some of the members in Congress or somebody else in the administration have slipped provisions in this bill that have violated my promise to you. My word is my bond. That is all we've got with each other, trust, hope. I'm not going to tolerate it. I'm stopping this process until we can fix it and I can find the weasels that did it and I can tell you and look you in the eye and say: It is true. You can keep your doctor and fulfill my promise to you."
Well, let me tell you something: Not only would that be the right thing for any president to do, his approval ratings would go through the roof. People would actually say, "OK, now, wait, if he's going to do that, I might actually listen to him."
But no, no, no — he says, "We said from the start, it was going to be important for to us be consistent in saying to people."
Come on. Come on.
They knew they'd have to say that to get it passed. This is not minor campaign misspeak, or is it? You have to decide, was this deliberate? Is this appropriate, his response?
I want to talk directly to anybody who might be watching me. And, you know, they're like, "Oh, that Glenn Beck guy, he just wants to slaughter people."
If you voted for him or not, please, let's have an honest conversation here for just a second. I don't care if he's the president or not the president. I just want the truth.
Without getting in your face, I just want to know his post-State of the Union bump, his approval rating is up to 50. I don't understand that, because if you bought into what he was saying about hope and change, has he done any of it? There are so many seemingly unfulfilled promises and it's not because of the Republicans. It's his own party that won't pass them.
Now, some would call them exaggerations, some might even call them downright lies. You decide. Did he keep his promise?
First of all, these are big things, man. These were the things that people who voted for him wanted. Let's try, well, health care. No. He didn't get health care done.
Keep your doctor — he just said no. If that would have passed, you would have lost your doctor.
Gitmo. Did he do that? Let's try. Watch:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: And we then provide the process whereby Guantanamo will be closed no later than one year from now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
It's still open — that turned into a debacle.
Barack Obama wasn't going to conduct business the way George W. Bush did. He made that promise. Watch this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: He's been saying, "Well, I can basically change what Congress passed by attaching a letter saying, 'I don't agree with this part or I don't agree with that part, I'm going to choose to interpret it this way or that way.'" That's not part of his power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
He's right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: But this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he's going along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
He's right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I disagree with that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
He's right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I taught the Constitution for 10 years. I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We're not going to use signing statements as a way to doing an end-run around Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Got it? No signing statements. Here's a constitutional lawyer. He's very clear here. "I taught the Constitution."
He's right about George W. Bush. It's not within his power, shouldn't be done. Progressives do that.
Well, you didn't like it, I didn't like it. No signing statements. What happened? What happened to the "I will obey the Constitution and we're not going to use signing statements"? Why would he violate his words so quickly?
Because as Saul Alinsky said, "The ends justify the means." It doesn't matter. Just get it done.
Watch this. See if you recognize the — I'm just going to compare and contrast. Here's FDR, another huge progressive, 1933:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT: If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another. But do it we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Got it? Can't do it the one way, we'll do it another, but we're going to do it.
Watch this from the State of the Union just last week:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: That's why I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission. Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So, I'll issue an executive order that will allow to us go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
But do it we will.
Finally, there's Pelosi on this case. The American people have made it clear, we don't want health care — but do it we will. What has she just said?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: We go to the gate, the gate's closed. We go over the fence. The fence is too high. We'll pole-vault in. If that doesn't work, we'll parachute in. But we're going to get health care reform passed for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
What happened to the Constitution? Whatever. Shhh! Whatever.
What happened to the Constitution? Obama's signing statements were so offensive to Democrats that four of them — David Obey, Barney Frank, Nita Lowey and Gregory Meeks of New York wrote a letter denouncing his, quote, "Bush-like signing statements." Oh, and the Democrat-controlled House voted to oppose the signing statements.
After opposing the Bush surveillance programs, he retained them. The Bush tribunal system for detainees, he preserved it. I don't even have these on the board.
Not long ago, after violating his "no lobbyist working in the White House" pledge — this one killed me — no lobbyists working there. He had — how many did we count the other day? Thirty? He had the audacity to bring up the lobbyist thing in the State of the Union:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: That's why we've excluded lobbyist from policy-making jobs or seats on federal boards and commissions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
He's got 30 in his administration.
Now, we just showed you some of these lobbyists the other day, I don't know if we have pictures of them. Yes, he's showing them. OK. He repeated after this the non-existent fantasy figure of 2 million jobs created or saved. This is during the address again.
Then he went further, saying that he was on track for another $1.5 million or 1.5 million jobs this year. First of all, understand this, look it up. There is no metric measuring any kind of statistic like that. There's not — there is no measurement.
Now, his own Web site claims that there were 650,000 jobs. Here it is: 650,000 jobs created or saved.
Valerie Jarrett said thousands and thousands.
It wouldn't be a surprise to me if I hear, you know, Robert Gibbs today say, "Oh, billions of jobs have been created."
It's a game. And what's the game on the number of jobs saved or created? To get you to focus on that number, instead of — well, you know what? They're playing — they're playing the same game all over. Watch this from the State of the Union:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: But the truth is, these steps won't make up for the 7 million jobs that we've lost over the last two years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The 7 million jobs lost in the last two years. What does that do? That gets you to forget the last two years. The last one year during the Bush administration, the last year in office, 3 million jobs were lost. That leaves him with jobs lost this year, 4 million.
See the game? That goes really to the openness and transparency of the game. I mean, how refreshing it would be to actually get a glimpse in how the government solves problems or writes bills.
At least eight times he said that C-SPAN would broadcast the proceedings of congressional negotiations with health care. None of them have occurred — none of it. It's been closed door backroom, bribing process from the beginning. You know it and I know it.
When running for office, this man pledged that he would end — and I looked at this tape today, I couldn't believe he actually said this, but he did. He said that he would end the war in Iraq by last year.
Watch this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
OBAMA: So, we have to begin a phased withdrawal, have our combat troops out by March 31st of next year.
But I want to make sure that we get all of our combat troops out as quickly as we can safely. Now the estimates are, maybe that's two brigades per month. At that pace, it would be sometime in 2009.
I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It's time to bring our troops home.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
I think it's 2010 and they're still there.
When he announced the spending freeze at the State of the Union, there was an audible gasp mocking from Congress. I've never seen anything like it.
Watch this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Now, I know that some in my own party will argue that we can't address the deficit or freeze government spending when so many are still hurting. And I agree — which is why this freeze won't take effect until next year when the economy is stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OK. Spending freeze also happens to be something that he was against. He attacked McCain during the campaign. Everybody mocked it and ridiculed it.
The AP now has pointed out that it will save less than one percent of the predicted deficits over the next 10 years.
Let me show you this. We tried to make this demonstration with water bottles. Here and underneath the table are 100 water bottles. OK?
There are 17 of the 100 here. He's saying, "We're going to freeze spending." To you and me, that means we're not going to spend anything. They're going to save all of this. OK.
No. This water, just spend it all. This water is what he's saying we're going to freeze. It doesn't mean you're not going to save it. You are going to spend all of it. You're going to drink all of this water, OK, but you're not going to be able to get any more water here. We're not going to borrow any more water from anyplace else.
This is gone, this is gone. But we're not borrowing anymore on these. We will or may borrow more here. Got it?
Little fuzzy on things, but he's — he's pretty clear on this one. By the way, the estimated saving on the deficit over the next 10 years is this much water.
Ahhh! Refreshing, isn't it?
Oh, wouldn't it be refreshing to have a little honor or integrity, or as he would describe it, transparency, because then it would give me what else he described — hope. We have an administration and a country that has been arrogant for a long, long time. But now, it has gone so arrogant, it stands with a bow at its side, relaxed, with an attitude of invincibility, holding the torch out, so it can see — not so the world can see it.
We are becoming the Colossus of Rhodes. Not Lady Liberty. And if we don't notice the difference that the French made to tell the Europeans, "We need to be more like this"; if we don't notice the different between even the stance, our civilization will crumble and lay in ruins for others to study for the next 800 years.
— Watch "Glenn Beck" weekdays at 5 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox