Glenn Beck says he's leaving the Republican party

Talk show host and pundit Glenn Beck announced yesterday that he was leaving the Republican party. Beck cited GOP inaction on repealing Obamacare and failing to halt the president's immigration executive orders.

The Hill:

“I’ve made my decision — I’m out,” Beck said Wednesday on “The Glenn Beck Program,” his broadcast on TheBlaze.com. “I’m out of the Republican Party. I am not a Republican. I will not give a dime to the Republican Party. I’m out.”

The host said Republicans lost him with their inaction on both ObamaCare and illegal immigration.

“All this stuff that they said and they ran and they said they were doing all of these great things and they were going to stand against ObamaCare and illegal immigration — they set us up,” Beck added. “They set us up. Enough is enough. They’re torpedoing the Constitution and they’re doing it knowingly.”

The former Fox News pundit also took issue with the GOP’s treatment of Tea Party lawmakers. Beck said that establishment Republicans had disrespected Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate.

“They’re taking on people like Mike Lee and Ted Cruz and they’re torpedoing them,” Beck said. “And these guys are standing for the Constitution.”

Beck’s decision is not his only recent break with conservative ranks. Last Friday, the National Rifle Association’s website indicated it would investigate board member and right-wing activist Grover Norquist over possible sympathies for the Muslim Brotherhood. The move came after Beck aired accusations against Norquist during Friday’s broadcast.

“The people he hangs out with and the people he helps empower, they are agents of influence for the Muslim Brotherhood,” Beck said on Friday.

Beck said Monday that his decision to exit the GOP was inspired by their resistance to change.

Beck has a big influence on the Republican base and is a huge booster of the Tea Party. But in practical terms, the impact on Republican politics of Beck's decision to leave is muted. But Congressional Republicans aren't done screwing things up yet, so Beck may have some company shortly. It isn't just immigration and Obamacare that Republicans in Congress are dropping the ball on. Budget, taxes, sequestration, defense spending - the whole gamut of issues near and dear to conservative's hearts are being fumbled by GOP lawmakers. They have failed to translate their overwhelming victory last November into a conservative agenda. They have failed to put Obama and the Democrats on the defensive despite their advantages.

Beck's made no mention of forming a third party, although it might be a possibility down the road if enough prominent conservatives join him. For the moment, other conservatives who may be thinking of joining the exodus are keeping their powder dry and are awaiting the outcome of events.

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