The Glenn Beck Program

Podcast: The Glenn Beck Program — Blaze Podcast Network

Episode: 11.4 The Complicated Truth About Dick Cheney’s Legacy | Guest: Stephen Moore

Date: November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the evolving meaning of “conservative” in America in 2025–26, using the recent death of Dick Cheney as a lens to explore the strengths, excesses, and enduring lessons of a shifting Republican tradition. Glenn Beck delivers an extended reflection on Cheney’s complicated legacy, ties it to current conservative debates (notably the misleading portrayal of online extremists as the movement's new face), and blends in a discussion of contemporary financial and political crises.

Guest Stephen Moore joins to discuss New York politics, migration trends, the risks of further blue-state decline, and the ripple impact on national economics, energy, and education. The episode balances storytelling, historical analysis, and current issues—with Beck’s trademark rhetorical flair and urgency.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dick Cheney: Strengths, Mistakes, and the Lesson for Conservatives (04:00–24:50)

Beck Reflects on Cheney’s Legacy

• Cheney’s rise to prominence as Secretary of Defense and Vice President during moments of uncertainty and crisis.
• Contrasts Cheney’s resolve post–Vietnam with his later management of post-9/11 America, highlighting both commendable strength and the seeds of government overreach.

Successes:

• Restored American confidence in its military after the Vietnam quagmire and through the swift Gulf War victory.

  “For the first time in decades, Americans felt pride without apology when it came to our military.” (08:40, Glenn Beck)

• Personally brave stands—Cheney’s early and public support for his gay daughter’s marriage rights as a conservative.

Mistakes and Warnings:

• Post-9/11 choices: The Patriot Act, endless war, creation of Homeland Security, normalization of surveillance.

  “When you give more to one god, the other gods will demand payment later. And something in those days, a seed that was far more darker was planted.” (13:26, Glenn Beck)

• Support for “enhanced interrogation”: Beck bluntly calls it torture and warns about the loss of moral clarity.
• Cheney’s push for gain-of-function research—intent on security, but (in Beck’s view) leading to unforeseen global consequences (COVID-19).

Main Lesson:

• Beck cautions conservatives to honor strength but beware unexamined power and mission-drift.

  “He helped America find its courage, but he also taught us how easily courage can drift into control.” (18:03, Glenn Beck)

"Being a Conservative” Now:

• Cheney’s time symbolizes a shift; today’s conservatism must be “stewardship”, defending constitutional principles and societal virtue, not just opposing the left or clinging to nostalgia.

2. What Does Conservatism Mean in 2025–26? (44:23–61:00)

Beck’s Extended Monologue

• Conservatism shouldn’t just be “anti-left”; it’s about principles, not nostalgia.

  “To be a conservative shouldn’t be about policies. It’s really about principles. And that’s why we’ve lost our way.” (45:49, Glenn Beck)

• The new essential obligations:
  • Stewardship of the Republic—defending rule of law, separation of powers, rights from the Creator.
  • Confronting modern realities (technology, economics, social dislocation) with clarity and hope—not rage or reaction.
  • Rebuilding “competence” and restoring functional institutions (families, schools, local networks).
• Conservatives must sort the good from the bad in their own legacy, acknowledge mistakes, assimilate lessons, and cultivate “reason and morality, realism and hope for the future.”

Notable Quote:

“We are not here to merely conserve the past, but to renew it and to sort it—what worked, what didn’t work. We’re the ones to say to the world, there’s still such a thing as truth.” (53:42, Glenn Beck)

3. Nick Fuentes, Conservative Identity, and Media Narratives (61:07–65:00)

• Recent New York Times article claims Nick Fuentes is the new face of conservatism; Beck and Stu sharply reject this as misinformation.
• Discussion of extremism, the dangers of online trolling, and the media’s painting of conservatism with an irresponsible brush.
• Beck cites Ben Shapiro’s recent “brave” podcast on the matter and emphasizes clarity about what—and who—conservatism stands for:

  “He’s not a MAGA guy. He’s not a conservative by any stretch of the imagination. And the stuff that he says is absolutely an abomination to everything that we believe in.” (62:36, Glenn Beck)

4. American Founding, History, and Conviction vs. Rage (66:30–69:55)

• Beck previews his upcoming podcast series for America’s 250th anniversary, expressing the vital lesson that America’s founding was about conviction and hope, not rage.

  “Most revolutions are fed by rage. They begin in rage. Ours began in conviction... We have rage, but too little conviction. We have protest, but where are the principles?” (69:58, Glenn Beck)

• Advocates renewed focus on passing forward foundational, shared truths—above division and grievance.

5. New York and the Blue State Exodus; Guest: Stephen Moore (85:50–120:00)

Migration, Economics, Political Consequences

• Moore discusses the “mass migration” out of high-tax, mismanaged blue states (NY, CA) to red states (FL, TX).

• New York lost approx. 2.5 million people over the last decade; half from NYC.

  “If they elect a socialist and they raise the taxes again...they’re not going to be there any longer.” (88:32, Stephen Moore)

• Even New York’s status as a global finance capital is fading; Moore notes Dallas now has more financial services jobs than NYC.

Ripple Effects—National Economics

• The potential of a federal bailout: Red states may be forced to bail out collapsing blue states, prompting constitutional and moral opposition.
• Housing shortage, subprime lending, and risky mortgages reemerging—echoes of pre-2008 warning signs.
• Automation/AI: Jobs will be lost, but productivity will grow; urgent need for serious school reform and skill-building.

Education Crisis

• “We better start fixing our damn schools...15 schools in Chicago that not one child can read or write or do math at grade level proficiency. Why do we even keep those schools open?” (113:08, Stephen Moore)

Energy Risks

• Demand for electricity will triple in 15 years; Democrats are making it worse by shuttering traditional power plants.

  “If you want to decapitate the American economy, take away our energy supply.” (117:17, Stephen Moore)

• Solution: Urgent push for nuclear power and deregulation.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The strength of a nation is not measured just by its power to strike, but its wisdom to stop.” — Glenn Beck (19:53)
• “To be a conservative...means to defend what the Founders designed: the separation of powers, the rule of law, the belief that our rights come not from kings or from Congress, but from the Creator himself.” — Glenn Beck (47:30)
• “You chase the evil rich out of your city, in your state, and you pay a high price for that.” — Stephen Moore (91:16)
• “Red states like Florida and Texas and Utah and Tennessee are bleeding the blue states dry. And if the blue states don’t change, they will die.” — Stephen Moore (114:54)
• “It’s time that we start saying what we are. And it’s hard because we’re changing. To be a conservative today...it’s different...and part of that has just come from the school of hard knocks.” — Glenn Beck (45:32)
• “Most revolutions in history are about tearing something down. Ours was about building something better.” — Glenn Beck (69:58)
• “We’re not here to merely conserve the past, but to renew it...We’re the ones to say to the world, there’s still such a thing as truth.” — Glenn Beck (53:45)
• “If blue states don’t change, they will die.” — Stephen Moore (114:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening reflections on Cheney | 04:00–24:50 | | Cheney and contemporary conservatism | 24:50–44:23 | | Conservative principles defined anew | 44:23–61:00 | | NYT & Nick Fuentes discussion | 61:07–65:00 | | American founding & conviction | 66:30–69:55 | | Migration, blue state decline (Moore) | 85:50–120:00| | Final thoughts on energy, education, AI | 113:04–120:00|

Structure and Flow

The episode opens with a reflection on a major American figure as a symbol of changing times, frequently returning to historic context, then pivots repeatedly into urgent current topics: ideological purity, financial crisis, politics of flight from blue states, education, and energy policy. Beck strives to rekindle conviction and principle in place of rage or nostalgia, using storytelling and dialogue with Moore to connect history to headline.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode delivers a deep, nuanced look at Dick Cheney’s complicated record, and how it illustrates the strengths, excesses, and sometimes the blind spots of old and new conservatism. Glenn Beck makes the case for a principled, forward-looking movement—rooted in American fundamentals but capable of honest self-examination and purposeful innovation. Stephen Moore’s economic analysis drives home the urgent stakes for states clinging to failed policies, and the practical, real-world changes already reshaping the country for better or worse.