Glenn Beck Urges Conservatives to Heed the Lesson of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' in Remarks at CPAC

Glenn Beck urged conservatives to remember the story of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" during remarks Saturday evening at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Beck told the audience the story of Roald Dahl’s Charlie Bucket, who broke the rules of Willy Wonka’s contest by taking an Everlasting Gobstopper, which the story’s villain, Slugworth, tries to purchase.

“Charlie has that decision: Will I sell out or will I hold to my principles?” Beck said.

Charlie decided to do the right thing by returning the Gobstopper to Wonka.

“So shines a good deed in a weary world,” Wonka replied before telling Charlie, “You won!”

“So why am I telling you that story?” Beck asked. “Because I want you to answer this question: What is your Golden Ticket?”

Beck argued that the “Golden Ticket” will never be a person or a party but the fundamental truth enshrined in the Constitution, “the only thing that can make America great again.”

Beck invoked the theme of the conference, “Our Time Is Now.”

“It falls to us to follow our God-given principles,” Beck said.

“Our movement is not about personalities. It is not about parties,” he added. “It’s about each other. It’s about our rights.”

“Parties don’t matter. Principles, core principles, matter,” Beck said.

“We cannot lose your movement to a charming Slugworth with pockets full of cash,” Beck said.

Beck concluded with an optimistic outlook for the United States.

"I have great confidence in the future of America because our cause and the cause of freedom and individual liberty is a righteous cause," Beck said.

Those who fight against human freedom, he said, are "battling nature itself and they will lose."

"This is our Golden Ticket: Have faith in our principles," Beck said.

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