Lay Off Glenn Beck
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Working in talk radio, I am accustomed to everyone sucking (yes, that’s the sort of crude language we use, in addition to rampant misspelling and bad grammar). Though I generally agree with John Derbyshire’s great TAC cover story “How Talk Radio Wrecks the Right” in February on the need for a more high-brow conservatism, talk radio most damages the Right to the extent that it is not populist. Grassroots anger at Washington officials existed long before Tea Party rallies and town hall protests and the long-established role of men like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and all the rest has been to harness genuine popular discontent and corral those folks into the waiting arms of the GOP. Contrary to the belief of the elite media, talk radio does not drive Americans further Right – it smothers the very possibility, thanks to most hosts’ ongoing role as unofficial spokesmen for the Republican Party. Says the real “radical Right” – “Abolish the IRS!,” “End the Fed!” Says Sean Hannity – tonight we’ll be talking with our “Great American Panel” including Michael Steele, Rudy Giuliani and Karl Rove.
Does Glenn Beck say crazy things, cry-on-cue, wander into conspiracy-land and make wild accusations? Yes on each, and none of these things distinguish him from most other conservative talk hosts.
But to my knowledge, Beck is the only nationally syndicated talk host that did not endorse John McCain for president. He’s the only guy I’ve heard regret his former support for the PATRIOT Act. He’s the only right-wing pundit I’ve heard bash Bush on a consistent basis, even bringing up the GOP’s complicity in our current state of affairs to Ann Coulter and Limbaugh, giving the former pause. Alternative Right hero Judge Andrew Napolitano seems to be a permanent guest host for his TV show and I know of no other host who has given a significant platform to guys like Tom Woods, Peter Schiff, Kevin Gutzman, Thomas Naylor, Campaign for Liberty activists - not to mention Ron Paul. If in some conservative circles Beck still doesn’t cut the mustard – I can tell you that working in talk radio, his markedly different example is a godsend.
Beck, for all his flaws, faults and wackiness, is not a partisan GOP hack like 99.9% of his colleagues. This alone deserves praise, and traditional conservatives, libertarians and similar-minded folks reluctant to give him any credit should at least cut him some slack.
Filed under: politics, pop culture
The American people have been soft too long. Every Communist official must be disposed of. All Communist deputies must be disposed of this very night. All friends of the Communists must be locked up. And that goes for the Social Democrats as well!
Who is with me and Glenn?
Glenn gives me courage and I have his back.
Go Glenn! America needs a shot or two of TRUTH as opposed to fantasy-land conservatism.
I actually thought there was something wrong with me. I work in the liberal, socialist public school system and so am always around union goons that think that taking money from those that have it and giving it to programs for illegals and morons is the thing to do.. Iooked at Obama and was amazed that the king had no clothes, yet everybody else around me thought his arrayment was glorious.
Then I started listening to Glenn Beck and found a mind that thought as I did… and then I saw the town hall meetings!
I am NOT alone…there are MILLIONS of me out there and I have hope.
Keep up the good work and good word Glenn Beck. I am watching.
NOBAMA!
Glenn Beck is a talk show host – on Fox. Much like “Tim Robbins is an actor”, the sentence says all anyone need know about the man and his opinions. That people take *Glenn Beck* seriously isn’t the problem, the problem is that too many Americans look to entertainers – actors, talk show hosts, etc – for political guidance. And as is always the case, such people get what they deserve.
“We need to get rid of these trouble makers once and for all. Make the democrats and communists disappear and then we can get our country back from the N*****S.”
Susan Jacobs wants to get our country back from “the niggers”. I suggest we get our conservative magazine/website back from the morons, and ban this lowlife’s IP.
@Jack Hunter,
Given the nature of the last six responses from what appear to be ardent Glenn Beck fans, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider your support? Unless, of course, they are liberal posters satirizing Glenn Beck’s fans. Problem is, they sound so much like the genuine article that it’s hard to tell them apart.
Mr. Phillbin, I hope you are not including me in their number.
@AG Phillbin,
I work in talk radio and hear all kinds. It has been estimated that less than 10% of the talk radio listening audience ever calls in. The knucklehead comments left by some here are in no way a scientific, or even a reasonable measure, of Beck’s audience.
Thanks, S.L. The “Susan Jacobs” troll is disposed of.
@Mr. Toddard,
No, I’m not. Your comment wasn’t up when I wrote mine, although yours somehow got posted exactly one minute before mine. I was referring to the first six posts on this article, which at the time were also the last six.
@Mr. Hunter,
I don’t doubt that very few listeners actually call in, but I would bet that the knucklehead quotient is much higher among those that do call in. No doubt we are seeing a sample of that phenomenon here. However, Beck’s whackiness, conspiracism, and wild accusations are exactly the sort of thing that energizes these knuckleheads. Knuckleheads also prefer going to town hall meetings more than non-knuckleheads, as well as other opportunities for acting like jackasses in public. If you want a better conservatism, you have to take Beck to task along with all the others, not simply excuse him because he’s a less than loyal Republican.
A.G., why don’t you just admit it – you’re embarrassed by your fellow conservatives’ meaningful actions to stop this country on its slide to full blown socialism. Your faux sophistication and armchair criticism is pathetic.
I agree – I find no comfort in the fact that Glenn Beck bashed the previous administration when I hear the kind of crazy things coming out of his mouth, now. I feel so lost in my own party because it feels like most of the right is swinging so far to the right that I have to become one of the numberless “independents”. Let’s get people on who are ready to discuss the serious issues and do away with the self-proclaimed “entertainers” posing as serious news anchors.
Glenn Beck is probably the best your gonna get out of the mainstream talkers whose boring tripe of invade the world, whine about illegals (but do nothing about it) and give tax breaks to the rich is getting stale.
He even called Ron Paul “the real maverick” during the primaries in an interview. Neal Boortz is good too, come to think of it.
I agree with the writer of this article. We have enough wackos and nut jobs to contend with on the left. All energy should be put toward them right now.
Cut the “right” wacko a break.
I’ve been listening to Glenn for years and he is consistent to say the least.
His message is that of our founding fathers. Be true and just.
All else is less than that.
Why all the insults and name calling? What Mr Beck is saying is true, or it is not. Why isn’t that what is important? He provides much evidence with his accusations. He even asks us to please prove him wrong if we can because he doesn’t want to beleive the crap that he sees going on. If he’s wrong give him the evidence so the poor man can have some peace…..
I agree Jeremiah, Glenn is a welcome addition to the usual decepti-cons that inhabit national talk radio. For all his many faults and lack of connecting the really big dots, he has provided a national platform for those dedicated to restoring our Republic.
Yes, Glenn Beck is a fine example. He’s only called for the murder of a democratically elected president, spewed out racist filth consistently, and lied to his fellow Americans. What a model for the new GOP that needs to arise from the smoking ruins of Bush Inc.! And you wonder why Republican party ID is at an all-time low!
@zack:
While I agree that we have gone too soft I thought you meant in the sense of being apathetic and letting government get too big.
Honestly, why do you think getting rid of Communist in such a violent way will solve our problems? I really want to know your reasoning because I don’t see a link between your first statement and the rest.
And please before you start calling me names, I honestly want to know why you feel this way.
I listen to Glenn just about every day and have never even once heard him utter a racist comment. Nor has he called for the murder of anyone.
He only urges peaceful demonstration, not action with weapons for this revolution.
I’ll tell you what, he is rigt on about this Green Jobs Czar.
“He’s…spewed out racist filth consistently…”
Rod, can you name an instance of Beck spewing out ‘racist filth’? Is it because he is resisting the manifold accusations of racism from the left? Does defending against the charge of racism make one a racist? If so, you might as well opt out of political discourse altogether because the instant you take issue with democrats you will be demonized as a raging racist and therefore, by your own thinking, you will be forced to stand down.
Hey! McCarthy! I want my own damn blog here!
I can spell, and, judging by the quality of recent blog posts, that appears to be the only requirement.
I still hold that talk radio is good for the movement, and that for some reason Mr. Levin gets an unfair shake from the bloggers on this site. Where do you think Beck gets his material from, anyway?
Because of my work, I don’t have the opportunity to listen to Beck much on the radio or TV but what I do hear I like and I think that an awful lot of people feel the same way too. He’s starting to understand that the founding fathers were what we call today libertarian and until we put people from the Libertarian Party into the government we are going to have to switch between fascism and marxism in picking our leaders which is no choice at all
Hey Jack!
I’m really a big fan of yours. I would like to commend you for your original, down-to-earth, and insightful columns and videos. Where most bloggers and op-ed writters would settle for pilfering others work with cut-and-paste journalism (Jay Bookman comes to mind…liberal mouthpiece for the DNC), you pretty much go it alone in tackling the politics of the day regardless of party affiliation. Thank you.
However….
I gotta disagree with you on this. Glen Beck, well, he’s a freak. And an opportunist. Before the election he was just as much of a neo-con as most of the rest of the right wing MSM. What he says now, I believe, is only what will bring him higher ratings or prestige (if you can call it that). And while I do agree with much of what he says, by saying ‘Obama hates white people’ , all that tells me is that he likes to push buttons, stir contraversy, sit back and watch the mayham. How this type of ‘journalism’ can propel the cause of liberty eludes me as I think it makes freedom loving citizens look dumb and vindictive.
You do a better job…Charleston is lucky to have you.
Glenn Beck is an entertainer. No more, no less. As a political commentator he must be taken with a grain of salt. He appeals to people who already think the way he does and who like to have their beliefs validated. If you think someone like that can persuade someone who’s on the fence politically, you’re badly deluded
Gus, what political commentator is not an entertainer of sorts? Would you crassly throw Rush into that category as well? From which sorts of people do you glean your political insight?
What to say about Glenn Beck? Yes, he is the best out of all the talking head idiots that get passed off as “conservative” these days but that is not saying much at all. There have been times when I’ve watched Beck, heard him say something interesting and then said to myself, “And..and..and…make the connection to history or first principles, Beck,” but he does not and instead goes off on some goofy tangent. Its sometimes more frustrating than watching Olberman! He does have fantastic guests like Kevin Gutzman and Ron Paul for example.;so, I guess the best I could say about him is that his guests are smarter, more articulate and would be better spokesmen for the Conservative viewpoint than he if they could have a show themselves. But, then again, does the mainstream media, most certainly including Fox, really want a genuine, intellegent, articulate Conservative viewpoint expressed on television?
[...] Glenn Beck never fails to baffle. If you were to put Goebels and Hitler quotes into robotic voices, the effect would be just as baffling. Worth a look-see: The Glenn Beck fans that flock this moderately approving post. [...]
Beck called Ron Paul’s people domestic terrorists before the Obama administration did so I’m getting a kick out of these replies…
Oh dear, I forgot to mention that I’m in favor of laying off Glenn Beck.
Glenn,
I know you work for one of the great kings of canard journalism (Murdoch), but I would appreciate it if you stuck by principles rather than shape-shifting around like a lot of the talking-heads/political entertainers on your channel. I think, quite frankly, that you could stand to learn a great deal from someone with sound convictions like Jack Hunter. Not that you need to imitate his, but for Pete’s sake, just have your own and stick with them irrespective of what time of year it is. I look now at how all the cronies at Fox can’t get enough of Ron Paul when just a year ago they smeared him left and right. Has Paul changed? Probably not at all. Just one such example in the hope that you will be different, and better.
Glenn is making a real impact on national politics. The administration has noticed him and he has been the one person folks at tea parties say inspired them to take part. Is that not a good thing? Because the mainstream media has relinquished their responsibility to check government propaganda, someone like Glenn has to do it. NBC and MSNBC are incompetent as the Nielsen rating numbers confirm. Most people consider them as extensions of the White House.
Glenn may be a little over the top at times, but he is getting the issues I am concerned about out to the public. I was reluctant to accept many things he brought forth. But, with my tinfoil helmet in place I did my own research on some of the more outlandish things he has espoused and I will be damned if they did not check out. I am a believer now.
I have never worked in broadcasting, but for you that do, and have, I have a question. Does not the Fox media organization pay for the Glenn Beck show? Do sponsors pay Fox and Fox pays Glenn? Many if not most of the sponsors who have been blackmailed into not supporting the Glenn Beck Show currently are still advertising on FOX. Does not that sponsorship money still go into the pot that pays him? I know Fax has stated they will support the show, because of the rating it brings to the network, even if they have no sponsors directly for the show. What do you guys think?
Glenn Beck exposes the truth where other Major Network will not discuss. Beck’s method and style is not common but not usually and very entertainment. The Truth always hurts when there are evils amidst the people talked about within the Obama’s Government. We viewers get an education in exposing people in the Obama’s Government. Many of these people are in fact radicals and help lead us Americans towards socialism is scary. Perhaps! Weaken America’s statue in the world.
But wait Michael Savage been anti patriot act, anti neocon, and bashing the GOP years before Becks conversion .. I see he never gets props here .. could that have something to do with his religion?
No James, I think it might be because he’s basically a shock jock.
James, Savage held off on endorsing McCain until the last minute but eventually did. Savage has been good on immigration, but he VERY MUCH supported the Iraq War and the GWOT.
Red It one thing to endorse a war because Savage felt Sadaam was a threat . He believed Tenets information so did 85% of us .Savage turned on the war as soon as we captured Sadaam. He bashed bush on nation building, blasted him on haliburton when it was very unpopular time for any conservatives to speak this way . He no more ahock jock than Beck .. He just been exposing bush and neocons years before beck was ..that was my point
I recall when he first came on the scene, and this article:
http://www.aish.com/jw/mo/48955061.html
Mmmm.. thanks, you can have him.
We need more people like Glenn, who realize that both parties are going down the same path, who aren’t afraid to speak out against anyone from either party who is crooked. We need more people who understand that the freedom we have in this nation CAN be taken away if we don’t fight for it. Keep up the great work Glenn!
James, part of my problem with any of the war supporters is that there would not have been a just cause for war EVEN IF Saddam had WMDs. Going after him merely because he has WMDs and might use them is still pre-emptive/preventative war. I just find it a hard thing to forgive.
There’s alot that one can say about Glenn Beck. Personally, I’ve found his show to be very interesting for the last several months (at least what little of it I’m able to catch).
Whatever his faults, he’s not in the business of peddling the GOP as the future hope of America. Both parties have had a hand in selling the country down the river, and Beck at least understands that. That’s a sight more refreshing than Michael Medved’s snotty dismissals of conservatives and libertarians that question the viability of the GOP.
I see Beck as being on a journey in his thinking, much like myself, having once been a die-hard Republican and “ditto-head.” He may not get everything right, but he offers enough of a different perspective that he’s worth checking out. Take it from there, do your homework, and come to your own conclusions.
Beck is the Keith Olberman of the Right. He may be funny, but no one can take him seriously.
[...] Americans.” This is malarkey. It’s “Unity” as defined by that. I find this paleo-conservative’s defense of Beck off point, only partially fine with regards to the “From his [...]
Glenn Beck is the biggest asshole I have ever seen get a radio show or TV show in the history of the world.
How can so many people fall for such unintelligent showmanship? He likes to compare the president to Hitler, but I truly believe that Glenn himself is a closer match to AH. I can not see how he can possibly sleep at night knowing what lies and hatred he spreads every day. He obviously hates the truth and he hates our country and he will stop at nothing to destroy it.