Glenn Beck's long history of extremist rhetoric: When will he finally face the music?
By David Neiwert Monday Sep 07, 2009 7:00am
Probably the most ironic -- no, make that flat-out bizarre -- aspect of Glenn Beck's ultimately successful campaign to force out Van Jones is that it was predicated on Jones' supposed indulgence in extremist rhetoric ideas.
This isn't just a matter of the pot calling the kettle black. It's more like the black hole calling the sunspot dark.
Glenn Beck's history of indulging in extremism -- not just turning a blind eye to its presence, but promoting it outright to an audience of millions -- is so deep and wide that whatever indiscretions Jones might be guilty of fade into total insignificance.
Of course, we're all familiar with the remarks that lie at so much of the root of this matter: Beck's outrageous claims that President Obama is a "racist" who has a "deep-seated hatred of white people", which prompted a largely succesful campaign by Color of Change to encourage advertisers to pull their support for Beck's Fox News program. But that, frankly, is barely scratching the surface.
Keith Olbermann has put out a plea for information about Beck's own background in outrageous remarks. Of course, all he probably needs to do is go through the C&L archives on Beck for everything he needs.
Still, what Olbermann -- and everyone else wondering how to fight back from this latest round of right-wing viciousness -- should focus on is the inordinate number of times that Beck has simply promoted extremist ideas and memes straight out of the most fringe elements of the American far right.
It goes back several years. Beck, in fact, openly promoted the John Birch Society and its "New World Order" conspiracy theories frequently when he was still at CNN Headline News. As I observed at the time:
Beck is busy building a narrative that not only opens the Pandora's Box of mass public consumption of far-right conspiracism, it also portrays the most hateful and paranoid and poisonous bloc of American politics as credible and normative.
Since joining Fox in January of this year, however, the tendency has not only intensified, it's simply gone off the rails.
Most notably, Beck has actively promoted ideas, theories, and concepts taken directly from the far-right "Patriot"/militia movement, many of which in turn derive from the ugliest sector of the right, white supremacy:
-- He "war-gamed" out an apocalytpic American future in which society has completely crumbled, leaving behind a "Road Warrior" society in which militias remained the only defenders of the remnants of white society.
-- He told his audience for several weeks running that he "could not disprove" the existence of concentration camps run by FEMA in which conservatives were to be rounded up. After a few weeks of this, he finally ran a segment that in fact did debunk these claims, explaining that in reality all of the supposed "evidence" for these camps was the product of a long-running hoax that began in the 1990s with the "Patriot"/militia movement. (He then later claimed that he had done nothing to promote these theories.)
-- He ran several segments, including one on his radio show, in which he promoted the concept of the secession of Texas from the Union. A little later, he tried to pretend he didn't agree with the concept while in fact giving a secessionist the opportunity to promote his plans to Beck's audience.
-- He regularly promoted "one world government" paranoia. This included a supposed plot to put us all on a global currency controlled by the New World Order.
-- He tried to argue that the chief cause of the sour economy was the United States' reliance on a central banking system.
-- He hosted an entire hourlong segment devoted to promoting militia-derived constitutional theories about state sovereignty.
-- He expressed his admiration for Nazi admirer and renowned anti-Semite Henry Ford.
-- He warned his audience about Obama's supposed secret plot to grab our guns.
-- He also speculated that it is actually liberal "political correctness" that inspires right-wingers to go on murderous killing rampages.
-- Later, when a Beck fan named Richard Poplawski shot three Pittsburgh police officers because he believed the cops were going to take his guns away on behalf of President Obama -- and a number of other acts of right-wing violence occurred that were similarly inspired by Beck's kookery -- Beck attacked C&L and other blogs for having the audacity to point out the connection.
-- Then, after building up his audience's paranoia, anger, and fearfulness, he pleaded with them not to indulge in acts of violence.
Of course, this is only a sampling of the ugly lunacy that has permeated Beck's Fox program since just this January. Some of the more notable other instances including some really classic examples of right-wing projection, not to mention complete incoherency:
-- He accused Al Gore of creating a new "Hitler youth" by promoting environmental awareness among young people.
-- Even before the election, he declared that Barack Obama was a Marxist. Then, after the election, he began calling Obama a communist and socialist. A few weeks later, he changed course and decided that Obama was actually leading us down the path to fascism.
-- He also called for kicking California out of the Union.
It's not as though any of this could have been a surprise to the Fox executives who hired him. Before he ever joined Fox, these tendencies were self-evident. There was the time, for instance, when he asked newly elected Rep. Keith Ellison, a Muslim, the following:
"[W]hat I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies'."
He's also made clear that he's a compulsive liar and self-serving jerk by disingenously pretending that he hasn't said things that he has in fact said. For instance, he tearily praised a 9/11 widow who died this year, but back in 2005, he had said this:
Beck: You know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9/11 victims' families. It took me about a year. Um, and I had such compassion for them and I really, you know, I wanted to help them, and I was behind -- let's give them money, let's get them started, and all of this stuff. And I really didn't -- all the 3,000 victims' families, I don't hate all of them, I hate about, probably about ten of them. But when I see 9/11 victim family, you know, on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh, shut up.' I'm so sick of them. Because they're always complaining. And we did our best for them. And again, it's only about ten.
As we say, this really is only a portion of the ceaseless deluge of insanity flooding out from Beck's show. The attacks on Van Jones, of course, were of a piece with this (along with his attacks on ACORN).
But you know what is strangest of all about this? People in the media -- not just at Fox, but throughout the rest of the cable-news business -- have considered this not just acceptable business as usual, but have stood back in admiration at the high ratings Beck has garnered as a result.
There's something profoundly wrong with that kind of tolerance. And it is long past time that it ended.
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If we can get the liberals and prgressives to stop watching this crap Beck would lose more than half of his audience.
I was thinking the same thing. Sometimes I watch his show just out of sheer fascination. I bet there are a lot of people like me.
Please give me a goddamned break.
A. We run this material in many regards so that people don't actually have to watch Fox News to know what's being said.
B. If you think that simply ignoring Beck -- and thus being ignorant of what he's saying and doing -- is going to make him go away, well, you're simply deluded.
Just ask Van Jones if pretending Beck isn't there works.
I'm not sure exactly how TV ratings are determined....maybe David knows....but I think the way that Nielsen does it is by having "black boxes" on some 5000 homes, monitoring what tv/cable shows they watch. I understand these are "volunteers." From what I've read, ratings are also taken from volunteers who keep a diary of what they watch.
So, if my belief is correct, then simply ignoring Beck will not help, unless you're one of those thousands of people who have been asked to partake in the ratings process.
Is not ignoring. . . .
Quit with the BS tautologous argument.
As if you want people watching this crap?
And BTW - give yourself a GD break.
Handypants, not sure who you are replying to, but I think it is to me. I hate Beck as much as you do. I do not want people to watch him; I might only watch him 1 or 2 minutes once every other week, just to see what sort of nonsense and hate he is spewing. I see most of Beck from C&L.
I was just trying to make a point that not watching him won't help. "Ignoring" was a poor choice of words...I do not want us to "ignore" the hater; we do need to scrutinize, boycott, and whatever it takes to get him off the air.
Sorry, I've just gotten worn out with all the comments here from folks who think we shouldn't be paying Beck any attention. My apologies for misreading your argument. I assumed you included the people here at C&L who watch him so we can keep an eye on him.
David,
Keep up the good work. You're usually very calm in your writings when you expose the hatred in this country. I can tell how upset you are the past couple of days....that's only natural when you have people like Beck get away with the hatred he spews.
Thanks for watching Beck so we don't have to. You're a brave man!
Yeah, Van Jones is one of the finest human beings -- a truly amazing person -- I've had the pleasure to meet, and this whole situation has really outraged me. He deserves better, much better.
david, i've never met van jones, but just based on what i've read about him, he truly seems like one of the brightest guys obama had on board.
it's very unfortunate he's gone, but i have to tell you, i do hold sites like this one partially culpable in his ouster. the censorship of the issue he's gone over has made it impossible for us to adequately rise to his defense. far too many readers are still in the dark.
van jones was right to sign that petition -every one in america should sign that petition.
i don't blame you personally -you're doing great work. but this issue has so thoroughly exhausted me, it's a big part of why i don't come around much anymore; i strongly suspect it's why some of c&l's more colorful commenters, like orangutan, don't drop by anymore either.
i've said it before -if there's even one hole in that official report, it merits a new, independent investigation. the fact is, there are more holes than you'll find in a swiss cheese factory.
peace. i'm back into retirement. good luck.
...what was in that petition:
Jones' biggest problem is that he called Republicans assholes. Had Obama kept him on he would have been undercutting his own promises that he'd avoid contentious, partisan politics.
you don't sign a 9/11 petiton if you don't have doubts. period.
you do distance yourself if you're a good soldier falling on your sword, and don't want to be a distraction as the president is scheduled to make a major health care speech.
anyways, i'm staying off these threads, as promised. i've contended for years that nothing will change until we confront 9/11 honestly and thoroughly. so far, no one has proven me wrong. has anything significant truly changed since obama got elected? no. so there's really no point in me wasting my time on these threads on a daily basis, as i used to.
now, if you folks ever muster up the courage to take on 9/11, i'll be back to help in a new york minute.
peace, andy k. -good luck.
Good timing. The only progressive in sight, and he gets tanked so BHO can finally keep a campaign promise. Wow.
the one campaign promise he kept, besides getting a puppy.
I am frustrated.
p>Good timing. The only progressive in sight, and he gets tanked so BHO can finally keep a campaign promise. Wow.
How noble of our current administration to sacrifice one of ours. I consider this action to be a shot across our bow. They need to "take one for the team." Single payer or nothing. I am not the least bit interested in the success or failure of any politicians. I want the health insurance industry reduced to a bad memory. An example of what bribery can do. They need to do the MORAL thing.
the truth will come out. Why didn't the Bush/Cheney administration protect us from a threat they were warned about?
i do agree the truth will come out -it already is. around the world, none of the mechanisms to prevent honest dialogue are in place like they are here in america. they talk about this stuff openly in british parliament, japanese parliament, etc., etc.
what's frightening is the realization that we are not taking care of this problem "in-house" ourselves, and are being judged accordingly.
Since when is the truth something to be hidden? It is my experience that sometimes you just have to wait for everyone to catch up with you. It can take decades.
I think you are totally correct dude, and that "thought crimes" are punished (here of all places) tells you all you need to know about why the US is so screwed up
You are indeed a brave man. You are a fine exemplar of that noble tradition of muckraking -- Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Molly Ivins, Don Bolles...
You are literally helping to save the world.
so that I can remain teeveeless and keep tabs on the wingnuts.
That way, I am not gobsmacked when encountering teh stoopit in everyday life.
Thanks C & L and keep rising.
I Only watch DVD's of old WB cartoons on my TV nowadays - and I'm a better man fer it.
HAPPY LABOR DAY, EVERYONE! Thanks C&L! Everyone here rocks - thanks so much.
Sun's out here in Atlanta, so I'm off to the pool, then Dragon Con to impress all the Anime girls with my awesome tan. Cheers.
I'd like collect WB cartoons, but all I seem to have is Little Audrey, Betty Boop, Casper, Popeye, and some from studios so obscure I'm not sure what they're called.
I, for one, can't watch this kook.
When there is a clip of him on one of the blogs I go to, sometimes I'll click the arrow and I can stand it for maybe 45 seconds.
For whatever reason, he seems to be in the news a million times a day now. Why? Why are the blogs and media giving him so much attention?
His sponsors are leaving him in droves, and yet his show continues to go on...I know the American public's fascination with watching train wrecks...but can we just come together, ignore this ignoramous and get him off the airwaves once and for all?
Although I do confess to a morbid curiosity about his wife. I'd really like to see the woman who actually married and procreated with this steaming pile of stupidity. :/
Kerry with the Swiftboat thing?
Secondly, Beck is a Mormon. His "prophet" gave him a wife. See "Big Love" on HBO. Or Google "Mormon sister wives." I agree with you that no intelligent woman who wasn't forced to marry him would ever do so. I think he is actually a virgin. Marrying him is one thing. Laying down with him--ICK, ICK, ICK. If I were her, I would feed him eggs and bacon every single morning, and pork for dinner.
that his "magic" underwear is too tight. It would also explain his high-pitched squealing.
Look, the nation is engaged in a propaganda war. If such things could be
measured, surely this is shaping up as the Mother of all Propaganda Wars.
And FOX will lose.
Deport Murdoch and Ailes at FOX and redistribute their treasonous war profits and taxes owed.
And FOX will lose.
And FOX will lose.
And FOX will lose.
(please please please! - this is the reality I want so bad!)
David, there are times I despair of anything ever happening. America has become a nation of dunderheads, of absolute gibbering idiots.
Being intelligent and well-informed will never persuade the legions of folks wetting themselves because Obama's going to beam his secret mind-control message into the kiddies' heads tomorrow morning.
Stupid wins, just like entropy.
That's like when I saw a sign that said wet cement
So I did.
Maybe someone should wet Beck.
http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/ART/ART161/d...
Doesn't the entropy of energy/matter say, as found in the first and second laws of thermodynamics, that the space-time continuum upon entropy can so condense, that theoretically another Big Bang becomes possible, and therefore a new Cycle of Creation, similar to Asiatic eschatology?
... as entropy.
Put a bunch of stupid people in a metal compactor and all you have is a bunch of dead, densely-compressed stupid people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sp-VFBbjpE
Now with 8 essential nutrients!
(Sorry, I just woke up.)
If you can immediately identify extremist refrains in a message than it's not effective communication, and therefore by definition is not rhetoric.
That stays the case if your using the definition of rhetoric as sounding impressive, but is empty of message, since becky is neither impressive, nor without a message, and that message is dangerous.
As long as Beck acts like a trained monkey in a cage and draws the curious crowds, Fox will keep him doing his act. It doesn't matter what he does or says or who he hurts, he's gold to Fox.
Who cares how much damage he's doing to the country.....ppppfffffttt, he's ratings gold. Capitalism at it's finest...
F*&ing traitors...
Yelling about it isn't going to get the alcoholic to stop drinking.
Embarassing the alcoholic isn't going to get the alcoholic to stop drinking.
The alcoholic has to make the decision that they want to change, and that usually comes when they 'hit bottom' - lose their job, lose their family, end up broke, whatever.
So the legions of stupid that watch Beck (or Hannity or Limbaugh or Malkin) or forward crap about Obama taking our guns, killing our grandmothers, etc. - they will NEVER respond to factual correction from progressives.
They're gonna have to have a personal epiphany when stupid runs into hard, cold reality.
Just telling him he's gonna die in the next five years like the VA did me.
When one is part of the Racist Nazi Christian Party or the Goofy Opposition Party one does not need accountability all one does is MINDLESSLY SERVE, remember this is the party for DUMMING down America, This is the Part of NO, this is the party of HATRED, IGNORANCE, INTOLERANCE and INDIFFERENCE, its mindless followers need not be CRITICAL THINKERS just empty headed fools that have NO premise but to live, thoughtless little minded scum that want to be TOLD WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT and HOW TO DO IT, any free thought INDIVIDUAL THINKING is a betrayal to the senseless of being a individual.
To be a member one must have strong self loathing and self hatred surrender ones sense of individuality promote STUPIDITY and LIES. Always be aware that any TRUTH directed at oneself and party are to be twisted, manipulated or censored as the above RACIST NAZI CLOWN and his RACIST NAZI noise network has proven. REMEMBER be a member of the MSM and worry about the paycheck NOT what you were hired for and then QUESTION and complain when RACIST Nazis get a strong following and ALWAYS destroy the MESSANGER,
A drug addict alcoholic suffers from egotism along with their disease. What he deems a success will eventually tell him that his bigger than his disease and he will spin out of control on coke or alcohol. Glenn Beck is a sick man.
I think half his audience tunes in to see if this is the day the padded truck comes for him.
Unfortunately half his audience believe his unmittigated crap and I suspect most of them are armed to the teeth. Letting him continue to yell fire, no, make that yell at his audience to burn down crowded theaters, I fear for my country. (you can't see it, but I have a little tear running down my check, just like the self-appointed one!)
Beck obviously is an addict; he's now addicted to his fame and fortune.
Until our scientists find a cure for "stoopid" he will always have an audience.
he worked long and hard at being a bonafide Nazi and war criminal and shouldnt have his deservedly wretched and horrible reputation tarnished by comparing him with a petulant, moronic little child like Glenn Beck. Beck is nothing but a brat with a tv show.
....however, missguided it may have been.
Where this @ss-clown is just looking for an audience by saying the most outrageous things he can think of.
Both, however are a waste of foreskin.
He is a lying racist bigot with a microphone and air time. Calling him names (like I just did, too), will not shut him up. Calling for Murdoch to be deported is ridiculous, and Roger Ailes is a US citizen. Where are you going to deport him to, South Carolina or Texas?
Beck must be called out on every lie he spews. His entire audience cannot be destroyed, because there really are too many stupid people in this country. But there are some who will listen and learn. They should be the target.
with Fox winning ratings wars, headed by Beck and OReilly, time after time in their time slots against similar shows? sheesh. Fox is so obviously GOP slanted and conservative leaning that there is nothing liberal about them. and if theyre so dominant then how can there be a 'liberal media'? good grief, its like the press allows the GOP or the conservatives to label the press for them. its not a 'liberal media' at all. its a sycophantic media, by the way they suck-up to GOP and conservative fear-mongering, and bash anything and everything that is liberal, progressive, moderate, or even breathes 'different', with their slanted reporting. if the press is 'pressed' how can one gain a foot hold and get some reality or fairness out there?
... incessant complaining about same nonetheless convinced said media to 'cover the other side' - the endless parade of GOP talking heads is a direct product of this false equivalency.
The media used to understand this (at least Ed Murrow did).
.... for the common good of the voiceless citizens. Of course, the conservatives hated that and claimed liberal bias.
Now they advocate for the corporate good.
It's that simple. There is no free press. Or very, very little. That is why they want to regulate the Internet. Read "1984" again. It should be reread every few years, and keep your copy. I read where the Kindle downloads, even though you think you own them, are just licenses allowing the purchaser to read them. They can be taken off your Kindle whenever the publisher wants to take them away from you. The controversy that exposed this involves Amazon. Check it out.
that the book deleted by Kindle was 1984.
There have been a lot of books deleted because those who uploaded the books to Kindle had no right to do so. Blame the uploaders, not those who hold the copyright.
When you can now rent it.
I know about the copyrights. I am not comfortable renting if I can buy, it isn't even rent-to-own. Lots of digital distribution is headed that way (computer games for example). Yes, they all promise to release things "into the wild" before they shut off the servers. I'll wait and see.
Assuming they continue to exist.
That's why it's important.
who owned the rights to the book in question. It wasn't about illegal downloads, but I can see why that might become a problem.
he's a great snake oil salesman n/t
Don't they use snake venom for medicinal purposes?
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7425...
I keep an eye on Beck just like I would keep an eye on a rattle snake. If you don't know what he's doing or where he is, that's when he is most dangerous. If it wasn't for me watching him last week and the info I get here at c&l, I wouldn't know that it was Beck who started this shit. It was Beck who went on and on about Jones' past. He throws ideas out there like bait to fish. If he's patient long enough some lunatic will come by, take the bait and then god only knows what he will do with it.
As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing.
Karl Rove
Hence the uproar over Obama speaking to school children about staying in school and trying to succeed and get a good education. Something Glenn Beck would not know much about.
You may have already seen this, but in case you haven't, a mayor of a town in Tennessee is in hot water for forwarding bogus emails about Obama and Muslim stamps from the post office. This is the type of stuff I feel Beck encourages people to do. Forget any reasoning, just do it and blame someone else if you get caught.
had organized a boycott of FauxNoise in general...
As mentioned yesterday, I really hope Van Jones does something like this....make it his next career purpose to destroy Faux Noise and their Reichwing propaganda.
As someone pointed out over at Kos, maybe a way to get to Beck would be to contact the LDS church and show them reasons why they should speak out against him. He claims to be Mormon, he uses that as a selling point for himself--take that away from him. Even if you don't agree with the Mormon church, having them condemn his hate speech would be a pretty sweet win.
I did that.
... religious zealots who happen to be racist homophobes are really going to care about one of their own flapping his gums?
Actually race and homosexuality was rarely raised when I was a Mormon, although they seemed to be patting themselves on the back, when the first black Mormon was confirmed into the priesthood, even though most white boys are become deacons at 12, teachers at 14, and priests at 16 and even bishop is included in the Aaronic priesthood which functions under the Melchizedek Priesthood which are the elders at 18 or 19, and the following have no ages, but is based on how well you perform and how ambitious: seventy, high priest, patriach, apostle and president.
Women are expected to make tuna casseroles and jello salads, (although they also teach classes and can be choir directors, and head charitable outreaches.)
.
Someone posted here yesterday that the Mormons do have a long history of racism. I did a little Googling last night, and apparently they really do have a history of being anti black people. Beck has talked about his "principles"....maybe one of his "principles" is old time Mormonism when it was obviously prejudiced against black people.
.... that non-whites were pigmented because of past sins.
I think they only changed that to increase the flock. They are very aggressive at prostelizing and seem to partner up pretty well with the evangelicals. Hey, power in numbers.
That was called the Mark of Cain, that I remember.
But Mormons in their Statement of Faith state that they don't believe in the inheritance of the original sin or any other by future descendants.
http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,106...
I seem to remember from one of the other Mormon books, that in the Afterlife you're resurrected and keep the resurrected body, it's not dropped somewhere along the line. Everyone would look approximately 30 and fit, with hair of radiant light, and bronze skin, so not like any of the races as we know them.
There' no real belief in Hell, although there's something called the Outer Darkness, which means separated from God, and is mostly reserved for murderers and false prophets.
But heaven has three levels, the bottom for non-believers, the middle for virtuous non-believers, and Mormons who don't keep all the rules, and the top for true believers. And at every stage you continue with your family (as long as your married and sealed in the temple), although theoretically, individual members could end up on either the second or top levels.
.... it sounds way "shiney".
I always thought it sounded like Santa Monica Beach.
http://www.gossipcenter.com/files//celeb-goss...
http://sarahmosko.files.wordpress.com/2009/02...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZHOZutaGpA
Joseph Smith gave the priesthood to black men, but then it was rescinded under I think Brigham Young. They were fighting for their survival then starting from New York state, Missouri, Nauvoo Illinois ending up in Utah, after Joseph Smith and his brother were lynched in prison by ostensibly real "Christians."
into the priesthood, is that correct?
That's correct, they call them high-priestesses, but they only work for their husbands. I suppose if they're single, they're just members.
I had it explained to me that, "As man is God once was, as God is, Man might become." So God is just one of many (but sole deity of Earth), and is also married. It displeased
God's wife to be placed above him, and they were our literal spiritual parents. That got me interested in God's wife, and along with this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icHitBsOtys
initiated the research I underwent, when I came across Modern Witchcraft.
(Silly me, I thought they were singing about Iris
http://www.howarddavidjohnson.com/Iris_goddes...).
Personally, I go to Mr. Diety for my absolutions and religious questions.
http://www.mrdeity.com/
Well worth the trip.
Actually I prefer
http://yastrow.com/wp-content/uploads/kierkeg...
and
http://sean-hoffman.com/wp-content/uploads/20...
Mr. Diety? Did he help you lose weight?
;-)
Didn't dredge break run story, and been running on that rep ever since?
And how will this effect the becky boycott, if he even remotely appears effectual in his diatribes?
It should be a boycott of all things Rupert. Afterall, he signs the checks and controls the content.
Any self-respecting media mogul would have made his flunky apologize. (for the add revenue if nothing else.
Why didn't the "liberal" msm ever cover the PNAC signatories, and what has happened since then?
And according to the msm there was only one Downing Street Memo, although there was a series of revelations, each more damning than what preceded them, and the msm NEVER covered them, calling it old news.
Ooh...but brittany flashed her poon!
You had to go to the BBC to see anything at all about those.
Has a few issues but they are WAY better than any American M$M outlet.
I can still watch the BBC news - M$M - not so much.
hi, ys. i'm only dropping in briefly 'cause it's labor day and i'm bored, but wanted to say hi and keep up the hilarity. and the insight. very interesting reading you and alice on that other thread -two of my very favorite commenters going at it. keep it up -i'm always reading, even when i'm not commenting.
Born February 10, 1964
Grew up in Washington.
Mother committed suicide.
One brother committed suicide.
Religious affiliation: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
First marriage (two children) ended in divorce at age 30 (1994).
Second marriage (two children).
Dropped out of a special program for non-traditional students at Yale University after one class.
Self-described recovering alcoholic and drug addict.
Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Began his radio career when he won a local radio contest to be a DJ for an hour.
Currently lives in Connecticut.
"Currently lives in Connecticut."
A bastion of left-wing radicals and a confirmed blue state. Go figure. One would think that this moron came from Mississippi or Texass.
I'm from Texas.
And Beck's pansy ass would'nt last five minutes here.
you have my deepest condolences :]
He only lives in Conn for its proximity to FOX studios.
in connecticut? lieberman's connecticut?
Maybe that explains it. lot's of Wall Streeters live there. Easy communte, no NY taxes.
I have an uncle who used to live in Greenwich....he's a die hard conservative repug, and some stats I've seen of Greenwich show that repugs outnumber dems. I wouldn't doubt if beck lives in an area like Greenwich, which is close to NYC.
... has proclaimed "Glenn Beck Day" and is giving the moron a key to the city.
Mount Vernon, Wash., north of Seattle (that noted bastion of clear-headed progressivism).
The mayor has been flooded with phone calls and e-mails -- most of them outraged that this drooling, weeping, screeching psychopath would be so honored.
Have any of you listened to his ruminating about killing Michael Moore? It's chilling. And his absolute on-air radio meltdown when confronted by a rational, cogent female listener who dared to challenge his mindless GOP talking points? He went ballistic -- screaming, ranting, the works. It was incredible.
He's certifiable and needs to be institutionalized at an asylum other than Faux Noise.
BID
More Basic Beck Facts:
Beck is batshit crazy; he is a loon; he is a hater.
Progressives don't have heavily armed militias to "defend" their philosophy. The whole idea goes against everything we believe in. It's like Gandhi vs. Hitler.
Beck / Palin 2012
How can it be that the neocons were never called out?! They have committed some of the worst crimes against our country (starting war we did not need, torture, affairs galore, outing a CIA agent). Yet, barely anyone resigned or went to jail. Jones signed a petition and he resigns! Help us all!
It's whats commonly known as a "double standard".
No real standard at all.
I used to think Beck was Contoled by Ratings and Money.
I now believe that this Guy is just plain CRAZY! And all those
who listen to him are Beyond Stupid.
Usually I wouldn't believe an internet website like this, but veracity doesn't seem to matter to Prof. Beck, so why not:
http://glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1...
I agree. If he can spread lies and disinformation why should anyone else's standards be higher? Fight fire with fire? But lowering myself to his standards would be painful.
David,
Add to your list of Beck's extremist rhetoric the "skit" he did several weeks ago where he was drinking wine with a woman holding a Nancy Pelosi mask over her face. Beck "joked" about putting poison in "Ms. Pelosi's" wine.
That skit sounds odd from someone who claims to be Mormon.
One they're raised to respect authority, including secular/civil
And drinking wine or any alcoholic beverages is verbotten in the Word of Wisdom, along with smoking.
Come to think of it, not sure if Beck was pretending to drink wine himself, but he most definitely "joked" about putting poison in the Pelosi character's wine.
Forgot to add...if they're raised to "respect authority," beck certainly doesn't do this for Obama.
I disagree - reading Beck's (and the other hatemongers') words in print does not always have the same impact. Sometimes, you really do have to watch them and listen out for what they're saying and the intent behind what they say.
Obama makes a speech. They take his words and twist them to all hell. I read their take on his speech in print the next day - I might believe they're right. If I hadn't heard the man speak for myself and KNOW that they're taking him out of context.
Same with Beck, Limbaugh and the rest. It's important to listen to them sometimes - even though I can only take them in small doses before I'm filled with such loathing and disgust it's all I can do not to want to slap them in their evil, lying mouths...or worse. But it's important to know what they're saying and the manner they say it in..if for no other reason that to be better equipped to fight their rhetoric.
beck is akin to a 'morning zoo' shock jock, where the success of one's antics in capturing and capitalizing on people's emotions (be it carnal, humor, fear, etc) is dependent on the continual upping of the shock-ante. almost by definition you can't shock someone by repeating the same thing day after day--no, the claims/stunts have to build.
notably though, beck is not simply going for the cheap laugh, or the titillating stunt, but he is pushing a larger agenda based on fear and hate. but, like the shock jocks, he (along with all the other right wing talkers) has to continually increase the shock factor--or jeopardize his shrill-position, as someone else will step in to fill the void.
color of change was able to use beck's ever-increasing insanity to hit beck where it hurt the most: ad revenue. thus, van jones had to be taken out. and van jones was much more susceptible to public pressure than glenn beck.
van jones and others--despite the political body-blow to jones career--were on the right path. if organizations and individuals make a constant effort to tie extremism to corporate brands then far right hate speech will find a more and more difficult time finding sponsors.
Beck is a spectacle, a carnival side show act, a curiousity. The more outrageous(bat-shit crazy) he is, the more attention he gets. BTW, a study as shown that rubbernecking causes more auto accidents than cell phone use. The Right uses this knowledge to their advantage.
I want Glenn Beck PROVE to me that he's not a member of the nazi party. I mean, he's got blue eyes, blond hair, he's German, he's a rapid right-winger. Has he ever denied being a member of the nazi party? What's he hiding?
This is what turning the tables on Beck would look like.
How can FOX lose when the administration flat out says that they are right ? Beck brings to light the fact that he called Repugs "assholes" and signed a 911 truth document. Big fucking deal. Van Jones should have channeled Repug responses to "liberal media" accusations during the Bush years and told Beck to go piss up a rope. Instead he fucking RESIGNS ????
There you go shitheads, you have just enpowered FOX news as the conscience of America . I guess the president IS an illegal alien, muslim , commie-loving child indoctrination racist. Or , as we may finally verify on Wednesday, just another corporate whore.
to show that he stands behind his people. It's not like letting Van go will silence the shouters, it will energize them and they will move on to another appointee. Somewhere along the line, the Prez has to say "enough of this bull crap!"
for a politician, like pres obama, who wants to govern from the center-right, it is politically untenable to defend anyone who has any connection (however minimal) to the 911 truth movement, imo
a president that stands by someone who's out drinking and shots his buddy in the face, drowns the city of New Orleans, or outs a CIA agent.
Why is it that democrats always resign while the GOP just keeps putting on their diapers while on their way to their hooker's apartment?
...and he is working on loosing the left. Are there enough centrists to get him re-elected?
My Father always told me to dance with the gal you took to the prom. It has always seemed like good advice to me.
i think obama is making a politically-fatal mistake in trying to court the right and abandon the left.
your dad had some good advice--and obama would be well-served if he followed it.
I saw a very good special on PBS that only dealt with the intelligence we had before the strike and our governments responce to 9/11. To me, there are still many questions to be answered.
As far as the Bush Adm. planning and bringing down the buildings, well, I just don't think there was nearly the compitence there for that feat.
competence
....but I think you get the drift.
Dean: Don't craft health care for single GOP vote
my comment about the truthers was less based on evidence that the truthers have for their claims, and more about the political-mainstream acceptance of even asking the questions in the first place...
if that makes sense
and point taken.
[Enough is enough, bauer. Our policy on the topic pre-dates David's time at this blog. We have been deleting comments related to 9/11 conspiracy theory, pro or con, for years. There was a point where the comments sections of wholly unrelated blog posts were dominated by arguments over the topic. There are plenty of other sites that exist for no other reason than to address perspectives of the topic. Please make your arguments there. Site Monitor (not David)]
Nice.
Since when can you call the President any sort of vile, despicable crap, but its not OK to call the people doing it assholes?
Something is seriously wrong with the way all of this is being handled.
The GOP is now feeling empowered, and rather than working on filling the 40% of seats still sitting unfilled, the GOP will start trying to pick off the filled seats one by one.
Pretty soon we'll have no functioning department and Grover Norquist will ave achieved his patriotic dream of drowning the US government in a bathtub.
When you walk past the snake cage, at the zoo, you yell, "Hey snake!"
Isn't calling the right @ssholes, the same thing?
this was a 21st century lynching!
its time to setup protests and teaparty's outside the news corpse building, and murdochs world headquarters, 24 hour union led shifts in front of the world to see.....
where is the seiu and afl-cio? get some union teamsterlike balls, and bring out the troops.... the old teamsters would be kicking ass of the aryian nation of fux.
the war on you has begun and you are sitting on the sidelines!!! kickoff was 7 months ago, and you have yet to get a first down.....
get out on the streets with the real workers of america, who have little or no health insurance...you are the silent majority now.....
the seiu has numbers to do it....
The question you have to ask yourself is: What does Glenn Beck do when he's NOT in front of the camera or in front of the microphone. Does he walk the talk? Does he live the rest of his life practicing what he preaches? Does his $4 million mansion fit in with what he tells the rest of his viewers/listeners? How many of them live in houses that big? How many of them even know that's where he lives? How many of his unemployed listeners who lack health insurance has he helped out by paying for a year's insurance for them? How many of his listeners or viewers have received money from Glenn so they do not lose their homes? Do the paparazzi follow him? If so, where do they follow him to? If not, why not?
Glenn Beck is only human. He is not some god. There is no Glenn Beck mystique. We already know he is a self-proclaimed recovering alcoholic and recovering drug addict. What else has he done that smacks of hypocracy that might interest the rest of us? What drugs did he do? Where did he get them? Why doesn't he rail against the alcoholic beverage industry? Why doesn't he rail against the drug cartels?
There is no secret to Glenn Beck. If you're serious about taking him down, all you have to do is dig.
Can I dig a hole in his front yard and take a dump in it?
Any time that Beck spews any of his violent or racist rhetoric we should each send a complaint to the FCC.
If the FCC gets more than one complaint on any specific incident, they are bound to investigate it. If they get numerous complaints on numerous incidents for the same show, they will start to pressure the station to at least tone it down, or possibly fine the show.
This is what the Religious Wrong does to get shows off the air - including the excellent comedy 'That's My Bush', because they thought making fun of the President was inappropriate. Assholes!
Beck tries to pass his BS off as freedom of speech, but it is not. He is making slanderous accusations against our President, Van Jones, and many others. This is NOT protected speech! It is time for all of us to start hammering the FCC with complaints saying that we will not stand by while Glen Beck tries to destroy innocent lives!
Writing his boss would sure be a waste of ink.
Not if you send them cheques
Made out in invisible ink.
I watch Glenn Beck and It seems to me that he either is asking questions that the main stream media should be asking and almost everything he states, he backs it with where the information is for you to even look up.
With a name like backhoe, I'm not sure I can believe that you do.
Actually multiple copies of Mein Kampf is available at any public library.
Now.
has been signed in for less than 1/2 hour. Don't expect too much.
Aren't you glad that Unions have given you a day off so you now have the free-time to sign up just 20 minutes ago, to post your drivel?
I know I am.
... you are fully-caffinated this AM.
I haaatttee sobriety...
I guess the glenntards have the day off today. They seem to be dropping in here like o'er ripe seagull scat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vZlyfa28iQ
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