It's bad enough that Beck is incoherent, but the flat falsehoods are fatal
By David Neiwert Wednesday Apr 29, 2009 5:00pm
We all know that Glenn Beck is making a career out of saying bizarre things and getting all kinds of facts wrong.
Yesterday he was downright brazen about trotting out flat falsehoods as part of his rants. The first came when he started ripping President Obama for supposedly overusing his teleprompter. In the process, he resurrected the myth of Saint Sarah "Evita" Palin and how she read her entire speech without the use of a teleprompter after it broke down on her.
Well, yeah, except said story is complete BS, though that didn't prevent Palin from repeating it anyway.
But, as with all right-wing populists, the myth and its maintenance are more important than piddling little facts.
Such as Beck's subsequent rant about the New York City flyover fiasco, in which he painted a portrait of the scene that made it seem as though Obama himself were on board the plane:
Beck: Then yesterday we had the 'secret photo op' of Air Force One flying over Manhattan. Which gave a lot of people flashbacks to 9/11. See all those people on the street? They were evacuating buildings. These people are running in fear because the president flew his plane over for a photo shoot! He's yelling at General Motors, and now he's yelling at Chrysler -- which the unions own, and we own -- General Motors -- Now, he talks to them about coming to meet Congress on their private planes. But he's taking Air Force One, a jumbo 747, out from Virginia to fly it up to New York for a photo op!
In case there's any confusion besides Beck's (which can't be fixed, it seems): Obama not only was nowhere near the plane's flight (this was only one of several planes that serve as AF1), he was furious that it had been authorized at all.
But telling his audience that would ruin Beck's little fable.
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You mean, Obama wasn't the pilot, having a laugh riot inside the cockpit? Who could have known?
a truth in television news law? I mean, if a "news" organization is going to call themselves "news" then spout outrageous obvious lies, then they should be legally called on it and punished.
But no....just as long as our precious babies don't heard bad words, it's okay.
At the least, maybe it would force FOX from calling themselves "news", and equate them with tabloid trash.
I would support a warning, as in, "these are merely opinions". Right here on the internet people are required to indicate "advertisement".
Have to put up the word "commentary" whenever an anchor went on a opinionated tirade. I had to have that word ready to pull up with certain anchors. I'm not sure if it was a requirement back then (80s) or just accepted TV etiquette.
Yep.
if you're continually delivering misinformation and what are KNOWN to be flat out lies.
I don't care if they have a separate network called Fox Opinion, but it's FALSE ADVERTISING to peddle lies as news.
You can't run an ad for a car that says it gets 120 mph if it only gets 50. How is this any different?
in other areas. "Our (for those sharing the same belief system) Father (not biological), Who (no proof of such existence) Art In Heaven (unsubstantiated claim debunked following manned flight to the heavens)..."
"...until death do us part (an archaic expression without contemporary significance)..."
"Anderson Cooper 360 (12 degrees at best)..."
Let me just say that the photo shopped image beck's goons came up with is pretty pathetic lol. Pick images from around the same perspective next time idiots.
I wouldn't expect the folks who wrecked the country to be able to do anything right, including photoshop.
Glenn Beck said something nonsensical and unhinged.
..Beck actually saying something noteworthy would be NEWS..oh wait, that's sarcasm, right?
One can never underestimate the insect, Beck.. but I'm still waiting for the Whitehouse to announce some action regarding those responsible for the flight, perhaps that came tonight.
..of the fact that the military craft following AF1 were there partly for a training OP. Now, maybe that's just BS and someone pulling a "CYA" but it certainly sounded plausible.
nonsense about the flight being "wasteful."
The pilots and the aircraft have to have certain training requirements met monthly. The planes go into the air. Whether they circle Arlington for a few hours or go up to New York and back doesn't make on damn bit of difference. It's like saying that going running doesn't count as exercise if you go through the park because that's sightseeing.
Are you nuts. That little joy ride cost the taxpayers about $300,000.00. But it's not much, I guess, if you don't pay taxes.
Regarding the authorization of the flight. You're damn right Obama knew...... He has two 747's at his disposal. He has to know where both are at all times. One of those planes doesn't turn a wheel without him being notified....
Seriously, did you even read what I wrote? Training flights are required. They went up to New York and took photos on this training flight. If they hadn't, the plane would still have been up and flying to fulfill training requirements.
Jeez, try getting informed before you parrot Glenn Beck.
and listen and observe. And what I got out of all the queries was that no one wanted to own up to authorization of the flight. Gibbs et al, stood there with their thumbs up their asses trying to avoid answering. What I'm saying is that everyone from the top on down knew....
You don't know shit about who knew!
is that the two(not several)747 that serve as AF1 do not fly until secret service is notified and gives the go ahead, and the Pres is notified of it before the fact, because he is not allowed to fly unless the backup is available.
Also for it being a photo op, where was the camera plane? A F-16 doesn't have the equipment for those type of photos.
You might have had some semblance of an argument until your last sentence negated everything before it. You don't know squat about who knew what when. Peddle your concern elsewhere.
Go sell that b.s. about training flights in those two 747's in particular. The pilots get their training alright, but it's not from joyriding in those two jets...
quite proud of your ignorance.
Where, other than in the aircraft that they fly, are pilots going to train?
Dumbass.
as simulators, you know. BTW, a minor technicality, the aircraft is only AF1 when the President is on board.
how much would it have cost if the planes had sat on the tarmac? $290,000? the planes still exist, the pilots still get paid, the AT controllers still get paid...everything except burning diesel still has to be paid for. and that's accepting your point that this wasn't a training exercise which i dont accept. when i was in the military we did as much double duty as we could.
You never know when he's going to cry, get crazy eyes or incite his knuckledragging listeners to revolution. Padded cell please.
I can't wait until some idiot wingnut comments on Obama's plane flight on this other little blog I read. It is going to be fun.
...struck up a conversation with me over the Deepak Chopra book I'm reading but it seemed pretty clear her book interest was more of an ice breaker to ask me if I knew anything about the flyover incident. She didn't understand what all the anger was about on the radio show she'd tuned in. I advised her that a lot of talk radio is like that. She responded that was pretty apparent from what she heard.
We then briefly talked about aircraft recognition.
neither did bush 1 or reagan
here is the dif...they put the prompter under the main camera...so it appeared that they were looking right at you while they were reading
this is such a bogus argument
box under his right shoulder. That's a step away from being Karl's ventriloquist dummy.
Is supposed to show that Palin is a superior orator to Omama.
In the Republican mind (such as it is) it is Obama's speaking skills that attracted people to him, not his superior ideas, intellect or judgement.
Just as they thought they could trot out their own female candidate and fool women, they thought that elevating Palins speech making ability she could rival Obams.
They refuse to believe that people don't prefer Republican policies.
I think it was Jon Stewart that put together a montage of Palin's speeches and it was the same old cliches over and over, with a little, "Thanks, but no thanks" and "pallin' around with terrorists" thrown in.
She could not stray from her speechwriter's talking points, which were very simple so she wouldn't screw them up.
"Say it ain't so, Joe."
Tokyo Rose couldn't say it better.
Repitition is standard with stump speeches.
Now she's just biden her time to 2012.
they haven't been calling all of us cowardly, Frenchified Unamericans who deserve to be terrified because we're a bunch of terrorist-loving liberals. But that would require the wingnuts to have a stable perspective, and that they don't.
and that they don't.
he makes stoopid statements to have people look at him....... more to the point
PLEASE RANK THESE IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.....
global warming
economy
swine flu
affordable healthcare
world opinion of USA
war in IRAQ
obama uses teleprompter
educational decline in the US
EXACTLY...... BECK IS ONLY FIT TO DISCUSS "the most important issues"
but he even stole the photoshop line at the end from THE DAILY SHOW! What he is is just a perfect example of what the right consider valid commentary. There is no originality in this guy. I've actuall heard that his writers scour blog comments for 'the people's perspective' and he just regurgitates the talking points on tv.
In other words the man is undoubtedly just telling the audience what they want to hear and moreover what they already are saying. This is why/where, in my humble opinion, organized religion has it's biggest flaw... in having someone stand in front of a congregation and give a sermon. Especially when that man in front of the congregation wants MONEY! Right Beck?
Why do so many people use such castrato language? First Glenn Greenwald, now C&L. The word "falsehood" is such a limp, pathetic weasel word. Use the word that describes this clown best: LIAR.
It's hard to take someone seriously when they can't use plain English.
he's just repeating the talking points and framing limbaugh and hannity and he have been pounding the country with all day long
A brainwashing technique?
presuppose that their audience HAD brains to begin with?
Anyone with a brain would listen to anything else.
We do not need to report on works of fiction as though they are worthy of being reported on. Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly are soap operas. We don't read about soap operas on C&L as though it's real news of the day. Why are we treating this mf'ers as though they are legitimate in any way shape or form? They are in the newertainment business. It's fiction.
Because their viewers don't know its fiction. And those same viewers are your neighbors, the guy who delivers your mail, the lady who does your hair, etc.
because they're treated as a legitimate news outlet rather than as a complete farce.
hey, i give thanks to those that watch fox so i don't have to. i sometimes try to watch fox but i can't anymore. i will say there is some means to this madness. it's a good idea to keep an eye on what the right/media says. they are masters of linguistics specifically deception. checks
and balances even on the "entertainment shows" there are people that don't cross reference and believe a lot of what they hear.
You know, the one ambushing cops.
A technique first advocated by G. Gordon, I believe.
"the guy who delivers your mail"
I take exception to that! I can only think of a couple of morons in our office of 200 that listens to those whackjobs. I deliver mail. PLease don't use my occupation as an example.
Sheesh
But you can see how the casual viewer picks up little lies like that and runs with them.
And it's dangerous. How many people believe Al Gore said he invented the internet, even though he never did? How many people believe Saddam was involved with 9/11 even though he had nothing to do with it?
It's bloody dangerous.
There simply is no such thing. The very nature of the right-wingers is that they are elitists with no interest in what is good for the people. The rank and file of the Right have been duped into believing that if they obey their masters then they will have an elevated position and not be subject to the rules the rest of us live by.
Lou Dobbs?
Dobbs isn't a Right-winger. He might be described as a Moderate, but he is definitely not a Right-winger.
are you kidding me? Dobbs is definitely a right-winger.
Dobbs is not only a RW. He's a xenophobe of the highest order.
well, it has finally happened---
that bendy straw that beck uses for his
drinks while he is on air has just
gotten stuck up his ass and beck
can't stop sucking on it......
Haha funny.
Glenn Beck a talking asshole calls Obama a "talking head".
a kind of anti-Cassandra. Nothing he predicts ever happens but people actually believe him.
in that case, he is doomed to always be wrong and have people believe him...
It is the long temporal connotation of the term "always" that scares the sh*t out of me, as it implies Beck is going to be with us for a while. God help us...
I'm not sure if I prefer this Cassandra
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons...
Or this Cassandra
http://ugly-halloween-costumes.com/scary/Elvi...
But if here were like the Delphic Oracles he could be babbling his ass off, and others like would have to interpret for him
Kind of like Nostradamus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8WmvMCTW_g
What does it prove? She is a better actor than Obama?
is that this nutcake is making multi-millions because he has a supportive audience. Only in the U.S. of A.!
land of the arseholes that would fuck you for a dollar. Wave your flag sheeps! Put on those blinders while the coffins get back! Fuck you Beck! Your America FUCKING SUCKS! Go cry a river you fucking fake arsehole and count your money! bitch!
tweet tweet, boing, wall smash! nuff said!
I still don't think most Americans fully understand the seriousness of the catastrophe averted by a Democrat win during last election. Seriously.
How can flat out blatant lies like this on the public airwaves be legal ? Does free speech go so far as to protect even this ? These ass holes are a public menace , they really are . Only in America the " beautiful " . Truth and sanity needs to be restored to the airwaves .
Hey Lurk , Amen to that !
Just look at Ted Haggard. His actions went COMPLETELY against the moral code of his own flock! God People! He turned out to be a drug abusing gay man! Where was the outrage? Was there even one of them who wanted him dead for that? He's back in church receiving forgiveness for the devil's doing, right?
Even if Beck was caught off camera admitting to bullshitting his audience and saying something like "these assholes lap this shit up and I'm making fucking millions from it. Pass me some more of those eye drops that help make me cry. Now watch this..." there would be an unspeakable number of them still supporting him. It's insane.
but it reminds me of the fiancee of the Craig's List killer saying she still loves him! Glenn Beck's audience would be the same way toward him.
I think that Glenn Beck and his ilk just enjoy demonizing their enemies because it plays to the base and gets them the big bucks.
Rush Limbaugh, after the 2006 mid-terms, was so angry that he said he was tired of "carrying water" for the Bush Administration. They know that they are lying - they don't believe their own BS.
Glenn Beck is just paying homage to Gilda Radner's portrayal of Emily Litella - except after HIS fact free rants there is no "never mind" signifying that he understands that he was in error.
Unfortunately, I think Beck has a legitimate point nestled among all the lies and B.S. What a waste of money and pollution to shoot this photo op. Update the file photo?
And a stupid decision to unnecessarily panic a whole lot of people.
..especially if it incorporated a training OP but it was the secrecy that caused the problem. Brian Williams had the best idea:they should've announced it publicly and invited everyone down to Battery Park or Liberty Park to see and photograph it. The flight itself was a thing of beauty in the blue skies over the Statue of Liberty but by not alerting the public, they shot themselves in the foot. Hopefully this administration learns from its mistakes. I've forgiven them, can't you?
What's funny is that they probably didn't tell a lot of people because of security concerns, standard operational procedures with presidents now days, and especially after 9-11. But then they created a security panic with their taciturnity.
They're running out of things to criticize if they resort to criticizing Obama for using a teleprompter. If they read it from a paper or from a teleprompter, who cares? If they memorize it and forget half of it, who cares? Who would ever know?
But the people who are glued to FoxNews lap this stuff up. It doesn't matter that the teleprompter has been used for years now.
Is this man insane? Or just another lying republican fool?
You decide.
Why the or?
Thankfully normal Americans are on to Repugs and they will soon go the way of the Whigs. Flush them down the toilet with the rest of the waste and end their painful-to-watch whining death rattle. Glen Beck? Sarah Palin? Joe the Unlicensed Plumber and Rush the drug-addled closeted anti-gay gay? These are their leaders! I would laugh but unfortunately the joke has been on US as we have suffered under the weight of their dead ideology whose policies have benefited the few at the expense of the many. Their very ideals are anti-democratic, anti-"We The People" and Anti-American. Keep talking Glenn! We are in the last days of the "Reagan Revolution" and every word he utters means that day will come sooner! THANK GOD!
And a mistake. Whoever authorized that retarded trip in AF1 showed an absolutely appalling lack of perspective. Apalling. Truly a boneheaded move. Ultimately, the president is responsible.
Here's what Obama said when asked about the incident:
"It was a mistake, as was stated ... and it will not happen again."
That's a presidential response. He took responsibility. I respect that.
Glenn Beck is an asshat, a provacateur and bad for America. He is a lunatic. But that doesn't change the fact that someone screwed up big time.
The bedwetter, crybaby, Beck is ranting, raving and driving more Reslugs away and for that I thank the mentally ill idiot.
what an idiot...who is he preaching to? this guy is just off...but he's relating to a slice of the american ppl.
i just wonder if all this krazy talk is just for entertainment value...but theres some ppl that take his talk seriously...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDpl7Kz0rxU
I wouldn't bother to write songs about someone I simply disagree with politically. I'm a political independent. So, it's not his fear-based political philosophy... entirely.
For me, it's the fact that he claims to be "man of principle". Yet, he admittedly lives by principles when it's convenient. (Or good for his ratings.) Those, then are not principles.
His recent show with a studio filled with "regular people" who attended tea parties was insulting at a core level, offending my sense of Reason in soooo many ways.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDpl7Kz0rxU
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