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Friday, April 8, 2011

The Fall of Glenn Beck




The karmic trajectory of Glenn Beck's life ought to be an

A
llegory



for the Republican Party, the Tea Party, and America. We’ll get into this in the conclusion.

The Daily Beast: America’s Ten Worst Demagogues.

Who is Glenn Beck?

Glenn Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative radio and television host, author, entrepreneur, and political commentator. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks; and also a cable news show on the Fox News Channel.

Beck has authored six New York Times-bestselling books. He is the founder and CEO of Mercury Radio Arts, a multimedia production company through which he produces content for radio, television, publishing, the stage, and the Internet.
                                                                                Wikepedia

Mr. Beck has been both an effective communicator who has caused real-world results, and a controversial one who has made many enemies.

You Can Leave a Comment Here

How Others See the Glenn Beck “Transitioning”

New York Times David Carr
Mr. Beck, a conservative Jeremiah and talk-radio phenomenon, burst into television prominence in 2009 by taking the forsaken 5 p.m. slot on Fox News and turning it into a juggernaut.

A conjurer of conspiracies who spotted sedition everywhere he looked, Mr. Beck struck a big chord and ended up on the cover of Time magazine




and The New York Times Magazine, and held rallies all over the country that were mobbed with acolytes. He achieved unheard-of ratings, swamped the competition and at times seemed to threaten the dominion of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity at Fox.

But a funny thing happened on the way from the revolution. Since last August, when he summoned more than 100,000 followers to the Washington mall for the “Restoring Honor” rally, Mr. Beck has lost over a third of his audience on Fox — a greater percentage drop than other hosts at Fox. True, he fell from the great heights of the health care debate in January 2010, but there has been worrisome erosion — more than one million viewers — especially in the younger demographic.

He still has numbers that just about any cable news host would envy and, with about two million viewers a night, outdraws all his competition combined. But the erosion is significant enough that Fox News officials are willing to say — anonymously, of course; they don’t want to be identified as criticizing the talent — that they are looking at the end of his contract in December and contemplating life without Mr. Beck.
David Carr also said, “The problem with “Glenn Beck” is that it has turned into a serial doomsday machine that’s a bummer to watch.”

“He used to be a lot funnier,” said David Von Drehle, who wrote an article in Time magazine.

He was the befuddled everyman and something entirely new, but the longer people have listened to his ranting and raving, the wearier they become. Now you are just getting down to diehards. I mean, how many people were in the Waco compound at the end? A couple of hundred?

Why Fox Dumped Beck

The ratings for the first quarter of 2011 revealed Beck's show had lost close to a third of its audience compared with the same stretch a year ago, when his viewership peaked at 2.78 million. Among advertiser-prized viewers ages 25 to 54, he was down almost 40 percent, and advertisers increasingly were shunning him.

Beck, and Fox for Beck’s time slot, has lost more than 300 advertisers. Below is a compilation of some of these.


Companies Boycotting Beck

Both Liberals and Conservatives Are Happy About the Move

Liberals are gleeful that a far right-wing guy is going down. Conservatives see Beck as giving conservatism, and Fox News, a bad name.

Bill Kristol


Neoconservative columnist Bill Kristol in The Weekly Standard, Feb 14, 2011



Hysteria is not a sign of health. When Glenn Beck rants about the caliphate taking over the Middle East from Morocco to the Philippines, and lists (invents?) the connections between caliphate-promoters and the American left, he brings to mind no one so much as Robert Welch and the John Birch Society. Hejavascript:void(0)’s marginalizing himself, just as his predecessors did back in the early 1960s.
Kristol's words drew an approving nod from National Review’s Rich Lowry, a rare public repudiation of the influential Fox host from a conservative elite that quietly dislikes him.

From calling President Obama racist, then taking back the statement, to the consistent use of Nazi and Holocaust imagery, Beck was upsetting more than just Jewish groups.

Not an American Tragedy

Of course, the “fall” of Glenn Beck isn’t really an American tragedy, as he will have other projects, many of them lucrative. He has sold four million books, has high talk-radio ratings, a successful Web site, The Blaze, and a stage performance that packs ‘em in. His company, Mercury Radio Arts, had more than $30 million in revenue last year.

Beck’s fall is sort of comparable to the “fall” of Katie Couric, who was forced out of the first mainstream media news anchor job for a female over at CBS. She too, will have much power and moneymaking opportunities, so no one should feel sorry for her.

Still, both of them have “fallen.”

The Most Positive Man in America

Of course, I was never entirely happy with Beck. I even thought his Restoring Honor, the best thing he ever did, was a religious revival, when I was expecting something politically uplifting. Still, it’s a free country, and Beck made that choice. It was because of that chosen path, in fact, I think, that he was so popular at that time. He seemed like the most optimistic man in America.

See my earlier post on Beck, when I was more upbeat about him, Beck, Palin, and the Tea Party.

Beck and Palin at Restoring Honor
No more.

My feelings about Beck used to be about 90% positive and 10% negative. My judgment of him has moved from that to about 10% positive now and 90% negative. I even feel he has slid into unethical behaviors.

Let me start with my positive feelings about Beck.

The Good

Beck took the world by storm when the Glenn Beck TV program opened on the Fox News Channel on Jan 19, 2009. It reached the height of its all-time ratings in March of that year, 3,074,000 million viewers, outpacing the total of all his timeslot competitors combined. He was second on Cable News only to Bill O’Reilly, who beat him by only 81,000 viewers. He became a favorite guest on “The O’Reilly Factor,” where Bill’s affection for him was obvious. Fox was proud of him.

He was the king of moneymaking, with books on the New York Times bestsellers lists and projects that always worked.

The pinnacle of his success was the Restoring Honor rally on the steps of the the Lincoln Memorial, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He was beloved by millions, and still is.

That Chalkboard

Beck and His Famous Chalkboard
At first, his chalkboard lectures were wondrous, instructive, and useful. He did reveal things that no one in America was talking about. He was very helpful to our nation in pointing out Barrack Obama’s radical, leftist associations. He helped demystify the "Annointed One" mystique about Obama and cut him down to size as a political hack with Chicago thug tactics. All this was in part responsible for both Obama’s lowered ratings and the rise of the Tea Party, who were much in alignment with Glenn Beck’s value system.

Research Par Excellence

He was, and remains, the best researcher in the media. Too bad the mainstream media don’t do this much homework. Beck is infamous for finding 99 degrees of separation. If Barrack Obama had coffee one day with Bill Ayers’s cousin, Beck would find it. Thus, he was able to uncover that indeed Barrack has mostly associated his whole life with radical left-wingers, and made statements on the record affirming his socialist tendencies. We wouldn’t have known all this in the slightest without Beck.

Thank You, Glenn

Like him or not, Glenn has trumpeted several wonderful things. He has sought to elevate family values, religion, patriotism, a return to conservatism, and honoring both America and the “common man.”

He took down radical socialist Van Jones from the Obama Administration, and removed the unethical, criminal, and election frauding Obama ally ACORN from their nefarious activities, among others.

He has also uncovered the associations between far left organizations like Media Matters, and other left-wing sites like The Huffington Post, and unsavory characters like George Soros. Or, as Glenn Beck calls him, “Spooky Dude.”

Modern Liberals

John F. Kennedy
I have long felt that modern liberals have left their dignified roots as exhibited, in my opinion, by FDR, Truman, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. While conservatives might not agree with the policies of these liberal giants, they were decent men, not demagogues, and with America’s interest in mind. Plus, they were sensible. All of them were strong on defense, and pro business.

All this is a far cry from today’s liberals, who have morphed into vicious demagogues without conscience, like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Obama himself more resembles Pelosi and Reid than any of the liberal giants of the past, let alone Abraham Lincoln.

Spot On

Beck was able to paint modern liberals exactly as they are. He showed us their socialist and even communist connections and sentiments. He, along with the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and others, helped conservatives win a majority in the House of Representatives and take back some of the Senate. This started with the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts to Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat. An astounding achievement.

And Much More

Beck is also a great entertainer. He started as a DJ, can play characters, complete with a great voice and clowning around.

The Bad

I was among the first conservatives on the Web and on Twitter to start criticizing Beck. I had some arguments with his devotees, and lost some followers myself because of my critiques. I gained some followers too.

At first, my complaints about him were that he was constantly finding conspiracies. He was paranoid, full of doom and gloom, and always afraid, communicating that fear to all of America.

Beck is Accurate, But ...

I never took issue with Beck on what he discovered with his impeccable research. For example, yes there are conspiracies going on all over the world right this very moment. Beck has found several of them. Islamic radicals do want a worldwide caliphate. Unions are connected with communist radicals. Some communist radicals are associated with some radical Islamofascists. Obama has had lifelong associations with domestic terrorists, socialists, and even communists.

Faulty Analysis

What I dispute are Beck’s interpretations of what he finds, and their implications. What he ignores is that there always have been, and always will be conspiracies, people who hate America, those who are plotting America’s downfall, and so on. This began with the Revolutionary War, and will continue as long as America exists.

Reason to Tremble?

Finding conspiracies doesn’t mean that any of these will succeed. It even doesn’t follow that any of them are worth worrying about. We can thank Glenn Beck for making us aware of some of these actual plots. Knowing they exist can afford us the chance to prepare, and to prevent their fruition. But we can curse him for making us afraid. An afraid America creates Depressions, isolationism, hatreds, more fears, and self-destructive behaviors.

Valid Fears and an Open Mind

Some of his fears are valid. Obama does seem to be solely educated by leftist radical family, friends, associates, and schooling. As such, he probably does have a bias against business, a negative view of America, an anti-military feeling, and so on. These are real.

Even here, though, Beck ignores the fact that Obama can learn. Perhaps he’ll never be a centrist, but he has accepted being forced to the middle in his policies. So much so that he now has problems with his radical left base. Remember, Reagan was a fervent Democrat before he became the darling of the conservatives.

The Ugly

Beck has not only flirted with unethical behavior, he eventually became mired in it.

He was locked in to a dark vision of the world, the end times, and the ruination of the United States, its currency, and economy. His main message became, prepare for the coming apocalypse.

While he was actually preaching that money would become useless soon, he was scrambling to increase his earned millions. He would advise listeners to take their money out of the stock market, all the while it was going up. At the same time he was running down America, in a distinctly un-conservative, un-Reagonesque manner, he was peddling everything you need for the catastrophes to come. Gold, food insurance, disaster supplies.
Glenn Peddling Food Insurance
Locked in to his dark view of the world, he was profiting from it. So, he had to outdo himself every day in coming up with something new about which to be afraid.


This is all unethical, and immoral.

The Moral of the Story

Lessons for Beck

For my personal taste, Beck became too religious, too apocalyptic, too much doom and gloom, too opportunistic in peddling disaster products while preaching the end of times, too paranoid, and too empowering of those who really are involved in conspiracies. He is not a conservative, in my view, because conservatives are happy, love their country, and root for it to succeed.

All Beck had to do to keep his kingdom was to shift gears into the persona of a winner. Instead, he reverted to the raving maniac of his alcoholic years. He ends his Fox career, the highest
Huey Long
peak he will ever reach, much like Joe McCarthy, Huey Long, and other demagogues, who stayed locked in their negative paranoia’s.

He has become the political equivalent, in my opinion, of Art Bell’s Coast to Coast, UFO watchers, the John Birch Society, and all the conspiracy theorists who believe such things as Lee Harvey Oswald did not kill John F. Kennedy.


UFO?

Lessons for the Rest of Us

The lesson for Republicans, and for the Tea Party, is that Americans might passionately love you today because you have a clear heartfelt message that seems to lead to the Promised Land. But, they expect you to stay reasonable. Beck left the reservation.

Republicans and the Tea Party are misreading their election mandate, and are becoming irrational. Americans did not want them to dismantle the social safety net, support for the arts, and for NPR. They just wanted reasonable spending. Eventually, most Americans will reject radical solutions to our very real problems.

God Bless You Glenn

The Young Beck

You will succeed in other ways, I’m sure. Take care of yourself. We loved you. We wish you well.


Stay away from booze. And, avoid reading the Book of Revelations.

Your Comments are Welcome Here


                                                      Rock

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Your Opinion Matters

63 comments:

Rhonda said...

While I agree with you on nearly everything you have wrote a few things still nag at me. On his Restoring Honor Rally I too was hoping for a more political rally rather than a religious one, but I feel the resulting rally was in part shaped due more to circumstances from lefts outrage, demagogy & protests to it, rather than any “vision” Mr. Beck may have had. Turning it into more of a “Religious” gathering helped to more insure the safety of the families that attended. Rather than a political rally which would entail costumes, signage and chants. I think it went over very well; there has not been a gathering like that in this country for a long time & it was a breath of fresh air filled with hope.
On finding Conspiracies: I am in awe of his staff. They have done a tremendous job on researching & exposing so many things about this administration that we would have never known. They have helped expose the ideological differences between the Left & Right. Beck was able to put together this huge pile of fragments, threads & associations in such a way that they made sense and yes using the chalkboard was brilliant.
Where our biggest differences come about is: I don’t see him as making America afraid, I thank him for waking us up. I’m not afraid, I’m determined, I’m glad he put his information out there for American’s to look at, study, research & act on it. He’s had a huge influence on us going back and taking another look at our history, to study things we were never taught in school. I am appreciative of that. I’ve been a heavy reader all my life, but this last year… well let’s just say Amazon loves me too. He’s been instrumental in helping the Tea Party & bringing ordinary Americans together with a common goal. Of course finding conspiracies doesn’t mean they will all come true, there have always been little weasels plotting Americans demise in their basements. I was still a kid in the 60’s but I remember the bombs, the plane jackings, hostages, bank robberies, assassinations the strife between cops & youth. And it is still some of the Same people today. America was on fire then, these periods come & go. Right now we are in the middle of another one and it’s about the money, entitlements and our children’s future.

I think our Country & Government is in the midst of another “change” right now. Due in large part to social media & internet. Communications between the People & government is instant rather than later. The Representatives of the people are exposed more than they ever have been to the scrutiny of the people. People instead of looking at DC as something they have no voice in; realize that they can shape the conversation. We also learned that sometimes no matter how much the people howl & protest it doesn’t matter, they do what they want. This has made us more determined to change out the people in the system, that have been there far too long.

Personally I don’t believe Obama can learn. I think you can force him toward the middle but he’s always going to side step back to the left. The only check & balance for him is a strong Congress & Senate to control what goes to his desk & defund what’s got thru. We do have to worry about those pesky little executive orders though don’t we? And the Czars. And his wars.

Rhonda said...

I want to state for the record I have never bought from gold line and I haven’t bought food storage. Although I will say that long before Beck I have collected coins, guns & old cars. This was a turn off for me, but owning my own business I understand making a profit, so I ignore. I also plant my own garden & have for years. And, horrors I can my own produce. I do stockpile some food and that lesson came from hurricane IKE, it does not take much for the supply line to be interrupted for no food to be available, so call me a horder 


All that being said, I appreciate what he has done for America in waking us up & helping to bring us together. When I think of Glenn’s day to day life and what it must be like with security, threats, just the hours involved daily to his radio, books, TV, tour, & other endeavors. I wondered how long he would be able to keep pushing it out, don’t get me wrong I don’t feel sorry for him, he’s made millions & that was his sacrifice & choice to do so, but man what a ride. I think there is more to come, weather he maintain that pinnacle that remain to be seen.

Anonymous said...

You've have quite an interesting life. Nice blog with lots of interesting info. Seems like we're sharing a similar path when it comes to spirituality, although yours is alot more interesting than mine.

Thanks for the follow.

Best regards,
Kurtis Sanders

Rock said...

Rhonda, your comments are perceptive and thoughtful. I can't say I disagree with anything you say. We have a different perspective on Beck, but I think your way of looking at him is valid also. That's why I'm torn about the man. I stick with my assessment, but your interpretation is why I do believe he has had some positive effects on America.

Thanks. If all Beck's followers are like you, than I don't think America has anything to worry about. Keep up your good work.

Oh, and about the canning, etc. I think you sound rational. Beck doesn't, IMO. He does live in fear. You live in rational preparedness.

Take care, and thanks for responding. :)

Rock said...

Kurthis, thanks for the comment, and it's nice to find someone who shares a similar pathway.

Glad to have you on Twitter.

Have a good one!

Jan Parrish said...

It's difficult for me to comment on Beck as I never watched him. I found him too extreme and depressing.

However, his seemingly sudden leave from Fox News is troubling.

Sheila said...

Mr. Obama's war chest will fit nicely into his 401K. He will leave the WH, no wiser, but richer. He will laugh at those who contributed to his retirement fund, positioning him to be King of Kenya or living like a King in Kenya. Hail to the King.

Rock said...

Sheila, this is not a serious comment, and represents the kind of discourse on Twitter. A pure mantra that anyone can say. It is an example of tribalism, where one thing is communicated, that you don't like Obama, and you're trying to be funny, and you want your "tribe" to cheer you.

I'm not an Obama fan either, but only because he promotes ideals I oppose. I didn't like this kind of treatment of Reagan and Bush, and I don't like it for Obama.

Rock said...

Jan, thanks for the comment.

Brian Miller said...

glad to see you stand up for obama even though you dont agree with him...we need more of that...not a fan of Beck, but even if he leaves he wont be hurting and i imagine he will do fine...and get some great publicity out of his own books...

Rock said...

Thanks for your comment and acknowledgement, Brian. I really didn't want Beck off the air, nor Olbermann, though I disagree with them both.

Beck will do fine, except for his ego I assume. Of course, he'll never again be as big as he was. Fox was a great platform for him, and allowed him legitimacy.

Take care, Brian.

Chipper Muse said...

Very thorough explanation of your viewpoint on Beck and very informative. I never watched him much, so it is hard for me to give a fair evaluation. I think it's unfortunate that the detailed news reporting and digging he did (or his staff did) will be lost. It's hard to find that kind of info on your own; it's so time-consuming. Yet it seems many of those who do that level of digging (Beck, Drudge, etc.) don't get and keep our attention unless they also deliver their news in a sensationalistic (read, conspiratorial) fashion. So many Americans prefer their news in safe sound bites that I wonder if objective and thorough news reporting is dead. What a sad thing to think. Yet I feel it's true nonetheless.

(And thanks for the Twitter follow. I enjoy your blog. Well written.)

Rock said...

Chipper Muse, your comments are spot on. If only a significant portion of America had your insight. I will miss Beck too, despite my critiques of him. You're right, nobody does this research better. And it's true that we Americans demand sensationalism. Too bad.

Can Beck deal with his fall? I doubt it. He's already doubling down instead of changing course. That's his choice. I still wish him well, and hope he can contribute as much as his vision allows him to.

Rock said...

Jan, can't find your Twitter address. :)

Rock said...

Brian, can't find your Twiiter address :)

Anonymous said...

Hmm.this appears to be a blog worth following.(note to future self)."greendantooine"

Rock said...

Thanks, Anonymous. Very kind of you!

Rima S. Regas said...

If our education system were any good, Beck, Limbaugh, and all the other pseudo-conservative wingnuts on the airwaves would never gained any notoriety, and would have been ridiculed from the start. The same is true of the movements these people are identified with. They simply would not have gotten off the ground.

If the conservatives think that getting rid of the likes of Beck will suffice for their "good name" to be restored, they have another thing coming. Too much has been said and done by the current crop of Tea Party freshmen. I believe (and hope too) that they will leave them, just as they've left Beck.

Rima S. Regas said...

Very nice blog, Rock! I'll certainly visit regularly.

Rock said...

Thank you Rima. Come again!

Pink Frosty said...

It's hard to believe that anyone could (and did) take Glenn Beck seriously. It's scary and a bit of a wake-up call that people share/shard his point of view.

Great looking blog btw.

http://twitter.com/#!/TheTorchdotca

Rock said...

Rima, if you contacted me via Twitter, I don't have your account there. :)

Rock said...

Regarding your second comment, unfortunately I agree with you. I am not an apologist for conservatives nor Republicans. I am a promoter of conservatism, along with some progressive ideals. While Limbaugh and the others do come closer to truth than the left, they have drifted into pure demagoguery. The great talk show hosts who retain integrity are Larry Elder, Michael Medved, and Dennis Prager, along with Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, etc.

Still, the bashing of the unemployed and non-support for unemployment insurance leads me to withdraw support for all the Republicans who voted this way, along with the talk show hosts.

On the other hand, the left is worse than the right. Rachael Maddow, Keither Olbermann, and Ed Schultz, among others, are vicious demagogues who care nothing for the poor or middle class.

The right still retains the brains, and the left uses terms like yours, "wing nuts", instead of debating issues.

I debate the issues. I've never met a modern liberal who can debate any issue without resorting to name-calling and leaving.

I believe there is a good reason for progressivism, and for conservatism. They are two different philosophies. But their followers, both sides, have dumbed down the ideals into useless ad hominem attacks and mantras. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Rock said...

Pink Frosty, you're another one who leaves no way to reach you, that is if you found me through Twitter. I can't RT you if I don't know your user name. :)

As far as Beck, goes, he's one of the smartest people in America. Unfortunately, he's an idiot savant. He lacks judgment, he's a typical ex-alcoholic, and he's mentally unbalanced. Still, he finds the truth. It's just that his interpretation of what he finds is flawed. He's a paranoid. He lives in fear.

As such, he can't stay a major leader in America. Except to a niche. Because of his intellect, discovery of facts and conspiracies, he will always have a passionate following. Much like Joe McCarthy and Huey Long.

He'll never get hundreds of thousands of people, though, again to the White House Mall. And, he'll never again have a major television show.

DKKRants said...

Pretty good points about Beck, although I don't think he was ever that valuable. And yeah, Republicans are way mishandling what they gained in the election.

Pink Frosty said...

@thetorchdotca is the twitter username

Rock said...

I disagree, DKKRants. Beck still is valuable. Nobody uncovers these kinds of facts and relationships. The MSM are the laziest group of "professionals" on the planet. I almost am happy that their profession is being superseded by bloggers. On the other hand, like I said, Beck's reaction to what he finds is flawed.

Unknown said...

At least Beck told us the truth about Soros. I never even heard of the guy until Beck brought him up and then I did my own research. Creepy stuff!

twitter.com/anthonyshelley
twitter.com/CUTango

Rock said...

I agree with you, Anthony, about Beck bringing up Soros. I had heard of him earlier, but Beck did fill in the blanks well. Spooky dude.

CMorgan said...

A well written, informative article. I would add that when I watched Beck's first few shows I thought Fox was simply using him as a transition from a previously cancelled show. I viewed Beck as a chubby 6th-grader type, doing a tongue-in-cheek parody of a conservative on some kind of contraband. Seriously! Guess I was wrong (several million viewers). But then again, maybe I was right on target. Klipp Maurin

Anonymous said...

Great stuff Rock! It is so important in the world today that people blog and debate the issues that affect their life.

PetHelper Products said...

We will admit that we came to your site because of your make a comment and get five RTs (generally doesn't happen) but we LIKE you and we are SO politically incorrect. And taking on the corrupt giants in our own little sphere of interest. So any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Your link thing seems to only want to link to Blogger Blogs, but we definitely plan to follow, read in Feedly, and so forth.

Rock said...

Very kind of you, Pethelper. I will of course try to follow you on all these also. You are very generous!

Rock said...

Thanks, Klipm. I think in the end, you were right. Beck now is turning back to his clown side, alternating with his doomsday scenarios.

He plans next to turn to preaching, concentrating on the religiosity which underlies everything for him. He will succeed at this, but he'll lose many followers too.

He'll never again have a major TV show, and never attract hundreds of thousand of people to the Washington Mall, talented as he is.

He just purely lacks judgment. He discovers facts no one else has the brains or patience to discover, but then he filters these through his twisted paranoia.

Riddle Brook Publishing said...

I think, to paraphrase Twain, the reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated. What is often missed is that Beck is an ACTOR: he has been quoted as not caring about the political process and that "controversy is its own coinage." In fact, he has a bit of a liberal history, including once blaming the California wildfires on global warming. He will emerge where there's controversy and $$ to be made. He's an excellent businessman and an amusing performer. I, for one, would miss his antics. He's also an object lesson for why all high school students should be required to take a course in basic logic!

Rock said...

Your smart to bring these points up, Michael. Beck is an actor, and when he is acting and clowning he's at his best. When he gets to taking himself seriously and dwelling in the dark recesses, he starts to become Huey Long.

I hear that now he's going into comedy and religion. He's going to try and compete with Jon Stewart, and also be a national evangelist. I'm sure he'll succeed. He'd even succeed with his present format, with a certain niche audience.

I think he's a failure, though, because he's not using his talents on behalf of truth.

natlhospitality said...

I am of Italian heritage and was brought up as Democratic and Roman Catholic. The last time I was Catholic was 2002 when I opened my eyes and became Protestant, and after 2008 election I woke up as well and turned Republican. The reason behind the above statements is that somehow I knew in my heart that I was not whom my parents brought me up with as a Liberal and Catholic. By all means, I am not saying that that being both Catholic and Liberal is a bad combination nor do I say that either one is bad. The point of this conversation is that people can change especially if their eyes open up or someone else opens their eyes. People in general are not bad, but just mislead. Glenn Beck is not a bad person he is passionate with what he does, yes at times he exagerates with cospiracies or exagerates facts. One conspiracy is the Caliphate in the Middle East, who knows he may have seen things that no one else have seen or the people in the Western World are in denial of what is going on. I do watch his shows, but not all the times and I do my own research as well, because he encourages his viewers not to take his word. He encourages to do your own homework. I watch his show because lots of his commentaries are true, and the left wing knows it, and their anger simmers like water boiling in a pot. The left wing has smeared the right, I.e. Glenn Beck, tea parties, and Conservatives that speak out, as extreme right wing, racists and etc... Politics in general, doen't matter the political party, they are just out for their own agendas, for the most part.
Politics on the side, I don't care your political affiliation, religion, gender, race or ethnicity we are all Americans, and I am an American that deeply loves the USA and what it stands for. I just don't want to see our Constitution to be destroyed by politicians adding words to it and call my Constitution an antiquated document. It should be offensive to all Americans no matter the color of your skin, political affiliations, gender or religion.
Who made us aware of politicians that said the US Constitution is an antiquated document? What about the extreme left wing helping the uprise in the Middle East knowing the outcome will back fire in our face. Well I believe that was Glenn Beck.

I will leave everyone with these two thoughts. Number 1. An eagle cannot fly or balance with a wing heavier than the other or with just one wing it needs both the left and the right wing balanced and healthy to soar.
Number 2. A government big enough will give you everything that you want and it's big enough to take everything that you have. (I saw this in a bumper sticker 2 days ago)
Twitter. Follow me @natlhospitality

Rock said...

Mr. Need to Know, you are a wonderful human being. I cannot take issue with anything you said, except you value Beck more than I at this time. Still, you are entirely accurate, and I appreciate all your comment.

If everyone had your heart and open mind, we'd be a lot better off in America. And I do understand why you love Beck.

Take care my friend, and please do come back. :)

Anonymous said...

Beck had a place in time (probably still does) and I think in the end will have been good for America. The reason I feel this way is because he was able to do something nobody else was: get individual people personally involved. He needed to be an attention grabbing figure to succeed in this. I'm not saying that it was calculated, or that I am a supporter of his. He hurts FOX's credibility absolutely. I am merely pointing out that if it wasn't for him there would probably be no Tea Party. He is obviously good for something.

Rock said...

Selene, very astute point. I'm not sure the Tea Party wouldn't exist without him, but I do think he made a contribution. I've admitted he was good for America in many ways. He still is.

It's too bad that he's wasted his talent, though, by going off in a nutty direction. His nutty direction, though, was part of the reason he got famous. Yes. That's the conundrum. For him to stay relevant, he'd have had to make a turn towards sanity after he became powerful. Instead, he believe his own press and doubled down on fear.

I think he just lost touch with his keen senses that got him to the top. He needed a bit of humility and ... oh well, I could go on.

You're right, though. He did contribute. God bless him.

Adam Luebke said...

I've been rather amazed at Glenn Beck's ability to consistently act like a nut job. He's so good at it. My favorite Beck 'moment' was his comparing himself to Paul Revere -- and it's time, Beck said, to get off my horse and join the revolution. Oh, Glenn.

Anyway, great article, thank you for the insight.

Rock said...

Yes, Adam, Beck is at his worse when he believes he's been chosen, that God speaks to him and him alone, and when he believes his rabid fans too much. I still like the guy, and he does contribute and have some very human moments, but he needs perspective, humility, and judgment.

Thanks much, Adam for your cogent remarks.

Osierra said...

Politics today is a pale reflection of what it should be. Good blog. And follow it. Follow my blog: www.osierra50.blogspot.com

Rock said...

Thanks, Osierra, for your comment. I will certainly check out your blog right now. :)

Catholic Notions said...

Glenn Beck is my favorite personality, in the news. Although some times he looses it. And, drops his point entirely, if he is emotional. It is then, that I wonder if he is diabetic or hitting the sauce. Still, I like hem very much. At least he is the most humble. It like that.

As for Savage, your right he openly opens his mouth and changes feet. And, he's hateful. I only have heard negativity about Olbermann and transcripts of his stupid leftist mumbo jumbo. Screams never get heard, just tolerated.

Hannity and Shepard Smith are polar opposites. I lean right. I can take each with a grain of salt. Smith is so sophmorish, and Hannity anti-poor people. Like the disabled are going to get off their hospital bed, so a richer payee can have it. Hannity needs to get real, and think his ideas through, with his wife before going to work.

I do not like CBS, NBC, ABC, and I have Dish Family Pack for a reason. I hate being told, by a News Report or Politician a unsubstantiated line.

Stan said...

Thanks for your comments...well put.

Stan said...

Enjoyed the blog

Glenn, in my opinion is an angry man...No, not the kind that beats his wife or kids, but the kind who carries his anger around as a shield and uses it to intimidate others who can be intimidated. But if he is intimidated then he strikes out with verbal nonsense filled with hatred.

Thanks,

Stan

Rock said...

Stan, maybe. I think he's typical of an ex-alcoholic in that he focuses like a laser on what he thinks saved him. He makes the mistake of thinking everybody should believe what he believes. I do agree with you, though, that he has discovered the utility of getting angry and directing anger. This is his demagoguery, and the part of him I dislike the most.

Rock said...

I agree with much of what you said, Catholic Notions. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I think these hosts need to get some feedback from somewhere other than just ratings and emails.

I can also understand how you feel about Beck. My feelings whipsaw about him constantly. When he's in his "good" persona, he's one of the best ever. When he's "bad", IMO, he's a fearful and fear-causing demagogue. I wish him well.

Rock said...

Catholic Notions, are you on Twitter? I don't see your username.

wakeup2thelies said...

I frightening movement happening happening in this multi-media age is when a group of people set up campaigns to get companies to withdraw advertising from political TV shows often those running the campaigns don't watch the show of shop with the advertisers anyway it is generally an attack on the the right when the left say much worse things these campaigns do not develop
wakeup2thelies

Rock said...

I agree with you, Wakeup. I don't think this should be the reason for a show going down. Beck, though, has gone too far even without considering loss of advertising. He was lowering standards for FOX. True, he was also raising standards. But his doom and gloom is not a long-lasting winner. If he ever adjusts his attitude to more positive and problem solving, he could succeed again. But not until then.

dfallis said...

Strangely enough, I quit watching Glenn because it aired at the same time my grandson got home and my granddaughters would awaken from their naps. It wasn't anything personal or a dislike, just circumstance that made it impossible to hear anything.

Talha anwar said...

Nice:-) good post.

Reluctant said...

Politics was never my bag, but at least you are dedicated to the truth and are sincere and good hearted. And after all, a deal is a deal.

Reluctant Good Knight said...

Love this piece on Beck - very informative. After all this "Rapture" talk, it's good to see a highly listened-to apocalyptic doom and gloom speaker lose his audience...

Spoon said...

Beck has seemed to lost what made him work in the first place. Humor and strong opinion, but mostly his and Stu's humor. Like getting rid of 'moron trivia'...now it's just the endless self promotion and repeating himself incessantly i.e. not fun anymore/provoking.

Great read!

Rock said...

I agree with you, Un-Planner. Totally. Beck has allowed himself to go away from the light and into the dark and humorless.

Thanks for your comment, and compliment.

Have a wonderful day!

Spoon said...

I changed my display name, silly name...was unplanner. He hasn't fallen. And I don't see it happening. I know what you mean, by 'his darkness' but...guess what? a lot of people are feeling that. Dollar in trouble? sure, not a stretch, get some metals. How many millions of people have lost jobs in the last 4-ish years? not a bad idea to have some food storage.
His base is huge. Leaving Fox won't hurt him. Maybe in terms of salary, but that's it. MediaMatters will stalk him anyway....

Rock said...

Thanks, Danny, for the comment. Liked your former name too, but Danny is great. I appreciate your point of view. It's just that every time there is an economic crisis there always arise folks who scare people, and those who offer a way out.

Beck is spot on about many things, especially Israel, but he's wrong to add to the fear level even a smidgeon. Instead, he ought to be peddling hope and a way out of our troubles.

Still, when he supports Israel, and other positive things, I fully support him. God bless him and I hope he finds his way.

scottschulte said...

I liked beck when he used to be on CNN then I think he went crazy when he went to fox. Im not a big fan of the end of the world bs that filters around online let alone on mainstream tv. Thats my opinion.

Rock said...

Thanks, Scott, I agree with you. I like Beck except when he starts to cry, talks about the end of the world, or gets overly zealous. He's about to turn totally religious, and forget about politics, and that attracts me even less. He's trying to become a non-official evangelist. I salute his trip to Israel, as I support Israel 100%, but he's making it mostly religious and not political.

If I want another evangelist, I'll turn to them.

Anyway, I still do appreciate Beck on some things. And thanks for your intelligent comment.

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