Glenn Beck is hysterical
@bravenewworld (746)
United States
September 18, 2009 11:23am CST
Last night I switched over to the Fox Propaganda Network, as I occasionally do, to check out their latest angle, and because, hey, it's like watching the Muppets. Glenn Beck was on, and man, was he steamed about something. He sneered and gestured, rolled his eyes, and only just stopped short of foaming at the mouth. In this case he was apparently apoplectic about taxpayers money spent on seldom-used airports, and Congress' refusal to act, maybe even condoning the waste of our money on this outrageous scam. Yada, yada.
Putting aside his obvious lack of objectivity, Beck clearly was attempting to tap into, and foment further, what some conservatives are portraying as a grass roots rebellion, a ground swell of activism, a bitter revolt against government, and by extension the Democrats. With Democrats having a legislative majority and in the White House, they clearly can now be blamed for every Washington dysfunction and national failure (as if the GOP's handling of country was such a roaring success).
It's another cynical play by the right wing hacks and media to agitate and rabble rouse, in the absence of any positive ideas of their own. But will it work? The tea-baggers, or whatever they're calling themselves, and others that are attempting to shout down any constructive debate, are surely a minority within a party that couldn't nominate a genuine right-wing candidate for the White House, let alone win the presidency. There are surely many moderate Republicans put off by the elevated heat of the right's rhetoric.
The main agenda for conservatives is to return Republicans to power (and for Fox, to boost ratings). But are they in danger of polarizing their own party, as they've polarized the country?
This all seem like a setting of the stage for a Sarah Palin run in 2012. If she's nominated by the Republican party, the agitators on the right will have been successful, but this will be conclusive evidence that an increasingly delusional, paranoid and rage-aholic party has failed the sanity test. We have to believe that the country as whole will not fail the test, and that cooler heads will prevail.
While the longevity of this conservative hysteria is in question, for the sake of Glenn Beck's health, you have to wonder how long it's wise for him to maintain his role as an outraged demagogue.
5 people like this
7 responses
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
18 Sep 09
I usually watch Beck's first "The One Thing" segment. Then he loses me in yelling and jumping around. The hysterics are not my cup of tea.
But in that time, this guy habitually eats into the azz of Republicans and conservatives. Maybe the YouTube videos and Olbermann edits leave that part out?
Is being against all crooked politicians, both right and left, a characteristic of the right wing? I don't know.
I do know that some uber-liberals judge everyone who isn't an uber-liberal as right wing. Is this the process?
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Right, because MSNBC never puts on fatmouths like Chris Matthews who makes a career out of race baiting and calling everyone who opposed Obama a racist, even doctoring videos to hide the race of a black man protesting Obama's health care plan.
1 person likes this
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
18 Sep 09
He seems pretty conservative to me, and I think has declared he's a libertarian/conservative. Of course, he'll go after the occasional Republican, particularly those that are not as conservative as he thinks they should be. But mainly he's a loud mouth, whose opinions are not interesting to me. Fox seems to give a platform to these opinionated hot-heads, I guess because, for their viewers, loud and inflammatory opinions is what stands for intelligence.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Right.
Fox is the devil.
I get it.
:)
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
18 Sep 09
A friend of mine has asked me to give MSNBC a chance. I intend to do that, but not until I can get into the right mindset and do so without bias. You obviously had much bias before you watched Beck and didn't listen to him. If you had you would have seen the ones he was calling out about the airport were republicans.
I guess it's the most we can expect from a pseudo-liberal.
1 person likes this
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
18 Sep 09
My points was more about the assumed, artificial outrage he was exhibiting. The general histrionics. If he'd just made his point, then maybe I'd have listened to him. But it was apparent that he was contributing and reflecting the general over-heated rhetoric, the type of extremism and over-reaction that is poisoning any chance at constructive debate. So, while he may have had a point about this particular issue, that was not the point I was making. And I've seen him before. He's a conservative airhead.
I would call myself liberal, rather than pseudo-liberal. MSNBC is biased, of course, and came to be such as a reaction to Fox. Wittier than Fox though.
2 people like this
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Look, I don't always agree with Beck, but he was pointing out irresponsible spending. I wish more from the media would do that.
I say pseudo-liberal because I have yet to find anyone calling themselves a liberal these days actually being one. Maybe my ideal of what makes one a liberal is different than yours though.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Beck is a bit too much doom and gloom for me. I can't sit through an entire episode and I have tried. That said he brings up many valid points. Remember, he was the one who exposed Van Jones when the left wing media ignored him. I'm certainly not going to object to him exposing wasteful government spending. The government is always cutting money to education and important things but increasing funding to BS pet project and someone needs to make the American people aware of that.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Call it what you will, it netted a pretty big fish. What Beck did was vet a guy that should have been vetted and confirmed by congress to begin with. Perhaps you don't mind having a communist working as the "Green Jobs Emperor" in our government, but personally, I'd prefer to keep this a capitalist nation and not let a communist managing the green jobs market. You can babble about cold war crap, but we're capitalists, not communists. Communism is a failed political system. How exactly would Jones have excelled at that job? Perhaps you think encouraging riots where innocent people are robbed and beaten is something we need in our emperors.
"Our moment had finally come! We were righteous, fired up, weren't takin' no more!" Jones wrote. "We were one thousand strong on Market Street, with the Bay Bridge shut down in rush hour traffic and the grounds around the state building swarming with angry mobs! Our rallying cry was for justice; our demand was that the System be changed!"
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/04/radicalization-obamas-green-czar/
I wonder if Reginald Denny feels the same way you do about Van Jones and how he could have excelled.
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
18 Sep 09
The Van Jones thing was just a witch-hunt. This whole anti-socialist, anti-communist defamation is a soft target, and is beside the point when dealing with the problems facing the country. It echoes back to a cold war that is more than over. Just robbed a good man from a position he could have excelled at. But it seems to have done Beck some good, which is why he latched onto it, of course.
2 people like this
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
18 Sep 09
"This whole anti-socialist, anti-communist defamation is a soft target, and is beside the point..."
What's the point?
I don't watch a lot of Beck either. Like many, I feel he's a loon.
But I respect Beck when he says this, paraphrased, "If you want to change the country, if you think that socialism or just no more capitalism is the way to go, then let's have that debate! Let's talk about it. Present the case -- tell us why a guy like Van Jones is good for the country. Don't just make your moves in the middle of the night--under the cover of darkness!--and then call everyone else paranoid."
Seems logical enough to me. If a guy like Jones was actually a good hire by President Obama, I'd like to hear why. So far, there has been nothing but evidence to the contrary. Being a best-selling author isn't the only prerequisite of a Presidential advisory position, is it? If so, Beck also needs a job with the admin. lol
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
21 Sep 09
You're wrong xfahctor. Anyone who criticizes Obama is a republican. Libertarian, constitutionalist, and independent are all made up words for people who don't want to admit they are republicans. Oh, and everyone who disagrees with Obama agreed with Bush 100%.
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
21 Sep 09
I don't really care about the specific cause of the rant. It was the rant itself that was amusing, illuminating. It seemed fake, and seems to reflect the general rabble rousing nature of a lot of commentators on the right. Let's stir up anti-government sentiment and hope it prevents government doing anything, presumably so that Obama plans for reform fail. Basically, holding back the country.
@dlr297 (5409)
• United States
18 Sep 09
I watch Glen Beck every night, and most of the stuff he brings up makes you think about things that are really going on
And what makes you think that he wants the republicans back in power, he belongs to one of the independent parties, I cant remember which one right now. But he does believe in the Constitution of the United States.
Why was his picture on the cover of time magazine this month, when their was one of the biggest marches on Washington last week. Why do they not want to report on it, what are they afraid of....
Why did our President put a Communist in the White House as one of his Czars. Glen Beck talked about it, and brought it out in the open...And guess what, He is not their no more. None of the other news stations even brought it up, or even bothered to look into his back ground to report it to us. If it wasn't for Beck and fox news he would still be their.
Glen Beck has been talking about Acorn, all the time, for months and months. But only now are they starting to invistaget them and more bad stuff is coming out all the time. If it wasnt for Beck bringing it out they would still be getting government funding, and getting more power......Thank you Glen Beck.
I am very outraged by things that are going on in this country. I have been to tea parties, and i was in Washington on the 12. and i have been a registered Democrat for over 30 years, and i am ashamed by the things that the party is doing now.
When you start losing more of your FREEDOMS that our forefathers fought for. Maybe then you will open your eyes to what is really going on. and thank Glen Beck and fox new for not keeping quiet about the Truth of what is going on.
1 person likes this
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
18 Sep 09
The constitution is just a piece of paper as Bush said. Really though, the right to bear arms can be ditched. Time to start finding solutions to the problems of health care and education, and stop using the constitution like a white flag of surrender when there's work to be done. And the government is in the best position to get the ball rolling with programs that protect and serve the nation, and not private interests.
2 people like this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
19 Sep 09
"The constitution is just a piece of paper as Bush said. Really though, the right to bear arms can be ditched. Time to start finding solutions to the problems of health care and education, and stop using the constitution like a white flag of surrender when there's work to be done"
"
wow.
statist.
"
wow.
statist.
oh dude (or dudette) the fit is gonna hit the shan here!
I agree with you, though I take it a step further, the more agitated he gets the closer to aneurysm/stroke/heart attack he is 
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Haha. There is that. Hope he's got good health insurance.
2 people like this
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
18 Sep 09
Quite right too. I've no wish for Beck to have any health problems. Just wish he'd take it easy on himself and the rest of us, and stop stoking up trouble just to get viewers and sell books.
2 people like this
@hotdog88gt (16)
•
19 Sep 09
You don't know what a conservative is. So, before I forget, I highly recommend you read "Liberty and Tyranny". It's all about liberty and tyranny, and nothing but. You sound like you're pissed off all the time. "Liberty and Tyranny" will pissed you off in news ways and depress you at the same time; that is, if you're not too far out over the kook edge.
So conservatives are all about gittin' steamed, sneerin', gesturin', rollin' their peepers, foamin' at da mouth, and becomin' apowhatzits over nothing at all? Really? Conservatives, as defined in "Liberty and Tyranny", have every reason to be foam at the mouth. Start paying attention.
If 'bravenewworld' enjoys the perpetual egregious, massive waste of taxpayers dollars year after year, decade after decade, regardless of party majority, then just say so. If you like an overbearing, corrupt bunch of politicians, just say so.
I like your comment about Mr. Beck's "obvious lack of objectivity". Check your TV listings - the show is called "Glenn Beck". On "Glenn Beck", Glenn Beck tells viewers what Glenn Beck thinks. The same thing applies to any of the other show hosts who have self-titled shows. They aren't objective, and most of them make that pretty clear up front. Was Glenn Beck correct concerning the issues or not? If not, why? Personally, I don't listen to or watch him. He cries too much.
Why the hell are you and your kook buddies so afraid of Sarah Palin? She was a VP candidate to Bob Dole, version 2008, and she already stated she's not interested in running in 2012. Besides, BO isn't going anywhere now, is he?
Big question coming up. With absolute majorities in both houses and a community organizer soiling our White House, why aren't they bangin' out bill after bill for Chairman Obama to put his mark on? The GOP cannot stop anything the kooks put forth. Why is that?
Another big question: aren't there supposed to be two Ds in yadda?So do you like the Muppets or not? If you do like Muppets, did you like them better with or without Jim Henson? Did you first see them on Sesame Street or The Muppet Show? Who was your favorite Muppet? Or should that be "what" was your favorite Muppet? Actually, now that I think about it, bringing Muppets down to the level of the crooks in DC isn't very nice.
Demagogue, "a leader who make use of popular prejudices to and false claims and promises in order to gain power"...Demagogue: Barack Obama.
@bravenewworld (746)
• United States
19 Sep 09
You're ramblin' man. And sounding just a bit rabid and kooky. Not working on a manifesto in a log cabin, by any chance?
No one likes waste, but it's inevitable, and what you consider waste may be another person's lifeline.
I'm not really pissed off. I'm actually fairly positive about the government. There are only a few politicians I truly abhor, Cheney for one. Right wing media pisses me off, because it's generally a bunch of wind-bags with no real credentials stirring up trouble for ratings. If they care so much, they should quit their high paying gigs and put themselves on the ballot.
Obama articulates very well what a lot of liberals have been feeling for a long while. He's progressive, with a positive agenda. Whether or not you agree with him, he is making a genuine attempt to bring reform where reform is needed. I don't ask much more from politicians. Sadly a lot of them are spineless, in the pocket of campaign contributors, lacking any ideas, or in government seemingly while believing government has no role to play. And we get the government we deserve for the most part, and as there are a lot of selfish, spoiled, arrogant, moralistic, uneducated people in this country, so unsurprisingly this is reflected in our government.
