Glenn Beck : American Politician
In what could only be described as inevitable, Glenn Beck has finally cried himself into an alternate reality.
The radio and TV media sensation will no longer be content to rake in the money that comes from reaching an audience of 8 million radio listeners each week along with a healthy TV following. Believing that he is ‘the voice’ to lead the right-wing to victory in 2010 and beyond, Beck may now be ready to go legit.
Speaking at a campaign style rally in Florida, Beck announced that he will be appearing at a series of seven conventions around the country featuring, in addition to himself, a variety of ‘libertarian’ speakers.
Could it be that we are witnessing the early days of ‘Bcck for America – 2012’?
Even more amusing than the announcement itself was the way Beck carefully chose his words as he spoke, something quite out of character for the man who went on television to call Obama a racist. It was as if he were a …politician.
You’re going to learn about finance. You’re going to learn about community organizing. You’re going to learn everything we need to know if you want to be a politician.
Beck is not the first conservative talker of late to figure out that this might be a good time to stake a claim to political legitimacy. While Rush Limbaugh continues to reject claims that he is the defacto leader of the conservative movement, other talkers are gladly stepping into the part.
Talker Laura Ingraham now invites politicians onto her radio program to sign a 10 point pledge Ingraham has devised as a litmus test for worthy politicos. Florida politician Marco Rubio, the right wing candidate challenging Tea Party target number one Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP senate primary, has already shown up and sworn the Ingraham oath.
Sean Hannity has also gotten into the political legitimacy game by hyping his “Conservative Victory 2010” test designed to work out which candidates live up to Hannity’s requirements.
Of course, Beck also announced that he will be putting out a new book just before the 2010 mid-term elections filled with the right-wing policy initiatives discussed during the series of conventions.
So, clever book promotion in an effort to reach Palin-esque sales numbers or the beginning of a political career?
It should be interesting to see. If the right-wing fails to make the hoped for gains in the 2010 elections, the conservative talkers will be exposed as nothing more than entertainers. However, if the conservatives and libertarians do succeed in making inroads on the national political landscape, we may discover that we have become a nation led by overpaid disc-jockeys.
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I just can’t imagine Beck, an ADD sufferer, surviving the daily grind of being an elected official. No doubt he would enjoy campaigning, but governing — even over a libertarian utopia — takes focus and concentration. And the ability to sit still once in a while.
Beck would just be Dubya without the twang.
Was Beck ever actually diagnosed with ADD? I don’t think you can reasonably diagnose yourself with that disorder after spending the first twenty years of your life in a haze of whiskey and pills. Anyway.
It looks like Beck got all sexually excited by Doug Hoffman’s near-victory in NY. Hilariously, he’s tacitly agreeing that goofy, Far White libertarians/paleoconservatives are on average so ineffectual in real world politics that they need to go to these weird boot camps. I can imagine the first seminar’s introduction: “Step One, if you don’t live in your district, at least get to know it.” The liberal blogs are going to have a ball infiltrating these things.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tweets Tube, TWT POLITICIAN. TWT POLITICIAN said: Rick Ungar – The Policy Page – Glenn Beck : American Politician …: Talker Laura Ingraham now invites politici.. http://bit.ly/6dt1fu [...]
I do not think that Beck is going to be his own party, I think he feels he is one serious organizer to bring a group of committed people together. out of that group of followers will emerge someone who does try for office. I don’t think it’s Beck, though.
I’m more curious if Beck’s followers are Palin’s followers, or Bachmann’s.
I think they all feel they are spokes on a wheel, exciting their followers to be able to bring them to the table as one large movement, and together topple the Republican leadership. I think Republicans are feeling it, too.
I’m m sure the book will sell because as P.T. Barnum said “There’s a sucker born every minute”
I’m now convinced that the end of the world is near.
What took you so long?
In response to another comment. See in context »Maybe Glenn Beck & Sarah Palin are actually tools of the moderate/left: if they capture enough attention of the crazies, perhaps a health bill could sneak by. What do you think?
I think they do help on the wider political stage by creating candidates that average people have the good sense not to vote for – which benefits the more rational candidates. However, not so sure they will play much of a role in helping helping out health care reform.
In response to another comment. See in context »I like AM radio, but Glen Beck is one show I switch to FM. He is a jackass, as in any jackass can kick down a door but it takes a carpenter to build one. The only thing he is leading is sheep. Us republicans have alot of problems, and pretending we don’t is not the answer, we should take blame too. Thats the first step to change. How about when Sarah called on the guy who won that seat in Alaska against Stevens to have another election because the charges were dropped, that didn’t mean he (Stevens) was clean, and thats the problem, when she did that she lost my respect, another professional politician. Too many crooks and the lobbyists are running the show, and I give Obama some credit for speaking against them.
You know, it’s nice to see comments like this one. Kudos ebiz.
My cousins’ husband is a die hard conservative who has a blog. I often get on their and end up reading the same garbage talking points that appear on Fox news. And when I ask him why can’t republicans just shoulder a load of the blame and move on, I get the same contrite ansers: Obama is going to ruin the country, Obama hates America, yada yada yada.
I wish people would just take responsibility and start being a part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem
On both sides. It gets old.
In response to another comment. See in context »absolutely right.
In response to another comment. See in context »