Sarah Palin Question Stumps Jeopardy Contestants

Posted by on March 11, 2011 at 10:05 am. 3 Comments :

For those who think that Sarah Palin is a serious candidate for president (or sewer inspector), they may need to adjust their perspective a bit. In addition to having dreadful approval ratings that have gone steadily downward since her debut in national politics, she is also such a trivial factor in American life that she is almost invisible.

On Monday, March 7, 2011, Jeopardy featured this question in the category Hearts: Her latest book is titled “America by Heart: Reflections on Faith, Family and Flag”

Not one of the contestants knew that the correct question was “Who is Sarah Palin.” And remember, to become a contestant on Jeopardy you need to be exceptionally intelligent with a well-rounded store of knowledge that includes history, science, popular culture, literature, and, yes, politics. Yet none of them had ever heard of this book. That’s a sign that Palin’s pop celebrity status is waning, and it’s a good sign for America.

The problem is that the media still drools over her like a Pavlovian mutt craving a moose bone. I think that when Jeopardy contestants are stumped as to the identity of this half-term governor, failed VP candidate, and vacuous purveyor of ghost written Twitter and Facebook posts, the press corps should be asking themselves the question that none of the Jeopardy players could come up with: “Who is Sarah Palin.”

Sarah Palin is a non-entity in American politics. To the extent that people pay any attention to her at all, it is to express their almost universal disgust. Continued coverage of this self-serving ignoramus is a combination of journalistic fraud, incompetence, and laziness. Just stop it already.

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Fox News Hypocrites Bash American Workers

Posted by on March 10, 2011 at 3:28 am. NO Comments :

Last night Wisconsin Republicans orchestrated an anti-democratic coup to reverse 50 years of worker rights. The legislative trickery produced a fierce backlash by opponents of Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting agenda. Here’s how Fox News presented this story on their Fox Nation web site:


The headline “Rabid Leftists Storm Wisconsin Capital After Vote,” was a deliberately incendiary invention of the Fox Nationalists. The article to which this item linked was in the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel with a much less provocative headline: Demonstrators crowd Capitol in wild scene after Senate vote. And it’s not like this is an isolated event either:


This is a concerted propaganda campaign by Fox to demean and demonize law-abiding demonstrators. The “rabid leftists” to whom Fox refers are in fact Wisconsin citizens. They are teachers, farmers, homemakers, and even the very police officers on duty in the capital building. They are Americans exercising their Constitutional rights to free assembly and speech. They are peacefully and respectfully redressing legitimate grievances.

Contrast this with the way Fox characterized the Town Hall protesters who opposed health care reform just two years ago and attempted to suppress the free speech rights of reform advocates:


Note how the Fox Nationalists celebrate this rabid assemblage that even features a likeness of the President as Hitler. That’s the sort of rhetoric and imagery that Fox likes to pretend never existed, but this was the headline on their web site on August 13, 2009.

So one crowd of angry but peaceful protesters, disgusted by a Republican ploy to steal from them both their rights and their votes, is portrayed as “rabid leftists.” But another crowd of racist and offensive protesters, seeking to kill legislation that would provide health care to millions without coverage, are portrayed as patriots. That’s the Fox News model of fairness and balance.

Ironically, the story at the bottom of the list in that image, regarding the awakening of a “sleeping giant,” is just as relevant today if you insert Governor Walker’s name in place of Obama. Despite the extremist and illegal actions on the part of the Wisconsin GOP, this dispute is far from over. The people are not going to take this laying down. This is what we’re fighting:


NPR Fiasco Proves Right-Wing Dominates The Media

Posted by on March 9, 2011 at 2:28 pm. 9 Comments :

Fox News Investigative TeamI really didn’t want to do this. I really didn’t want to add to the hype that surrounds video pervert and propagandist James O’Keefe. But subsequent developments that have resulted from his escapade make it impossible to refrain from reiterating what is a much bigger problem than O’Keefe or a couple of bureaucrats at National Public Radio.

Ron Schiller, a fundraiser for NPR is the latest victim of O’Keefe’s Borat-like practice of pseudo-journalism. In a hidden video sting, O’Keefe captured Schiller saying that…

“The current Republican party, particularly the Tea Party is fanatically involved in people’s personal lives and very fundamental Christian. I wouldn’t even call it Christian. It’s this weird evangelical kind of movement. […] not just Islamaphobic but xenophobic, and they are, they believe in sort of white, middle America, gun-toting, I mean it’s scary. They’re seriously, racist, racist people.”

Setting aside the fact that that is indisputably true, what is more important to note is that it is irrelevant. Schiller is a fundraiser, not an editor. He had zero influence on the stories NPR broadcasts or their content. His private statements may have been indiscreet for an organization that is presently being attacked by Tea Party Republicans, but they play no role in NPR’s operations other than this effort to solicit a contribution. And analysis of NPR’s reporting shows that it has been exceedingly fair with regard to the Tea Party.

However, with only the video of a known liar and convicted criminal to go on, NPR responded by repudiating Schiller’s comments and terminating CEO Vivian Schiller (no relation). How is this different from the travesty that saw former Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod fired from her job over a similarly fraudulent video that was also heavily, and deceptively, edited?

Nevertheless, another allegedly progressive enterprise has kowtowed to a right-wing propagandist. If nothing else, this proves that the media is dominated by conservative forces who consistently control the narrative. Contrary to the spin from the right, NPR is anything but liberal and often it serves only to validate the dishonest mainstream press. They’ve had two correspondents working as paid contributors to Fox News. How many have they had on NBC or Democracy Now? And NPR’s Mara Liasson continues her employment, even after Fox News CEO Roger Ailes called them all Nazis.

The myth that public broadcasting is liberal has got to be buried once and for all. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is headed by Patricia de Stacy Harrison, a former chair of the Republican Party. And has everyone forgotten the irrepressibly corrupt Kenneth Tomlinson who was the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and was run out of office just ahead of an indictment? Perhaps the Republicans in congress are right and defunding should be explored more seriously. I simply can’t continue to make excuses for these agencies that are too often used as political pawns without fulfilling their mandate to serve the public.

Even if NPR was disposed to unload Schiller, they should have waited a few months so that O’Keefe couldn’t hang another trophy on his wall. They are empowering a dangerous and dishonest cabal of right-wing activists and they seem to be completely oblivious and irresponsible. And to what end? Do they think that firing a couple of patsies will mollify their critics. All they have to do is listen to one of their harshest critics on Capital Hill, Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who said that, “Our concern is not about any one person at NPR.” These folks are out to destroy those whom they perceive as their progressive opponents and they will settle for nothing less. Yet the victims of this political massacre are behaving like battered spouses who are certain that the beatings will stop as soon as they no longer deserve to be beaten.

This reflects the moral buckling exhibited by the White House every time someone is targeted by conservatives or Fox News. Just ask ex-administration personnel like Shirley Sherrod, Van Jones, or Yosi Sergant. Did any of those terminations elicit a truce from the right? You have to wonder why liberals always seem to get the boot for off-the-cuff indiscretions while conservatives remain at their post to continue their deliberate insults and hate speech. Why is Vivian Schiller now unemployed when she didn’t have anything to do with the offending remarks, but Roger Ailes is still running Fox after calling NPR Nazis? And why is NPR correspondent Mara Liasson still working for Fox News? And why does Glenn Beck have a job at all? (But let’s not get into that bag of nasty right now).

It needs to noted that the cheesy tactics of O’Keefe should never be given credibility. First of all, he has personally been exposed as a liar and a crook who deceptively edits his videos. And the process of acquiring his stories is devoid of credibility. It is relatively easy to sucker some chump in an organization of thousands to say something stupid, especially if he isn’t aware that he is being recorded. That puts him at a distinct disadvantage where his interviewer is able direct the conversation and to carefully phrase everything that is said, but the subject will be less guarded and more candid, not realizing that his words will be chopped up and used against him.

We need to strengthen our resolve against these sort of attacks. We need to support those who represent our values, just as those who represent the right are supported by their GOTea sippers. We have to stop being cowed into submission because we think someone on the right might not like something. They aren’t going to like anything we do anyway, so why bother attempting to placate them? What we really need are more leaders like those in Wisconsin who are unafraid of standing up to criticism and standing up for principles.

I agree with Eric Cantor. Our concern is not about any one person. It is about courage and commitment and loyalty. If we can’t get that from the folks at NPR or members of congress or the White House, then we need to start looking for it somewhere else. Our agenda is America’s agenda and that makes it our obligation to fight on. And we must never, EVER, allow jerkwads like O’Keefe, or his patrons at Fox News, to steer our course.


Tea Party: Losing Ground And Desperate

Posted by on March 8, 2011 at 6:57 pm. 3 Comments :

Tea CrusadesThe ongoing conflict in Wisconsin between an intransigent, union-busting governor and the representatives of average, working Americans is trending consistently toward the position of the people. Despite millions of dollars of Koch Industries lobbying funds, the Republicans and union bashers are, in their own words, “losing ground.”

This is an excerpt from a recent fundraising letter sent by Tea Party Express (TPE) to supporters:

“Friends, new polls coming out in Wisconsin show that the Obama-Labor Union ad campaign against him is having an impact. Governor Walker has started losing ground…”

Actually, the old polls were showing that as well. What is new is that even reliably right-leaning pollsters like Rasmussen are now showing that Governor Scott Walker is viewed unfavorably by nearly 60% of his constituents. The despondent correspondence goes on to say that…

“If we lose in Wisconsin then Republican Governors across America will take the lesson that they should give in and capitulate, and all the progress we have seen from the tea party movement will be undone,”

Indeed. Both sides of this debate recognize the impact that the conclusion will have on similar debates across the country. It’s interesting that TPE is so concerned about a defeat in Wisconsin that they believe it will undo “all the progress” they’ve made. But what is even more interesting is that they are directing this concern to only Republican governors.

That focus is something that I have been addressing for months, and that the media needs to acknowledge: There Is No Tea Party!

When will they get this through their barnacle-encrusted skulls? There are no Tea Party candidates; no Tea Party policies; no Tea Party voters. They are all Republicans. They run as Republicans and vote for Republicans. To pretend that it is something distinct is delusional. And this isn’t just me talking, it’s…

Republican Party spokesmen:
John Boehner, House Minority Leader: There really is no difference between what Republicans believe in and what the tea party activists believe in.

Tea Party spokesmen:
Mark Skoda, Tea Party Leader: This movement is beginning to mature … not as a third party but a force to be reckoned with in the traditional party structure.

Media spokesmen:
Carl Cameron, Fox News: They plan to establish separate spin off political action committees to fund raise for candidates who back Tea Party goals and the official Republican National Committee platform.

See? Everybody agrees that there is no Tea Party. It is journalistic fraud to persist with the charade. This is especially true of Tea Party Express, which was created by the Republican consulting firm of Russo/Marsh. Sal Russo runs TPE as a revenue center for his firm, funneling most of their donations right back into his wallet. And for some inexplicable reason this is the corrupt, phony Tea Party clan that CNN has hooked up with to host a Republican (of course) presidential primary debate.

This is madness. If the press treats the Tea Party as a separate entity and gives them a voice distinct from their Republican source, they are in effect giving the GOP twice as much exposure as the Democrats. To be fair and balanced they would have to regard MoveOn.org or the SEIU as a separate party and hire their spokespeople as news analysts and feature their responses to official GOP dogma – in addition to that of actual Democrats. I don’t see that happening.

In the meantime, the Tea Party is growing noticeably more desperate. Their latest fundraising appeal is evidence of how seriously they take their declining popularity in Wisconsin and the impact of that nationwide. They have never really been a popular movement as most polls have pegged their support in the teens with pluralities having no opinion. And their views have been shown to be wildly out of touch with mainstream Americans.

The media has to be pressed to justify their misrepresentation of Tea Partiers. Either that or put me on every panel where they have a Republican posing as something that doesn’t exist.


The Haunting: Glenn Beck Sees George Soros In Every Shadow

Posted by on March 7, 2011 at 6:47 pm. 5 Comments :

How does Glenn Beck sleep at night when he knows that his dreams will be invaded by the Puppet Master himself, George Soros. Beck seems to be obsessively fixated on the imaginary threat that Soros is persecuting him at all times.

The latest episode of Beck’s dementia concerns a story last month from the Jewish Internet magazine, Tablet. Liel Leibovitz discovered that Premiere Radio Networks, the radio syndicator of top names like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, offers a service that provides actors to portray callers for their radio program clients.

Many of my liberal peers jumped on the story, accusing the right-wing broadcasters of faking calls to their shows. I laid off because, while the Premiere-On-Call service does exactly that, there was no allegation that any specific host was utilizing the service.

Nevertheless, Glenn Beck’s web site, The Blaze, has responded with typical paranoid bombast. They posted what they think is a shocking expose titled: Uncovered: Another Soros-Funded Attack On Glenn Beck and Talk Radio. The posting begins by attributing the Leibovitz story to the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) who merely posted a link to the original article on the Tablet’s web site. But that was enough to imply a Soros connection. CJR receives some funding from Soros’ Open Society Institute.

The problem is, CJR did not write the article, nor did they implicate Beck or anyone else as using the phony phone callers. In fact, the original column in the Tablet didn’t implicate anyone either. But that didn’t stop The Blaze from making a wholly unsupported accusation that Lelbovitz mislead his readers. The Blaze criticized Leibovitz for writing about…

“…how stations around the country are using actors to augment their programs but nowhere in the article does he offer legitimate proof or any reasonable semblance of proof that Beck, Hannity, or Limbaugh ever made use of the service.”

That’s true. No one disputes that Premiere was providing actors to stations to augment their programs. And it’s true that Leibovitz offered no proof as to Beck, et al, using the service – because he never made that allegation. Reporters often decline to provide proof of things that were never a part of what they were writing. You may have noticed that I haven’t offered any proof in this article that Sarah Palin is Charlie Sheen’s meth connection.

The Blaze goes on to inquire as to why Leibovitz mentioned only Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck in his article, and then responds saying “The answer to the question is simple, George Soros.” Of course. Soros is the answer to every question in the Beck universe. It couldn’t have had anything to do with the fact that they are the three biggest talkers on Premiere’s roster, and in the nation as a whole.

Finally, The Blaze leaps entirely out of the reality-based world to assert that Leibovitz is “connected to the Columbia Journalism Review” and is a contributor. I cannot figure out how they came to that conclusion. There is no reference to Leibovitz on the CJR web site, and there are no articles attributed to him. None. But without tying Leibovitz to CJR they could not tie him to Soros. So they had to invent the connection in order to advance their conspiracy.

This is how obsessed Beck is with manufacturing controversies that affirm his fear that George Soros is pulling the strings behind every devious, anti-American endeavor that creeps into his diseased brain. And, of course, that includes the assaults aimed directly at Beck. Because in the end that’s all that really matters. The entire structure of western civilization is propped up on Beck’s shoulders, and the only thing that prevents it all from crashing down is Beck standing guard against the defiler, Soros. That puts Beck’s life at risk every day, and every night as well. Even in his haunted dreams, Soros is lurking, waiting to strike. Don’t go to sleep, Glenn. That’s how he’ll get you.


Is Fox News Contemplating Life Without Glenn Beck?

Posted by on March 7, 2011 at 1:20 pm. 4 Comments :

Glenn BeckA column by David Carr in the New York Times is causing a stir in the Mediasphere today. The story concerns the status of Glenn Beck in the media marketplace, as well as at his Fox News home. Much of the article details the rapid decline of what was once regarded as the Beck phenomenon. But with escalating criticisms from fellow conservatives, deteriorating ratings, and advertisers running away, the thrill may be gone for everyone involved. The titillating portion of Carr’s column is a single line where he says that:

“…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.”

Is that really so? Carr notes that his sources are anonymous, so it’s difficult to assess their credibility. And the presence of disgruntled colleagues at Fox wouldn’t be a new development. There have been plenty of complaints about Beck, both on and off the record. Jane Hall, a former Fox News contributor, said that Beck was one of the reasons she chose to sever her relationship with Fox. And Eric Burns, the former host of Fox News Watch, quipped that one of the advantages of not working at Fox was that he didn’t have to share an employer with Glenn Beck.

So I would be skeptical that Fox News would be looking to ditch Beck for low ratings. For one thing, as Carr notes, Beck’s ratings may be low compared to his ratings a year ago, but they are still far ahead of the competition (except for last Thursday when Rachel Maddow drew more 25-54 year old viewers). Also, people like Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, contrary to some assumptions, are not primarily driven by financial concerns. They are ideological animals and the proof of that is that Murdoch has run his New York Post at a loss for over ten years. What’s more, They have never complained about the revenue shortfall resulting from Beck scaring off A-list advertisers.

That doesn’t mean that Beck is safe. There are a couple of other factors that pose much greater risk to Beck’s TV future. One of which is the embarrassment of others at Fox, as noted above. Ancillary to that is the perception that Beck is actually harmful to the conservative agenda that Fox dispenses. The farther Beck goes off the rails, the more the GOP is regarded as out-of-touch, and perhaps Fox News as well. It isn’t just Beck’s ratings that are dropping. And to the degree that viewers associate Beck’s twisted ruminations to the network, he may be at least partially responsible for the overall declines as well.

Therefore, I believe that the potential damage Beck is doing to conservatism is far more likely to get him canned than his ratings. After all, he isn’t going to be replaced by Dennis Kucinich or Michael Moore. Fox will undoubtedly bring in a reliable right-winger who can advance the conservative agenda without Beck’s psychotic, delusional baggage. This is more about message than money.

If Beck is terminated, Fox will have to play it very carefully. If they are perceived by Beck’s disciples as having fired him, or being otherwise disrespectful, they are capable of causing quite a commotion, up to and including vandalism and violence. So look for Fox to steer Beck out the door by either allowing him to self-destruct via doomsday conspiracies and rabid bigotry, or by “discovering” some hideous scandal that would force Fox to throw Beck overboard.

As for Beck, I wouldn’t worry about him (well, financially anyway). He would still have his radio program, his publishing, and his Internet properties. Plus he has already addressed this scenario and declared himself omnipotent (Charlie Sheen’s got nothing on Beck). Here is how Beck responded to previous threats:

“They can take my job and they can take my wealth but that’s okay…even if the powers to be, right now, succeed in making me poor, drum me out, and I’m just a worthless loser – which I’m just about that much above that now – I will only be stronger for it. I will use American ingenuity and my ingenuity to pull myself up, and I will find another way to get my message out on a platform that will be a thousand times more powerful! Because of my faith, I know how this story ends.”

See? He’s winning. And he can’t be stopped by mortal men. The one question I have is, if he has a platform that is a thousand times more powerful, why isn’t he using it now? He must be saving it for his Post-Apocalypse Variety Hour and Praise-a-thon.

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Fox Nation Is Religion And Race Baiting – Again

Posted by on March 7, 2011 at 11:38 am. 2 Comments :

If you had the stomach to visit Fox Nation this morning you would have seen some more of the repulsive prejudice that is such a staple of their brand.

Fox Nation Race BaitingLet’s start with the article on Spanish language jerseys for NBA teams. I’m not sure exactly what the Fox Nationalists have against that, other than that they think it caters to illegal alien drug smugglers and narco-terrorists. The fact that the Latino community is a huge part of the NBA market seems to be of no interest to Fox. But they go even further by asserting that “No One’s Impressed.” How they established that is anyone’s guess. There is nothing to that effect in the article to which they linked. So it appears to be nothing more than a gratuitous slur aimed at dismissing Latino consumers.

The funny thing is that Fox itself caters to the Latino market with their “Fox Latino” news web site. However, this article, which explicitly deals with news associated with a Spanish-speaking audience, is nowhere to be found on Fox Latino. Apparently it is acceptable to disparage Latinos on the Fox Nation, but be sure not to post that sort of offensive content on a site that is actually read by Latinos.

Next we have the peculiar juxtaposition of articles involving religious affairs in the White House. The Fox Nationalist editors thought it would fun to place an article alleging that President Obama ignores anti-Semitism right next to an article that notes his praise for Muslims. I’m sure it was just a coincidence.

The article about anti-Semitism (sourced to NewsMax via The Hill) addressed assertions by Republicans that the administration has not given the issue the attention it deserves and has failed to provide adequate staffing. However, unreported by Fox and NewsMax (but in The Hill’s article), Abe Foxman of the ADL said that he has “no complaints” and that “whenever there is a serious manifestation of anti-Semitism around the globe the administration is there.” Also unreported is the fact that the staffing in this administration is identical to that of the previous administration. If Obama’s response has been lacking, it is his silence with regard to the anti-Semitism displayed by Fox News in general, and Glenn Beck in particular. He really should speak out more against that.

The article about the White House praise for Muslims is linked to a story in the Associated Press reporting that Obama sent a National Security aide to “a Washington-area mosque known for its cooperation with the FBI and its rejection of the al-Qaida brand of Islam.” Heavens to Betsy, we sure we don’t wanna be praisin that, does we?

The Islamaphobes of Fox News frequently grumble that “good” Muslims don’t do enough to repudiate the extremists. That has always been a false complaint. But when there is an obvious display of unity with moderate, mainstream Muslims, Fox casts a dark cloud over it by implying some sinister motive on the part of the President.

These are just two more examples of the overt hatred that is disseminated by Fox News. And a stroll through the comments attached to these postings reveals just how harmful it is to indulge these bigots.


The Republican Model Of Shared Sacrifice

Posted by on March 6, 2011 at 10:04 am. 16 Comments :

In these challenging economic times it is common for a nation and its leaders to embrace a sense of community and promote the notion that we are all in this together and are expected to chip in, do our part, and make difficult compromises. The Republican Party is no exception and it has adopted its own model of “Shared Sacrifice.”


The right-wing in America is committed to reducing the deficit on the backs of the middle-class and the poor. They are all for cutting the salaries of teachers and the benefits of seniors. And the rich have to pitch in as well by accepting painful reductions in…..taxes.

That’s right, the beleaguered wealthy amongst us must loosen their belts and be prepared to get fatter and suffer ever more ostentatious privilege. This is a theme that the media adopts as they seek to sustain the position of power awarded to the elite who must surely deserve it or it would not have been granted to them by God.

In the process of dispensing these hardships, working people are castigated if they object that the contracts to which they agreed are being broken in order to pare back their lavish lifestyles. But any suggestion that the Wall Street crooks who created this recession in the first place be asked to forgo their extravagant bonuses, paid for by the people via government bailouts, is an affront to the order of business and the contractual benefits they negotiated with their executive pals.

So remember, when contemplating the value of shared sacrifice, that if you support firefighters and factory workers getting fair compensation, you’re a socialist. But if you support hedge fund managers and insurance company CEO’s getting millions in government handouts, you’re a patriot. That’s shared sacrifice in right-wing America.


Rachel Maddow Beats Glenn Beck In Key Demo

Posted by on March 4, 2011 at 4:11 pm. 17 Comments :

Glenn BeckGlenn Beck’s star has been fading for most of the last year. He has lost about half of his television audience. His radio ratings have also been declining leading to stations dropping his program in big markets like New York, Philadelphia, and Madison. His most recent book, “Broke,” was the first in eight years to fail to hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Over 300 advertisers regard him as toxic and will not permit their ads to air during his program.

Yesterday, another milestone was reached. The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC drew 39,000 more viewers in the key advertising demographic of 25-54 year olds. Beck did manage to draw more total viewers, but even that statistic is revealing. It shows that Beck’s audience is comprised of only 21% of the young demo. That compares to Maddow’s 31%.

This is further evidence of Beck’s accelerating collapse. Last week it was reported that Beck declined 32% (25-54) and 26% (total viewers) year-to-year for the month of February. And that’s on top of a January year-to-year drop of 50% (25-54) and 40% (total viewers).

The public is obviously tiring of this manic-paranoid’s freak show. As a result, many staunch conservatives are becoming bolder with regard to their criticisms of Beck. And some are even recognizing that Beck may be just the tip of the iceberg and that anyone who hitches their wagon to Beck is equally deserving of ridicule and revulsion. That applies particularly to Beck’s primary benefactors, Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, but also to those who work with and/or defend Beck. They will all learn that this stench is unremitting.

As for Maddow, this is just one day, so it will take some time to see if her strength continues. Pessimists will whine that Maddow’s primetime scheduling gives her an advantage, but the fact is that this is the first time she has outdrawn Beck and that makes it significant. For now she deserves to celebrate and I congratulate her.


The Paranoid Style Of Glenn Beck

Posted by on March 3, 2011 at 7:40 am. 2 Comments :

Glenn Beck was born on February 10, 1964. Later that same year a professor from Columbia University authored what now appears to be a prophetic description of what that child would become.

From The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter
[Hover your mouse over the highlighted words for Beck’s pearls of paranoia]


The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of conspiracy in apocalyptic terms–he traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds, whole political orders, whole systems of human values. He is always manning the barricades of civilization. He constantly lives at a turning point. Like religious millennialists he expresses the anxiety of those who are living through the last days and he is sometimes disposed to set a date for the apocalypse. (”Time is running out,” said Welch in 1951. “Evidence is piling up on many sides and from many sources that October 1952 is the fatal month when Stalin will attack.”)

As a member of the avant-garde who is capable of perceiving the conspiracy before it is fully obvious to an as yet unaroused public, the paranoid is a militant leader. He does not see social conflict as something to be mediated and compromised, in the manner of the working politician. Since what is at stake is always a conflict between absolute good and absolute evil, what is necessary is not compromise but the will to fight things out to a finish. Since the enemy is thought of as being totally evil and totally unappeasable, he must be totally eliminated–if not from the world, at least from the theatre of operations to which the paranoid directs his attention. This demand for total triumph leads to the formulation of hopelessly unrealistic goals, and since these goals are not even remotely attainable, failure constantly heightens the paranoid’s sense of frustration. Even partial success leaves him with the same feeling of powerlessness with which he began, and this in turn only strengthens his awareness of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy he opposes.

The enemy is clearly delineated: he is a perfect model of malice, a kind of amoral superman–sinister, ubiquitous, powerful, cruel, sensual, luxury-loving. Unlike the rest of us, the enemy is not caught in the toils of the vast mechanism of history, himself a victim of his past, his desires, his limitations. He wills, indeed he manufactures the mechanism of history, or tries to deflect the normal course of history in an evil way. He makes crises, starts runs on banks, causes depressions, manufactures disasters, and then enjoys and profits from the misery he has produced. The paranoid’s interpretation of history is distinctly personal: decisive events are not taken as part of the stream of history, but as the consequences of someone’s will. Very often the enemy is held to possess some especially effective source of power: he controls the press; he has unlimited funds; he has a new secret for influencing the mind (brainwashing); he has a special technique for seduction (the Catholic confessional).

Scary, isn’t it?