dagblog - Comments for "The End of the Glenn Beck Story"

It's uncalled for to

smithers_T — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 03:59:57 +0000

In reply to Okay, but "they" ain't

It's uncalled for to assassinate somebody's character like that

Okay, but "they" ain't

Peter Schwartz — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:09:54 +0000

In reply to "Actually, he has no ideas in

Okay, but "they" ain't putting no brood of anything.

They're the effluvia of a deranged mind.

"Actually, he has no ideas in

smithers_T — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:24:59 +0000

In reply to Actually, he has no ideas in

"Actually, he has no ideas in the strict sense of the term." -Peter Schwartz

You could argue the merits of the ideas, but it's naive to say he didn't have any. Glenn Beck was rolling out a new one every week, The 9/12 project, Restore 1791, etc... and I don't say I agree with the thrust of it... But you get my point. -T Smithers

... and that the employed

Dan Kervick — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:56:55 +0000

In reply to I've experienced this on FB

... and that the employed speaker is not.

Actually, he has no ideas in

Peter Schwartz — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:51:17 +0000

In reply to It's not demagoguery to

Actually, he has no ideas in the strict sense of the term.

Nonetheless, though the ideas

Peter Schwartz — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:49:20 +0000

In reply to Thanks Dan. I'm somewhat

Nonetheless, though the ideas are widespread, they do not pervade all rank-and-file Republicans--unless you simply define rank-and-file by those people who buy into them. And they're not very popular among the Republican political establishment, though they have been happy to exploit them for political gain.

Baggers are a bit equivalent to the values voters and religious right of "old." Great foot soldiers. Great emotion and juice providers. But ultimately regarded as unbalanced rubes by the Republican establishment. Boehner knows he owes his Speakership to the Baggers, but he also knows he could easily lose it because of the Baggers.

Even some Baggers have become afraid of their own product. Forget who now, but one leader of Bagger Nation, maybe down in FL, said they needed to back away from Ryan's dismantling of Medicare because it could lead to defeat.

It's easy to be brave and bold when you're out of office. But as soon as you win, you immediately feel you have to defend your perch.

I've experienced this on FB

Peter Schwartz — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:24:32 +0000

In reply to I have talked to enough of

I've experienced this on FB where, suddenly, in the middle of the "conversation," the reasonable-sounding conservative will suddenly inveigh against the lazy, ignorant, lay-abouts who have lost their will to work, the moral imperative to work, and have instead curled up into a fetal ball to wait for the welfare state to take care of them. There's a whole moral element to the argument, a belief that the unemployed are, at bottom, decadent.

"Anything is possible, but if

smithers_T — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:17:41 +0000

In reply to Anything is possible, but if

"Anything is possible, but if Beck amasses an audience anywhere near as large as he had at Fox, I'll be shocked." -Genghis

It's not about audience or numbers. The reason people were blind-sided by the tea party is that it has no hard organizational, "countable" form. It's more like a stiff wind from the opposite direction of Obama's socialism. If I understand Beck, his design was foment non-specific, inarticulate action against all that. He might call it spiritual (I suppose the analogy to Howard Beal rings true in that case).... I'm not convinced it's how it appeared though. If not for the "third most listened to" self-adulation at the beginning of each show, I might be. There's potential in everyone though to purely seek out truth like Beal... and be wise enough to follow it through to a reasonable conclusion.

"Under a democratic

smithers_T — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:47:20 +0000

In reply to Under a democratic socialism,

"Under a democratic socialism, there would be no special privileges for the powerful and the same standard would certainly be applied to everyone."

Bologna, bologna, bologna... (One bologna is not enough for the ridiculousness of that statement!) The class system is never more pronounced than it is under socialism where the vast majority of people hold no power specific to their government, and a handful do. History is telling: When those systems fail (and /or become unpopular) the elitists running them go out kicking and screaming for the loss of position and GROSSLY_UNEQUAL power that was held.

Thanks Dan. I'm somewhat

Michael Wolraich — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:57:15 +0000

In reply to I have talked to enough of

Thanks Dan. I'm somewhat familiar with right-wing conspiracy theories. I can recommend an excellent book on it if you're interested. ;)

Blowing Smoke investigates the history of how these ideas moved from a fringe element of the Republican Party to its most powerful political block. I do not underplay their popularity or significance, nor the role of people like Glenn Beck in promoting them. And no, they won't disappear with Beck's absence.

Nonetheless, though the ideas are widespread, they do not pervade all rank-and-file Republicans--unless you simply define rank-and-file by those people who buy into them. And they're not very popular among the Republican political establishment, though they have been happy to exploit them for political gain. There are various polls that show certain paranoid beliefs like birtherism extend to as many has half of Republicans, but the hardcore stuff that Beck promotes makes up a smaller share.