Michael Bresciani
Beck bounced but barely bruised - - will the left ever do right?
By Michael Bresciani
The left is gloating over Beck's demise since Fox has decided to let his daily shows dissolve sometime later this year. The cause cited is the lack of sponsors willing to back the show. Some 300 sponsors have dropped the show.
Is Beck a causality of the culture war or just more proof that whether you're right or lefty the buck rules? It would be all too easy to accept the latter conclusion but with all the facts in, it can be seen as none other than a sweeping victory for the left. In essence the left understood what any good military strategist knows that the first thing to strike is the supply lines and depots in order to slow an army to a crawl or stop it in its tracks.
It would be unfair if not un-realistic to say that Beck's sponsors were so interested in the political scene that they all responded in chorus to a man whose show had somehow become a serious offense to so many individuals and American sensibilities that he just had to be bounced. In fact the sponsors were bombarded by the left and crumbled under the pressure. We might want to inform the left that the runway is clear and they may now come in for a landing.
Media Matters is said to have had Beck under their biggest guns since his show began, Add to that feckless left bastion, websites like, Color of Change, Jenkins Ear, and Stop Beck.com who pounded away at sponsors with complaints and letters estimated to be far in excess of half a million and you can see that advertisers did not act on their own at all.
This was not a sudden surge of conscience among the buck masters against the Beckmeister that resulted in a cleansing, but only a purge performed under intense outside pressure. Lest the left flatter itself, when it comes to a contest between political views and bucks, politicos still don't stand a chance. The obvious conclusion here is that it was bucks and not Beck that lead to pulling the plug.
One great thing about the work of Stop Beck.com is that they published a comprehensive list of sponsors who have bolted and a list of those that remain. This at least gives the right a chance to decide what sponsors they may want to actively boycott as in; this game can be played both ways.
To his solid credit, Beck was instrumental in exposing what some people see as the greatest political charlatans, overweight baggage and highly questionable characters of our time. He helped spearhead the case against Acorn and uncovered the background and connections of Bill Ayers, William Wright, George Soros, Cass Sunstein and Van Jones. This is far more than just an honorable mention.
The trouble with involvement in conspiracy theories is that they usually lack the kind of solid evidence that ordinary news stories do. Often associations and speculation is all there is to go on even though they may be fairly convincing they are not facts and it is hard to add opinion or serious analysis to the unknown.
Even for that, if Becks views are seen alongside O'Reilly's it is apparent that Beck would be the hands down winner. Let's see.
Above all that Beck espoused, the left is more enraged with his assertion that President Obama is a racist. It may be hard to prove that Obama is a racist but that should come as no surprise since we have not proven yet if he was born in the USA. To be fair, more than twenty years of attendance at a church that holds racist views and the choosing of an Attorney General who decides not to prosecute cases of voter intimidation against blacks would count for sufficient proof to at least start the theory that Mr. Obama may be a closeted racist.
O'Reilly on the other hand has repeatedly put forth the assertion that Mr. Obama is a "smart man." It would take weeks to count the number of times he has made this claim. Since intelligence is a purely subjective matter we might say, that makes the claim theoretical at best. How does that theory hold up under honest scrutiny?
This is simply too easy and can be dealt with in a single but equally simple question. What is smart about leading a nation into 9-14 trillions of dollars in debt, ignoring the law of the land (Defense of Marriage Act,) supporting yet more abortion (FOCA) as if 53million of them weren't already enough and gaying out most of society through academia the military, hate crimes legislation and political correctness gone wild?
What is smart about hanging a healthcare bill on America that most people hated and rejected? These are done deals, not mere theories. Beck's charge of racism: maybe. O' Reilly's assertion that Obama is smart: not a chance.
Beck is said to have involved himself in too many conspiracy theories. It behooves us to consider that conspiracy theories are generally born of one of three factors. The primary factor is suspicion based on behaviors and associations that lead to a general conclusion. The second cause is the need to blame someone for society's ills. Blame needs a name.
A third and far more common reason a theory is birthed is so that society will not have to blame itself. The proclivity, penchant or will, to slide to the left in America will not see the sliders bearing much responsibility as long as there is someone else to blame.
Both Beck and O'Reilly are gentlemen of the highest order and while Glenn Beck may be far more involved in conspiratorial matters than Mr. O'Reilly we must never lose sight of one important fact. In today's climate of economic woes and other grave uncertainties, questions raised by other questions may be important but they must still be prioritized.
Questions about the birth certificate, old associations or use of vacation and free time, all are fair game. Yet when we boil it all down the now famous question, "Where's the birth certificate?" is paling compared to the far more essential question: "Where's the presidency?"
Beck has been focused more than most right wingers and most Americans on what ails the nation. He was not afraid to name names and call it like he found it. In as much as the left trained its big guns on Beck they have trained them on all of us.
If there is anything that can be didactically extracted (learned) from our experience with Glenn Beck it is probably this. Next time, say in 2012, lets pick a candidate who rather than having a completely obscure background and who runs on the mere strength of slogans and golden promises, may actually have a proven track record, whether male or female, black or white.
In conclusion I would be willing to say that if the above advice is ignored that shortly after 2012 we may all, in spite of the lack of bucks, wish Beck was back.
© Michael Bresciani
April 14, 2011
The left is gloating over Beck's demise since Fox has decided to let his daily shows dissolve sometime later this year. The cause cited is the lack of sponsors willing to back the show. Some 300 sponsors have dropped the show.
Is Beck a causality of the culture war or just more proof that whether you're right or lefty the buck rules? It would be all too easy to accept the latter conclusion but with all the facts in, it can be seen as none other than a sweeping victory for the left. In essence the left understood what any good military strategist knows that the first thing to strike is the supply lines and depots in order to slow an army to a crawl or stop it in its tracks.
It would be unfair if not un-realistic to say that Beck's sponsors were so interested in the political scene that they all responded in chorus to a man whose show had somehow become a serious offense to so many individuals and American sensibilities that he just had to be bounced. In fact the sponsors were bombarded by the left and crumbled under the pressure. We might want to inform the left that the runway is clear and they may now come in for a landing.
Media Matters is said to have had Beck under their biggest guns since his show began, Add to that feckless left bastion, websites like, Color of Change, Jenkins Ear, and Stop Beck.com who pounded away at sponsors with complaints and letters estimated to be far in excess of half a million and you can see that advertisers did not act on their own at all.
This was not a sudden surge of conscience among the buck masters against the Beckmeister that resulted in a cleansing, but only a purge performed under intense outside pressure. Lest the left flatter itself, when it comes to a contest between political views and bucks, politicos still don't stand a chance. The obvious conclusion here is that it was bucks and not Beck that lead to pulling the plug.
One great thing about the work of Stop Beck.com is that they published a comprehensive list of sponsors who have bolted and a list of those that remain. This at least gives the right a chance to decide what sponsors they may want to actively boycott as in; this game can be played both ways.
To his solid credit, Beck was instrumental in exposing what some people see as the greatest political charlatans, overweight baggage and highly questionable characters of our time. He helped spearhead the case against Acorn and uncovered the background and connections of Bill Ayers, William Wright, George Soros, Cass Sunstein and Van Jones. This is far more than just an honorable mention.
The trouble with involvement in conspiracy theories is that they usually lack the kind of solid evidence that ordinary news stories do. Often associations and speculation is all there is to go on even though they may be fairly convincing they are not facts and it is hard to add opinion or serious analysis to the unknown.
Even for that, if Becks views are seen alongside O'Reilly's it is apparent that Beck would be the hands down winner. Let's see.
Above all that Beck espoused, the left is more enraged with his assertion that President Obama is a racist. It may be hard to prove that Obama is a racist but that should come as no surprise since we have not proven yet if he was born in the USA. To be fair, more than twenty years of attendance at a church that holds racist views and the choosing of an Attorney General who decides not to prosecute cases of voter intimidation against blacks would count for sufficient proof to at least start the theory that Mr. Obama may be a closeted racist.
O'Reilly on the other hand has repeatedly put forth the assertion that Mr. Obama is a "smart man." It would take weeks to count the number of times he has made this claim. Since intelligence is a purely subjective matter we might say, that makes the claim theoretical at best. How does that theory hold up under honest scrutiny?
This is simply too easy and can be dealt with in a single but equally simple question. What is smart about leading a nation into 9-14 trillions of dollars in debt, ignoring the law of the land (Defense of Marriage Act,) supporting yet more abortion (FOCA) as if 53million of them weren't already enough and gaying out most of society through academia the military, hate crimes legislation and political correctness gone wild?
What is smart about hanging a healthcare bill on America that most people hated and rejected? These are done deals, not mere theories. Beck's charge of racism: maybe. O' Reilly's assertion that Obama is smart: not a chance.
Beck is said to have involved himself in too many conspiracy theories. It behooves us to consider that conspiracy theories are generally born of one of three factors. The primary factor is suspicion based on behaviors and associations that lead to a general conclusion. The second cause is the need to blame someone for society's ills. Blame needs a name.
A third and far more common reason a theory is birthed is so that society will not have to blame itself. The proclivity, penchant or will, to slide to the left in America will not see the sliders bearing much responsibility as long as there is someone else to blame.
Both Beck and O'Reilly are gentlemen of the highest order and while Glenn Beck may be far more involved in conspiratorial matters than Mr. O'Reilly we must never lose sight of one important fact. In today's climate of economic woes and other grave uncertainties, questions raised by other questions may be important but they must still be prioritized.
Questions about the birth certificate, old associations or use of vacation and free time, all are fair game. Yet when we boil it all down the now famous question, "Where's the birth certificate?" is paling compared to the far more essential question: "Where's the presidency?"
Beck has been focused more than most right wingers and most Americans on what ails the nation. He was not afraid to name names and call it like he found it. In as much as the left trained its big guns on Beck they have trained them on all of us.
If there is anything that can be didactically extracted (learned) from our experience with Glenn Beck it is probably this. Next time, say in 2012, lets pick a candidate who rather than having a completely obscure background and who runs on the mere strength of slogans and golden promises, may actually have a proven track record, whether male or female, black or white.
In conclusion I would be willing to say that if the above advice is ignored that shortly after 2012 we may all, in spite of the lack of bucks, wish Beck was back.
© Michael Bresciani
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