Glenn Beck Taps Into the Big Business of Paranoia

The Globe and Mail ^ | Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2009 | Barrie McKenna

[nickcarraway]

Meet the new star of the conservative media in the United States -- and his sprawling empire

There he is on the front cover of the current Time magazine, sticking out his tongue at the world.

He's Glenn Beck - the 45-year-old Fox News host, radio shock jock, best-selling author and U.S. President Barack Obama's worst nightmare.

In case you've never seen him, heard him or read him, Mr. Beck is the new star of the conservative media in the United States. Think Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly, but with a lot more bite and flare.

Mr. Beck's stock in trade is feeding many Americans' growing mistrust of government. And with government a major growth industry these days, he has ample fodder, and a growing flock.

In Mr. Beck's view of the world, Mr. Obama doesn't like white people very much and is conspiring to turn the United States into socialist state. Mr. Beck sees this plot lurking behind nearly everything Washington does - the bailouts, the stimulus package, the push for health care reform and the roster of "czars" working at the White House.

Mr. Beck has likened himself to the half-crazed, "mad-as-hell" anchorman Howard Beale from the movie Network. "When he came out of the rain and he was like, 'None of this makes any sense' - I am that guy," he once said.

It would easy to dismiss Mr. Beck, who is slightly dumpy with crew-cut grey hair and piercing blue eyes, as a buffoon.

But his brand of extreme talk has tapped into a new paranoid mood on the political right. In just the past month, he has helped force the resignation of a controversial White House adviser on "green" jobs, exposed dubious practices at community group ACORN and encouraged tens of thousands of people to show

[Adder]

In just the past month, he has helped force the resignation of a controversial White House adviser on “green” jobs, exposed dubious practices at community group ACORN

Then thats not “paranoia” then, is it?

Maybe if they would do their jobs instead of denigrating the ones who do it for them we’d all know a bit more truth.

[OpusatFR]

It’s the left that’s paranoid.

Get it right, leftys.

The right won’t buy any more of your labels. That’s so over.

[SueRae]

Glenn Beck has what it takes to speak truth to power, something the most of the media has sadly forgotten. He also gets results. I sense a ‘nose out of joint’ jealousy from this author. Good.

[gusopol3]

exposed dubious practices at community group ACORN

O'keefe, Giles and Breitbart deserve the credit there.

[vg0va3]

"But his brand of extreme talk"

I did not know that framing a story in reality with a touch of humor is known as "extreme talk".

Did Winston Smith (1984 fame) write this after his own indoctrination?

[Liz]

Beck encouraged tens of thousands of people to showup in DC....

More like millions.

9/12 REVOLUTION MARCHERS organized by Glenn Beck.

The massive crowds (9/12 pics left/above) are VERY significant---b/c the LSM measures crowds by the
size of civil rights protests (right pic); which LSM points out extended AROUND the Reflecting Pool.

[saganite]

Paranoia is reality seen on a finer scale

Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness

The issue is not whether you are paranoid, the issue is whether you are paranoid enough

Paranoia is knowing all the facts.

[FReepaholic]

Just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

[Anima Mundi]

This article could be written using Al Gore, Global Warming and the paranoid left...what is more paranoid than running around saying the world is coming to an end? And how rich is Gore getting off of his paranoia?

[sirchtruth]

But his brand of extreme talk has tapped into a new paranoid mood on the political right.

It's called reality! Beck knows today's gov't, especially headed up by these radical anti-Americans, are the enemy.

[thomas16]

They deserve credit, but Beck had the megaphone to bring attention to Acorn and make people understand what is happening. Otherwise it would have been just a wingnut story.

[thomas16]

I wish Beck would take him on. Just follow the money!

[RayChuang88]

And I think Beck is quietly working on proving that The Zero is effectively a stooge of the world's more notorious financier, George Soros. He proves that connection and effectively all h*** breaks loose on the entire Left.

[Condor51]

Barrie McKenna
Glenn Beck Taps Into the Big Business of Paranoia

Hey Barrie. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't after you.

Btw Barrie, this kind of PROVES Beck's 'paranoia' doesn't it...

In just the past month, he has helped force the resignation of a controversial White House adviser on "green" jobs, exposed dubious practices at community group ACORN .....

dimwit.

[TexasNative2000]

Obviously, Beck is the Left’s “Target-of-the-Month” for September/October.

[Adder]

Wouldn’t that be cute?

Lets hope he can prove it.....

[Rappini]

GB has awaken the sleeping Giant.

[Al Gore Vidal]

Seemed like the writer wanted to write a hit piece but secretly kind of admires Beck.

I love this comment...

“Beck is a specialist in distortion and 3 million retarded Americans believe it. Meanwhile, China, Brazil and most of Europe are moving forward.”

Forward to what? As if movement alone constitutes improvement. It seems to me the best thing conservatives can do at this time is try and STOP Obama from moving forward with his “vision” for a new America.

[Travis McGee]

In Mr. Beck's view of the world, Mr. Obama doesn't like white people very much and is conspiring to turn the United States into socialist state.

And this is wrong, how???

[equalitybeforethelaw]

There once was a time when reporters would applaud a reporters work rather than condemn it. Beck was able to do what the previous administration and majorities were unable to do: highlight the utter corruption of Acorn. The sad fact is no reporter until the now bothered to ask what bammy did for Acorn and what Acorn did for bammy. Acorn has become the lefts realworld “Halliburton”. All acorn roads lead to the WH and no reporter has the balls to ask any questions.

[maggief]

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

Thomas Jefferson

[tiki]

They are so afraid of Glen they can’t see straight. They have to try to marginalize him to protect their turf.

[Future Useless Eater]

Why does Shep still park on that 7PM time slot?

FoxNews Give 7PM to BECK!!!

The Scoreboard: Thursday, September 24

By Kevin Allocca on Sep 25, 2009 04:31 PM

25-54 demographic: (L +SD)

Total day: FNC: 448 | CNN: 188 | MSNBC: 128 | HLN: 166

Prime: FNC: 762 | CNN: 274 | MSNBC: 272 | HLN: 235

	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:
FNC	Beck:	Baier:	Shep:	O'Reilly:	Hannity:	Greta:	O'Reilly:
	718	509	428	904	731	652	594
CNN	Blitzer:	Blitzer:	Dobbs:	Brown:	King:	Cooper:	Cooper:
	173	167	204	233	326	263	200
MSNBC	Matthews:	EdShow:	Matthews:	Olbermann:	Maddow:	Olbermann:	Maddow:
	102	103	178	301	301	213	141
HLN	Prime:	Prime:	Issues:	Grace:	Issues:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	96	136	193	323	223	167	207

Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data.

Total Viewers: (L +SD)

Total day: FNC: 1647 | CNN: 582 | MSNBC: 408 | HLN: 367

Prime: FNC: 2792 | CNN: 794 | MSNBC: 857 | HLN: 609

	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:
FNC	Beck:	Baier:	Shep:	O'Reilly:	Hannity:	Greta:	O'Reilly:
	2701	2281	1887	3487	2559	2317	1652
CNN	Blitzer:	Blitzer:	Dobbs:	Brown:	King:	Cooper:	Cooper:
	707	553	692	869	834	678	510
MSNBC	Matthews:	EdShow:	Matthews:	Olbermann:	Maddow:	Olbermann:	Maddow:
	451	439	585	1061	933	576	435
HLN	Prime:	Prime:	Issues:	Grace:	Issues:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	294	327	458	875	607	396	398

Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data.

[tiki]

It just dawned on me, I bet one of the reasons they hate talk radio is that it isn’t scripted or pre-recorded. They can’t ridicule it beforehand and if they ridicule it after all the people have already heard it, it is too late, the listeners have already been exposed to truth and common sense.

[Adder]

You are exactly right.

They do that alot. Look what they successfully did to Sarah Palin. It doesn’t have to work with everyone...just has to work with enough of them.

[Dead Corpse]

If people are feeling over burdened, hunted by their own government, besieged on all sides by special interest groups bent on carving out their own slice of their neighbors pie...

That isn't paranoia. That's just facing reality.

[epow]

Mr. Beck's stock in trade is feeding many Americans' growing mistrust of government.

I can't think of many things more worthy of mistrust than the US government as it is currently constituted. A communist-lite president and a far left Congress are about to install socialized medicine into the the US and thereby virtually destroy the best medical care system the world has ever known. And that's just the tip of the collectivist iceberg that is floating around waiting to sink more free enterprise institutions. Free medical care is not a basic human right, if it was it would mean that I have a right to demand the professional services of a doctor, a hospital, and the pharmaceutical industry without regard to my ability or willingness to pay for those services. Basic human rights were pretty well identified and given protection against an authoritarian government by the authors of the US Constitution, and I don't see free medical care identified or even hinted at as one of those rights anywhere in that document.

At a more practical every-day level, Canada's socialized medical system pays medical doctors on average roughly $130K per year, or about the same pay that a good new car salesman earns in the US. How many US doctors will take on the responsibility of providing life or death health care procedures for that kind of pay? And how many aspiring doctors will spend 10 years or more earning a medical degree, another year or two studying and training to specialize in a certain medical field, and then go deeply into debt to pay for offices, employees, and equipment in order to earn a car salesman's annual pay? If you're having trouble getting an appointment with a good doctor now, what do you think it will it be like after 1/3 or more of US doctors retire or go into other professions after Obamacare is forced on the American people by a far left Congress and a commie-lite president?

[AFreeBird]

Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get you.

[AFreeBird]

Look what they successfully did to Sarah Palin.

I don't know how "successful" they've been. If anything, Sarah's political capital has probably gone up. I can't wait for her book to come out Nov. 17th. I have a feeling the 1.5M copies they pre printed are going to be sold out in short order.

She's a fighter, and an underdog, and most real American's love the fighter who'll stand up for America, and give no quarter. And they've seen the attacks and smears and it's *issed them off.

The libtards and the presstitutes have dug themselves a hole, haven't yet realized it, and are still digging.

Let em.

[Gritty]

the LSM measures crowds by the size of civil rights protests (right pic); which LSM points out extended AROUND the Reflecting Pool.

It is my understanding ACORN pulled a fast one. They got a demonstration permit for that area with nobody in it. The cops roped it off and didn't allow anyone else into the area. ACORN never showed up so it left a large gaping hole on the Mall. It was a perfect plan to minimize the size photos of the crowd.

Can anybody else confirm that?