I Officially Reject Glenn Beck. This video changed me

[dinosaur]

I'll be more than happy to respond to that if you cite or source him going off the handle at the Bush administration on anything other than immigration prior to his ongoing conversion to (as the John Birch Society called it) paleoconservatism. I remember him and Pat Buchanan (who are still close confidants, by the way) debating this during his stint on CNN, with Beck on the pro-Bush side (he has since turned over a new leaf on Bush, which is especially apparent in Beck's chapter on the Bush presidency in Broke).

Beck used to make his lack of support for Bush very clear, and the Iraq war was one of the top reasons. I used to watch him all the time, but have no idea how to get old CNN video. Buchanan has been consistent about his lack of support for the Iraq war. Buchanan was one of the lone dissenting voices against it before it happened, one of the first to identify the new phenomenon of neoconservatism back in the day, and has always been willing to risk his career speaking out against intervention on behalf of Israel. The paleoconservative position is anti-interventionist. Don't think for a minute that Buchanan trusts Beck enough to consider him a confidant.

 

[WM_in_MO]

Did you really need a documentary to see through the lies??? Is this still RPF?

No, it's not. The Zimmerman trial changed all that.

This is Treyvon forest.

 

[Pericles]

I'd suggest to the candid observer that Beck and his audience are typical of the people that we need to reach in oder to get sufficient numbers of people on board with more realistic libertarian principles if we are to achieve meaningful success via the political process. Knowing how they are motivated is therefore, useful.

 

[ghengis86]

I just don't get the people that need someone to tell them what to think. Guys I work with listen to Beck religiously and I can't for the life of me understand. They regurgitate his talking pints verbatim and can't form any opinion on their own. Boggles the mind really.

But whatever. These "Glenn Beck's a great/terrible guy" threads are getting old.

 

[dinosaur]

I just don't get the people that need someone to tell them what to think. Guys I work with listen to Beck religiously and I can't for the life of me understand. They regurgitate his talking pints verbatim and can't form any opinion on their own. Boggles the mind really.

But whatever. These "Glenn Beck's a great/terrible guy" threads are getting old.

Beck has an influential role and can't be ignored. His listeners are are natural allies and he has the power right now to steer them.

 

[AuH20]

Whomever looks for step-by-step guidance from media personalities needs their head examined and that applies to the disciples of Jones, Beck, Levin or Kokesh. With that said, they at least discuss topics that the MSM considers taboo and implore their audiences to do their own research. For example, I listen to Beck on occasion and have purchased his books yet I haven't voted for a major political party figure in over two presidential cycles (2008 Barr, 2012 Goode). So your mileage may vary.

I think many folks become too focused on the personalities as opposed to the general content. Beck is not Lysander Spooner but by the same token he isn't the Anti-Christ. Heck, he hangs out with Penn Jilette, Andrew Napolitano and Vince Vaughn for crying out loud. I'm pretty certain they would be able to ascertain Beck's nefarious goals firsthand, but this fact won't stop the "Beck is the Anti-Christ" threads.

 

[BlackTerrel]

Whomever looks for step-by-step guidance from media personalities needs their head examined and that applies to the disciples of Jones, Beck, Levin or Kokesh. With that said, they at least discuss topics that the MSM considers taboo and implore their audiences to do their own research. For example, I listen to Beck on occasion and have purchased his books yet I haven't voted for a major political party figure in over two presidential cycles (2008 Barr, 2012 Goode). So your mileage may vary.

I think many folks become too focused on the personalities as opposed to the general content. Beck is not Lysander Spooner but by the same token he isn't the Anti-Christ. Heck, he hangs out with Penn Jilette, Andrew Napolitano and Vince Vaughn for crying out loud. I'm pretty certain they would be able to ascertain Beck's nefarious goals firsthand, but this fact won't stop the "Beck is the Anti-Christ" threads.

This.

There has to be some middle ground between perfection and evil. And not everyone who disagrees with you on certain topics is a tool or brainwashed. Sometimes people just disagree.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Did you really need a documentary to see through the lies??? Is this still RPF?

+1

 

[angelatc]

Beck actually opposes the Patriot Act now. He changed his mind, just as Walter Jones did.

And he will change it right back as soon as it is politically expedient to do so. He's a trap. I started to watch the video, but as soon as I saw Alex Jones I turned it off. His presence in it unfortunately relegates it to the status of preaching to the choir.

 

[FrankRep]

It's not like I listened to his show that much, I mainly saw his news clips.

"Rat poison" is a good description. 95% good food, %5 deadly poison.

 

[whippoorwill]

Thanks! Bump and stuff.

 

[mczerone]

I'm with Penn Jilette on this one: Glenn Beck's change of heart on a litany of issues over the years is a testament to his rare authenticity and sincerity. He has openly admitted that he was "stupid" to buy into the whole GOP brainwashing campaign that led him to serve as a blind, water-carrying cheerleadering for the surveillance state, and has even rejected the mainstream neoconservative orthodoxy that he used to be such a hardcore defender of. (See the back cover of Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea, for Beck's candid thoughts on the subject. He also continues to blast Bill Kristol and the folks at the Weekly Standard for their failed "democratic" escapade in Egypt, their starry-eyed Wilsonian adventurism, and their love affair with the never-blinking security apparatchiks who have the capacity to sketch out entire maps of our daily lives. He did a whole half-hour episode on Rand's epic thirteen-hour filibuster, raged against Rand's supposedly "conservative critics," and remarked that the Tea Party rallies were only the heartbeat of the movement - Rand's filibuster was its birth. Glenn and Rand frequently exchange emails back and forth whenever previously confidential information is leaked.) Believe it or not, pre-Snowden (who, by the way, Beck has exalted as the epitome of American patriotism), he also had NSA whistle-blowers on his program - not weeks, but months in advance. He recently ripped into Marco Rubio for being a traitorous "piece of garbage" (his words, not mine) and still tries to keep in touch with the Judge every so often. He also cooked a cake and busted out the confetti and noisemakers to mark the beginning of the end of the Grand Old Party. He's certainly not perfect, but he's made a lot of progress. And, might I add, Beck is the reason I went from being a mainline Hillary booster to a libertarian-minded right-winger. Many others have testified as much. Oh, and he railed against military intervention in Syria, in addition to North Korean war propaganda.

I appreciate what Penn has said, but I still don't trust Beck.

If he keeps growing, keeps admitting fault, and actually comes out and cogently explains his philosophy, he might be an ally.

But I'd always be looking for that time when he pulls the knife to stab the liberty movement in the back.

 

[jllundqu]

Jesus.... help us.

Once again, folks. Beck talks a good game until elections time. Where the rubber meets the road, Beck is a statist through and through.

Come 2014, Beck will be singing the praises of statism and come 2016 he will be 'warning' of how he's 'not sure about Rand' and how 'Rubio really does seem to be the best candidate.'

He is VERY entertaining to listen to, as is AJ, as long as you have some basic critical thinking skills and know how to sift the BS from the truth.

Mark my words. His true colors always shine through when it counts.

 

[donnay]

I just don't get the people that need someone to tell them what to think. Guys I work with listen to Beck religiously and I can't for the life of me understand. They regurgitate his talking pints verbatim and can't form any opinion on their own. Boggles the mind really.

But whatever. These "Glenn Beck's a great/terrible guy" threads are getting old.

It's part of the war on for your mind. All done by design. Glenn is a great actor and has been able to suck people into his theatrics and lies.

Once you do the research and your eyes are truly opened by the propaganda (basically taking the red pill) there is no turning back. I am glad I have been awake for years and able to weed through all the Judas' in the industry.

I knew Glenn Beck was a shill and sold his soul about 20 years ago. His fault is the love of money.

 

[Czolgosz]

@ the desire to have all these talkshow puppets actually be for freedumb.

 

[CPUd]

 

[kahless]

Alex Jones nailed it in his comments about Beck at the beginning of that video.

I think people need to be careful when attacking Beck not to attack him as a whole but to attack him specifically for his hypocrisy as not to harm your own message. Otherwise to the average Joe not paying attention it will come off like it is Progressive hatred of Beck rather than genuine Libertarian opposition.

With that said I think people waste too much energy attacking him here when most of the MSM is far worse and has a more broader reach than Beck.

 

[AuH20]

Alex Jones nailed it in his comments about Beck at the beginning of that video.

I think people need to be careful when attacking Beck not to attack him as a whole but to attack him specifically for his hypocrisy as not to harm your own message. Otherwise to the average Joe not paying attention it will come off like it is Progressive hatred of Beck rather than genuine Libertarian opposition.

With that said I think people waste too much energy attacking him here when most of the MSM is far worse and has a more broader reach than Beck.

Ding! ding! We are an extreme minority nationally and we have people creating this grand conspiracy about Beck that doesn't hold water. I'm not saying to trust him, but some of the over-the-top criticism speaks volumes about the insecurities of the critics as opposed to Beck's personal viewpoints. Beck says things I don't agree with (Lincoln and MLK worship among other policy positions) but he's not even in the top 10,000 enemies of this county who largely reside in D.C., Manhattan and the many state capitols.

 

[donnay]

Alex Jones nailed it in his comments about Beck at the beginning of that video.

I think people need to be careful when attacking Beck not to attack him as a whole but to attack him specifically for his hypocrisy as not to harm your own message. Otherwise to the average Joe not paying attention it will come off like it is Progressive hatred of Beck rather than genuine Libertarian opposition.

With that said I think people waste too much energy attacking him here when most of the MSM is far worse and has a more broader reach than Beck.

Beck tries to get people to think he is the alternative news. Most people are turning away from MSM--their ratings are plummeting. Going to Beck for alternative news is a trap--plain and simple.

 

[dinosaur]

Ding! ding! We are an extreme minority nationally and we have people creating this grand conspiracy about Beck that doesn't hold water. I'm not saying to trust him, but some of the over-the-top criticism speaks volumes about the insecurities of the critics as opposed to Beck's personal viewpoints. Beck says things I don't agree with (Lincoln and MLK worship among other policy positions) but he's not even in the top 10,000 enemies of this county who largely reside in D.C., Manhattan and state capitols.

Those that have the power to sway the primary certainly are among the big boys. Yes, I guess we should all be more careful how we approach our criticism, mostly because we need to unite with his audience, but you are wrong about it being merely a matter of disagreement on issues. I don't have a problem with Beck because of the issues, I have a problem with him seeking and gaining an audience for the sole purpose of being their pied piper. He betrays his audience when he sells them false conspiracy theories and leads them away from the non-statist candidates...now what would be the most simple explanation for why a smart person would do that?