If you look at things from a certain perspective, the extreme right can be quite entertaining (if taken in small doses). H/t to John Dickerson who brings news of this delightful story from the L.A. Times which describes the alleged “trepidation” Glenn Beck felt when he moved from CNN to FoxNews:
Before Glenn Beck started his new show on Fox News in January, he sat down with Roger Ailes, the network’s chief executive, to make sure they were on the same page.
“I wanted to meet with Roger and tell him, ‘You may not want to put me on the air. I believe we are in dire trouble, and I will never shut up,’ ” said the conservative radio host…
That’s the trouble with many of the right-wing media blowhards, they have no Off button. They spew 24/7. There are only three things you can be sure of with me(dia)tards like Beck and Limbaugh: they know no shame, they never met a fact they couldn’t embellish, and they never shut up.
But infinite wit in this story is in this quotation:
“I see this as the Alamo,” Ailes said, according to Beck. “If I just had somebody who was willing to sit on the other side of the camera until the last shot is fired, we’d be fine.”
Interesting that Ailes sees the FoxNews gang as the diehard holdouts at the Alamo facing certain death but ready to give their lives for…for what exactly? And if Ailes is the leader, Davey Crockett, that would make Beck something akin to knife-fighter Jim Bowie.
I guess what Ailes is counting on in this analogy is that the Alamo gang died so that Texas could be born, which gave us…you guessed it, George Bush. Which means that Davey Crockett died for George Bush’s sins?
The fun thing about people who can’t shut up is that if they run the motor long enough they’re going to say some awfully hilarious things. Things that will impeach themselves and hoist themselves on their own petard.
Then of course, there’s the typical boilerplate hogwash that not even Roger Ailes believes anymore:
Network executives vigorously dispute the notion that the channel has a conservative slant. Although its popular prime-time commentators may be largely on the political right, the channel plays it straight with its daytime news programming, they argue.
“There are no marching orders,” agreed Garrett, who said he doesn’t see himself as tougher on the administration than his competitors on the beat.
Yeah right.
To show the amount of self-deception among the FoxNews crowd, get a load of this:
“Did anybody watch the speech last night and have blood just shooting right out of your eyes?” Beck asked on the air last week after Obama’s address to Congress.
Driving his rhetoric is a sense of urgency about the path the nation is taking.
“If I told you what I really believe was going to come — I’ve made people cry,” he said in an interview. “I think we’re headed for real trouble.
“You’ve never met anybody who wants to be wrong more than I do,” Beck added. “I have nothing to gain and everything to lose. If I’m right, what do I have? I don’t grow my business. I have no reason to say these things.”
Ginning up hatred for Obama and predicting he’s taking the country over a cliff…Beck has nothing to gain from such hysteria, does he? He doesn’t grow his business.
What does he take us for? Fools? The more histrionic his ravings and the more worked up his audience, the higher his ratings–especially since so far few in the national media are raising similar alarums. FoxNews is the counter-programming to the Obama-Democratic revival. That means the wingnut crowd is looking for their Pied Piper-Chicken Little, a role Beck is only too happy to fill.
One thing you can be sure of regarding FoxNews over the next four years: it will be all hate all the time. They can’t start spewing it in earnest yet since the new president is enjoying unprecedented popularity. But as soon as the first snow falls and Obama looks the least vulnerable, the dirt will fly. Of that you can be sure. And FoxNews will be leading the charge.
And I’m afraid that the racist dead gorilla cartoon from the N.Y. Daily News will be petty stuff compared to what could be coming.
All of which begs the question: at what point does Roger Ailes tend to the investor’s call…? Before or after the last [Alamo] ad dollar is pulled?
The cartoon was from the Post — another Murdoch enterprise.
Beck has a business? I thought he was a hired hand.
More seriously, I’ve had an intuition for a long time that the US was headed for some kind of civil strife between left/right/up/down/sideways. More like Jayhawkers vs. Bushwhackers than Grant vs.Lee, too.
Never say never.
Zhu Bajie
Hey everyone, I just hand wrote Roger Ailes a letter thanking him for the Glenn Beck show.
I praised Ailes for allowing Beck to do the show without fear of bringing God and Jesus into the conversation and about going back to basics. (“Refounding America”)
Unfortunately, the liberals and their liberal media machines have turned us into “zombies” over the years. I see now that it really IS about going back to the founding principals of this great country and of course, keeping Jesus at the very front of it all.
John 9:25 – I was blind but now I see!
I don’t know bout y’all, but I feel rejuvenated!!!
Thanks for yr provocation. You’re everything we hate. Keep up the good work & I hope you get a chance to vote for Beck or Dobbs or one of those other idiots you right wing Republicans seem drawn to like moths to a flame. You’re all going to get singed though in the next presidential election if those are the bozos your party puts forward.
Jesus was never a founding principle of our country. If you had your way you’d make it so now. But Thomas Jefferson & the Founding Fathers would despise you if they could even stand to look at you.