Glenn Beck Was Against Tying Political Movements To Historical Terrorist Attacks, Before He Was For It

Glenn Beck is the founder of the Glenn Beck 9/12 Project.  In announcing the 9/12 project, Glenn Beck played a video clip of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and then said:

“Are you ready to become that person you were (quiver, choke), that day (choke) after 9-11? On 9-12? I told ya, (voice shaking) for weeks, you’re not alone… You are the secret. You are the answer. (Choke, long pause) I’m sorry. I just love my country and I fear for it. (Long pause, wipe away tear).” [Video available here]

Since this announcement, Beck has repeatedly stated that the goal of the 9/12 project is to restore the feeling that pervaded the nation in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Beck’s announcement in March 2009 laid the groundwork for a movement that built towards the September 12, 2009 rally in Washington, D.C.

A movement, eh? Hmm.  Interesting that Glenn Beck would choose to coincide his movement with the September 11 terrorist attacks, given his earlier comments about the Ron Paul fundraiser that took place on November 5, 2008 (Guy Fawkes Day):

“It’s really not the way I would go, tying my movement in with a historical terrorist attack, especially in post-9/11 America.“

In that same show, Glenn Beck characterized the fervent supporters of the Ron Paul Revolution as a growing domestic enemy.  He was also concerned that the movement might spiral out of control, given the use of the term revolution, saying:

The Ron Paul revolution, I think it`s meant to be a catchy slogan, but I fear some of his fringe supporters are taking the word “revolution” too literally.

So, the Ron Paul revolution is too risky, but Glenn Beck saying he is going to “re-found” America is perfectly acceptable.

Tying a fundraiser to Guy Fawkes Day suggests that Ron Paul supporters are domestic enemies, but Glen Beck directly linking his movement to the 9/11 terrorist attacks is a-okay.

Sounds to me like Glenn Beck was against the 9/12 Project, before he was for it.

Katie Couric Set To Interview Glenn Beck Tonight; But Wait…

Tonight, Katie Couric is scheduled to interview Glenn Beck.  She even promoted the interview on her Twitter page yesterday.  This is all well and good, except for the fact that Ms. Couric is supposed to be an unbiased journalist, yet she and Mr. Beck share a publicist – Matthew Hiltzik.

Given the role that publicists play in advancing their client’s interests, and given that Ms. Couric and Mr. Beck share the same publicist, I am requesting that Ms. Couric/CBS Evening News disclose this intersecting interest in order to avoid the appearance of the bias.

Update [9/22]: As expected, Katie Couric is more interested in flattering Glenn Beck than anything else.  Here’s how she described him:

“No one has a better feeling for this mood, and no one exploits it as well, as Beck. He is the hottest thing in the political-rant racket, left or right.”

Here’s the letter that I sent to CBS, and I urge you to send them a disclosure request as well (please feel free to use this letter, if you’d like):

To: evening@cbsnews.com
Cc: KAC@cbsnews.com, mhiltzik@hstrategies.com, info@hstrategies.com

Subject: Disclosure Request For Katie Couric/Glenn Beck Interview

Good afternoon,

Tonight, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric is scheduled to interview Glenn Beck. Ms. Couric has promoted this interview on her Twitter page. Since July 28, 2008, Mr. Beck has been embroiled in controversy after stating that President Obama is “a racist” and has a “deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture.” This controversy has resulted in the reported loss of 63 sponsors for Mr. Beck’s television show on the Fox News Channel.

It has been brought to my attention that Ms. Couric and Mr. Beck share the same publicist – Matthew Hiltzik. Ms. Couric is obligated to provide unbiased reporting and to avoid even the appearance of bias. Given Mr. Beck’s ongoing controversy and the function of publicists, Ms. Couric’s and Mr. Beck’s interests ostensibly intersect. Accordingly, in order to avoid the appearance of bias, I am requesting that Ms. Couric disclose this information prior to the interview.

Best Regards,

Glenn Beck Was For The Bailout, Before He Was Against It

Now, that Glenn Beck has a Fox News show he spends an awful lot of time railing against the Obama administration bailouts.  He’s so strongly opposed to government bailouts that one of the major underlying themes of the Glenn Beck 9/12 Project is staunch opposition to bailouts (past and potential future).

But, before Obama was elected POTUS and when Glenn Beck was on CNN, he was singing a very different tune.  One could say that Glenn Beck was for the bailouts before he was against them.  Not only was he for the bailout, but he argued that it wasn’t big enough!

On September 22, 2008, speaking about the bailouts Glenn Beck said:

The “REAL STORY” is the $700 billion that you`re hearing about now is not only, I believe, necessary, it is also not nearly enough, and all of the weasels in Washington know it.

You can do some searching and find Glenn Beck offering his support for the bailout program then, when the election was still in play and while Bush was still in office.

So what’s changed between now and then to justify Glenn Beck’s wild reversal of his original bailout advocacy? Well, Obama is the president and Glenn Beck is on Fox News.

Beware the Coming Wingnut Bubble

Simon Johnson and Peter Boone, in TNR:

And so, our recurring financial crises are not isolated random events; they emerge from a pattern of private and public sector behavior. Enabled by the Fed, our system’s tolerance for risk is out of control. This is an increasingly dangerous system. It is only a matter of time until it collapses again.

What will that collapse look like? The bubbles this time will likely appear abroad. Parts of Asia and Latin America, a tiny fraction of the size of the U.S. economy, are experiencing large capital inflows, low interest rates, and the beginnings of a major boom. Countries with intact banking systems and access to global capital markets will lead the next speculative wave. The United States will be pulled in–probably soon enough that we will all be surprised by a supposedly robust recovery, fed by continued low interest rates and loose credit. We all know these episodes end in tears, but they can be spectacular while they last.

Compare that to protestors yesterday in DC:

I approached a woman carrying a sign reading, “Fox News—America’s Only Media!” As a member of the media, I said, I was offended. “Fox News and Slate!” she kindly corrected. She was Kathy Johnson of Woodstock, N.Y., wife of Dave. I asked what brought them there. “You got an hour?” she said. Dave said it was everything: health care, taxes, socialism. He warned me of what he called “DDA”: the deliberate destruction of America. He then made a prediction. As the deficit grows, people are going to divest from the U.S. dollar—”currency flight”—forcing the government to either raise taxes or print money. He has already begun to pull his money out and transfer it to foreign investments. “I’m betting against the U.S.,” he said.

This will certainly end in tears, I know it.

You Demand Answers! Why Does Glenn Beck’s Head Writer Hail Soviet Era Brutal Dictator On His Myspace Page?

[Note: The people are real.  Their jobs are real. The picture is real.  This post will sarcastically employ Glenn Beck’s jingoistic rhetoric and logical analysis to this available information. If you have an issue with such logic, please take it up with him.  If you find the beginning a tad slow, feel free to look at questions at the bottom first.]

America, I have a shocking revelation to tell you about – simply shocking.  I mean, it may just make your head fly off your shoulders and crawl up your own ass – that’s how disturbing and shocking this is.

Last night, it was brought to my attention that Glenn Beck’s “Words Czar” has ties to a brutal, totalitarian, Soviet era dictator.  At first, I didn’t believe it.  I said to my researchers – you show me the proof, a picture, something!  I can’t just write a blog post about this, unless I know what I am presenting to my readers has been vetted.

So, they came back to me with the following picture pulled from Stu Burguiere’s actual MySpace page.*  Stu is the Glenn Beck Program’s Executive Producer and Head Writer.  But, what that really means is  – Beck’s Words Czar. [*For those unaware, I’m not just picking on a random employee of Beck’s.  Stu gets substantial radio air time alongside Beck & some TV time. He is a personality onto his own & his MySpace page is public.]

The picture (I warn you, it is…disturbing):