Kristol Calls Out Beck Over 'Hysteria'

[Babylonsister]

Posted in its entirety w/permission from author.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archive...027865.php

KRISTOL CALLS OUT BECK OVER 'HYSTERIA'.... There were some noticeable fissures among conservatives as the revolution in Egypt got underway, but those differences have intensified this week, with the right splintering into a growing number of factions. As of this morning, it's impossible to say what "the conservative line" is on Egypt.

What's easy to say is that the line isn't where Fox News' Glenn Beck is drawing it. The deranged media personality has spent the last several days cooking up truly bizarre conspiracy theories -- even by his standards -- involving caliphates, communists, and radical theocrats, all of which has culminated in Beck urging his minions to store food because the "new world order" may be coming to get them.

Yesterday, The Weekly Standard's editor William Kristol, a Fox News contributor, called Beck and his ilk out in print.

Now, people are more than entitled to their own opinions of how best to accomplish that democratic end. And it's a sign of health that a political and intellectual movement does not respond to a complicated set of developments with one voice.

But hysteria is not a sign of health. When Glenn Beck rants about the caliphate taking over the Middle East from Morocco to the Philippines, and lists (invents?) the connections between caliphate-promoters and the American left, he brings to mind no one so much as Robert Welch and the John Birch Society. He's marginalizing himself, just as his predecessors did back in the early 1960s.

Nor is it a sign of health when other American conservatives are so fearful of a popular awakening that they side with the dictator against the democrats. Rather, it's a sign of fearfulness unworthy of Americans, of short-sightedness uncharacteristic of conservatives, of excuse-making for thuggery unworthy of the American conservative tradition.

Kristol tends to be a loyal party man, reluctant to publicly criticize his allies. Beck and other unhinged conservatives, in other words, must have really gone too far to draw this kind of rebuke.

What's also interesting is that National Review's Rich Lowry, who's also a Fox News contributor, piled on yesterday, praising Kristol for taking "a well-deserved shot at Glenn Beck's latest wild theorizing."

Time's Joe Klein, meanwhile, added that he considers these criticisms pretty important.

Kristol lies very close to the throbbing heart of the Fox News sensibility. And I've heard, from more than a couple of conservative sources, that prominent Republicans have approached Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes about the potential embarrassment that the paranoid-messianic rodeo clown may bring upon their brand. The speculation is that Beck is on thin ice. His ratings are dropping, too -- which, in the end, is a good part of what this is all about. But I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a mirror-Olbermann situation soon.

For the record, I find it extremely hard to believe Fox News would actually dump Beck. It wouldn't surprise me if Murdoch and Ailes were taking some heat over Beck's idiocy, and that GOP leaders consider Beck an embarrassment, but I've never seen a shred of evidence that Murdoch and Ailes have any professional or ethical standards at all.

Regardless, it appears Beck's shtick is starting to wear thin, with his audience and with his own conservative allies. Whether his job is safe or not, that's good news.

—Steve Benen

[jaxx]

When Beck goes so far in his delusional rantings that his followers turn away how can he continue? Losing his audience, losing advertisers...I suppose the leftover nuts will have to carry his water. Unfortunately there are still too many believer nuts out there.....and I count the far left in their wild rants as a part of his survival.

[jaxx]

In the "you gotta see this one" category:

Glenn Beck Show (February 4, 2011): Solutions for the Middle East

I don't know who he's dressed up to be, but hey Glenny, Halloween is over.

[Ikonoklast]

(02-06-2011 10:05 AM)Sass Wrote:  In the "you gotta see this one" category:

Glenn Beck Show (February 4, 2011): Solutions for the Middle East

I don't know who he's dressed up to be, but hey Glenny, Halloween is over.

When did Glenn Beck get a position at Hogwarts?

[KonaKane]

(02-06-2011 10:05 AM)jaxx Wrote:  I don't know who he's dressed up to be, but hey Glenny, Halloween is over.

Somebody needs to let Dilbert in on a little secret - The Druids didn't wear a three piece suit underneath their robes.

[Born_A_Truman]

Beck has had one toe in the deep end for quite awhile.

Quote:The deranged media personality has spent the last several days cooking up truly bizarre conspiracy theories -- even by his standards -- involving caliphates, communists, and radical theocrats, all of which has culminated in Beck urging his minions to store food because the "new world order" may be coming to get them.

Is he courting a new food sponsor now that his gold sponsor is under investigation?

Quote:Nor is it a sign of health when other American conservatives are so fearful of a popular awakening that they side with the dictator against the democrats. Rather, it's a sign of fearfulness unworthy of Americans, of short-sightedness uncharacteristic of conservatives, of excuse-making for thuggery unworthy of the American conservative tradition.

Dick Cheney, for one (the king of fear), is siding with Mubarak ("a good man")
, but does that surprise anyone?

The rest are waiting in the wings to pounce on Obama.

[Cha]

(02-06-2011 10:24 AM)Born_A_Truman Wrote:  Dick Cheney, for one (the king of fear), is siding with Mubarak ("a good man")
, but does that surprise anyone?

The rest are waiting in the wings to pounce on Obama.

Tough shyte if he's a "good man"..the people don't want him, dick..just like they didn't want mccain and his side kick the quitter.

[Ikonoklast]

Kristol is afraid Beck will start to include Israel into his rantings, and this is a pre-emptive strike.

Beck's audience doesn't trust anyone vaguely Semitic, and Beck must be making someone uncomfortable.

I would venture a guess and say idiots that watch Beck distrust The Joos just as much as The Ay-rabs.

[atomic]

Kinda late to rein in the crazy.

That horse left the barn eons ago.

[Andy823]

Yes, Beck is on looney nut case, and when conservatives start slamming him, you know he is proving just how "insane" he really is!

I have often wondered how far this nut has to go before republicans and conservatives realize he is making them all look crazy! You can't let someone like this speak for you and not end up looking bad in the long run. Limbaugh is bad enough, but Beck has out done even Limbaugh!

As for the "store up food" thing, I heard he has some survival group as a sponsor, and saw a clip of him promoting their "survival" food, just like he used to do with the gold con, he now comes up with some reason to "buy" survival food just like he used to do with gold telling his followers why they needed gold, and now why they need survival food!

[Cha]

Good! Let beck go off on kristol and lowery like he pops his cork on others who have called out his stupid shtick. fox "news" gave a platform to a derelict, degenerate monster and it seems ol rupert is too afraid of the backlash of monster's fans to let it go.

What if monster's fans boycotted fox? Ratings falling further?

[Cha]

beck answers back..

"THE BREWING KRISTOL, BECK FEUD.... Well, this ought to be interesting.

Last week, Fox News' Glenn Beck launched a week-long effort to explain developments in Egypt as only he can. The deranged media personality cooked up truly bizarre conspiracy theories -- even by his standards -- involving caliphates, communists, and radical theocrats, all of whom are coordinating their efforts for "the coming insurrection" and the "new world order," which will apparently include China seizing New Zealand.

Over the weekend, The Weekly Standard's William Kristol, a Fox News contributor, had seen enough. "[H]ysteria is not a sign of health," Kristol wrote in a new column. "When Glenn Beck rants about the caliphate taking over the Middle East from Morocco to the Philippines, and lists (invents?) the connections between caliphate-promoters and the American left, he brings to mind no one so much as Robert Welch and the John Birch Society. He's marginalizing himself, just as his predecessors did back in the early 1960s."

Nearly as important, National Review's Rich Lowry, who's also a Fox News contributor, praised Kristol for taking "a well-deserved shot at Glenn Beck's latest wild theorizing." Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund, another very conservative media voice, added that Beck's use of "apocalyptic conspiracy terms" when describing Egypt "goes too far."

Apparently, Beck caught wind of all of this, and lashed out at Kristol on his radio show this morning.

"I don't even know if you understand what conservatives are anymore, Billy," Beck said in his extended, sarcastic attack on Kristol. "People like Bill Kristol, I don't think they stand for anything anymore. All they stand for is power. They'll do anything to keep their little fiefdom together, and they'll do anything to keep the Republican power entrenched."

I especially liked it when Beck asked rhetorically on the air, "Have you done a minute of research, Bill?" It's amusing to think Beck believes additional scholarly work would prove there's a global conspiracy to "divvy up" the world between communists and "radical Islamists." If only Kristol would do more "research," he'd see how right Beck's delusions are.

We'll see if Kristol feels compelled to respond to this, though I rather doubt he'll bother. The larger point to keep in mind, though, is that the fissures within the right that generally go unnoticed are starting to widen.

In the case of U.S. policy towards Egypt, the dynamic is well beyond left vs. right. Instead we're seeing (a) those in the U.S. who support the protesters, their calls for sweeping democratic reforms, and Mubarak's ouster; (b) those who support Mubarak and fear his unknown replacement; and © those who believe caliphates run by zombie Islamists, the Illuminati, and the Loch Ness Monster are coming to steal your car.

Joe Klein noted over the weekend that he's "heard, from more than a couple of conservative sources, that prominent Republicans have approached Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes about the potential embarrassment that the paranoid-messianic rodeo clown may bring upon their brand. The speculation is that Beck is on thin ice."

A feud with Kristol almost certainly won't help."

—Steve Benen 2:10 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (49)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archive...hp#1897777

The cons continue their internecine sniping..

[NJMaverick]

Glen Beck is a gold salesman. Gold sells best in a panic.