Glenn Beck: Stop the Insanity

Looking back, it's hard to believe that Father Charles Coughlin's hate speeches were broadcast into millions of homes during the 1930s. Coughlin's anti-Semitic rants incited prejudice and violence. Now, in the Internet age, it seems positively antiquated that one person could have such a powerful soapbox to engage in fear-mongering and hate speech.

In fact, it seems insane.

We would never stand for that today, right? So why do our media continue to resemble the hate radio of decades past? How did it happen that just a few media pundits can disseminate such vitriol and misinformation into millions of homes, and -- worse -- cast it as real news?

Father Coughlin must be dancing in his grave. His model for using the media to manipulate the American people through fear and division lives on in the form of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and other extremists that propagandize millions of Americans daily. And unlike Coughlin, these guys have powerful corporations to back them up.

In the last month, Beck launched a smear campaign against one of Obama's top environmental advisers and forced his resignation. Van Jones is one of the great, principled leaders of our time, and he was unceremoniously hung out to dry while the White House quietly acquiesced to the agents of fear.

Emboldened, the extremists have moved on to other targets, calling Obama's speech to kids -- in which the president implored them to work hard and stay in school -- a "socialist" plot that must be stopped. Their baseless hysteria caused entire school districts to cancel plans to air the president's speech. Beck said on his website last weekend, "....judging by the other radicals in this administration, I expect that questioning to continue for the foreseeable future."

That Fox News Channel lets Beck use its media megaphone to stir up hatred and fear of others is repulsive, divisive and beyond all common sense or decency. By giving Beck a nightly platform for witch hunts and smear campaigns, Rupert Murdoch's media empire undermines our democracy.

But Fox News is not alone. Unfortunately, this kind of rant is endemic to a media system that cares about ratings far more than about the truth.

Most Americans want their kids to work hard and stay in school; most Americans want affordable health care. But if you watch Fox or listen to right-wing radio, you would think the opposite is true, and that the only proponents of these common goals are radical communists operating out of the White House basement.

Most people who watch Fox falsely believe that under Obama's health care plan, people will have no choice of what health benefits they'll receive; that illegal immigrants will get free health insurance; that death panels will decide who lives and who dies; and that the government will determine doctors' wages.

The dangers of unchecked misinformation from the media extremists are not to be underestimated. They are a cornerstone in the march against progressive policies and politicians that comprise a functional modern state. Beck and his cohorts are the key to scaring ordinary Americans into supporting misguided policies that enrich the largest corporations, empty their own pockets and impoverish our nation.

In Rolling Stone last week, Matt Taibbi wrote with his usual brilliance:

The cost of [our broken health care system] to society, in illness and death and lost productivity and a soaring federal deficit and plain old anxiety and anger, is incalculable -- and that's the good news. The bad news is our failed health care system won't get fixed, because it exists entirely within the confines of yet another failed system: the political entity known as the United States of America.

What more is needed to spark the media reform movement that offers an antidote to media failure -- and that this nation so desperately needs? What more is needed to force our politicians to address the corrupting, insidious influence of special interest lobbyists, PR machines and think tanks?

The answer to Glenn Beck is not to deprive him of his First Amendment right to free speech. This is not about censorship, it's about sanity. Our leaders have a responsibility to condemn fear-mongering in all its forms, defend those who are unfairly attacked, and support a more diverse media system that provides alternative voices to the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and other extremists. The lesson from the shameful Coughlin era and the McCarthyism of the 1950s is that we must confront the politics of personal attack with decency, reason and a commitment to more political speech, not less.

In June 1954, Senator Joseph Welch asked Joe McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" It was the question that marked the turning point that ended McCarthy's destructive witch hunt against a long list of innocent, patriotic people.

It's the same question that President Obama -- and every other elected official -- should be asking Beck, Murdoch and the other dangerous extremists that flood our television screens and radios. Until they do, they will continue to propagandize the American people to fight against the politicians and policies that would help them the most.

Follow Josh Silver on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@freepress

Comments

[Mr Croman]

I never understood why Van Jones was qualified to be the "Green Jobs Czar". Does he have experience building wind farms? Maybe the job should go to a guy that has actually created "green jobs". He was a bad pick before all of this stuff came out about his beliefs. Now he is a political disaster for the administration.

[doublels]

He has very extensive experience in the ''green field''. He promotes the concept vigorously with business. Check him out on a few websites. He was also in TIME's 100 most influential people of last year. There's a short article about him there, if you can find it.

[pulpslicker]

I consider myself liberal and I'm routinely mocked by my right wing conservative partners in my medical profession. I decided to watch Glenn Beck with an "open mind" and listen to what he had to say. Once I got past his sarcasm and the crybaby address to his listeners I was blown away.

Were the video recordings of Van Jones manipulated? I assume they must have been because no American liberal or conservative would stand for that kind of racist talk. Especially our President. Why doesn't Jones fight back and say he never said these things and that the video recordings were altered or dubbed to make it look like he said what he did? Why did President Obama accept his resignation if what Glenn Beck showed was not true? Or was it true and Van Jones did say what Beck showed on the video? It was mentioned in the article that Jones was smeared. If the video is true and accurate Jones was not smeared but showed he is a hateful racist and a communist. I was waiting for Beck to say something hateful towards Jones but he never did. It was also mentioned the pundits disseminated such vitriol and misinformation in to millions of homes. What I saw was Jones speaking his mind.

It was also stated that the pundits have powerful corporations backing them. I read last week all the powerful corporations that advertised on Beck have pulled their advertising. What big corporations are supporting Beck?

[Archivist1000]

How did it happen???????

It happened because the media, including HuffPost gives him time and legitimacy by repeating his nonsense, as if it was newsworthy.

When his rants are treated with the same 'weight' as the healthcare debate .... people assume what he has to say is 'important' ...

When the Media stops dumbing itself down, the news won't be about dummies.

[realdrphil]

What did Beck do to smear Van Jones other than play his own words readily available on You Tube? I don't see anyone pointing out actual lies that Beck made. Did I miss something?

[Guitanguran]

"Van Jones is one of the great, principled leaders of our time..."

What kind of principles does he adhere to? Does anyone know?

If he's so principled, why did the White House drop him like a hot potato?

"What more is needed to spark the media reform movement that offers an antidote to media failure -- and that this nation so desperately needs?"

What form will this reform take?

"The answer to Glenn Beck is not to deprive him of his First Amendment right to free speech. This is not about censorship, it's about sanity. "

So calling Beck insane is the response to Mr. Jones's own words? Mr. Jones's own radical principals is what sunk him, not Beck.

[dynwit]

"How did it happen?"
It was the Murdoch/Rove plan all along.

[StopMcBush]

I pretty much agree with the article -- except for one thing: It says it's all about the ratings.
It's not.

If it were about the ratings, they could have had superb ratings by telling the truth during the Bush years -- everyone would have liked to find out about Bush's lies and deceptions, and that Bush knew Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, Al Qaeda or Weapons of Mass Destruction even before he launched the war.

Right now, lots of air time is given to conspiracy theorists believing in whacky crap about Obama being born in Kenya -- where was the airtime to conspiracy theorists believing elements of the Bush administration were behind 9/11, which is a far more credible theory than the birth certificate one?

It's clearly not about the ratings -- the so-called "liberal media" have their own agenda which happens to be largely the same as that of Glenn Beck/George W. Bush/Rush Limbaugh/Sarah Palin - that's why their side gets all the airtime it can fill, regardless of whether or not there's even the slightest bit of truth in what they're saying.

Fixing the ratings by turning them off doesn't really help - changing the system of media ownership is the only way out.

[Geria]

Stop McBush, do you notice how you think liberals do exactly the same things that conservatives do, namely tell lies and distort reality? The "liberal media" is extremely small next to the vast conservative one, and as far as I know, it has no "agenda" that it is trying to promote; it is mostly trying to get at the truth. If you had any actual familiarity with the liberal media, you would notice little similarity.

[anniecanuck]

The liberal media definitely has an agenda.
It's called trying to get at what's going on in the world--even if ratings do matter.
This is called "media" in other industrialized nations.
The antics of FOX news would be the stuff of documentary--
fascinating but hardly another valid point of view.

[BoulderSue]

Everyone, and I meane everyone above the age of 6 YOA, should see the movie Good Night and Good Luck. See it with a parent or grandparent who knows something about the McCarthy era. I was about 6-7 YOA when the hearings were on TV and though I was too young to understand all the implications, I sensed that there was something very wrong. Every right winger should see it and watch carefully how McCarthy demegogued himself in to a position of far too much power using fear and intimidation, ruining the lives of countles people who may have blurted out the wrong thing at the wrong time, who had the wrong friends/relatives who became involved in what they thought were idealistic causes. (The mother in Father Knows Best!) We are seeing deja vu all over again and it's sickening. Thank God Beck, etc. are not in positions of political power, but the powere they wield is bad enough, maybe worse since the have larger audiences. Michele Bachmann wanted an investigation into the Americanism of Americans, and Rep.Joe Wilson who calls the President a liar in front of millions with absolutely no grounds. We are in trouble, people. We'd better get it together. And , yes, I did attend one of those town hall meetings where the folks with swastikas signs and Obama+Hitler sign shouted down the people who were there to ask real question, get answers and execise their democratic, American, Constitutional rights. It's frightening

[Geria]

As you point out, this fear mongering has an old history in the US and we have survived it. We will survive this latest wave of demogogery too. What we need to be aware of are the powers behind the rant. How far are we ignoring what is really being done to our democracy by corporations, bankers and their politicians?

[epcraig]

Glen Beck only says what Rupert Murdoch pays him for.

[truthartbeauty]

weak and pathetic people have weak and pathetic heros.

[johnashman]

I wouldn't call Obama "weak and pathetic". Maybe just ideological and inexperienced.

[Geria]

Are you looking at the same man? If there is one thing Obama is not, it is ideological. Here again, you are unable to see the man as he is. No ideologue (like Bush and Cheney, for example) has any regard for other opinions or actually invites those who disagree with him to float their own ideas. Obama does. He is a pragmatist and believes in what works. Inexperienced, only somewhat. He was a state and federal senator, whereas Bush was only a bad governor like Reagan.

[anniecanuck]

Ideological? Ha!
He's a pragmatist and quite conservative, according to many smart people both within and outside the United States.
This left-right thing is so old a tired.
It's so...ideol­ogical!

[GreatTruthsSeeker]

Beck throws fuel on the fire of hatred, and does so for profit and with prevarication.

[CelticMajic]

And the fuel this time was Van Jones in his own words

[Spencer Holland]

If he only says what he says for profit, why did he call Obama a racist? He new that he would loose advertisers over that comment but did it anyway. If you could be truthful to yourself you would see that Glenn Beck Loves America. He only says what he believes in not what everyone else is saying.

[JerryLevy]

It is a lie and misinformation to say Glenn Beck did anything but QUOTE exactly what Van Jones said, wrote, and published. That's it. No fabrications, No misinformation. Not once. Maybe the facts about this guy's views and the fact he is a 9/11 "truther" which makes him the equivalent of a "birther" is another reason he slipped out of the White House early Sunday morning. For most people not associated with the extreme left, he is an embarrasment.

[phoenixbc]

Yep. Beck got one fact right. Hang on to that, because everything else Beck says has been "I think . . ", "I feel . . .", "I worry that . . .", "I'm afraid that . . .", and all of his other ego-centric conjecture, none of which does he back with facts. Read a transcript of his pulp. A sixth grade forensic debate student could have Beck in tears within minutes. Beck is a liar, but he did quote Van Jones.

And what was wrong with what Jones did?

[phoenixbc]

Tonight, in his address to the joint houses of Congress, the President confronted those who insist that the health reform proposals include "death panels", by stating, "It is a lie, plain and simple. "

It is time that the Progressive Democrats stop with the "nice talk" and start calling Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the rest of the Far Far Right what they really are: Liars.

Don't bother to explain what the bill really says or the date of the birth certificate or who authorized the first TARP loans. The crowds to whom these Midway Barkers speak aren't interested in the truth. Just tell the cameras that these morally bankrupt malcontents are liars, and the media outlets will have nothing to build into a story. Then, maybe we can move on to some real facts.

[Berettasskeeter]

Oh fine. Call people liars, but don't give any concrete examples. Give concrete examples, and explain how they are liars. If you cannot, then you are the liar. This requires research and knowledge, which Beck has done. Jones hoisted himself on his petard!
Semper fi

[phoenixbc]

You don't see the examples in the third paragraph? Really? When you don't care about facts, you can look right past them, as though they aren't there.

[doublels]

I would they would give an example and not just shout out ''liar''. Just as the President did...he gave the example...­death panels...h­e called it a lie because it is a lie. A twisting & turning of what has been happening for many years, meaning folks signing advance directives & living wills.

[VikingQuest]

"Beck launched a smear campaign against one of Obama's top environmental advisers and forced his resignation"

His smear campaign?

Seriously, Van Jones said a lot of dumb things on camera and in print . . . that is why he is gone.

Giving the win to Beck on this one is just not correct, Van Jones made his own bed on this one with the black nationalist talk about "white polluters" and you know the rest.

This was as far from a smear campaign as you can get.

[littleolwinemakerme]

Van Jones led the tack for all of Beck's advertisers to jump ship. Hooray for Van Jones. Maybe Faux will get tired of comping Mr. Beck's Time.

[Berettasskeeter]

Mr. Silver, you, like another blogger today, have stated that Beck (and by extension Fox) lied about Jones. So, tell us the truth, please. I saw him speaking of whites deliberately poisoning people of color. Was he lying, or is there some mitigating context? We saw him call himself a communist. Was he lying, or is there some mitigating context? We know of his radical associations because he has stated them proudly, along with the intentions of those associations. Is there something we are missing?
Semper fi

[Rogan]

If you don't think Van Jones' remarks about the white ruling class purposely poisoning blacks and black neighborhoods, were absolutely accurate, the least that can be said about YOU, is that obviously you don't spend much time talking to blacks, or hanging around in black neighborhoods.

[Mr Croman]

Rogan have you ever actually seen whites poisoning blacks? It is a crazy statement. It is time to face up to the fact that Van Jones made a bunch of insane claims that most Americans do not agree with. It was politically unpopular to keep him in the administration and Obama had to dump him because he is a distraction from the major issues.