Glenn Beck Defends Sarah Palin With New Pledge Scam
Reported by Aunty Em - January 11, 2011 -
It was a no-brainer that Glenn Beck would jump on the hastily gerrymandered “Fox ‘News’ Protect Palin” bandwagon after the Tucson massacre. Beck has a lot invested emotionally in the Half-Governor. Not only is she his BFF—she was his first guest on Fox “News”—but he is also knew that an attack on Sarah Palin for her “target maps” would quickly spread to the Beckinator himself. As offensive as the bulls eyes might have been—and they had been under attack since last March so there was nothing new in the outrage—Beck knows he is a far greater purveyor of eliminationist rhetoric than his dear friend, who now finds herself under the gun …err… a media target ...um... taking some heat. Beck took to his Fox “News” show Monday (01-10-11) and acted as if he has never used eliminationist and violent rhetoric to defend the “Killa from Wasilla.” Audaciously, as if history started RIGHT NOW! Beck unveiled a pledge to renounce violence. And, he wants us all to sign it.
If you were expecting the standard, over-the-top Beckian bombast, you would have been disappointed. If you were expecting him to blame everybody else, you would have been rewarded. Beck kept himself on a low-key, almost placid, keel to use the emergency to prove the central thesis of his life: that Progressives will use any emergency to further their aims. The hypocrisy of his Beck using this emergency to further his aims was lost on him, and no doubt his audience.
Beck also played the “false equivalency” game “Both sides do it” and joined in on the latest Fox “News” midway attraction: Whack-A-Sheriff. He seemed to think Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is not entitled to his opinion, while he’s at liberty to pump his poisonous rhetoric out daily. [I’ll admit to being surprised when the sheriff started criticizing the country’s hateful rhetoric and the media that disseminates it at his Saturday press conference. I’ll also admit to cackling in amusement to know that there was no way Fox “News” would be able to cut away from this presser, as they did later with a mourner keeping vigil. It’s amazing what sins that 5 second delay will cover.]
Nothing was ever said about Byron Williams, of course. However the specter of the alleged Tides Foundation attacker was all over Beck’s set, as he condemned Jared Loughner as a lone nut. If you recall, Williams was the last person Beck deemed a “lone nut,” a crazy man not influenced by left/right politics, even though William’s alleged targets were organizations demonized by Beck during hours of tee vee and radio programming.
Beck assures us he is going to lead this year. To that end he unveiled his latest media scam, no different than his red phone. It is a pledge of non-violence and he challenged everyone, including President Obama and Van Jones, to sign it. Here’s Beck’s solemn pledge as annotated by Mark at News Corpse:
• I denounce violence, regardless of ideological motivation. Does that include fantasizing about choking the life out of Michael Moore or beating Rep. Charles Rangel to death with a shovel?• I denounce anyone, from the Left, the Right or middle, who believes physical violence is the answer to whatever they feel is wrong with our country.
Does that include your guest Michael Scheuer who said that the only hope for America was for Bin Laden to attack again?• I denounce those who wish to tear down our system and rebuild it in their own image, whatever that image may be.
Does that include yourself who has said that “progressivism is a cancer in America, and it’s eating our Constitution” and that America needs to be “re-founded?”• I denounce those from the Left, the Right or middle, who call for riots and violence as an opportunity to bring down and reconstruct our system.
Does that include Rush Limbaugh who said “Screw the world – Riot in Denver” in an attempt to sow unrest at the Democratic Convention?• I denounce violent threats and calls for the destruction of our system – regardless of their underlying ideology – whether they come from the Hutaree Militia or Frances Fox Piven.
Does that include Sharron Angle who advocated “2nd Amendment remedies” and Joyce Kaufman who said that “if ballots don’t work, bullets will?”• I hold those responsible for the violence, responsible for the violence. I denounce those who attempt to blame political opponents for the acts of madmen.
Does that include yourself who even today blamed political opponents for politicizing Tucson simply because they called for toning down the rhetoric?• I denounce those from the Left, the Right or middle that sees violence as a viable alternative to our long established system of change made within the constraints of our constitutional Republic.
Does that include accepting an administration that campaigned (and won) on a platform of “fundamental change” within the constraints of our constitutional Republic?
This pledge is nothing more than another Beck media scam like his rubber frog and red phone. If you recall Beck used the fact that his red phone never rang as proof that everything he said was the gospel truth. On today’s show he said he would reveal who is signing his pledge of non-violence, and who refuses to sign it. Just like the red phone that never rang, how long before he uses this “absence of evidence” as “evidence of absence”? Prediction: It will only be a matter of days before he announces, “Van Jones won’t sign my pledge. Barack Obama won’t sign my pledge. Why is that? Why won’t they stand with us against violence? You are signing my pledge by the thousands. You are proud to stand with me, but these people who want a fundamental transformation of our country know the only way to get their way is to incite violence, to play off one faction against another. Top down. Bottom up. Inside out.”
Meanwhile, all of Beck’s previous eliminationist rhetoric is down the memory hole, as if it never existed.
COMMENT: During such a horrible national tragedy I feel guilty to have schadenfreude. However, I’ll take my sardonic smiles where I can get them. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Fox “News” now have fewer places to hide. The purported “news” network is now heavily invested into making Sarah Palin, and Teabaggers everywhere, national victims at a time when real victims have lost their lives at a political rally. This is nothing short of disgusting.
Anyone attempting to ascribe Right Wing/Left Wing politics to the gunman’s motives, will find rich loam in which to plant their pet peeves. The YouTube rants have God, Gold and Glory all wrapped up in non sequitors. Yet there is enough evidence to suggest that Fox “News” has fomented an atmosphere in which hateful eliminationist rhetoric has moved into the mainstream. Sadly for the country this is the only talk that has the Big Megaphones. This drowns out the many millions more Americans who reject divisive politics and are looking for solutions to make this a better country. Until Monday Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin were just two of the people employed by the Fox “News” to use violent and eliminationist rhetoric.
Let’s not forget how special the “Quitter from Wasilla” is to the Fox News Network. The so-called "News" network is hoping to elect Sarah Palin president and, to that end, even built her her own studio on the shores of Lake Woe-is-me. While Palin removed the target sites from her PAC website maps only after the Tucson massacre, the cynic in me is worried that the maps will be back, just as soon as they remove one of the targets.
The space in which Glenn Beck, and Sarah Palin have always tapdanced has become impossibly narrow following the Tucson massacre. This gruesome twosome can no longer use the violent and eliminationist rhetoric for which they are renown. Especially after Beck’s pledge, which he predicted will be signed by Sarah Palin. Without that over-the-top, violent imagery, Palin and Beck don’t have a lot left to bolster their arguments. From this moment on, every time we see another Byron Williams, Richard Poplawski, or Jared Loughner the more Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Teabaggers, and Fox "News" will be forced on the defensive.
This is the only positive thing to come out of this great national tragedy.
