Things Sean Hannity Would Never Say
On yesterday’s drive home I listened to Sean Hannity, as I often do. Hannity was upset, as he often is, about President Obama ”weakening” American defense – scrapping missile defense shields in Europe, not escalating troop levels fast enough in Afghanistan, ignoring an Iran on the verge of getting nukes – you know, not being “conservative.” “You’re a great American!” one lady caller told Hannity.
While I’m not sure how great an American he is, Glenn Beck at least deserves credit for trying to change the conversation on the talk radio Right by getting away from unqualified support for faux patriotism and blind militarism that still so-animates men like Hannity. As of late, Beck’s even become increasingly, and more solidly, antiwar.
Beck’s radio show is not carried on the station where I work, but our competitor (we have Hannity and Mark Levin. Blah.), and I had missed a rant by Beck last week where, as one WTMA listener said to a friend, “Glenn Beck was talkin’ about war like the Southern Avenger!”
While I did not get to hear Beck’s antiwar, supposedly ”Southern-Avenger-esque” rant, Jenn Morrill at the Salt Lake City Examiner apparently did. And it’s a good’n:
On his radio show last week, he apologized to libertarians everywhere for calling himself a libertarian in the past. He has long called himself a conservative with libertarian leanings, but he said he is now leaning so far libertarian that he is almost horizontal. He said, “I’m going through a change here.”
Beck would like the time machine to take him back eighteen months. Why? To go back to when he was calling Ron Paul a “crackpot on so many issues.” Now, he laments, “Gosh. I’d like to reexamine all those issues.” Among those issues is America’s occupation of many foreign countries; Beck specifically mentions Germany, Korea, and Afghanistan. He admits that America’s imperialism has caused a lot of problems. He said, “Progressive members of the Republican party wanted to make sure that we spread sunshine, lollipops, happiness, and democracy to all around the world. That’s great. But the best way to do that is to live a righteous life and be a good example.” And he repeated what Paul has been saying for years, “Besides, we can’t afford it anymore!”
Hannity and especially Levin would have been recruited by the Gestapo, no questions asked. Those two are some of the biggest boot lickers around.
Beck on the other hand. Is nuts. But he’s coming around. I think the thing about Beck is, he has a lot of fans that are boot lickers, and he’s bring them over to a “not so fast” perspective on war. And you can move that many people so quickly. Glenn has taken his time on moving his position so that he could give the bootlicking cross section of his listeners time to digest and move with him.
He preserves most of his fan base, while actually making a meaningful change on his stance. I think he’s crazy.
Crazy like a fox. But I’m very close to whole hearted forgiveness for him stabbing the liberty movement in the chest. (I’d say “back”, cept a couple of years ago, he never pretended to love liberty, he loved neocons out in the open)
Look, if Glenn Beck had nine lives, he’d still be dead as far as I’m concerned. If the man wants to sound like Ron Paul one day, the next day he is saying Obama is not protecting us from Iran.
Once again, Glenn Beck exists to take the semi-independent Right and rechannel it to the GOP and neocons.
Mr. Hunter, how is your show received? Do you find that principled, Old Right-style conservatism has appeal amongst Republican voters in your broadcast area? Do you often get incensed Fox News Rightists calling in, denouncing you as a crypto-Liberal, terrorist-loving Blame America Firster? Or do they generally find it refreshing to listen to a conservative whose conservatism is consistent and un-contradictory (unlike that of the GOP, which professes small gov’t ideals while demanding unlimited gov’t expansion and unchecked gov’t power to fight the War On A Method Of Violence)?
I’m surprised to read this. I did hear Randi Rhodes on the LibDem Air America yesterday quoting Limbaugh and Levin
making very nasty comments about Beck. But if he is undergoing a sea change, that’s great.
G.B. better be careful!
One cannot work for Fox or in New York, for that matter, by questioning the wisdom of NeoCon foreign policy!
G.B. had better tread lightly!
Those who publicly question NeoCon Mideast Foreign Policy
shortly become endangered species in New York in general and on FOX in particular!
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It is the other way around. He is a classic bait-and-switcher. He’ll gather a large following among nationalistic and independent-minded conservatives and then lead them right back where they came from.
Just stop watching Faux News and getting excited the handful of times you hear something agreeable.
These comments vacillate between “Glenn Beck is Dead!/Long Live Glenn Beck!”
My question is: is he consistent, has he provided a thoughtful reason for his change of heart? I think not. I believe he is smartly playing to a disaffected, populist audience. Those who listen to Limbaugh/Hannity/Levin etc. have very consistent, predictable, and generally unwavering principles.
Beck’s audience is transient, composed primarily of angry people (with just cause, I might add). His popularity will die shortly after the tea party movement dies its natural death.
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Vote Republican?
Everything Thomas has said is dead right. Glenn Beck exists to channel the semi-independent Right into the GOP the way that Kucinich exists to channel left-liberals greens into the Democratic Party.