Politicked Off: The Epitome of Beck
The following clip pretty much epitomizes everything that is wrong with Glenn Beck.
Many blogs have jumped on the spelling error. It's embarrassing but Beck explained it away by pointing out that the word Czars had been on the blackboard earlier in the week and they just forgot it on Thursday. But, to me, the biggest problem is the fact that he seems to notice the problem in the clip (notice that he pauses before saying "H") but decides not to fix it. In typical Beck fashion, he doesn't let the facts get in the way of his rantings, even when he knows that his rant is going to make the mistake even worse (when he said only one letter was missing and that letter was Y). Beck would rather steam ahead with his opinion rather than make sure it is right.
My second issue is his over-the-top vocabulary. Beck claims that he is tired of being a sheep but I really don't recall him ever being sheepish about bashing the Obama Administration. He wasn't sheepish when it was just the Obama campaign. He then says he's going to take the gloves off but really all he's doing is his basic right, presenting another plan or another idea. This isn't some great act of defiance; it's his civic duty.
Some people might complain that the taking the gloves off comment is a violent image and could incite people but it's a common phrase that's used all the time so I think that's going too far. That being said, Beck makes himself out to be some sort of hero for just speaking his mind. The worst part, of course, is "saving our Republic". Obama hasn't been in office for even a year, his big health care plan isn't looking to good right now, how in the world is our Republic being ruined by progressives? It's also a bit troubling to fault progressives for everything that is wrong in America when it was progressives who pretty much powered through every great moment of social change in this country and if it wasn't for progressives, we wouldn't have medicare.
But the biggest problem with Beck is his hypocrisy. What was his plan to save the Republic? He wants his viewers to write their representatives and ask them Beck's five questions to see if they are In or Out and if they are out, then the viewers should vote those people out of office. While Beck keeps telling people to question everything, he doesn't allow any questions of his own beliefs. He doesn't seem to want anyone to question his five issues. He has given his five commandments and those are the guidelines that make one fit to be a member of the US government. If you disagree, you are out, no questions asked.
Nevermind that boiling down issues to yes or no questions is simply ignorant but to demand people question authority and then make yourself an authority and not take or even acknowledge the possibility of questions is the peak of hypocrisy.
Oh, and his five points? Yeah, they are absolutely nonsensical. As the author on the 24ahead.com site explains:
Beck is slightly on the right track, but what he's proposing is never going to have an impact outside his echo chamber. Beck suffers from the same mental problem that most others - especially those on the right-wing - suffer from. They come up with ideas but don't bother thinking through how to actually implement them. They don't think through what could go wrong; they don't plan for contingencies. They seem to think that simply by stating something it will happen. Well, that's wrong. In order to have an impact, you have to have an actual "Point A to Point B" plan. And, part of that plan is to show how the other side is wrong and you have to show that to the supporters of the other side. Simple demagoguery such as that employed by Beck is not going to cut it. If you just want to waste your time on things that aren't going to have an impact, don't let me stop you.
Any keep reading to see the five points yourself (but don't question them, just do what Glenn says.)
So here's Beck's "plan" which is really just a bunch of ideals.
1. I believe in a balanced budget and therefore will vote for a freeze in government spending until that goal is realized.
As the 24ahead site points out, an outright freeze in government spending would topple the United States and possibly the world. Can you imagine if the US just said, "Sorry, not gonna pay for anything until we save up enough cash." 24head guesses that he meant INCREASES but to even just say that is outright ignorant. We're in the middle of one war in Afghanistan and getting out of another one in Iraq. Do you really think that we should just say to the military, "You guys just have to make to with what you have. Don't ask for anything more until we balance this budget."
We definitely need to look on what were spending our money on, if we're getting the most bang from our buck, and how we can curb earmarks and start to focus on making laws that don't have countless random deals stuck to them. But that's a completely different issue than just saying, "Freeze spending."
2. I believe government should not increase the financial burden on its citizenry during difficult economic times therefore I will oppose all tax increases until our economy has rebounded.
Again, this is a childish way of looking at things, especially if you're looking to balance the budget. Just like with spending, there's good spending and wasteful spending. With taxes, there are necessary taxes, good taxes, and excessive taxes. Beck paints them all with the same brush: they're bad.
3. I believe more than four decades of U.S. dependence on foreign oil is a travesty therefore I will support an energy plan that calls for immediately increasing usage of all domestic resources including nuclear energy, natural gas, and coal as necessary.
I think everyone can agree with the first point about foreign oil but I'm really not sure how someone can effectively put into place a new energy bill without spending any money (since Beck's American can't increase spending). Do you really want to get more out of nuclear power but not also raise the level of safety inspections? And how exactly will the US Government convince these companies to stop using oil? And what about cars? Are we looking for alternatively fueled automobiles and, again, why should people give up their gas based cars? Again, like most of his comments, this isn't really a plan but a set of best case scenario goals or ideals. What he doesn't have, however, is an actual real world plan or even hint of an idea on how to make them happen.
4. I believe in the sovereignty and security of our country and therefore will support measures to close our borders except for designated immigration points so we will know who is entering and why and I will vehemently oppose any measure giving another country, the United Nations, or any other entity, power over U.S. citizens.
Yeah, I can't wait to see the fights over which state gets to be the "designated immigration points"? And isn't one of the bigger problems ILLEGAL immigrants? How is this going to fix that unless we build a fence or station soldiers along the border to keep people out. Oh, but we can't do either of those because the government isn't spending any more money so I guess we'll just have to ask for armed volunteers to roam the border. As for the "power over U.S. citizens" line, it's too broad to really address. Does it mean that foreign courts can't hold US citizens accountable for their crimes? Does it mean that no U.S. citizen can be accused of war crimes?
5. I believe the United States of America is the greatest country on earth and therefore will not apologize for policies or actions which have served to free more and feed more people around the world than any other nation on the planet.
This is just pure ignorance. It's the sign of someone who can't figure out that there's a difference between being the greatest and being perfect. No country is perfect and therefore no country, even the US, should consider themselves above apologies or above having to pay for their mistakes. Some would say that it is the greater man knows when he's done wrong and must repent; they don't see it as a sign of weakness.
Of course, I still have no idea how any of this really help save the Republic. It doesn't solve the health care issue, it doesn't deal with the banking fiasco, it doesn't fix our schools. Beck simply tells people to question the current administration and vote in idealogues who agree with him.
