Does More Civility Mean We Stop Telling the Truth?

Why Republicans Won't Really Change Their Tone

I have been annoyed by the commentary over the last few weeks regarding the tone of the political discourse in America. The mass shooting in Arizona set off a huge debate in this Country, much of it dishonest, about what was/is to blame in general when these events occur. It is true that we don't know what exactly set off Tucson shooter Jared Loughner. However, it is dishonest to say that it was just an isolated incident and the ugly political debate, especially on the right, plays no part in contributing to an atmosphere that makes it more conducive for these sorts of events to happen. This is just intellectually and morally dishonest on a grand scale.

Something else that gave me a headache was this effort by those on the right to make the false equivalence claim - that "both sides are doing this equally".... "both sides are guilty".... yada yada yada. They are attempting to whitewash the last two years, and rewrite history to fit their own narrative post-Tucson. Almost as annoying... the media is playing right along with Republicans/Conservatives who make this argument. Of course both sides say things that are inappropriate... that cross the line, etc. But this idea that all sides are somehow equal in doing so is just laughable. There is no equivalence whatsoever in terms of the number of occurrences, the level of ugliness or seriousness of threats, or the outcomes. Clearly right wing pundits and politicians are at the top in all three of those categories...by far. I have been watching in awe as the media has pretended otherwise....playing right along, as if they are being told what to say. Time and time again I have seen/heard hosts....whether on CNN, NPR, or my local AM news station KMOX - St. Louis (the defacto voice of the Right in the midwest) play along with Conservative guests when the equivalence argument is made...failing to challenge the right in any way.... no follow-up questions...nothing. Beyond ridiculous.

Let's review shall we...

This is not simply about the comments that are being made over the national airwaves, it is also about the context...or the backdrop in which the comments are made. It is the context that matters more here.

And what has been the context over the last two years? Well, this most recent political context took shape in 2008 (and you could probably go as far back as 2007) during the Presidential campaign. Over that period (2007-2009) we know of two major reports that news organizations put out regarding the changing attitudes & changing tone in the Country. One was about the Homeland Security assessment regarding the rise of Right Wing extremism in America, due to the recession and the introduction of a Black President...or Candidate who actually had a real shot. The other report came from the Secret Service, describing the fact that threats against Obama were at unprecedented levels, with 2-fold & 3-fold more threats than his white predecessors. So knowing this.... you would think that the responsible thing for politicians (regardless of Party affiliation) would be extra careful about language and tone, right? But we know that is not what happened. Politicians on the right lost their minds...and the tone got out of control. Open racism was allowed to take root at Republican rallies in Pennsylvania, Ohio & throughout the Country. Despite these reports of increased threats, Palin continued to be irresponsible throughout the campaign. Instead of challenging followers behaving inappropriately...by telling them to stop racist comments.... Palin seemed to ignore them. Instead... she whipped up Republican followers and seemed to focus on a certain part of her base by using certain buzz words that challenged not only Obama's right to run for President...but questioned his citizenship and loyalty to the Country during a time of conflict and deep social/political division. By demonizing Obama & stripping him of his right to be a "real American", taking away his Americanness, suggesting he was a traitor & a terrorist, suggesting he was a socialist, and by dehumanizing him...in a way gives the green light to any number of lone nuts. Remember the context we were (and still are) in.

Everyone is suggesting that after Tucson.... pundits and politicians (especially those on the right) are suddenly going to play nice and behave in a much more civil and respectful manner. But if history is our guide... that is probably not going to be the case. This goes back to this attempt by right wing pundits and the media to frame Tucson as an isolated incident. People are acting as if Tucson was the first incident where a nut engaged in some sort of political violence or targeted a political figure. How media pundits do this with a straight face is a mystery to me. How they get away with it is even more perplexing. Just in the last two years, the number of high profile incidents of a political/ideological/religious nature...or influenced by the national debate at some level, has been unprecedented.

Just in the last 2 years or so... we have had the following (and keep in mind...we have already established the context.... and we STILL had folks taking guns to political events, and politicians suggesting 2nd Amendment remedies... the context...the reality of how volatile the Country was didn't stop those on the right from continuing their madness.)


♦ Jim Adkisson - shot up a Unitarian church in Tennessee. Fueled by Right wing talk show pundits. The rhetoric didn't stop.

♦ Raymond Hunter Geisel - threatening Obama. Republicans didn't stop. Just an isolated incident?

♦ Richard Andrew Poplawski - killed Police officers in Pittsburgh because he internalized rhetoric on the right that told Americans that Obama was coming for their guns. Just an isolated incident? Oh yeah... Republicans didn't stop their rhetoric after this either.

♦ Scott Roeder - Killed Dr. George Tiller (nicknamed "The Baby Killer" by the right). Isolated incident? Republicans didn't stop their rhetoric after this incident either.

♦ James Von Brunn - launched terrorist attack at the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. Isolated incident? The violent rhetoric didn't stop.

♦ Joseph Stack - out of work, anti-government activist flew plane into IRS building in Texas. Isolated incident? The rhetoric didn't stop. In fact, one GOP politician seemed to sympathize with the terrorist, who killed at least one IRS worker in the incident.

♦ Byron Williams - Was stopped by police in Northern California while enroute to attack Liberals. Fueled by Glenn Beck and others in the Right wing media. Isolated incident? Republicans refused to change their tone.

♦ Danny Ray Tollett - Brutally attacked Muslim convenience store workers in Louisiana. Shot 2 Muslims at close range...in cold blooded attacks. Fueled by anti-Muslim theme carried by Right wing media. Isolated incident? Republicans failed to change their tone.

♦ The Denver Plot - see specifically counts 9, 11 and 12 - White supremacists planned to harm candidate Obama. Attack foiled in planning stage. Isolated incident? Republicans continued with their rhetoric.

♦ Daniel Cowart and Paul Schlesselman - Allegedly planned to harm President. Isolated incident? Republicans failed to stop their rhetoric.

♦ Michael Enright - Stabbed NYC Cabbie in the neck because he was Muslim. Ahh what the Hell... just another isolated incident. Republicans continued on with their madness (particularly about the "Mosque at Ground Zero" which really didn't exist...but they knew that framing it that way would scare the Hell out of a lot of people...so they went with it...almost costing a father...a family man...his life).

♦ Charles Habermann - Charged just recently with threatening Rep. Jim McDermott. Just an isolated incident? Republicans carried on.

♦ Gas line intentionally cut at Congressman's home, after wrong address is posted online...with blogger encouraging followers to 'pay a visit to the victim'. Just an isolated incident? Republicans refused to stop their rhetoric that whipped followers into a frenzy over Health Care Reform.

♦ Travis Corcoran - Another right wing radical... praised the shooting of Giffords. Just an isolated event?

♦ Just in the past week, we have the backpack bomb found along the MLK commemorative parade route in Spokane Washington. Luckily...the device failed to detonate. An isolated incident?

♦ Now Conservative pundit/blogger Erick Erickson JUST THIS WEEK suggested that he may use a shotgun to threaten U.S. Census workers...gloating about it on the airwaves. An isolated incident? No condemnation by other Conservative media figures. So this is the change in tone that the goofballs on the news programs have been talking about over the past two weeks? Give me a break!

With the exception of the last three...these are incidents that took place before Tucson. So Tucson didn't happen in some vacuum... There is an abundance of context. This is what makes the behavior of those on the right so vile. And this is not even a full list.... there were threats against Pelosi....and arrests in several other cases. The list is long. Again...as I mentioned...the last two years have been unprecedented in terms of threats of political violence or actual incidents, which matches up with what the U.S. Secret Service has stated regarding their data on the increase in threats.

At what point can we stop using false equivalencies and stop suggesting these events are somehow "isolated incidents" separate from the volatile atmosphere created primarily by those in the world of right wing Conservative media?

I see nothing that would lead me to believe that some magical shift towards civility is going to take place after the tragedy in Tucson Arizona. Republican/right wing pundits are not going to stop what they have been doing for the past few years. This is their bread and butter (getting their followers riled up.... feeding them misinformation, and manipulating people). This is a key part of Republican strategy. Giffords & all the others are considered collateral damage to those on the right. Republicans can't afford to be civil because they have grown so dependent on a certain kind of volatile, ugly rhetoric to maintain media success & energize their political base. It has worked for them (unfortunately). And I see them continuing with that approach. Just this week... Rush Limbaugh... the Supreme Leader of the Republican Party & Conservative movement in America, engaged in more ugly behavior... joking about the way that the Chinese President Hu Jintao spoke during his official State visit to the U.S. Of course the media ignored this...just like it practically ignored the MLK bomb case in Spokane.

By allowing the pundits, bloggers and talk show hosts (the unofficial but true leadership of the Conservative movement) to spew the ugliest rhetoric and lies, the official political leadership and the so-called "stars" within the Republican party can get away with using the plausible deniability argument...and that's exactly what they have done here. predictably, they have used the Hell out of this argument since the Tucson attack. I have mentioned several times, including on my right wing media information page, that this is how the right operates. Of course, no one is actually suggesting that anyone on the right has given direct orders to any extremists or extremist groups.... but they have created an atmosphere conducive to violence...and in some cases, they have indirectly given a wink & nod approval for such actions (in some cases, simply by their silence when violence or threats of violence occur. Silence in this context...after they have worked so hard to rile the crazies up... equals tacit approval).

A few people on Social media (twitter to be exact) suggested that the Right has somehow been let off the hook by Obama after his call for civility. I initially wanted to agree with that. I think that the media at large may let Republicans off the hook, and networks may continue to play the false equivalence game. But I don't think Obama's speech in Tucson means that we shouldn't tell the truth. I plan to continue stating what needs to be said.

Tea Party Terrorist Byron Williams: Glenn Beck 'Blew My Mind'

It is now confirmed that Tea Party terrorist Byron Williams was inspired by the misinformation, propaganda and misguided vitriol of Glenn Beck. Williams is the Right wing nut who went on a rampage in California a few months ago - armed for battle and hunting for Liberals. In audio recorded statements, Williams reveals how he was influenced by Beck's message. In fact, he was whipped into such a frenzy that he became a "Progressive hunter".

Take a look at the Media Matters piece "Jailhouse Confession: How the right-wing media and Glenn Beck's chalkboard drove Byron Williams to plot assassination".

He considers Beck to be a "school teacher on TV". Wow!

Related Link
From TPM

See my Right-wing media page - to see wider picture of impact of Conservative propaganda.

Glenn Beck - The Biggest Con Artist in America

Hear an NPR discussion about the Glenn Beck phenomenon & what it says about the Country. For me, Beck is just a huge con artist who happens to be good at what he does. His popularity is a reflection of our increasingly partisan politics, the intellectual deterioration taking root in the U.S. and "the facts be damned" attitude of the public, an extremely uninformed/misinformed populace, and a deteriorating media that lacks balance and takes part in the misinformation. Beck is also benefiting from anxiety stirred up by the economy... (but that is not the main issue in my opinion). The main reasons for Beck's success are public misinformation from right wing media...and the fact that there is a President in the White House who isn't white.

The rise of Beck isn't surprising in a Country where the citizens don't know basic civics, don't know much about the world, and don't know much about religion. Easy prey for con artists and manipulators.

St. Louis Area Tea Partier Under Investigation for Threatening Obama Takes Hostage

When Federal Agents went to question him, he took a hostage and held police and agents at bay for 8 hours. He wanted to start a religious war and apparently hated Muslims and the President.

TPM has an excellent breakdown of events.

This doesn't surprise me. I am only surprised that it doesn't happen more often, especially here in St. Louis. As if Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh aren't enough to inspire these nuts, there is the St. Louis Tea Party. The St. Louis Tea Party chapter is one of the most virulent out of all of the Tea Party groups around the Country.

Tea Party Republican Pastor Gets Starkest Warning Yet About Planned Quran Burning

Obama: Quran Burning Could Incite ‘Individuals Who’d Be Willing To Blow Themselves Up In American Cities’

On ABC's Good Morning America, President Obama described the planned Quran burning by Tea Party Republican pastor Terry Jones as "destructive" and "contrary to the values of Americans".

as commander of chief of the Armed Forces of the United States I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan.

This is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda. You know, you could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who’d be willing to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities.

watch clip



Notice the silence from Republican political leaders. I am annoyed whenever a TV news idiot claims that there has been wide condemnation of Terry Jones in the U.S. (when hearing this nonsense, I am thinking "No there hasn't... the Republican leadership hasn't said or done much of anything").

And you want to know why? Because the Republican leaders in Congress, in the RNC, and among those who wish to run for President, are afraid of challenging the Tea Party or those recognized and well liked by the Tea Party. They can't afford to come out against it. It's the same reason why Michael Steele is afraid of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Limbaugh, his Lieutenants Beck & Hannity, and the nuts in the Tea Party wing of the GOP are in control the Republican Party and its agenda, and the Republican establishment knows it. But there is a thing called courage... and clearly it is lacking among Conservatives. (And they compare themselves to Reagan?... they are nothing like Reagan). This isn't your grandfather's Republican Party.

Mark Potok & Mike Papantonio Discuss Rise of Radical Right

Progressive Talk show host and attorney Mike Papantonio discusses Right-wing extremism with civil rights watchdog Mark Potok.

Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance

A new book by Alexander Zaitchik -Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance -reveals untold truths about con artist Glenn Beck. Finally we have a book that peels back the layers of fraud on Beck and challenges some of the lies. Finally people will have a chance to see that Glenn Beck himself...is a lie. It's a false persona. It's the same kind of phony act that Beck used when he was a cheap shock jock on a radio morning show. The only difference now is that his audience is much bigger...and the American people, like boneheads, have fallen for the act.

To me, Glenn Beck's popularity says a lot about the American public. In fact, it says more about the people of this Country and their gullibility for con artist entertainers like Limbaugh, Hannity & Beck, than it says about the man himself.

The book is due to hit the bookstores in June, but I am sure it can be pre-ordered.

See a review.

The Field Negro also posted on this gem.

Information from the publisher

See My Previous Commentary on Glenn Beck

Chomsky: I Have Never Seen Anything Like This

Interesting commentary about Noam Chomsky by Truthdig's Chris Hedges.

Tea Party Leader Mark Williams Compares the Election of Barack Obama to 9/11 and AIDS

But i'm sure he meant well. Just another innocent comment.

Of course hate/race is one of the core issues driving the Tea Party (as I have pointed out here numerous times..... see a nice Jack & Jill politics post from April of last year). It's ridiculous to continue arguing about that fact. What annoys me is that not enough of these jackasses are willing to admit it. I would just like to see them own up to it.

They are using the Tea Party as a cover for what's really bothering them. They claim that they are concerned about big government, government overreach/limited government, government spending, etc...and that these are their main/core concerns above all else. But if that were the case, then why were they silent during the Bush years, when there was massive government overreach...overreach that was so bad that it had to be corrected a number of times by the courts, and when spending and deficits went through the roof? This argument from the Tea Party folks just doesn't work. It makes no sense. Racial animus and xenophobia plays a much larger role in this Republican Conservative movement than what many people, especially supporters of the Tea Party, care to admit.

Right Wing Threats of Violence Grow As Republicans Embrace Fringe

Those on the radical extremist fringe are no longer stuck on the margins, as Republican politicians break their necks to embrace them as part of the mainstream. There are only a small handful of progressive commentators pointing this out.

Discussion Regarding Recent Threats to Members of Congress

NPR discussion delves into what motivates this kind of activity.

I love how James Clyburn speaks plainly...

I was more than irked by the way the Republican hack tried to create some sort of phony equivalence between the Republican Party, which has embraced fringe groups, and those on the other side. Yes, the left has always had fringe groups.... but they aren't usually brought into the mainstream. And there is no huge Progressive media machine using outright fear and misinformation to get the crazies all riled up.... riled up enough (in their deranged minds) to take action. The equivalence argument is bull----.

Listen here.

Periello Blasts Republicans in Washington for Refusing to Unequivocally Denounce Threats Against Democrats

Hmmm. Well Mr. McCain, it looks like this isn't really a joke to those who are on the receiving end of the threats.

From Think Progress:

Democratic lawmakers are increasingly coming out and reporting incidents of harassment in response to their vote for health care reform. In addition to previously reported vandalism in Kansas, New York, Ohio, and Arizona — as well as disturbing threats surrounding Reps. Tom Periello (D-VA) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) — lawmakers have received images of nooses sent to their offices and had their personal information publicly distributed. At least 10 lawmakers have requested extra security after receiving death threats, and Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) said that “he knows several Democrats who have told their spouses to move out of the home districts while the lawmakers are in Washington.”

See full story with video interview here.

John McCain Laughs Off Wave of Threats Towards Members of Congress

McCain completely laughs off the threats made against members of Congress and their children. He says Palin's actions are no big deal. According to him, the incidents that we have seen over the past week represent normal politics in America. He defends Sarah Palin's behavior (and by extension...he is defending similar behavior by others that is clearly aimed at ginning up followers to take action on their own....while the politicians use plausible deniability).

The coded language of Sarah Palin is really of no concern. It's all a part of our imaginations. Stop worrying. Go back to sleep.

(Of course he desperately needs Sarah Palin because she is the only hope for him if he's going to win re-election).

This guy is COMPLETELY senile and creepy to me. Maybe it's just me.

You have to see it to believe it.



Yeah... tell that to Congressman Periello and all the other members of Congress and their families, "targeted" by these fanatics. Laugh in their faces and tell them that it's no big deal. Of course Periello is a part of the real world and disagrees with the giggling idiot from Arizona.

Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn Give Press Conference on Threats to Democrats

An incredibly silly (or stupid) reporter asks Hoyer if his members felt as if they were at risk....are they really concerned about these threats.
Hoyer's reaction was....(adding what he couldn't say) YES... Damn right we are at risk. Damn right i'm scared and concerned. We have had some serious incidents over the last 48-72 hours. These jackasses are crazy. This is domestic terrorism. (looking perplexed by the stupidity of the question, lol).

Republicans have been mostly silent regarding the threats to members of Congress and their families. John Boehner gave a lame, half assed statement on Radio Rwanda (Faux News) yesterday... after he gave justification for the fanaticism on the Right. But Boehner is about 2 years too late. This stuff has been going on since 2008. Not a word from the Republican leadership. He decided to finally say something now because he felt pushed into a corner.

Boehner himself is part of the problem. He is one of the members of Congress who has been getting his Tea Party followers riled up with dangerous language.

John Boehner to Democratic Congressman Steve Driehaus of Ohio (regarding his Healthcare vote):

Driehaus “may be a dead man” and “can’t go home to the west side of Cincinnati” because “the Catholics will run him out of town.”

This is on top of the nonsense from Sarah Palin and others.

But this man is the House Minority Leader. Where is the responsibility?

Maddow on Threats to Members of Congress

Republican Terrorists Target Wrong House

I told you that the crazies would be ratcheting things up over the next few days and weeks.

Republican Party terrorists targeted Congressman Tom Perriello by posting what they believed to be the lawmakers home address....encouraging fanatics to pay Perriello a visit. But the information turned out to be the address to Perriello's brothers house. Bo Perriello, brother of Congressman Tom Perriello, apparently returned home on Tuesday evening and smelled gas. Someone had cut a gas line at the home, where the wife of Bo Perriello and their 4 small children live.

From Politico:

Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of a cut propane gas line at the Virginia home of Rep. Thomas Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, whose address was targeted by tea party activists angry at the congressman’s vote for the health care bill.

An aide to the congressman confirmed to POLITICO that a line to a propane tank behind his brother's home near Charlottesville had been sliced.

The FBI would not disclose the details of the incident but said that they have been to the home.

“This is very preliminary at this point, so we’re not making any comment at this time,” local FBI spokesman M.A. Myers told POLITICO.

Lee Catlin, community relations director for the Albemarle County Fire Marshal, said in a statement to POLITICO that the office is “investigating a suspicious incident” at the home of the congressman’s brother. “The Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the investigation in cooperation with the FBI,” Catlin said. “While officials are not willing to characterize the exact nature of the incident because of the ongoing investigation, it did not involve an immediate threat to occupants of the residence. However officials are taking the incident very seriously and conducting a vigorous investigation,” the statement said.

POLITICO reported on Monday that Mike Troxel, an organizer for the Lynchburg Tea Party, posted on his blog what he thought was the congressman’s address, encouraging tea party activists to “drop by.”

One of the Tea Partiers posting the address thought it was no big deal:

Danville Virginia Tea Party leader Nigel Coleman and others posted the address information on their websites. When Coleman learned that the address was actually for the home of Perriello’s brother — and after Politico reported he and his wife have four young children — Coleman commented on another blog that the mistake was "collateral damage."

"Do you mean I posted his brother’s address on my Facebook?" Coleman wrote. "Oh well, collateral damage."

Read more from MSNBC's "First Read".

An official statement from Congressman Perriello was as follows:

"While it is too early to say anything definitive regarding political motivations behind this act, it's never too early for political leaders to condemn threats of violence, particularly as threats to other members of Congress and their children escalate,'' Perriello (D-Va.) said in a statement. "And so I ask every member of House and Senate leadership to state unequivocally tonight that it is never OK to harm or threaten elected officials and their families with anything more than political retribution. Here in America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box."

Perriello's district is largely Conservative. His seat was previously held by bigoted Republican (basically openly racist) Virgil Goode.... remember him? We've blogged about his antics before. So the activity of fanatics who live in the area should not be all that surprising.

More from the following blogs

Think Progress

Crooks and Liars

Huffpost

Politico

Please take a look at the "Republican Media Page" in sidebar...where all of this was discussed by me over a year ago. I started blogging seriously about this issue back in 2008. Unfortunately, some of my worst fears and nightmares surrounding this issue are being realized. But once again... No one is taking responsibility. The Republican Party, & their mouthpieces and foot soldiers in the Right wing Republican media are using plausable deniability.... they aren't responsible... the Democrats who voted for Healthcare Reform are responsible. They want citizens to believe that they had no part in encouraging these incidents by spewing fear and misinformation...that they are just as shocked as everyone else.

It's so incredibly f------- unbelievable that the only thing that you can do is shake your head and wonder if you are awake or dreaming. It's especially annoying when they say this stuff with a straight face.

Coffin Left on Russ Carnahan's Front Lawn

The St. Louis Chapter of the Republican Tea Party Terrorist organization has targeted Congressman Russ Carnahan for his support of Healthcare Reform. Terrorists left a coffin on his front lawn in St. Louis sometime on Wednesday. Additional link from NBC St. Louis affiliate KSDK (Channel 5). Unclear on what kind of beefed up security he may be needing tonight.

These incidents are now sprouting up all over the Country. Some of the events have not yet made national news.

Republican Tea Party Fanatics Target Bart Stupak

From CBS:

In the wake of his vote in favor of health care reform legislation, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), a strong opponent of abortion rights, has been on the receiving end of a string of extremely hostile and threatening messages, including death threats.

Stupak's office released some of those messages to CBS News, and you can listen to them in the video at left, which is also available here.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today that more than 10 members of Congress have received threats in the wake of the health reform vote, and the FBI and police are investigating, CBS News Capitol Hill Producer Jill Jackson reports. The chief of the Capitol Police, the Sergeant at Arms and a representative from the FBI met with members this afternoon to encourage them to report all threats.

While the Capitol Police is in charge of security for members of Congress, the FBI is the lead agency in investigating threats against members and their families.

"All threats and incidents directed against Members of Congress are taken seriously and are being investigated by the FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies to identify and bring to justice those responsible," FBI Public Information Officer Katherine Schweit said in a statement. "Anyone with information about those who may be responsible or are connected to these incidents should contact their local FBI office or police department."

More here...

Republican Terrorists Threaten Congressman Clyburn

Republican Tea Party Terrorists send noose to Congressman James Clyburn. Incident appears to be part of a wave of terrorism and intimidation aimed at members of Congress who supported Healthcare reform.

Further Confirmation of Glenn Beck's Stupidity - Now He Is Attacking American Churches

Caption: Shhhh... (whispering) I'm making a killing by taking advantage of these idiots on the right, especially the dopes in that Tea Party Movement. They buy my act hook, line & sinker...and none of them have caught on yet. These people are so stupid... I can get them to support just about anything. They believe every lie that I tell, and I'm going to keep making money off of them. Thank God for stupid people...and Thank God for Roger Ailes for giving me this great platform.

I don't know if it's stupidity or genius... because after all, he is the one getting over by taking advantage of the ignorance of his followers. Hell, if I had millions of American zombies hanging on my every word & making me richer, I would probably take advantage of them too, as long as it was legal. Who wouldn't? But then again, I have a conscience and a moral compass, two things that Glenn Beck doesn't have. So I don't think I would do very well as a con artist.

This is the most phony right wing hack on the airwaves. He doesn't even make it a secret anymore. He's openly phony, yet his supporters (idiots) love to watch him. His latest antics involve encouraging his Christian followers to leave their churches if they notice any sort of "social justice" being practiced or preached. Problem is... this includes many right leaning evangelical churches, including The Catholic Church...and even his own Mormon Church.

Even though it is clear (no longer a secret) that his activities are part of an ongoing Republican effort to use fear to excite voters, his followers will unfortunately continue to support him. The idiots in the so-called Tea Party movement will continue to back him, even though they are openly being manipulated by scare tactics from the right...all for political purposes. Many of his followers hang on his every word, and will do exactly what he tells them. As I have stated many times before, it is amazing how the right is able to get these folks to even go against their own economic and political interests and their interests simply as citizens. The level of manipulation and propaganda is truly unbelievable to me. But what blows my mind even more is the fact that it works... the fact that so many people embrace the rights propaganda without questioning anything about what or who they are supporting.

Beck, a Mormon, said the word “social justice” is code for communism and Nazism.

From Media Matters:
Beck: Social justice is "infecting all" faiths



From the New York Times Blog The Caucus:

Last week, the conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck called on Christians to leave their churches if they heard any preaching about social or economic justice because, he claimed, those were slogans affiliated with Nazism and Communism.

This week, the Rev. Jim Wallis, a liberal evangelical leader in Washington, D.C., called on Christians to leave Glenn Beck.

“What he has said attacks the very heart of our Christian faith, and Christians should no longer watch his show,” Mr. Wallis, who heads the antipoverty group Sojourners, wrote on his “God’s Politics” blog. “His show should now be in the same category as Howard Stern.”

Mr. Beck, in vilifying churches that promote “social justice,” managed to insult just about every mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, African-American, Hispanic and Asian congregation in the country — not to mention plenty of evangelical ones.

Even Mormon scholars in Mr. Beck’s own church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in interviews that Mr. Beck seemed ignorant of just how central social justice teaching was to Mormonism.

The controversy began when Mr. Beck said on his radio show: “I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

“Am I advising people to leave their church? Yes! If I am going to Jeremiah Wright’s church,” he said, referring to the incendiary black pastor who led the church attended by the Obama family members when they lived in Chicago. “If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop and tell them, ‘Excuse me, are you down with this whole social justice thing?’ ”