"…the Reason Foundation…"

Reader Catalogue sends this YouTube clip from last night's public viewer segment of something called "The Glenn Beck Program" on CNN Headline News (the PV, Brian Sack, humorously corrects and castigates the eponymous host for all his mistakes and errata). Seems that "Glenn Beck" was ragging on last week's study from the Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes Reason magazine and Reason Online, about a correlation between drinking and higher earnings; Beck put "Reason Foundation" in air quotes, the televisual equivalent of the old "for a magazine called Reason…" groaner.

The public viewer, Brian Sack, took Beck to the woodshed, shushing him for not knowing the foundation and especially this here magazine, to which he subscribes. Keep watching in the segment for a shot of an enormously fat Pete Rose, too.

Forget about Beck's ignorance for the moment. What kind of world is it where Charlie Hustle is not only not in the baseball Hall of Fame, but needs a Mickey Lolich signature girdle?

Comments

[John Palchak]

Who's Glen Beck? No, honestly, is he a cable commentator like the chick who made a 'pressed ham; with her face against the car of that weirdo from Thailand? Or is he a talk show host, like the black woman from Chicago who is alternately fat and thin (I forget her name...)

[Apologies to WFB for that last sentance!]

[sage +P]

He's a world class douche. And really, I thought that before this post. I watch headline news in the morning while I'm getting ready for work (Robin Meade is a hottie) and he comes on to do a 2 minute or so preview of his evening program. He has the perfect face for radio, and his show is like Rush Limbog or someone who likes to hear themselves talk. He's a nobody.

[joe]

I will admit to occasionally using the "For a magazine called Reason..." thing on occasion back in the early days of Hit & Run.

mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa

[val]

More like a cable commentator on CNN. I think from radio originally. His show is basically one long rant.

[Rimfax]

joe,

You are encouraged to continue using it. Consider it a privilege, nay a badge, of trollhood.

[Brian]

It seems like every C-list radio windbag is going to get a shot on MSNBC or CNN to see if they can scalp a few Fox News viewers.

France jokes. Lol! Did I go to bed and wake up in 2003?

[Larry A]

Of course (talking about the article instead of the comment) you can always go along with the gang and not imbibe. That is if you don't mind paying three bucks for a third of a Coke over a glass full of ice and being the designated driver.

[Bubba Zanetti]

Gambling aside, Rose should not be in the HOF.

He basically sucked for the last 8-10 years of his career, holding on in a shameless pursuit of Cobb's hit record.

I mean he really did not belong in the major leagues during this period, hogging at-bats that should have gone to more productive hitters.

[Tom]

I used to love Glenn Beck's radio program. I even paid 6.95 a month for the privledge of participating in his daily show threads on his message board.

Now he just seems pedestrian and boring. I'd rather listen to Howard Stern or Mike Church.

[Pro Libertate]

Glenn Beck was on AM radio down here in Tampa during the best time to be an AM radio guy--during the 2000 election and during and after 9/11. He went just loony during the whole Schiavo thing, but I think he'd already left Tampa to enter national syndication by then.

I don't like his brand of right-wing politics or his constant drumbeating on issues like Schiavo, but he's not a bad radio guy, otherwise. I'm talking technique, not content--I don't listen to him except on rare, rare occasion. I was rather surprised to see him on Headline News, because I always saw him as one of those radio-only fellows.

I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I'm addicted enough to books on tape and talk radio that I listen to a lot that I really can't say that I actually like. I listened to Stern a lot longer than I really liked him, I've listened to the various political meatballs over the years, with eyes rolling frequently, and I've got NPR on most mornings. . .also with rolling eyes. Good thing I've got those Teaching Company and other tapes, or my eyes might pop out of my head 🙂

[damaged justice]

Fucking Youtube broke the videodownloader extension again.

Google did, too. "Not evil" my cracker ass.

[Alan Vanneman]

"What kind of world is it where Charlie Hustle is not only not in the baseball Hall of Fame, but needs a Mickey Lolich signature girdle?"

It's a world where Irishmen make more money than Protestants, if you catch my drift. Of course, that's according to the "Reason Foundation."

[ralphus]

For a channel called "Headline News?...

Remember when Headline News just covered, you know, news? It used to be a pretty good resource. Commentary free news that got you up to date on the day's events - what a concept. But now that they've added "personalities" it's just as annoying and useless as the rest of the cable "news" outlets.

[Happy Jack]

Mickey Lolich signature girdle

Hey! The guy owns a donut shop. Go easy on him. Besides, he pitched 3 winning games in the '68 Series.

[madpad]

I stumbled on Glenn Beck a few weeks back during the whole Jon Benet regergitation(sp?) and for a few minutes I thought he was someone's parody of a Fox News show.

Loud AND stupid is a bad combination.

[ed]

Beck is an admitted alcoholic, which probably explains his behavior.

[Joe]

I saw Beck on two different occaisions -
1. He was drooling praise over some school tyrant that imposed a kakhi dress code (Gotta love the thought that if THESE KIDS TODAY only we dressed more reasonably...)
2. He was raising a firestorm over whether some kid could say Jesus in her graduation address.

Let me see school to exert extreme control over what students wear but not ok over what students say...

Perfect.

[Jim Walsh]

Beck is yet another unoriginal Rush-clone. Spoken-word radio is dominated by 'em these days. It has nothing to do with any kind of vast right-wing conspiracy; it's about the unimaginative, lemminglike broadcast suits, 99% of whom (in the words of Phil Hendrie) wouldn't know an original idea if it walked up to them on the street and kissed them full on the lips.

The industry seems to think guys like Beck (along with Mike Gallager, Lars Larson, etc.) are what "talk radio" is supposed to sound like; it used to be you were expected to be sincere and entertaining with your opinions - think Rush in his heyday. Now the conventional wisdom is that you need be none of the above - as long as you have the "right" agenda. It's gotten to the point where if you're a talk host who is not a Rush clone, you're at a distinct disadvantage in finding a gig. The result is the godawful sameness that is "political" talk radio (it's no coincidence that music-formatted radio is suffering in its own way from the same problem - it's run by the same people).

The talk radio medium is in serious trouble. Not that I have a personal axe to grind, cough, cough...

[Stevo Darkly]

Beck is an admitted alcoholic, which probably explains his behavior.

It was entertaining to read this comment and the ones that followed, since this happens to be my last name. (No relation.)

I can't claim deep or recent familiarity with Glenn Beck. Once I did catch a few minutes of his TV show, and thought it was funny.

Several years ago, though, his web site used to host a series of political campaign ad parodies that were actually hilarious -- "Velveeta versus Flemlasky for Congress." It was a good, non-partisan look at how all political advertising is venal, misleading, insulting to everyone's intelligence, and generally Teh Suck.

"In 1985, Ernie Velveeta injured himself when he tripped over a tree stump in his front yard ... If Ernie Velveeta can't even keep himself safe ... how can he not kill your children? ... PaidforbyFlemlaskyforCongress!"

[Stevo Darkly]

Beck is an admitted alcoholic, which probably explains his behavior.

It was entertaining to read this comment and the one that follows, since this happens to be my last name. (No relation.)

I can't claim deep or recent familiarity with Glenn Beck. Once I did catch a few minutes of his TV show, and thought it was funny.

Several years ago, though, his web site used to host a series of political campaign ad parodies that were actually hilarious -- "Velveeta versus Flemlasky for Congress." It was a good, non-partisan look at how all political advertising is venal, misleading, insulting to everyone's intelligence, and generally Teh Suck.

"In 1985, Ernie Velveeta injured himself when he tripped over a tree stump in his front yard ... If Ernie Velveeta can't even keep himself safe ... how can he not kill your children? ... PaidforbyFlemlaskyforCongress!"