The video – embedded at right – is quite long, but I’ve broken down below the information offered in it.
First up in Baker’s video is a recap of what was known before his investigation. Beck rode the Amtrak Acela from Connecticut to Washington D.C., and along the way, encountered Walters and Goldberg. The facts surrounding this encounter were hotly disputed in Beck’s appearance on “The View.” As it turns out, Beck’s version of the facts were incredibly accurate. For example, the main premise of the Viewettes’ accusations was that Walters called Beck over to their seats to speak with him – which Beck never claimed in the first place.
Baker follows with incredulity:
So the whole premise of the accusation was false? Pretty much. Why are we talking about this? Didn’t North Korea just test a nuke? Isn’t Chrysler going bankrupt? Didn’t Biden mock Obama’s teleprompter – you know, the important stuff? Why are we talking about who’s talking to who on a train? Why did this become a network television meltdown?
So how about the rest of it? The police escort and reserved seats, for example; were those things actually done for the Viewettes’ ease of transportation?
Actually, yes. So Beck wasn’t lying about that either. According to Baker, the head of Amtrak communications confirmed to him that ABC had contacted Amtrak in regard to the possibility of a curb-to-train police escort, and that the seats may have been reserved at the discretion of the train’s staff.
In sum, Beck didn’t lie or scramble the facts about his encounter with Walters – and did not so much as misspeak. Beck was also correct about the police escort for Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg. Finally, Beck was, as far as anyone can tell, correct about the reserved seats.
Oh, and the icing on the cake: ABC refuses to communicate with journalists any more on the matter.
Now combine that with the obvious fact that Barbara Walters, a veteran journalist, did not check her facts, all while simultaneously attacking Beck, a self-described commentator, for not checking his facts as a journalist (which he never claimed to be).
The irony of this is nearly beyond belief.
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Barbara Walters doesn't have to answer to anybody.
June 3, 2009 - 16:00 ET by averageschmoeShe is the queen of journalism and has been around forever. Her own colleges probably bow down to her as well.
Facts?!?
June 3, 2009 - 16:07 ET by ontherightWe don't need no stinking facts...
Feelings
June 3, 2009 - 16:12 ET by sevenHope and change no longer relies on facts.
If Babwa rejects your values, she call you a lier?
Hope and Change
June 3, 2009 - 16:19 ET by Mike SargentPowered by Starbucks, Home Of Hope and Change!!!!!
Also, I was THINKING that, the "we don't need no STEENKING change..." but I was going to refrain from channeling my inner Mel Brooks...
Mike Sargent... Thank
June 3, 2009 - 16:12 ET by bigtimerMike Sargent...
Thank you...and I just betcha if Beck sees this, he does too.
I've heard his response to this all later....and it is as you say here.
The View and Walters especially, are jokes to me....they mean nothing in my world....nada, zip, zilch....and to those that they do matter to, hope springs eternal.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Beck is a Novice
June 3, 2009 - 16:30 ET by Kingfish17Beck was ambushed because he had the audacity to point out on his radio show that Walters and Woop-de-do get reserved seats on Amtrak. No one can buy reserved seats on Amtrack. You have to have privledge, know the right people, and be in the "elite". This is a small precurser to how life will be like for everyone under socialism. Earning money and having economic freedom will no longer matter. Knowing the right people and being an "elite" will be all important.
But back to my point. Beck should have not engaged them in their trivial argument about who said hi to who first. That was just a canard. Beck should have hammered home only one argument and should have stuck to his point that Walters and Woop-de-do get special treatment from "the government". He should never have tried to engage them on their sideshow nonsense in the hopes of getting them to "like" him.
"I've sentenced boys younger then you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it, but I felt I owed it to them." Judge Smails
It wasn't
June 3, 2009 - 16:54 ET by Mike Sargent...technically an Amtrak-reserved seat. The conductor on the train, as far as we can tell, took it upon himself (/herself, whatever was there at the moment) to provide a special service to a celebrity whose name he knew. The fact that he DIDN'T do it for Glenn Beck is a tad strange, but maybe he/she/it/whatever just ranked him below Whoopi and Barbara.
And hey, I'm a fan of chivalry - it's not really a big deal that Glenn had to stand, and women got to sit. The big deal is that these women A.) lied about being lied about, B.) Attacked Beck for claiming to be a journalist, which he himself immediately denied, and C.) Thumped Beck for not checking his facts ever, when nobody in the View Crew bothered to check their own facts about the very situation they attacked Beck on.
It's ridiculous hypocrisy, and now ABC is stonewalling to cover up the fact that Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg massively screwed up. They DO owe him an apology, and I hope Beck makes a special mention of it every day on his show until they apologize.
Think along the lines of Jimmy Kimmel bumping Matt Damon every night - something like "And today marks the 259th consecutive day that I have not recieved an apology for being personally attacked on the View. God bless, America!"
I'd smirk, every time I saw that...
Of course there are no reserved seats
June 3, 2009 - 17:15 ET by Kingfish17Thanks for elucidating just how the elites will receive special treatment from government owned business under socialism. It doesn't surprise me that there is no official mechanism for reserving seats. You need to have your people call their people and get the conductor to "do you a favor".
Good post.
"I've sentenced boys younger then you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it, but I felt I owed it to them." Judge Smails
our future
June 4, 2009 - 01:37 ET by LoosMoose"Who is John Galt?"
Walters shouldn't have needed to "check her facts"
June 3, 2009 - 16:36 ET by c5thenShe was, after all, there and should have remembered. Beck didn't have to check his facts because he was there and seems to have remembered the events with accuracy. I guess that Walters and Goldberg were upset that their royal treatment was exposed and so decided to attack the messenger.
I think if all "celebrities" and politicians were treated more like the regular every-day citizens they are, they would be more humble and attuned to the regular every-day citizens' every-day issues.
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
www.loyaltoliberty.com
I really think that Whoopi
June 3, 2009 - 17:06 ET by balboaI really think that Whoopi and Barbara were mostly upset because Beck was mocking them, and trying to portray them as snobby elitists who HAD to have their own, special table, when in reality they probably had nothing to do with any of it, just were told "Get in this car, it'll take you to this train, and you'll take that train to D.C." So Beck was correct, but Whoopi and Barbara were mad because they, apparently, had not arranged or asked for any of it. It was not some kind of diva demand.
Barbara Walters and Ticket Counters
June 3, 2009 - 17:23 ET by Kingfish17I just can't see Barbara Walters walking up to the counter at Amtrack and buying a ticket. She has people do that stuff for her. And there is nothing wrong with that either. If she can afford staff to make her personal/business life easier then that's great.
And it's easy to see her taking the next step and telling her personal assistant to see what she can do about "arranging" to get her a reserved seat on a train that's known for being jammed full.
"I've sentenced boys younger then you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it, but I felt I owed it to them." Judge Smails
No doubt that's possible.
June 3, 2009 - 17:32 ET by balboaNo doubt that's possible. But the way Barbara got upset made me think that it something done without her ever asking for it.
I think you're right that
June 3, 2009 - 17:37 ET by Radical1979I think you're right that Whoopie and Barbar were upset that Beck was mocking them. They seem to think they should be immune from what they and their cohorts spew on the view every day. For example, during the election, they vilified Sarah Palin every day, then whined that she wouldn't come on the show. They need to grow up. If they can dish it out, they should take it.
Liberals lying??
June 3, 2009 - 17:19 ET by 1611LilacLadySurely you jest!!
If you could be any tree, Baba Wawa, what would it be? Poison Sumac perhaps?
Isaiah 5:20a Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil. . . KJV
IMHO---
June 3, 2009 - 17:21 ET by misterbillGoldberg is upset because nobody is making whoopi!!!!
Gerald Goode
June 3, 2009 - 19:00 ET by TjexciteGerald Goode : "The Views is on, The pretty one is saying crazy stuff again."
great
June 4, 2009 - 01:42 ET by LoosMoosethat WAS a great shot.... really enjoyed it.... since I can't stomach /the view/ and I am not even comfortable typing it... did any one notice if there was a snort from the hogs about that incident? Glad to see Elizabeth get one back.
The only time I have watched the View...
June 3, 2009 - 19:44 ET by jawebster1is when they play clips of the show on Fox News, on the other hand, I watch Beck Monday through Friday. The reason is simple. I go to where I can find the truth. Beck is a good guy and so is Mark Levin. I hope they will some day get to know each other and become friends like Mark, Sean and Rush. We have had the "Rat Pack" with Frank, Sammy, Dean and Joey and now we have the "Right Pack". Bill Cunningham, Laura Ingraham and Ann Coulter belong too. Jim Webster
I am not looking for facts
June 3, 2009 - 20:05 ET by SnappyI am not looking for facts when I watch this program... I am tuning in for the cutting edge political knowledge and up to date discourse on current world events.... oh wait, are we talking about "The View"? On ABC? Never mind I thought this was a discussion about Sponge Bob.
→ Snappy
June 3, 2009 - 20:09 ET by Cool ArrowI watched the snowball fight episode again yesterday with my grandson.
If I want stupid, I'll watch The View.
"The Rule of Law is the only thing that separates us from Democrats" - a Firefighter
BabaWhoopi are the best
June 4, 2009 - 05:25 ET by HockeyKidBabaWhoopi are the best argument for burkas I've seen yet.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
BaBa cares nothing about
June 4, 2009 - 11:01 ET by Tom PaineBaBa cares nothing about the facts. No offense to anyone, but the target audience of The View are a bunch of insulated suburban housewives who have been conditioned to believe that all American women are liberal and that they need to fit in. They get all of their news from the networks, so they haven’t been directly exposed to Glenn Beck before in his native element. All they know now is that Glenn is yet another evil conservative who makes up his facts. They will do no further research to get the facts and BaBa will embargo the story from any further discussion on the show. Liberal worldview is reinforced – Mission Accomplished
Exactly, the real question
June 4, 2009 - 12:52 ET by Conservative VoiceExactly, the real question is, will this damage Walters? No. Did she damage Beck? Not among Beck's fans...but it did damage him among potential fans and gave fodder to those who don't like him...mission accomplished.
The first thought in my mind when Glenn was attacked by the Coven, is the Coven is doing a classic misdirection...they were afraid of giving Glenn too much time, better to destroy his credibility before he gets his foot in the door. Listen to the second segment, when Glenn is actually allowed to talk...the audience cheers! Imagine if they actually were civil at the start...as Glenn was to Whoopie when she was on his show.