The Fox News Channel has another huge hit on its hands with "The Glenn Beck Show," and the media can't stand it.
As news of Beck's success spreads, his competitors -- especially the liberal wannabes -- are foaming at the mouth.
A fine example occurred on Tuesday's "Morning Joe" when co-host Willie Geist showed a video clip of Beck getting emotional during his monologues which evoked nothing but disgust from fellow co-host Mika Brzezinski and the Daily Beast's Tina Brown.
Even co-host Joe Scarborough couldn't hold back the laughter (video below the fold courtesy our friend Ms Underestimated with transcribed lowlights, file photo):
When Geist's clip ended with Beck saying, "I'm sorry, I'm just a guy who cares an awful lot about my country," Brzezinski disgustingly asked, "What the hell was that?"
And that was the beginning:
- BROWN: Somebody get this blubbering buffoon, you know, a box of Kleenex. I mean, what is he going to do for his next act? It's incredibly hysterical. How do you keep this up? You know, this is just, how's he going to keep this up? I mean, what's he going to do for his next act, you know, be carried off frothing?
- BRZEZINSKI: There's something very wrong about it. I'm sorry. May I cast judgement?...Apparently people watch, but that's like when you slow down and watch a car accident, right?...I was transfixed, I will tell you -- in horror, but I was transfixed.
- BROWN: You have to hand it to Roger Ailes, he is a bit of a genius...I mean, he goes out and he finds these people, and he just knows, like he found Rush Limbaugh. He knows how to find his particular monsters and he creates...
BRZEZINSKI: Crazy monsters...
BROWN: ...crazy monsters.
Wow. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are crazy monsters!
Moving on, Mike Barnicle then mocked Beck by getting emotional himself only to be consoled by Geist leading Scarborough to say, "Brokeback Barnicle has broken down."
Brown added: "I think this should just be run right now. I think they should run the whole clip at the G20 to educate Europeans about what it is to be American."
Brzezinski chided: "No. You know what? That will not help us."
Geist and Scarborough then briefly discussed whether the whole thing's an act, and that Beck is a parody of comedian Stephen Colbert's parody of a conservative talk show host.
As the discussion turned to the Queen of England and how stoic she is, Brown said: "I would like to see her watching Glenn Beck. She would say, 'Frightfully strange man. Frightfully strange.'"
As the panel broke out in laughter, Brzezinski concluded, "I think you just nailed it."
Yes, Mika -- a "frightfully strange man" with twice the ratings of anybody on your pathetic excuse for a cable news network.
And therein lies the rub, for what the Left don't understand about Beck's appeal is that he comes across as a real person folks would feel comfortable having in their own living room...kind of like Sarah Palin.
Hmmm -- the left hated her, too, didn't they?
Go figure.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Let's be honest...
March 31, 2009 - 09:33 ET by unkeeafThe crying game that Beck plays is very, very uncomfortable to watch. I'm as conservative as they come, but that is just not right. I watched the Morning Joe discussion live and found myself agreeing with their assessment.
Seriously, who wants to watch Beck boo-hoo on an almost daily basis? It's too much, too often. I know two-year olds that cry less.
MSM = PR firm for the Democrat Party
Unkeeaf...
March 31, 2009 - 10:00 ET by Georgia GirlI get ya, but it's too funny. I posted a comment on here (to Seashell/Sheryl) about the crying thing with Beck (my theory), and you guys are just coming out of the woodwork and proving my point! LOL. :) I know it's painful for you guys to watch another guy cry, but just turn away & wait it out. ;)
Now I am going to have to watch Beck more often, to see what everybody is talking about. I have never seen the man cry on the air, but everybody talks about it like it happens every day. ? Anyway, he seems like a very decent, common sense guy to me, if a bit intense.
Daily basis?
March 31, 2009 - 10:09 ET by Amanda JusticeI beg to differ from you. I watch Glenn ON a daily basis for my blog, and he does not tear-up almost daily. He just cares about his country, as do I, and he's not afraid to show it.
Plus a lot of the vid they used in the mashup is from the "You Are Not Alone" show, where Glenn really dug deep for ALL of us so that we remembered who we were on 9/12/01.
Daily basis?
March 31, 2009 - 10:09 ET by Amanda JusticeI beg to differ from you. I watch Glenn ON a daily basis for my blog, and he does not tear-up almost daily. He just cares about his country, as do I, and he's not afraid to show it.
Plus a lot of the vid they used in the mashup is from the "You Are Not Alone" show, where Glenn really dug deep for ALL of us so that we remembered who we were on 9/12/01.
no conservative
March 31, 2009 - 12:12 ET by cristantisure I dont like the crying much but you were watching the show, how anyone can watch that liberal wannabe, rino so called republican, I don't do not give them any kind of ratings, if you watch you must agree with joe then, because he hardly ever says anything good about any gop, and he has token conservatives on, but the majority of his whole show are liberals , nyt's, almost daily, and the gall of them to chastise beck, they would die for his ratings, reading what they said even made it sound worse, they sounded so jealous and catty, it made them look bad, I would be embarrassed if I were them and read this back what they said. his ratings are over the top, and I do think he does feel for REAL PEOPLE........
Oh, OK...
March 31, 2009 - 18:21 ET by unkeeafSince I watch differing opinions I'm not a conservative. I'd suggest you're a person of minimal depth if you only listen to opinion you agree with.
MSM = PR firm for the Democrat Party
Want to terrify the Europeans???
March 31, 2009 - 13:10 ET by bpjamShow them Keith Olbermann rants about how horrible America is!! That will keep them from ever wanting to trade with us. And it will certainly convince them that we are all crazy if we let people like him on TV.
No bodies and wannabe's
March 31, 2009 - 09:43 ET by sevenI have never seen the morning Joe till now. I probably will not see them again. They have nothing. Reporting on reporters lacks creativity at many levels
Style-wise, Beck isn't my
March 31, 2009 - 09:44 ET by Ken ShepherdStyle-wise, Beck isn't my favorite host.
But coming from MSNBC it's a bit ridiculous of a criticism, considering how "emotional" Olbermann and Matthews get. Of course the emotions there are faux rage and pomposity in the former and horniness for Obama in the latter, but all the same, it's far from straight-laced newscasting.
Glenn's crying creeps me
March 31, 2009 - 09:45 ET by Roger the ShrubberGlenn's crying creeps me out, too. But I am still a big fan of Glenn.
These folks at MSNBC are supposed to be up-to-date on current events, and on their own industry, for Shrubber's sake. How friggin' clueless can these losers be? It took an article in the New York Times for them to even realize Beck existed? How pathetic is that?
Roger...
March 31, 2009 - 09:53 ET by Georgia GirlI think it's just how Glenn expresses stress sometimes (the crying thing, see my above comment to Seashell/Sheryl, LOL). :)
But we have to hand it to the guy for putting his heart and soul into it -- at least he cares enough to do something -- and even to cry when he feels helpless...but I've still never seen him cry on the show!^_^
GG.. He is a passionate
March 31, 2009 - 18:38 ET by bigtimerGG..
He is a passionate man...and it shows when it comes from ones soul...some people are like that and it isn't one bit phony...unlike Bill Clinton shedding a fake tear after Ron Brown's funeral for just one example.
I'm just grateful we have someone with real depth expressing it, even if it gets criticized...at least it is getting attention to what he is expressing, and what he really trying to do for the betterment of this country.
Well...that's how I see it.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Big,
April 1, 2009 - 01:25 ET by Georgia GirlI agree with you. The man is doing something -- that is a huge thing these days, and he's changing hearts and minds...maybe even some -- dare we say -- moderates or lefties?
As I said in another post
March 31, 2009 - 09:53 ET by marpelAs I said in another post on Newsbusters, Glenn Beck's crying and emotional outbursts are uncomfortable and creepy, but his message is good. His delivery sucks.
I knew Joe Scarborough was a sellout, but he stooped to a new low this a.m. making fun of Beck. I think it's sour grapes on MSNBC's part and it's a lack of creativity on the Morning Joe's programming part.
Glenn Beck's been crying on the radio for years, but he's now a threat to other networks because of his ratings. I personnally don't like the creepy crying stuff he does, but Joe Scarborough just proved what a sell out he is. At least Glenn Beck isn't a sell out and he's crying all the way to the bank.
To me, Scarborough appears
March 31, 2009 - 22:13 ET by JerTo me, Scarborough appears to be the same conservative he has always been, and still claims to be, only a bit less partisan.
Jer
The irony of emotionalism
March 31, 2009 - 09:57 ET by KC MulvilleThe irony of Glenn Beck is that to assess his emotionalism, you have to compare it to something. And what are we to compare it to? The "calm," unemotional presentation of others? Beck is emotionally sentimental, whereas Olbermann is emotionally angry and immature. Dan Rather still wears every emotion on his sleeve. Hillary Clinton started coming back in the primaries last year because she cried a little bit. Who'd have guessed? People like that.
The media is already filled with "ironic detachment." Frankly, I've had all the snark I can stand.
Beck isn't always my cup of tea, but so what? He's different, and he seems to be sincere. If he pulls the crying act as an act, then people are going to turn off on him in a hurry. You can't cry every night. But if it's sincere, the emotionalism doesn't bother me.
What I deny is that the rest of them are un-emotional. They just have different emotions.
From what I've seen of Beck,
March 31, 2009 - 12:30 ET by lotrFrom what I've seen of Beck, he's pretty emotional in general, not just in terms of getting choked up from time to time. That may be part of his appeal. The Morning Joe segment is kind of funny (the clips are over the top) -- I'm just not much into men losing their composure like that too often. But I don't know what the liberals on MSNBC have a problem with -- I mean, aren't they the ones who want men to cry? Thus, I also do think that there was some impetus for it from the MSNBC management as a hit piece on what they probably perceive as a threat.
Good point
March 31, 2009 - 12:39 ET by KC MulvilleMSNBC spends an inordinate amount of time bashing Fox, don't they? I don't know if it's such a coordinated attack. It's probably just a collective sense of "viewer envy."
Green Eyed Monster
March 31, 2009 - 09:58 ET by BlondeHmmm, MJ has ratings of up to a whopping 250K daily, (F&F at about 900K), while Glenn Beck has upped his viewership in two short months, in the 5:00 hour, to 2.5M.
I see.
That howling laughter from Joe is to cover up the fact that he wishes he had a shtick like Beck's.....and was working at Fox, and was able to actually stick to his views, rather than gunk them all up as a "conservative" RINO on a panel of ditzy left wing nobodies.
Pathetic jealousy, and downright nastiness from that Tina Brown person. Mika, as usual, was a twit. Joe needs to find a new crowd, this crew is bringing him down.
I find Glen Beck to be a tad overwrought....but my 86 year old mum just loves him. Go figure.
I hope he fails, too.
B
March 31, 2009 - 10:10 ET by SeashellI don't get the "Tina Brown" thing. Why should we care what she thinks? And you are so right-Joe definately needs new blood on the show.
Uncomfortable - But I really like Beck
March 31, 2009 - 10:17 ET by WesternGuyI watch Beck regularly and think he is absolutely "bang on" (99% of the time) with his assessments of things. I don't like the crying very much, though - mostly because I find it quite uncomfortable.
I chalk the crying up to Beck's passion. He believes in what he is talking about. He bases his thinking on the Constitution and he is a true patriot.
I do wish Beck would not cry on screen, but it's fairly infrequent and I doubt he will stop doing it because it is just "who he is".
Amanda...
March 31, 2009 - 10:21 ET by Georgia GirlYou are confirming my theory even more! (see my previous posts on here). :) Beck's a good guy, and I am not one to be turned off by someone getting emotional about caring about their country and being frustrated -- thank goodness there are many who still do!
What was CNN thinking?
March 31, 2009 - 10:26 ET by slickwillie2001No he doesn't cry daily, but maybe weekly. Yes it's unmanly and perhaps an indication of a medical problem. It's part of what he is. In an odd way, it also insulates him from the usual liberal attack angle of 'vicious right-wing hater' etc.
I also have to wonder what the CNN bigs are thinking right about now. They had Beck (on HNN) until about a month ago, and either wouldn't let him succeed or didn't know how to use him. I regularly watched him instead of Fox News because he was on at 7pm,. where Fox News hasn't got much going on. If I were a stockholder of CNN, I'd be mightily p'd off at their management for letting him go.
Why does anyone care?
March 31, 2009 - 10:35 ET by KHalpernSo Beck cries. Big deal. Is this the best MSNBC and Newsbusters can do for fodder?
→ Excellent question
March 31, 2009 - 10:44 ET by Cool ArrowWhat I care about is Beck addresses the issues the MSM wants to bury.
He brings together a number of issues into an overall analysis of their interconnectivity.
Beck has hinted that CNN held him back on some issues, and has expressed on-air his gratitude to FOX for allowing him to follow through with his projects.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
I don't believe his crying is an act.
March 31, 2009 - 10:39 ET by HeavyChevyI just see someone who gets fed up seeing where our country is heading and get emotional over it....maybe everyone should start getting a little emotional.
There has been so much emphasis, coverage, and mockery over Glenn Beck's personality I wonder how effective everyone can be if they put that same amount of energy into stopping the blatant railroading of our great country.
We seem to be stuck in a world where its cool to be cold, callous, and unforgiving and are quite eager to pounce on someone who still have a genuine soul and actually cares about the fate of others.
If Glenn Beck would have been one of those true "nuts" out there, gone on a shooting spree killing innocent men, women, and children because he was emotional and felt this was the only way to get his point across then people would have been saying "That animal how dare he do something like that, he could have express his feelings another way, he could have found someone to pour his heart out too!"
We always want someone (especially men) to open up and express themselves but we critize, cringe and shy away when he/she does.
I guess that's human nature, we're never satisfied.
Nothing Wrong With It
March 31, 2009 - 11:13 ET by rightwingidiotI know where GB comes from. There have been a couple of times where I had to speak to a group for which I had deep emotional ties. No matter how hard I tried, I could not keep back the waterworks.
I don't think that it's in anyway an act or a trick to get ratings. Sometimes, people can just be who they are and are as real as they seem.
At the end of the day, his critics are probably more jealous than they let on. Here's a guy that really does love his country and shows it by being emotional. Maybe just maybe his massive ratings are because he is as real as he appears and his viewers get it.
GB is a pretty humble guy. Most of the others can't even fake humility.
You nailed it .
March 31, 2009 - 11:17 ET by HeavyChevyBeck is "humble." A word 99% percent of journalist and journalist wannabees back away from. Most sees humility as a weakness. Beck's ratings however says otherwise.
Beck cries?
March 31, 2009 - 11:05 ET by Paul GI didnt see them comment about Matthews tinkle.. errrr tingle
I gotta say, when he starts
March 31, 2009 - 11:08 ET by EugeniaI gotta say, when he starts with the tears, I'm thinking, oh, no, there he goes again. But I still enjoy watching his show and know he's sincere.
The thing that's hilarious is that even the losers at MSNBC watch FOX! If you can't beat them, watch them like everyone else.
They're not upset because
March 31, 2009 - 11:14 ET by HockeyKidThey're not upset because Beck cried--libs love guys that are "in touch with their feminine side" enough to cry. The thing that cranks them is that crying should be saved for really important things, like saving the snail darter or preserving a woman's right to kill, not miniscule crap like freedom, life and the American dream.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Krusty the Clown
March 31, 2009 - 11:15 ET by OxyCon...that's who Beck models his persona after.
Beck is destroying the conservative brand. When everyone who isn't a conservative watches Beck, the first thing they think is "thank God I'm not a crazy conservative".
Do not delude yourself trying to find comfort in Beck's ratings. We all are guilty of rubbernecking a bad car crash.
Beck in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-AG7hOEWi4
Thank God I'm not a loony liberal
March 31, 2009 - 13:11 ET by BlondeWho has a faux screen persona here.
I don't know any conservatives who watch that train wreck Olberman (other than those here who get paid to).
Continue to delude yourself...it's what you liberals do.
I hope he fails, too.
A Little Levity
March 31, 2009 - 13:31 ET by rightwingidiotThere are many ways to get ones point across. GB's style uses levity as part of his arsenal. He freely admits that he's part rodeo clown. Appearantly, some people must like that.
Good ratings mean people are watching. People watching means some may get a new message. That new message may just cause them to think about Conservatism in a new way. Some of them may just like what it has to offer.
With all of the seriousness and out-and-out Liberal media bias that we get a healthy dose of every single minute of every day, it's kinda nice to have a little levity to take the edge off. GB provides that for some. And some of those some will not think he's a wacked out idiot but instead will get his message loud and clear.
Things are not always as they seem. GB may know more about what he's doing than we think. We'll just have to see.
BS!
March 31, 2009 - 11:46 ET by pwozWhere's the outrage for Matthews' and Olbermann's outbursts? The MJ show is a joke, just like their ratings! AHAHAHA!
glenn beck
March 31, 2009 - 11:49 ET by larry on LIi watch glen every day and find his strength is in his devotion to his believes. the highlight of yesterdays show was ripping into Connectcut's AJ, for trying to go after AIG's bonus recipients without legal standing.he allowed the AJ to make a fool of himself and then proceeded to successfully point out how wrong the AJ was in using his position as a bully pulpit.
Roger Ailes didn't have to
March 31, 2009 - 11:49 ET by freecitizenRoger Ailes didn't have to go out and find the "crazy monster" Glenn Beck. He was sitting there in plain sight on CNN Headline News pretty much being the same guy he is today. But no, it's that EVIL FOX News that creates these "monsters".
And Mika, does he truly induce horror in you? Egads, woman! Toughen up!
"MORNING JOE"
March 31, 2009 - 11:56 ET by SgthulkaWhere 128,000 Americans get their news every morning.
This has been Beck's turn
March 31, 2009 - 12:31 ET by celatorThis has been Beck's turn in the barrel, as directed by Emmanuel, Carville et al. It will pass. The Old Media follows directions very well, and want to do their part in bringing in the Revolution.
Next on the list is Levin.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
"Next on the list is Levin."
March 31, 2009 - 12:36 ET by HeavyChevy"Next on the list is Levin."
May the good Lord have mercy on their souls when they try that one. There are easier ways to commit suicide.
Heavy, I agree. Levin is
March 31, 2009 - 12:39 ET by celatorHeavy, I agree. Levin is ready for them, and knows all their dirty little secrets. ;+}
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
HC & cel... Levin will
March 31, 2009 - 21:53 ET by bigtimerHC & cel...
Levin will chew them up and spit them out...with ease.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
yep
March 31, 2009 - 21:56 ET by katainkentLevin is was next on the list. They already tried a few sideswipes when he started selling his new book. He's more Coulter's speed - they don't like tangling with them as much. Too much dirt.
_____________________________________________________
Obama does not perform as advertised. I'd like a refund.
Taxed Enough Already.
Ratings envy...pure and
March 31, 2009 - 13:36 ET by d1carterRatings envy...pure and simple.
Glenn Beck
March 31, 2009 - 14:18 ET by MoonageI love his commentary on the radio. I just can't hardly tolerate watching his show. I just don't get into dudes that weep a lot over things like "my country". I love my country, but it's more of a punch to the gut type of love than it is a weepy kind of thing. I can't stand MSNBC, it's the lowest form of, whatever it is. However, I have to go along with them on this one. A weepy Glenn Beck is kind of funny. Scary, yeah, in sort of a way. If he teared on me like that discussing our beloved country, I'd walk away slowly. Give me Rush or O'Reilly any day.
The crying was way
March 31, 2009 - 16:00 ET by balboaThe crying was way over-the-top. It's an opinion show, not high school Drama 101. I think Beck is rather sane, most of the time, but this was way too much.
Hi Bal, Do you watch his
March 31, 2009 - 17:14 ET by Roger the ShrubberHi Bal,
Do you watch his show often, or listen to his show often?
I've caught snippets here
April 1, 2009 - 09:16 ET by balboaI've caught snippets here and there, seen interviews, but I'm not a religious watcher.
→ Mannerisms
April 1, 2009 - 09:25 ET by Cool ArrowIt can be difficult overcoming the mannerisms of others to get to their message.
I have that problem with Kondracke, Barnes, and Obama, with their incessant stutterous: er, ah, err, umm.
I guess we should be pleased at least Obama is doing something about his communication problem, but instead it makes us wary that he's having his words scripted for him.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
cry me a river
March 31, 2009 - 21:49 ET by WesenI guess it's easier to be interested in Becks tears than it is to discuss content. It's a Barbara Wawa thing.
Since when has a liberal
March 31, 2009 - 22:13 ET by general companyEver want to talk content, they would rather compare bad behaviour, even as they committe 90% of it.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
I agree with what Glenn Beck
April 2, 2009 - 16:11 ET by MissCleoI agree with what Glenn Beck is saying, but he is hard to watch. He should NEVER do that Barney Frank impression EVER! It was so distracting and gross that I had to turn the channel until someone cleaned him up. Then I had to wipe off my tv. ick. That's not to say that Barney's not funny - he's a hoot as well as a crook.