Glenn Beck Relaunching The Blaze As Global Libertarian News Network

[cajuncocoa]

OMG and LOL...I'm laughing so hard at Beck using the "libertarian" label I can barely type this.

Posted Jan 8, 2013 6:06pm EST


Glenn Beck announced plans Tuesday during his online television program to expand the news operation in his media company, The Blaze, and refocus it as a libertarian network, opening three foreign bureaus, debuting a nightly news magazine show, and relocating his New York staff to showy new offices.

Beck introduced his ambitious plans by standing in front of a split screen with MSNBC's Chris Matthews on one side and Fox News's Sean Hannity on the other, and bemoaning the fact that cable news has devolved into the "far left [and] far right... yelling at each other."

"We're not gonna play in that crazy space as a network," he said, adding, "I consider myself a libertarian... I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel."

He said over the next 60 days, The Blaze will open three foreign bureaus in cities that are "important to America." He will also relocate his New York staff from their current midtown offices into a building that will "send a very clear message to everyone in New York... it will piss everyone off."

Beck also showed a teaser for a new nightly 30-minute newsmagazine show called For the Record.

"Our Nightline will be a nightly half hour broadcast to update you on a topic that no one else quite frankly has the balls to do. I will," he said.

The trailer for the show — which he said will be "the most expensive show on the network, including mine" — featured future episodes exposing the NSA for turning America into a "surveillance state," and warning that the UN "want[s] your guns," both big issues in libertarian circles.

After the in-your-face trailer ended, Beck chuckled, "Security is going to be a real issue for the people in our company."

The Blaze also has plans to hire investigative journalists and plans to produce more documentaries, Beck said.

"We are currently looking for our own Woodwards and Bernsteins," he said. "Maybe they don't exist anymore, and if that's the case I don't really care. We'll grow our own!"

Beck launched his online TV network, then called GBTV, in 2011, and has brought all his media properties — including a news and opinion site, a monthly magazine, and an online radio network — under umbrella of The Blaze brand. Last year, the network began airing on a Dish Network channel, and last week, Beck revealed that he tried to buy the channel currently airing Al Gore's Current TV — a sign that he hopes to expand into cable soon.

But Beck's decision to orient the network's programming around libertarian politics — or at least brand it that way — could be a play for younger, conservative viewers, who find the Republican Party, and the network that most closely aligns with its ideals, Fox, distasteful.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/glenn-beck-relaunching-the-blaze-as-global-liberta

[Spikender]

More poisoning of the word "libertarian". Wonderful.

Truth be told, Beck is the one that turned me from being warmongering neocon to the freedom loving man I am today, and I'm still pissed at finding out he's just a hack like all the rest. What does this announcement mean? Nothing. Beck is just destroying what it means to be a libertarian, and, although I'm sure he agrees with us on some issues, he's far from being like Penn Jillette as he says here.

[cajuncocoa]

More poisoning of the word "libertarian". Wonderful.

Truth be told, Beck is the one that turned me from being warmongering neocon to the freedom loving man I am today, and I'm still pissed at finding out he's just a hack like all the rest. What does this announcement mean? Nothing. Beck is just destroying what it means to be a libertarian, and, although I'm sure he agrees with us on some issues, he's far from being like Penn Jillette as he says here.Poisoning the word is the plan, I'm certain. Beck pretends to be anti-establishment at times, and I'm sure that is why some people will fall for what he's doing here. But make no mistake, when it gets close to election time, he'll promote one of the establishment-approved candidates.

[Spikender]

Poisoning the word is the plan, I'm certain. Beck pretends to be anti-establishment at times, and I'm sure that is why some people will fall for what he's doing here. But make no mistake, when it gets close to election time, he'll promote one of the establishment-approved candidates.

Precisely. Glenn Beck is all about sounding libertarian and sounding like he wants more liberty, but then, when election time swings around, you can bet your left arm that he'll be saying that he must "reluctantly" support the most anti-liberty, statist Republican there is. I use to be a huge supporter of Glenn Beck and used to watch and listen to him religiously. I soon wised up after about six months of listening to him, although I don't regret it completely; after all, I have him to thank for finally making me wake up, both to the stupidity of war-mongering neocons and to charlatans like him who want to play the part of the Pied Piper and lead people like me to vote for frothing statists who want to shrink our liberty and wage more pointless wars overseas.

[Danan]

Lol Penn really seems to have influence on Glenn Beck. I must admit their interview was really good.

[emazur]

here he is talking w/ Penn about libertarianism. I haven't watched it yet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=i3LnVa7zXgc

[PatriotOne]

While looking for more info on the OP found this instead. Interesting......

Former FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey revealed that the Tea Party group paid Glenn Beck about $1 million to say "nice things" about the group on his radio show

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/01/dick-armey-sticks-his-freedomworks-payback-glenn-beck/60624/

[PatriotOne]

The Blaze will open three foreign bureaus in cities that are "important to America."

Hmmmmm....taking an educated guess here......

London, Jerusalem, and ????

[Danan]

Hmmmmm....taking an educated guess here......

London, Jerusalem, and ????

Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Nazareth.

[Brett85]

Beck is good on some issues, but it's laughable for him to claim that he's a "libertarian" after endorsing Rick Santorum in the GOP primary. I don't even claim to be a libertarian, but I would never endorse or vote for a big government neo-con like Rick Santorum.

[MelissaWV]

So... the network's name is... GLNN.

So, so subtle.

[compromise]

If this means Beck will talk more about civil liberties, that can only be a good thing. If it means his content will remain largely the same, it sucks.

[dannno]

"We are currently looking for our own Woodwards and Bernsteins," he said. "Maybe they don't exist anymore, and if that's the case I don't really care. We'll grow our own!"

Dylan Avery and Jason Bermas were this generation's Woodward and Berstein, you missed 'em Glenn.

[dinosaur]

If this means Beck will talk more about civil liberties, that can only be a good thing. If it means his content will remain largely the same, it sucks.

Lets just hope that the people he informs will see his hypocrisy come election time. People tend to be gullible or intellectually lazy once they trust and like a talking head.

[sailingaway]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5o3picq471rrv52p.gif

LOL!

Again they try to capture a NAME. Tea Party, libertarian, whatever. Don't get tied to a label and you can shrug him off like fleas.

If you recall, last time he did this, in 2008, he started talking about the fed and how brilliant Ron was right up until before the primaries when he said that for tea party reasons you really had to go Santorum or Bachmann or some such.

He does it to capture the audience and while he doesn't capture US he does get some soft support just learning the issues who buy into his 'I'm one of you on the cutting edge' act.

Maybe he won't do that this time, but once burned and all that....

[anaconda]

Beck needs to be Alex Jone's next "debate."

[QuickZ06]

Funny stuff right there.

[sailingaway]

Angel (remember Angel who wrote all those articles about Rons' campaign?) wrote an article on it: http://www.examiner.com/article/libertarians-angered-by-glenn-beck-s-announcement-blaze-to-become-libertarian

[cajuncocoa]

Angel (remember Angel who wrote all those articles about Rons' campaign?) wrote an article on it: http://www.examiner.com/article/libertarians-angered-by-glenn-beck-s-announcement-blaze-to-become-libertarianYes, Angel Clark! I've listened to her radio show a couple of times on Liberty Radio Network (http://lrn.fm/). I like her.

[Bastiat's The Law]

He uses Chuck Hagel as his example of what he isn't? :confused:

[sailingaway]

Twitter is having fun with this:

David F'n McNabb ‏@DavidMcnabb1
Did Glenn Beck become a libertarian before or after calling for the arrest of most Ron Paul supporters in 2008?

David F'n McNabb ‏@DavidMcnabb1
ProTip: if you REALLY liked Rick Scrotorum, and wished he won the nomination. You're PROBABLY not a libertarian. Period.

[cajuncocoa]

I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel.

I wish Penn would tell him to STFU. And yeah, it's interesting that he uses Hagel as an example of what he isn't. See, I would have thought he's closer to Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann. NONE of those people are libertarian; they don't have a libertarian bone in their body!! :mad: (I'm a little angry about this too, Angel Clark LOL)

[cajuncocoa]

Twitter is having fun with this:

David F'n McNabb ‏@DavidMcnabb1
Did Glenn Beck become a libertarian before or after calling for the arrest of most Ron Paul supporters in 2008?

David F'n McNabb ‏@DavidMcnabb1
ProTip: if you REALLY liked Rick Scrotorum, and wished he won the nomination. You're PROBABLY not a libertarian. Period.LOL...uh, yeah. Duh!!

[awake]

Everybody is a Libertarian! Yay! Soon Libertarian will be the new sheep skin of the establishment and their half wits. Time to start looking for another descriptor.

[dinosaur]

Everybody is a Libertarian! Yay! Soon Libertarian will be the new sheep skin of the establishment and their half wits. Time to start looking for another descriptor.

On the bright side, this might undermine all of the effort that has been put forth to paint libertarians as libs.

[CaptLouAlbano]

Good for him. The free market will determine whether he will be a success or failure. I know some on here have opined that they would love to see "one of our own" start a major news network, has there been any progress on that?

[awake]

On the bright side, this might undermine all of the effort that has been put forth to paint libertarians as libs.

Liberal used to mean a thirst for liberty and libertarian leanings. Look what it means now. The term "Libertarian" stands to be gutted in the same way. The Knaves need new camouflage and it fits the bill. Evil always needs to cloth itself with the good.

[dinosaur]

Liberal used to mean a thirst for liberty and libertarian leanings. look what it means now. The term "Libertarian" stands to be gutted in the same way. The Knaves need new camouflage and it fits the bill.

You are right. I was just marvelling at how effective their propaganda against the name "libertarian" was during the last cycle and was amused that they would then use the same name. But it isn't funny. I wish that we had the money to start this network. I wish that we had gotten there first.

[Spikender]

You are right. I was just marvelling at how effective their propaganda against the name "libertarian" was during the last cycle and was amused that they would then use the same name. But it isn't funny. I wish that we had the money to start this network. I wish that we had gotten there first.

We consistently call people like Glenn Beck stupid and other degrading words, but the fact of the matter is they're smart, and they love beating us to the punch. The word libertarian is quickly becoming the new liberal, and just like liberals, who quickly retreated to the term "progressive", libertarians everywhere will be forced to give up and move onto a new label.

And God how I hate these stupid labels. Liberal itself used to be word with a different meaning as well, as awake brought up. These labels will be the death of us, if the government doesn't get around to it first.

[Danan]

Liberal used to mean a thirst for liberty and libertarian leanings. Look what it means now. The term "Libertarian" stands to be gutted in the same way. The Knaves need new camouflage and it fits the bill. Evil always needs to cloth itself with the good.

Only because the liberals at that time gave up the term and didn't fight for it. There probably weren't even many left.

[awake]

Another example of tools hijacking terms and labels ; George Bush as a "Christian" - dastardly. Be we deceived by words, not actions.

Liberty is where it is found, not an exclusive endowment of a geographical location. Liberty will always live in the world at certain times and places. Whole peoples will throw it away only to be picked up by others.

[SilentBull]

"Libertarianism" will be co-opted just like the Tea Party was. I've been surprised at how many people on Facebook are now describing themselves as Libertarians, and I don't think it's a good thing, as many of these people don't fully understand what libertarianism is. It's becoming the thing to be if you hate both parties. That's the job of people like Beck. Neutralize a threat by co-opting it. Libertarians are the biggest threat to the establishment right now.

[cajuncocoa]

Good for him. The free market will determine whether he will be a success or failure. I know some on here have opined that they would love to see "one of our own" start a major news network, has there been any progress on that?Now you ARE trolling.

[sluggo]

C'mon guys. Glenn Beck is coming around!

[itshappening]

is he trying to copy infowars?

-
Glenn Beck announced plans Tuesday during his online television program to expand the news operation in his media company, The Blaze, and refocus it as a libertarian network, opening three foreign bureaus, debuting a nightly newsmagazine show, and relocating his New York staff to showy new offices.

Beck introduced his ambitious plans by standing in front of a split screen with MSNBC's Chris Matthews on one side and Fox News's Sean Hannity on the other, and bemoaning the fact that cable news has devolved into the "far left [and] far right... yelling at each other."

"We're not gonna play in that crazy space as a network," he said, adding, "I consider myself a libertarian... I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel."

He said over the next 60 days, The Blaze will open three foreign bureaus in cities that are "important to America." He will also relocate his New York staff from their current midtown offices into a building that will "send a very clear message to everyone in New York... it will piss everyone off."

Beck also showed a teaser for a new nightly 30-minute newsmagazine show called For the Record.

"Our Nightline will be a nightly half hour broadcast to update you on a topic that no one else quite frankly has the balls to do. I will," he said.

The trailer for the show — which he said will be "the most expensive show on the network, including mine" — featured future episodes exposing the NSA for turning America into a "surveillance state," and warning that the UN "want[s] your guns," both big issues in libertarian circles.

After the in-your-face trailer ended, Beck chuckled, "Security is going to be a real issue for the people in our company."

The Blaze also has plans to hire investigative journalists and plans to produce more documentaries, Beck said.

"We are currently looking for our own Woodwards and Bernsteins," he said. "Maybe they don't exist anymore, and if that's the case I don't really care. We'll grow our own!"

Beck launched his online TV network, then called GBTV, in 2011, and has brought all his media properties — including a news and opinion site, a monthly magazine, and an online radio network — under umbrella of The Blaze brand. Last year, the network began airing on a Dish Network channel, and last week, Beck revealed that he tried to buy the channel currently airing Al Gore's Current TV — a sign that he hopes to expand into cable soon.

But Beck's decision to orient the network's programming around libertarian politics — or at least brand it that way — could be a play for younger, conservative viewers, who find the Republican Party, and the network that most closely aligns with its ideals, Fox, distasteful.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/glenn-beck-relaunching-the-blaze-as-global-liberta

[VoluntaryAmerican]

Looks like they are hiring too. Won't be so bad if we get more Liberty people in there.

http://www.theblaze.com/jobs/

[TCE]

I'm wondering if Judge Nap will have any role in this.

[Anti Federalist]

You know, I'm not going to jump on the bash bandwagon here, because I hate it when it happens to people like Jones.

So, even though I have my issues with Beck, good for him, the more the merrier I say, I'll take him over a Piers Morgan/CNN or Sam Donaldson/ABC any day of the week.

[Anti Federalist]

is he trying to copy infowars?

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

[itshappening]

There's nothing you do about someone calling themselves "Tea Party" and "libertarian" when they're not. Even Reagan pulled that trick when he said libertarianism is the soul of conservatism.

However what does disturb me are the Teocons and the likes of FreedomWorks promoting a hardcore neocon like Tim Cotton and Ted Cruz. This is just the same recycling of the strategy to sound like conservatives in opposition but what gives them away is their hawkish foreign policy views which aligns them with Bush who once sounded exactly the same. In fact. even better Bush called for a humble foreign policy and we were told had an outstanding conservative record as governor of Texas and look what happened there... He launched two wars and tripled the size of the Federal government.

So, what do we do? Well, we can only just keep promoting our "approved" candidates - of which there are only a handful - and TRY and find/recruit new candidates to support in winnable primaries that actually get it when it comes to foreign policy and the Federal Reserve (the litmus test in my view) or encourage FreedumbWorks to support those candidates.

Mark Sanford will be very close to an ideal ally in my view and that's coming up very soon. He's NOT a Teocon and has a conservative record.

Either way we can't let Teocon radicals and fake conservatives dupe the grassroots

[angelatc]

I predict in 4 years, we'll be arguing with people about the fact that Beck did not start the LIbertarian movement.

This is the GOP herding their cats. They'll allow the faithful to sow a few wild oats in the off year, and then reel them back in to support the establishment candidates in the next election.

LIbertarian-In-Non-Election Years. Lineys.

[Tod]

I'm thinking that if Glenn Beck believes there is money to be made from the libertarian label, then Ron Paul swayed a lot of hearts and minds in this last election cycle.

[LibertyEagle]

There was a void and since we did not fill it, he is going to. It will happen that way every time until our side steps up.

[trey4sports]

Glenn is like a lot of pundit assholes in the fact that he is a two-faced opportunist but at the same time if he focuses on important issues like civil liberties and has Rand on a lot then that can be something i will support.

its important that we hold his feet to the fire but also we have to remember to applaud when he makes a good move.

[cajuncocoa]

More from Twitter:

@dmataconis (https://twitter.com/dmataconis)
If Glenn Beck is a "libertarian," then I'm going to have to find something else to call myself. I don't want to be associated with that loon

@bfrysworld (https://twitter.com/bfrysworld)
"@TheGonzoLawyer (https://twitter.com/TheGonzoLawyer): In what universe is Glenn Beck alibertarian?" The Blaze? his multi-million dollar wannabe doomsday prepper playland?

@eldon (https://twitter.com/eldon)
as if the term "libertarian" were not misused enough already, now we have glenn beck…

@anthonylfisher (https://twitter.com/anthonylfisher)
Glenn Beck is not a libertarian. Glad we cleared that up.

@glennbeck (http://twitter.com/glennbeck) profile pic:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t270/cajuncocoa/profilepic_zps8f9a74cb.jpg

[paulbot24]

I understand he is an opportunist, but why does he attempt to hijack OUR opportunity?

[Brett85]

Even I don't call myself a libertarian, and I'm far more libertarian than Glenn Beck.

[emazur]

I listened to the interview I posted earlier in the thread and Beck said he was teaming up w/ Vince Vaughn (who endorsed Ron Paul and praised End the Fed)

[Brian4Liberty]

In Hannity and Beck's world, "libertarian" = "greed is good". Nothing more.

Beck is filling the same space as Hannity and Mark Levin. Greed is good, Israel first. Of course Beck is in the "end times" camp too. It will be the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Network.

[AGRP]

In other news, Jeb Bush announces his move to the Libertarian Party and Faux News is renaming themselves Liberty TV.

[Brian4Liberty]

To be fair to Beck, there has always been plenty of Israel-centric libertarians and objectivists.

[itshappening]

Brian, what part of Israel is not the 51st state do they not understand?

Why are they so obsessed with Israel?

[cajuncocoa]

Brian, what part of Israel is not the 51st state do they not understand?

Why are they so obsessed with Israel?Israel plays a role in the end-times, very important to fundamentalists.

Here's a link: http://www.gotquestions.org/end-times-Israel.html

[Koz]

since when is Beck a libertarian?? He is a total neocon.

[cbrons]

lol @ sailingaway

[dinosaur]

since when is Beck a libertarian?? He is a total neocon.

He used to be a conservative who was too principled to support Bush. He used that rep to appeal to the disgruntled libertarian-leaning Republicans and corral them back in. Now he uses religious rhetoric to try to keep people interested in the wars, who would otherwise have revolted by now. I believe that his audience can be turned our way if we can only make the America-First instead of Israel-first argument to them...and the common sense arguments about how we cannot afford the wars and foreign aid that Rand is making.

[John F Kennedy III]

While looking for more info on the OP found this instead. Interesting......

Former FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey revealed that the Tea Party group paid Glenn Beck about $1 million to say "nice things" about the group on his radio show

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/01/dick-armey-sticks-his-freedomworks-payback-glenn-beck/60624/

Lol Dick Armey is the chairman at FreedomWorks? I hope nobody takes them seriously.

[CaptLouAlbano]

Lol Dick Armey is the chairman at FreedomWorks? I hope nobody takes them seriously.

He was the former chairman. Matt Kibbe is the current President and CEO of the organization.

[Brian4Liberty]

Why are they so obsessed with Israel?

Religion is the center of many people's lives. Combine that with an interest in politics, and the Church and State divide gets blurred. Studying scripture was not enough for many, so people like Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins started writing novels (false prophesies) that many people mistook for scripture. Opportunists have further taken advantage of this, like Jerry Falwell, Pastor Hagee and the neo-conservatives. Thus the situation we have today, where unquestioning support for Israel has become dogma for many, in great part due to religious and political charlatans.

At least that's my take. ;)

[CaptLouAlbano]

Religion is the center of many people's lives. Combine that with an interest in politics, and the Church and State divide gets blurred. Studying scripture was not enough for many, so people like Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins started writing novels (false prophesies) that many people mistook for scripture. Opportunists have further taken advantage of this, like Jerry Falwell, Pastor Hagee and the neo-conservatives. Thus the situation we have today, where unquestioning support for Israel has become dogma for many, in great part due to religious and political charlatans.

At least that's my take. ;)

You pretty much nailed it there. Dispensational premillenialism is at the root of a lot of the support for Israel that goes beyond the country merely being an ally and a home for 100,000 or so American citizens.

[bunklocoempire]

O'Reilly has Dennis Miller,

I can totally see Beck courting Doug Stanhope for jester position...

:toady:

Global Libertarian News Network -Kinda shorted himself with that one.

Hows about Global Libertarian Egregious News Network Belching Entropic Cryptic Krap instead?

:p

I didn't have anything nice to say but I opened my trap anyway... sorry.:o If half-truths weren't whole lies and so damaging I might be able to view some positives with this whole deal. Still, God willing, some great things can actually come from turds.

[Brian4Liberty]

Beck and Falwell:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSzGbnP4c0s

[Brian4Liberty]

Beck and Hagee:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOsYSwNrlBo

[Brian4Liberty]

O'Reilly has Dennis Miller,

I can totally see Beck courting Doug Stanhope for jester position...

:toady:

Global Libertarian News Network -Kinda shorted himself with that one.

Hows about Global Libertarian Egregious News Network Belching Entropic Cryptic Krap instead?


Global Libertarian Evangelical News Network?

[COpatriot]

If there is a dollar to be made, Beck the whore will be there. And where else is it easier to make some money than a group of idiots who will lap up whatever bullshit they feed you? Beck has made a fortune exploiting the idiocy of the rapture freaks, pro-war nuts, and anybody who buys this charlatan's claim to be a libertarian.

How can beck call himself a libertarian and support Santorum while bashing Ron Paul? I'll tell you. Because he's not a fucking libertarian. His hunger for war with Iran and the fact that his audience has followed him like lemmings into supporting war with Iran caused him to abandon any principles he had (none).

Don't you see? Beck's pro-interventionism, Left Behindism, and Israeli loyalism trumps everything. Breitbart was right. This guy is a cancer. He poisoned the tea party and now he will poison the libertarian label. I hope this endeavor of his falls flat on its face.

He is not an ally. He may have helped some here abandon the two party system, but he will always be one of them.

[COpatriot]

Beck and Hagee:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOsYSwNrlBo

Thank you for posting this. Scary stuff from the rapture freaks. I'm sure this is the "libertarianism" beck will be selling.

[bunklocoempire]

Global Libertarian Evangelical News Network?

Not unless we're changing the meaning of words.. like Libertarian.. DOH! lol

What Beck & Co is selling hasn't anything to do with 'Love' but everything to do with force, so no, not Evangelical.

evangelical, of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels.

[NIU Students for Liberty]

O'Reilly has Dennis Miller,

I can totally see Beck courting Doug Stanhope for jester position...

:toady:

Global Libertarian News Network -Kinda shorted himself with that one.

Hows about Global Libertarian Egregious News Network Belching Entropic Cryptic Krap instead?

:p

I didn't have anything nice to say but I opened my trap anyway... sorry.:o If half-truths weren't whole lies and so damaging I might be able to view some positives with this whole deal. Still, God willing, some great things can actually come from turds.

Nah, I can't see Stanhope sinking that low. My money is on Penn, which makes me a sad panda :(

[FreedomProsperityPeace]

This is not new. He needs to be challenged on it.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slW_8CgEqoY

[green73]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L6C6E6ayh4U

[CaptUSA]

Take a deep breath, everyone. We all know Beck doesn't get it, but if the people who do get it have a wider forum for discussion, this can be a good thing. Sure, there will be a lot of trash thrown in, but doesn't that happen everywhere?

The liberty movement is like herding cats. You can't expect everyone to follow the same path. However, the more vocal someone is about liberty issues, the better. Beck's not going to convert any of us. But, he may be able to get some people to think about liberty in his way - I find it makes an easier bridge to cross to get them to come to our side once they're thinking about things in terms of liberty.

[ZENemy]

This is called co-opting, its what they do. When they are done with it libertarianism will be just another part of whatever party they want it to be.

your next one, they will do the same thing, then the next one, then the next one...co opt...co opt...because its easier just to take it over then to beat it.

Politics had its time, its failed.

[ravedown]

that interview clip with penn is very telling-they are discussing very simple-fundamental libertarian concepts and beck and his audience are totally confused and surprised. im glad penn is there to enlighten the viewers-but shouldn't beck and his followers already know this stuff by now-how can he really call himself a libertarian when he hasn't covered this material already?

[HOLLYWOOD]

Global Libertarian Evangelical News Network?"I have SINNED" ...oh wait, that was the other Conman, Jimmy Swaggert

http://www.thefastertimes.com/nonsensenews/files/2009/10/behindthescenesglennbeckflv.jpg

[jllundqu]

2 words.... "Controlled Opposition"

[sailingaway]

Ron just said he's going to start his own web show.

Can we make sure it is bigger?

[Spikender]

that interview clip with penn is very telling-they are discussing very simple-fundamental libertarian concepts and beck and his audience are totally confused and surprised. im glad penn is there to enlighten the viewers-but shouldn't beck and his followers already know this stuff by now-how can he really call himself a libertarian when he hasn't covered this material already?

Glenn Beck is a shill who knows nothing about what libertarianism or small-government actually means. He's just there to poison the well on our side and make sure that people have the wrong idea about what we actually believe. Of course basic concepts confuse him, he doesn't actually research them or believe them so how could he understand them?

[helmuth_hubener]

We definitely do need a libertarian news network. Glenn Beck is not exactly the one to head it up. For now, Fox has more libertarian shows (one: Stossel) than Blaze/GLNN (zero).

Free Talk Live has been growing and expanding nationwide. There is talk that Ron Paul may be starting something in the TV/radio field! Good things are happening.

[donnay]

Beck needs to be Alex Jone's next "debate."


Glenn would have to wear extra strength Depends. Beck definitely doesn't have the stomach to debate Jones.

[kahless]

I sure hope this is not just another tool to coral the sheep to the establishment Republican candidate in 2016, some how spinning Jeb Bush as being Libertarian.

I would like to see RPTV. All Ron needs to do is hire the right people and spend 30 minutes a day on the channel.

[helmuth_hubener]

Ron just said he's going to start his own web show.

Can we make sure it is bigger? There was an official announcement? Where? Was this today? I am excited about this!

[libertygrl]

More poisoning of the word "libertarian". Wonderful.

Truth be told, Beck is the one that turned me from being warmongering neocon to the freedom loving man I am today, and I'm still pissed at finding out he's just a hack like all the rest. What does this announcement mean? Nothing. Beck is just destroying what it means to be a libertarian, and, although I'm sure he agrees with us on some issues, he's far from being like Penn Jillette as he says here.

He's trying to co-opt Libertarians like he did the Tea Party!

[sailingaway]

There was an official announcement? Where? Was this today? I am excited about this!

It was at the end of his show with AJ. The tube is on the front page....

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

Yuk yuk yuk yuk. This is so funny. When will this fool go away? Beck, you're about as libertarian as Baghdad Bob.

[sailingaway]

speaking of funny, indecision forever has a write up of our opinion (via Daily Paul) of this: http://www.indecisionforever.com/blog/2013/01/09/ron-paul-fans-scorn-glenn-becks-libertarian-network

[COpatriot]

That's right libertarians. Your new self-proclaimed leader endorsed a guy (Santorum) who has vowed to fight against libertarian influence in the Republican Party and constantly bashed the one guy in the race who one would expect a libertarian to support.

[brushfire]

HAHA!

He's free to call himeself whatever he wants, but it doesnt make him a libertarian.

Beck: go away already, you statist schill. Should'nt you be examining Soros's feices or something?

[cajuncocoa]

speaking of funny, indecision forever has a write up of our opinion (via Daily Paul) of this: http://www.indecisionforever.com/blog/2013/01/09/ron-paul-fans-scorn-glenn-becks-libertarian-networkhaha!!


Ron Paul fans are the Underwriters Laboratories of libertarianism, except instead of engineering degrees they have volumes of Murray Rothbard and Ludwig von Mises, and instead of checking for product defects they analyze political figures for ideological inconsistency.
In any case, they find Glenn Beck defective.

[Peace&Freedom]

That's right libertarians. Your new self-proclaimed leader endorsed a guy (Santorum) who has vowed to fight against libertarian influence in the Republican Party and constantly bashed the one guy in the race who one would expect a libertarian to support.

Ah, but that was so eight months ago! The Great Beck Co-opt Project 2.0 can't be troubled with coherency, when you can drop treacherous endorsements down the memory hole. Based on the last cycle, the new plan is to again court the liberty movement into following Beck for the next three years, foliowed by him steering the whole group towards the next neocon frontrunner in 2016.

[specsaregood]

Ron just said he's going to start his own web show.
Can we make sure it is bigger?

It sounded to me from the context of the discussion that perhaps Paul's show is gonna be part of Glenn Becks dealio.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

GFY, Beck.

[sailingaway]

It sounded to me from the context of the discussion that perhaps Paul's show is gonna be part of Glenn Becks dealio.

Ouch. Think so?

Ron said he didn't know what Beck intended so, I dunno.

Ron is too damned modest.

[cajuncocoa]

It sounded to me from the context of the discussion that perhaps Paul's show is gonna be part of Glenn Becks dealio.:eek:

Doesn't make sense. Oil and water. Bleach and ammonia. Glenn Beck and Ron Paul.

I'm going to be sick if this is true.

[specsaregood]

Ouch. Think so?
Ron said he didn't know what Beck intended so, I dunno.
Ron is too damned modest.
Go relisten to it, AJ is that one that implied it, suggesting that dr. paul not get into any relationships with beck or trust him.

[sailingaway]

:eek:

Doesn't make sense. Oil and water. Bleach and ammonia. Glenn Beck and Ron Paul.

I'm going to be sick if this is true.

I just re listened to the AJ interview and I don't think that is correct from the way Ron laughed when AJ brought this Beck project up and said 'I wonder what THAT"S ALL ABOUT!"

[SpreadOfLiberty]

The Blaze does have many libertarian articles.

The best label would be conservative-libertarian.

[sailingaway]

Go relisten to it, AJ is that one that implied it, suggesting that dr. paul not get into any relationships with beck or trust him.

Yeah, but I think that was AJ being nervous not Ron's intentions speaking. Ron has gone on Beck's shows in the past and likely would again, if asked. And Beck DOES use that sometimes to stab people in the back. That's all I take from that. Ron didn't seem to react at all.

AJ could just be warning that if Ron is a competitor he will be beyond the firing line as a target.

[helmuth_hubener]

The best label would be conservative-libertarian. In other words, confused-libertarian. Or A-la-carte libertarian. Or state-worshiping war-worshiping Israel-worshiping libertarian.

That's a kind of libertarianism I'm not into.

That said, if it is really a network, Beck's show would be just one show in the lineup. If there are other shows on the network that really are libertarian -- a Ron Paul Show, Judge Napolitano Show, Tom Woods Show, and Brian Wilson Show -- then that's a good thing. They'll be able to reach people, just like Stossel (and formerly the Judge) reaches people on Fox, despite the utter evilness and statism of everyone else on that network.

But, I don't really think Beck will have real libertarians on his network, and speaking of Brian Wilson, he is spearheading a very exciting project that will. Could this be our Libertarian News Network at last?

http://libertasmediaproject.com/index.html

[AGRP]

The best label would be conservative-libertarian.
No such thing. Liberty is a package deal.

[Danan]

:eek:

Doesn't make sense. Oil and water. Bleach and ammonia. Glenn Beck and Ron Paul.

I'm going to be sick if this is true.

Penn Jillette is probably further away from Glenn than Ron is and he still wants him for his network.

[CaptUSA]

No such thing. Liberty is a package deal.Easy now, let's not be so self-limiting. Most of the people in here do not fully understand the concepts of liberty. The closer people come to liberty, the better, from my point of view. The more people don't want to steal my stuff or force me to do things against my will, the better.

I'm willing to work with them on things we agree about, and try to persuade them on the things we still disagree about. Each person takes their own path to understanding liberty. Just because Beck and his followers haven't made the complete journey yet, doesn't mean they can't be helpful.

[Romulus]

My brother is a neocon of sorts, and a Beck fan.... he has come around a lot to liberty... much work to do, but some Beck fans can be low hanging fruit.... instead of trying to convert liberals which are just plain fruit.

[Romulus]

There are some youtube of Breitbart dropping a bombshell about Beck... that is pretty telling.

[Lucille]

He's trying to co-opt Libertarians like he did the Tea Party!

Like the progs usurped and bastardized "liberal," Beck will do the same to "libertarian."

[AGRP]

Easy now, let's not be so self-limiting. Most of the people in here do not fully understand the concepts of liberty. The closer people come to liberty, the better, from my point of view. The more people don't want to steal my stuff or force me to do things against my will, the better.

I'm willing to work with them on things we agree about, and try to persuade them on the things we still disagree about. Each person takes their own path to understanding liberty. Just because Beck and his followers haven't made the complete journey yet, doesn't mean they can't be helpful.

Never stated they cant be worked with. Just that its impossible to be a conservative-libertarian unless youre simply describing your personal values which is something that actors like Beck dont do.

[Cap]

Changing the meaning of Libertarian, remember “He who controls the language controls the argument”. This is a classic chess move by the establishment.

[Confederate]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/217916_10151359919700813_681520391_n.jpg

[cajuncocoa]

Penn Jillette is probably further away from Glenn than Ron is and he still wants him for his network.Sure, but Beck hasn't spent the better part of his career insulting Penn. It's different.

[cajuncocoa]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/217916_10151359919700813_681520391_n.jpgstealing this. :)

[misterx]

You people are so stubborn you would cut off your nose to spite your face. It only advances your cause to have someone making shows that expose the nsa and united nations, but because he fails your purity test you'd rather people not get exposed to any of this information. Like it's really better for people to watch msnbc and current tv instead. Yeah, that will make them so much easier to convert to "true libertarians". We don't need beck getting people to start questioning their government. Sometimes I wonder whose side you people are really on. You seem dead set on keeping the movement toiling in obscurity. Remember that marxists didn'tt ake Oliver this country by promoting strict marxism to the mainstream. They did it piecemeal by chipping away at the orthodoxy bit by bit until people came to accept every facet of marxism without knowing it. God forbid we support anyone who successfully chips away at the prevailing marxist orthodoxy of today.

[sailingaway]

Changing the meaning of Libertarian, remember “He who controls the language controls the argument”. This is a classic chess move by the establishment.

but 'libertarian' isn't the prize, the principles are.

[sailingaway]

You people are so stubborn you would cut off your nose to spite your face. It only advances your cause to have someone making shows that expose the nsa and united nations, but because he fails your purity test you'd rather people not get exposed to any of this information. Like it's really better for people to watch msnbc and current tv instead. Yeah, that will make them so much easier to convert to "true libertarians". We don't need beck getting people to start questioning their government. Sometimes I wonder whose side you people are really on. You seem dead set on keeping the movement toiling in obscurity. Remember that marxists didn'tt ake Oliver this country by promoting strict marxism to the mainstream. They did it piecemeal by chipping away at the orthodoxy bit by bit until people came to accept every facet of marxism without knowing it. God forbid we support anyone who successfully chips away at the prevailing marxist orthodoxy of today.

No, he coopts then at the key moment torpedoes people after he has portrayed himself as an expert on what he coopts. We've seen it. It has nothing (well, not much) to do with purity.

[bunklocoempire]

You people are so stubborn you would cut off your nose to spite your face. It only advances your cause to have someone making shows that expose the nsa and united nations, but because he fails your purity test you'd rather people not get exposed to any of this information. Like it's really better for people to watch msnbc and current tv instead. Yeah, that will make them so much easier to convert to "true libertarians". We don't need beck getting people to start questioning their government. Sometimes I wonder whose side you people are really on. You seem dead set on keeping the movement toiling in obscurity. Remember that marxists didn'tt ake Oliver this country by promoting strict marxism to the mainstream. They did it piecemeal by chipping away at the orthodoxy bit by bit until people came to accept every facet of marxism without knowing it. God forbid we support anyone who successfully chips away at the prevailing marxist orthodoxy of today.

Not a "purity test" with me friend, simply the danger of consistently mixing half-truths (whole lies) in with truth.

Paul has warned of this.

When a bastardized system breaks down, and you believe in the un-bastardized version of that system, the wise thing to do is figure out and tell people how the system was bastardized in the first place -not simply cloud things up by going after the critics of the bastardized system.

That goes for everything from monetary policy to foreign intervention and all things in between.

[dinosaur]

You people are so stubborn you would cut off your nose to spite your face. It only advances your cause to have someone making shows that expose the nsa and united nations, but because he fails your purity test you'd rather people not get exposed to any of this information. Like it's really better for people to watch msnbc and current tv instead. Yeah, that will make them so much easier to convert to "true libertarians". We don't need beck getting people to start questioning their government. Sometimes I wonder whose side you people are really on. You seem dead set on keeping the movement toiling in obscurity. Remember that marxists didn'tt ake Oliver this country by promoting strict marxism to the mainstream. They did it piecemeal by chipping away at the orthodoxy bit by bit until people came to accept every facet of marxism without knowing it. God forbid we support anyone who successfully chips away at the prevailing marxist orthodoxy of today.

Your point is good. And many people that these types wake up do stop trusting them and join us. BUT, Beck is incredibly successful at herding cats. He earns his paycheck.

Yes its good that more people get exposed to ideas, but let's just hope that Beck is a little less sucessful than he has been at getting people who are libertarian leaning conservatives, and who are fed up with our Washington masters, to tow the line. Beck does expose new people to some of our ideas, but mostly, so far, he exposes people who are already sympathetic to our ideas to subtle, effective propaganda.

When Beck attracted his audience, he sounded more like one of us. He could eloquently lay out the reasons that the Iraq war was a bad idea, and why our support of fake Bush-type conservatives was a bad idea. He took a bunch of people who were attracted to this message and got them to support both Romney and the impending Iran war.

Of course educating people sometimes backfires on controlled opposition, but not often enough. Because they always end up with a net gain in numbers. Maybe it will be different this time, though. I hope so.

[Brian4Liberty]

To be fair to Beck, there has always been plenty of Israel-centric libertarians and objectivists.

Case in point:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?400839-RPF-s-public-enemy-1-slams-us-yet-again...

[american.swan]

Oh. I should have seen it before. Why, of course. Now it all makes sense.

Why is the blaze going global? Naturally because liberty is becoming a global "problem".

[GunnyFreedom]

What's interesting is the attempt to pander itself reveals an ignorance about how liberty people think. When he pulls the last minute switcheroo, the only people he moves are the ones we never really had. The more he cries wolf, they awaken to his game. It's becoming obvious that Ron Paul dominates the future. I think Beck wants to be relevant dissent in the coming new political order. :p

Beck is for Beck. He's not in it for America, or to stop liberty, he's in it for the cash. Most people know that by now, even fans of his. To me it's a sign that he predicts Paulers win the future and he wants to be relevant, so that he keeps making money.

So I just give him a jaundiced eye and move on. If someone wants to know I'll explain Debra Medina, and describe the common pattern. Mostly I think he is a clown.

[A Son of Liberty]

Dupe

[A Son of Liberty]

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/23840889.jpg

[cajuncocoa]

Glenn Beck Attempts a Laughable Make Over as a Libertarian

by John Avlon (http://www.thedailybeast.com/contributors/john-avlon.html)Jan 12, 2013 4:45 AM EST

With a straight face, the king of ranting is cynically trying to recast himself as a sensible libertarian. John Avlon isn’t buying it.


It took me a few days to stop laughing.

Glenn Beck (http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/01/09/glenn-beck-to-relaunch-the-blaze.html) is rebranding himself as–get this–the alternative to “far-right, far-left” polarized debates on cable news, dominated by people “yelling at each-other.”

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2013/01/12/glenn-beck-attempts-a-laughable-make-over-as-a-libertarian/_jcr_content/body/inlineimage.img.503.jpg/1357957595637.cached.jpg
Beck speaks to Tea Party supporters in Texas last summer. (Joan Barnett Lee/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT, via Getty)

“We're not going to play in that crazy space as a network," he announced earnestly.

The irony meter just died. Hypocrisy and chutzpah had a child.

This is, after all, the man who rode to riches by screaming louder and crazier than anyone else in the collective conservative nervous breakdown known as Obama Derangement Syndrome circa 2009 and 2010. Here are just a few of his unhinged greatest hits, lest we forget:

• “There is a coup going on. There is a stealing of America … done through the guise of an election.”
• “They’re marching us to a non-violent fascism. Or to put it another way, they’re marching us to 1984. Big Brother. Like it or not, fascism is on the rise.”
• “The president is a Marxist ... who is setting up a class system.”
• “The health care bill is reparations. It’s the beginning of reparations.”
• “We are a country that is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest imagination.”
• “The government is a heroin pusher using smiley-faced fascism to grow the nanny state”

Glenn Beck used his 15 minutes of fame to cast himself as King of the Wingnuts, eventually becoming too extreme for even Roger Ailes to put up with on FoxNews.

But Glenn Beck can read the tea leaves and the ratings. He can see that Sean Hannity’s viewers are tanking (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sean-hannity-big-loser-2012-election-article-1.1228269) post-election. Rush Limbaugh’s audience is aging out of existence and advertisers are looking elsewhere. And so the man who once described himself as a “Rodeo Clown” decided it was time for a new disguise.

So in this announcement, Beck positioned himself beside Sean Hannity and Chris Matthews on side-by-side television monitors, and declared “I consider myself a libertarian ... I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel."

A tell-tale sign that this is just the latest con job is using Chuck Hagel as a symbol for the far-right (clearly he’s not, because conservatives are trying to scuttle his nomination to be secretary of Defense by President Obama) and Chris Matthews as a symbol for screamers on the left, when he’s at most an enthusiastic Democrat with a sense of reverence for political history. Talk about false equivalency.


At his core Beck is closer to Father Coughlin than Ron Paul, let alone his hero Orson Welles.


But Beck sees a space open as a libertarian in the center of the political spectrum, trying to appeal to the independent voters who make up a plurality of the electorate. That space exists. But Glenn Beck is the wrong messenger. It’s too late.

Back in 2000, when he first launched his syndicated radio show in Tampa, he described his politics by saying, “I don’t really consider myself a conservative. I know I don’t consider myself a liberal,” he said. “I have a brain and I like to use it sometimes.” It was a smart pitch, one he more or less continued during his brief Bush-era stint at HLN, when he was billed as an independent.

But when he got his big payday and highest perch to date on FoxNews, he made a strategic decision to go the full crazy. A talented broadcaster, he decided to use fear and hate to pump up his ratings. It worked for a while. But it’s a civic sin that can’t be undone. Forgiveness is for faith. In political debates there is always the videotape.

In some ways, this new guise is clarifying because it definitively answers a lingering question about Beck–is he sincere in his beliefs or was his right-wing rhetoric just showmanship, part of a business plan to appeal to an agitated audience?

It was all just an opportunistic con job. And the dupes are the folks who bought into the shtick, carrying signs at Tea Party rallies that read “Glenn Beck is my hero.”

Real libertarians look at Beck’s latest attempted incarnation with a mixture of disgust and annoyance. They don’t want this rodeo clown anywhere near their bandwagon.

“Beck correctly identifies a libertarian moment,” explains Owen Brennan, who is a partner at Madison McQueen LLC (http://madisonmcqueen.com/), an ad agency that works almost exclusively with free market and libertarian groups. “As the size and scope of government grows, it’s no coincidence the popularity of our lawmakers is below that of root canals, cockroaches, and lice (http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/01/congress-somewhere-below-cockroaches-traffic-jams-and-nickleback-in-americans-esteem.html).”

“But the Beck brand is incongruent with many libertarians. Strong brands don’t tell people who they are, they show them through action,” continues Brennan. “And plenty of freedom fighters who went to the Beck Restoring Honor event in Washington, D.C. expected tar and feathering but got a revival meeting instead.”

Beck’s revival meeting on the Washington Mall (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/08/29/glenn-beck-rally-reaction.html) was one of many attempted reinventions we’ve seen from the one time Top 40 radio shock jock, putting him on pace to compete with Madonna or Bowie for discarding different phases of his career. And while his entrepreneurial experiment with The Blaze has proven financially successful, thanks in part to talented players like Will Cain, at his core Beck is closer to Father Coughlin than Ron Paul, let alone his hero Orson Welles.

Demagogues always do well in economic downturns, and Beck’s us-against-them exhortations and apocalyptic intimations had their moment. But the man who predicts the end of the world loses credibility, especially among his followers, when the sun rises after the appointed day.

Maybe Glenn Beck has belatedly discovered that his own brand of bile is the problem in our political discourse–or maybe he’s just realized that unhinged hate doesn’t sell as well as it used to. Either way, his aspiration to be an independent, sane and substantive voice in political doesn’t even begin to pass the laugh test. Instead, it’s just the latest reminder of what Eric Hoffer once said: “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”


Like The Daily Beast on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/thedailybeast) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/thedailybeast) for updates all day long.
John Avlon is senior columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, and the anchor of Beast TV. He is a CNN contributor regularly appearing on the show Erin Burnett Out Front at 7 p.m. EST. He won the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ award for best online column in 2012.

For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
(editorial@thedailybeast.com)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/12/glenn-beck-attempts-a-laughable-make-over-as-a-libertarian.html

[sailingaway]

What's interesting is the attempt to pander itself reveals an ignorance about how liberty people think. When he pulls the last minute switcheroo, the only people he moves are the ones we never really had. The more he cries wolf, they awaken to his game. It's becoming obvious that Ron Paul dominates the future. I think Beck wants to be relevant dissent in the coming new political order. :p

Beck is for Beck. He's not in it for America, or to stop liberty, he's in it for the cash. Most people know that by now, even fans of his. To me it's a sign that he predicts Paulers win the future and he wants to be relevant, so that he keeps making money.

So I just give him a jaundiced eye and move on. If someone wants to know I'll explain Debra Medina, and describe the common pattern. Mostly I think he is a clown.

He did the same to the tea party though, and now the general public who didn't know what it really was view it right up there with syphilus

[Uncle Emanuel Watkins]

The media are controlled by the US Intelligence community.
Beck is a member of the media.
Beck is controlled by the U.S. Intelligence community.

[Srg1]

I have a bad feeling paul will be joining becks global libertarian news network and this might be the big news :(