Friday, September 18, 2009

Glenn Beck vs. Rush Limbaugh: Politico wonders what the rise of Glenn means to Rush's influence

An illuminating article from Politico.com titled Glenn Beck VS Rush Limbaugh addresses and resolves many of the topics speculated on this blog.

Below is an excerpt of said Politico piece with footnotes referencing to previous posts from the blog

1) Is Beck the new Number One Pundit?
Glenn Beck vs. Rush Limbaugh
Beck is on a huge roll...

"Beck is the man of the moment," says the Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb. "Everybody in town is watching him, waiting to see what he'll do next, who he'll take down next."

But if Beck is the man of the moment, where does that leave Rush?
We can only speculate how Rush feels about competitors breathing down his neck. We do know he's a good sport about it, making himself available to his closest challengers Sean Hannity and the skyrocketing Glenn beck - Glenn Beck interviews Rush Limbaugh over the phone

2) Whilst Beck threatens to take the No. 1 slot he still defers to Limbaugh - The Time 100 - The World's Most Influential People: Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin
Back in April - when Time put Limbaugh on its annual list of the 100 most influential people of the world - Beck was called on to write the tribute. He wrote that Limbaugh was "on another level" and "attracts more listeners with his voice than the rest of us could ever imagine."

That may still be the case, but Beck's power has grown exponentially since then.
3) Glenn Beck's influence is measured by the amount of people he has been able to mobilise... - Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin instrumental in 9/12 Protest marches
In the days before last weekend's conservative march on Washington, Beck flogged it repeatedly. He became such a part of the story that, as CNN correspondent Lisa Desjardins tried to report live from the event, protesters drowned her out with chants of "Glenn Beck! Glenn Beck!"

Limbaugh's role in promoting the protest? He said it's not his thing.
3a) ... and the ensuing chaos created - Rush the Vote: The Operation Chaos movement
"I don't rally people and haven't since the first year of my radio show,"... the reaction to it from the media was that the response was not genuine... because 'Limbaugh told them to.'"

Limbaugh hasn’t abandoned the call to action entirely; last year, he launched "Operation Chaos," urging his listeners to register as Democrats and vote for Hillary Clinton in Democratic presidential primaries to prolong the nominating process and weaken Obama.
4) Close Limbaugh ally Mark Levin has been openly hostile towards Glenn Beck but sensing Beck's ascendancy concedes a few compliments - Maher, Olbermann, Levin, Maron, Shep Smith: Public Enemy Number one Glenn Beck
Radio host Mark Levin, whose book "Liberty & Tyranny" just surpassed 1 million sales this week, laughed off the suggestion that Beck may be eclipsing Limbaugh as the voice of the right.

"Are you kidding?" Levin said in an e-mail. "Comparing Rush Limbaugh to Glenn Beck is like comparing George Washington to George Jefferson. Beck can be very entertaining and even informative, but he is neither the face nor the voice of the conservative movement. He is one of many."
Update: September 18
New Glenn Beck "9:12" Wallpaper (1280 x 1024), inspired by this 'RattleSnake' like display - Glenn Beck: President Obama why don't you just set us on fire?

glenn beck, 9/12, wallpaper, republican, stone cold
"Beck 9:12" wallpaper

3 comments:

Mo MoDo said...

Speaking of media fights, Time Magazine is coming out with an attack piece on Glen Beck and Media Matters thinks it isn't vicious enough (surprise). Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post defends the Time article writer and starts a inter-league squabble with Media Matters. Follow all the action here:

PunditFight said...

In wrestling a wrestler develops their persona based on what best compliments their off screen personalities and personal history. The more distinct the better. It's a constantly evolving process of reinvention until one finds something that connects with the audience.

Whether they are loved or hated is negligible. As long as they can provoke a strong reaction and get bums on seats. I agree with Achenbach's reading that Beck is an actor who has found his role it is only objectionable to people because his "act" is so influential.

Then again their are people who dismiss wrestling because it's "fake". You wouldn't do the same of a Hollywood movie.

Shawn R. said...

The liberal media would love nothing more than to have Rush and Glenn go against each other, but unlike the drive-by media, conservatives like Rush L., Glenn B., Mark L., Sean H., and Laura I. are more concerned about the state of the country then personal glory. As Bill O. would say, “They are true Patriots”!