Lloyd Grove interviews Michelle Malkin for the Daily Beast. In setting up his conversation, Lloyd acknowledges Michelle Malkin's often humorless "concede-nothing" aesthetic in contrast to the likes of Ann Coulter. I've always wondered the same.
Ann Coulter's style of needling opponents always left room for people to think she might have been putting on an act. Like a wrestler or a performance artist? That is not to say that Ann Coulter is no less sincere than Malkin. Simply that Coulter, like Rush Limbaugh delivers her politics valuing that good humor and playful opponent-baiting makes for more digestible and entertaining theatre.
As an agent provocateur of the hard right—blogger, newspaper columnist, Fox News contributor and, for the past six weeks, queen of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list—she can project a certain grim, off-putting intensity. In recent appearances on The View and the Today show to hype her latest anti-liberal screed—Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies—she was, by turns, shrill and smug, occasionally disciplining an unruly interrogator with a schoolmarmish "Read the book!" And unlike Ann Coulter, whose more outrageous remarks are usually mitigated by a sly grin, nobody ever wonders if Michelle Malkin is for real.
I've spoken in the past about how Glenn's Beck meteoric rise has also brought several critics from his side of the aisle. Whilst Rush Limbaugh's pioneering dominance has given him uniform support from fellow conservative pundits (except Michael Savage), Glenn Beck's recent dominance hasn't shielded him from criticism from the likes of Mark Levin and Savage.
Surely some jealousy might be in play but also some sincere ideological disagreements but as Rush pioneered the Talk Radio format into the lucrative and influential platform it is today it has afforded him some immunity from criticism. Some fear might also be at play, Rush has shown that it's not wise to cross him as several pundits and Politicians have found. With his million-strong audience, Rush has the ability to cripple support or elevate political figures with his endorsement or criticism. He also has the ability of achieving this in a delivery style that is often playful and not malicious. Rush also has the added benefit of having friends like Levin who can do the dirty work of eviscerating people in his defense, as was shown when conservative writer Mark Frum dared to criticize Rush.
With that said Glenn Beck is beginning to amass his own Million-strong contingent if the 9/12 protests are anything to go by. Soon Beck may have a loyal and formidable supporter base that rivals Rush which would be equally troublesome to cross. Its worth noting that whilst Glenn is quite skillful in taking people down when he puts his efforts into to it, as evidenced by the Van Jones resignation, Beck has not yet shown that he is one to attack his fellow pundits. The two reigning pundits have been gracious towards each other, as Beck wrote Rush' 'Most Influential' blurb for Time Magazine as well as welcoming him as a guest on his TV show.
Read Mark Levin's rant against Glenn Beck, a follow-up from his backhanded compliment for the Politico article comparing Rush to Beck. Mark snidely refers to Beck as as the "5PMer", referring to Beck's show timeslot on FoxNews.
"Ron Paul is another one, his (Beck’s) fascination with Ron Paul, Ron Paul who blames "American imperialism" for the attacks on 9/11. How can any conservative embrace that? While his (Paul’s) domestic arguments, eighty percent of them are sound in my humble opinion, he goes way off the cliff when it comes to foreign policy and blaming America and American armed forces and American good will, in my humble opinion, for instigating the Islamo-Nazi attacks on us. How can anybody embrace that? Yet the 5PM’er does."
Go to MarkLevinFan to read the conservative feedback and backlash from the internecine fighting between Mark Levin and Glenn Beck.
It's worth noting that a lot of the recent criticism against Beck is because of his sympathizing with Republican Presidential contender Ron Paul. Its somewhat surprising as the original interest and popularity of Beck was in part because people had begun to warm to Paul after the 2008 election. It seems not the case. I've stated in the past that both Ron Paul and Glenn Beck are considered the spiritual leaders of the 9/12 and Tea Party movements.
Update: Mark Levin VS Glenn Beck - Tale of the Tape
After the abrupt cancellation of 'Break Room Live' on Air America, Marc Maron has resurfaced alongside his long-time Producer Brendan McDonald on their project 'WTF with Marc Maron'. It is a podcast dedicated to Maron's brand of comedy.
Whilst I would encourage people to enjoy the show starting from the pilot episode. For those unfamiliar with Marc, Episode 3 featuring an interview with comedian and friend Patton Oswalt is a perfect distillation of Maron's unique voice.
In a wide ranging interview discussing Maron's favored themes of success, obsession and acceptance. Patton Oswalt makes an interesting observation of Right Wing pundits likening them to comedians.
'WTF with Marc Maron' - Episode 3 with Patton Oswalt and Lawton Smalls
PATTON OSWALT: ... Have you noticed that a lot of right-wing pundits especially on AM radio are former failed comedians? I think that a bad comedian just wants the audience cheering for the 8 things that they say... the good comedians and the same with the good pundits, good broadcasters are that they're always out there asking questions. Of themselves. Of the audience. Whereas the bad comedians are like "I want to know that there are 11 to 12 things that I can say and get surefire applause and get my cheque and that's as far as I'm willing to go...
"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
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.
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.
"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.
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."
Conservatives are cautiously lauding Jon Stewart for his latest segment admonishing the Media for their poor coverage of ACORN's malfeasances. Stewart also gets conservative points for his zing of Michelle Malkin haters. This is not the first time Stewart has received praise for his fair-mindedness from conservatives. You will remember New York Magazine featured an article with testimonies from prominent conservatives commending Stewart for his intellectual curiosity and fairness, succinctly titled 'Why Neoconservative Pundits Love Jon Stewart'.
... Wtf is going on that Jon Liebowitz is calling out the mainstream elite media on acorn? Enjoy the video, conservatives, but remain cautious. I smell a rat.
JON STEWART: Where were the real reporters on this story? You know what investigative media, Where the hell were you? You know who broke this story? These two! You mean to tell me the two kids from High School Musical 3 could break this story with a video camera... and you got nothin'... I'm a fake journalist and I'm embarrassed these guys scooped me.
Mirroring similar events in Utah depicted in the documentary 'This Divided State', another town is divided by ideology and celebrity spokespersons. As captured in 'This Divided State', in 2004 the Utah Valley State College student council extended a speaking invitation to political activist Michael Moore. The ensuing campus controversy led to a a counter invitation to equally divisive Fox News pundit Sean Hannity.
The spectacle of a community dueling over the arrival and "representation" of a political celebrity figure is being repeated in neighboring cities in Seattle, Mount Vernon and Bellingham.
Responding to a plan by the city of Mount Vernon, Washington, to declare September 26 "Glenn Beck Day," in honor of the Fox News host and radio personality, the mayor of nearby Bellingham has decided to retaliate by offering the key to his city to Daily Show host Jon Stewart.
While it may seem odd for there to be a political battle over two national TV figures in small cities along the Interstate-5 corridor north of Seattle, both Stewart and Beck have connections to the places. Beck is a native son of Mount Vernon, and attended middle school and high school in Bellingham. Jon Stewart attended the same New Jersey high school as the current mayor of Bellingham, Dan Pike.
Following in the footsteps of Wrestler-turned-Governor Jesse Ventura and on the heels of wrestling commentator Jerry Lawler's Mayoral campaign, WWE CEO Linda McMahon is the latest to throw her hat in the political ring.
WWE's Linda McMahon prepares Senate run
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon appears primed to run for Senate in Connecticut and should make an announcement very soon, according to sources with knowledge of her deliberations.
McMahon, the wife of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, would throw a big wrench into the race against Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) simply by virtue of her ability to spend potentially tens of millions of dollars of her own money on the race.
Watch Linda McMahon in action, promoting democracy to young voters for WWE's 'Smackdown Your Vote' initiative
VIDEO: WWE SmackDown Your Vote - Linda McMahon
Watch WWE CEO Linda McMahon speaking at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, August 2000
VIDEO: Linda McMahon at Republican National Convention 2000
