Shep Smith and the Manufacture of a New Propaganda Star, Glenn Beck
(Via Think Progress)
Tonight [March 13, 2009], Glenn Beck is hosting a life [sic] special to assure his conservative followers, “You are not alone.” While purporting to promote the special, Fox’s Shep Smith repeatedly mocked Beck and the program, admitting that although he watches Beck’s show, he doesn’t listen to it. Smith also pointed to a giant satellite truck parked outside and wondered if it was for Beck’s “ego.” Chris Wallace told Smith he must be jealous:
SMITH: Do you even understand this Glenn Beck Friday? Because I really don’t.
WALLACE: Well, I do, and what pains me — and you know, Shep, how highly I respect you — is you seem upset by Glenn Beck Friday.
SMITH: Upset?!
WALLACE: I mean, Glenn is a meteor here at Fox News–
SMITH: He is the greatest star of all time!
WALLACE: And you should be happy for his success–
SMITH: I am here to worship him.
WALLACE: –and you seem to be begrudging — you’re begrudging him his success.
“We are here to celebrate, worship, and adore,” Smith told Wallace. Watch a compilation of Smith’s mockery:
Smith jokingly declared that Beck is “bigger than O’Reilly.” Wallace encouraged Smith to be more fawning of Beck: “I for one am on the Glenn Beck bandwagon and I advise you to join it as well.” [Emphasis added here.]
Via HuffPo's Jason Linkins
Thing is, I like the idea of being those people, who crowded the streets and sang songs and clapped for firemen and broadly demonstrated that there was no reason to ever suspect we would fall to terrorists, because of our simple and unspoken bravery. And then the President basically said that we should all go shopping or take vacations, and then our patriotic warmth got warped into supporting a bunch of ancillary ambitions and fantastic attacks on our liberties in the name of "if you're not with us you're against us." And now, Beck wants to reclaim that moment for his own brand of charlatanism? No, no. I am with Shepard Smith, here.
"I feel like a televangelist," enthuses Beck. How dare you sully the good name of televangelists!
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