As someone who is still relatively new to the blogging world, I have to admit that it has been a strange transition for me to find my news and my political entertainment – if you will – from the forum that is the Internet. I like to hear the tone of people’s voices; their delivery; and the conviction in their statements. I think you can learn more from hearing how a man says something than you can from actually listening to what it is he is saying. I have been a fan and supporter of the talk radio format for as long as I can remember – I think in large part because of the fact that you can connect with a radio personality in a manner rarely found in any other medium. You are engaged in listening rather than reacting or being distracted by other stimuli. There are no fancy sets, hot women, video clips, or fancy graphics. Its just the person on the other end of the frequency sharing a message with you, and I spent many a lunch break, late night, or early morning studying and/or working while listening to live broadcasts, tapes, or podcasts from my favorite conservative personalities.
When I moved to New York for law school, I was introduced to a talk radio personality that would take my love affair with conservative radio to a whole new level. Surrounded by liberals for the first time in my life as a product of the Bible Belt, I sought daily refuge in the form of conservative radio. One day while finding comfort in the voices of sane and rational minds on 770 (WABC), I heard my first broadcast offered up by Mark Levin. From that day forward, I understood why they called him the “Great One.”
Levin is tough; he’s funny; he says things we all think to ourselves and would rarely say out loud – let alone say into a microphone. From his hidden bunker somewhere under the brick and steel of a nondescript building Mark Levin is truly the Leader of all things conservative.
His masterpiece Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America was the only non-law school-related book (magazine, article, webpage, newsletter, newspaper, pamphlet, or non-compulsory written word) I read during the three years of “higher education.” Some may say that makes me an idiot or a simpleton. I say it makes me selective.
Anyhow, you didn’t come here to hear me rant about my appreciation for Mark Levin. You came here for that headline, so here it is. If you missed his show Monday night (that’s tonight/last night/or whatever depending on where you live or when you’re reading this – five days from now for most) you really need to find a way to stay on top of these things because “real” news isn’t waiting for you to catch up and my blog isn’t getting any better without your commentary so lets get on this ASAP.
I forgot, I’m supposed to be getting to the point… my apologies.
So Mark Levin – The Great One – decided to devote a portion of his show to the keynote speaker at this year’s CPAC convention- Glenn Beck. In fairness, he didn’t go Baldwin brother on Beck, but he did offer up a little piece of advice for the Fox News dough-boy. Check out this audio/dubbed video from Radio Equalizer via Instapundit and catch me below.
Tell me that wasn’t seven kinds of awesome?
Look. I’m not going to roll into a rant about how much I hate Glenn Beck or even about how much I hated his speech at CPAC. Neither would be true. The latter would be closer to an accurate statement, but who is realistically looking for accuracy around here? Consistency maybe…. but accuracy??? You folks know better than that. I haven’t commented a great deal about Beck on this site for two reasons. 1) I rarely watch his show and 2) I hate hate hate his radio program. I love the radio format, but he murders it for me and forces me to switch to ESPN radio during his time slot even if its Jim Rome is Burning depending on the market. His chalkboard sideshow just doesn’t translate to the radio format, and his giggling little crew of school boys makes me want to yank the car into a tree.
Speaking of his little gang of yes men…. I have a small confession to make. In a brief moment of complete and utter mental failure… as I was trying to remember the name of the nerdy little errand boy featured daily on the Glenn Beck program – so I could take a shot at him – I forgot his name. Was it Sammy? Sally, Suzy, Stan, Smitty, Stewie? Hell I couldn’t remember so I Googled it and sure enough – if you Google “Smitty” and “Glenn Beck” what do you get?
And sure enough… His most recent post……………………………………….
Mark Levin vs. Glenn Beck (And Some Other CPAC-Related Musings)
Are you kidding me?
Do you ever sleep McCain? Can you please get your 12 hours like your namesake? How do you plan to live as long as that friend-to-all changeling chameleon if you keep going at this pace? Let Smitty do some work and sleep off that hangover we both know you have from this weekend at CPAC. Can you just let me have a moment?
Here I am finally able to bask in the glory of someone else in the conservative world growing tired of Beck’s cheap trick sideshow antics and you have to steal it from me? Damn you Stacy McCain!!! Damn you.
Back to my original point….
If you’re a Beck fan. I apologize – not for bashing your “homeboy” and his adolescent games, but for not taking Beck to task on a daily basis around here. I will work on that. I promise. I just can’t hate the goofy bastard. His television show sucks 90% of the time, but the other 1o% gives me hope – not hope as in I want to hold hands and sing happy songs with the dude, but hope that the next show will not suck – or at least not veer into conspiracy theory land reducing all Right-Wingers to caricatures and their message to bumper stickers.
The short of it is this. Glenn Beck is a TV personality; and accordingly, he has to keep his audience coming back for more. To serve that end, he will do anything, say anything, and raise Holy Hell about anything he can to make that happen. That’s show business folks. I’m proud as hell of Mark Levin for calling a dork a dork on this one and reminding Beck of his stated objective – opposing the transformation of this great nation – and I am even happier to call myself a fan of the man with the courage and conviction to do it.
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