Why is The Washington Post Company supporting Glenn Beck?
July 06, 2010 3:20 pm ET by Ben Dimiero
After dozens of companies bailed on Glenn Beck's TV show in the wake of him calling President Obama a "racist" with a "deep seated hatred for white people or the white culture," most of the companies left advertising on his show are a mix of sketchy gold companies and fringe groups selling things like "survival gardens."
Occasionally, there are notable exceptions, such as last night when Kaplan Online Tutoring, which is owned by The Washington Post Company, advertised on Beck's show.
When Beck isn't launching baseless conspiracy theories, trying to rehabilitate Joseph McCarthy's legacy, running "documentaries" comparing progressives to Nazis, or attacking the Obamas' 11-year-old daughter, he is frequently crossing the line into violent, revolutionary rhetoric.
As we have documented, in recent months, Beck has:
- told people that when progressives' "soft revolution" fails, eventually "they just start shooting people"
- told Liberty University graduates that they "have a responsibility" to speak out, or "blood ... will be on our hands."
- informed listeners that "what's coming is horrific. I don't even want to speak it out loud."
- talked about how the "world is on edge" and told his viewers that "those who survive" will "stand in the truth" and "listen."
- discussed the ongoing controversy over Arizona's immigration law, telling his listeners that "we are being pushed" toward civil war and that Obama is "trying to destroy the country."
- told his listeners that "you have to be prepared to take rocks to the head. You have to be prepared to lose everything."
- responded to criticism from Media Matters and said, "You will have to shoot me in the head. We are not stopping."
- and attacked Jewish Funds for Justice's Simon Greer for putting "the common good" first, which Beck claimed "leads to death camps," adding, "a Jew, of all people, should know this."
Why is The Washington Post Company supporting Glenn Beck's rhetoric?
Glenn Beck: 1,123,510
Bill O'reilly: 57,547
Sean Hannity: 363,574
Keith Olbermann: 60,849
Chris Matthews: 8,670
Rachel Maddow: Public figure: 500
TV Show: 182,162
The following numbers of members are listed on facebook.com as public figures liked by facebook members.