Jane Hall: Beck "embrace[d]" Massa because he "was so blinded by the wish that this guy was a hero"

I like that reference to "shock jock" because that's his style and at least part of his substance, and I'd add to it "political", as in "political shock jock trying to influence and manipulate people's political opinions", which is an accurate although longer description, I think.

Listening to a clip the other day of this character beck and his chortling sidekick(s), put me to mind of Howard Stern. I never listened to him much, but enough that I recognized his style in beck. And I recall that Howard Stern got political at one point, very political, where he was saying stuff about George W. Bush that was very harsh almost viscous, but all it true (which means that Howard was simply expressing on the radio the contempt and even hatred that most of us had for George W. Bush, me anyway, me and Howard at least).

It seems like Howard Stern was somehow gotten off the regular broadcast airwaves that he was so regularly on, and they blasted him into outer space or something, I don't know all the details.

Did they put glenn beck in his place?

Is that what happened, did the rather narrowly held media ownership (I mean FCC Licensees) of our public airwaves, did they recognize Howard Stern as an enemy to them, a political opponent at least, and get rid of him and put beck in his place, to not only take his place but to take his style too, Howard Stern's style?

Maybe.

Food for thought, but you got that right, the character beck is definitely molded in the "shock jock" style, political influence and manipulation added.

Yes, that's a more accurate description of the tool that beck thought he would be using, and of what he would be using that tool for, than the senseless "hero" reference.

It's just a single thing the woman said, taken out of the context of whatever they were talking about, but still, just from that little snapshot, all I get is STUPID, as in stupid references to "heroes" and what the heck are you talking about lady?

The fellow who followed her comment, he made a reference to the fact that beck and company are not trying to discover anything new, but only looking to say again what they've already said a million times before.

Maybe there was interesting and insightful talk that followed what he said, but the tape ended there and so I'll never know, because I didn't watch the show and won't be watching the reruns or seeing it on DVD or waiting for the sequel or reading the novel, because it's means suffering through an hour or so of STUPID nonsense like the "hero" reference just to sift out a teaspoon's worth of insight, and life's too short to be watching or listening to 'commentary' on those idiotic cable channels.

Unless they're a Republican, right? Then it's OK...

But taking a cokehead talk show host who barks like a dog at his word is to be encouraged.

Oh, MagTwit, you'd probably find something positive to say about Becky if there were photos of him in bed with two underage teens.

The only thing Beck is guilty of is taking Massa at his word. Never take a politician at their word.

Dang, MagCynic! Where were you when George Bush was lying about WMDs, and Iraqi ties to al Qaeda, and Saddam's ties to the 9-11 planners, and how everybody in the Bush Administration was saying that the Iraq war would PAY for itself! If only we had known!

It's called basic research. Beck was so blinded by his need to find something even remotely plausible (as opposed to his own, often mocked and debunked ramblings) he refused to take into consideration that maybe someone who had already changed their story several times may not be the most dependable witness. It's like when someone is so desperate to prove they are right, they don't bother to question the source of the supporting statements, even when their buddies (like Malkin and Limbauigh did) question it and caution against using an unproven source. In the end, Beck just wound up making himself look even more foolish than usual (which, in a weird way could be considered an achievement), especially when he resorted to outright pleading and begging for Massa to say something disparaging.

What's wrong with what Beck did?...
The only thing Beck is guilty of is taking Massa at his word.

Why bother asking the question if you're going to answer it yourself?

There's nothing wrong with what he did. It's just important to note that the interview kinda outed Beck as an incompetent journalist.

Beck Journalism: First, find someone or something that conforms to a preconceived notion. Secondly, applaud it. Thirdly, do not gather or, more importantly, report any facts that may contradict said notion.

End Result: Listeners who don't rely on sources outside Glenn Beckistan will trumpet his comments as information the mainstream media doesn't want you to know.

Glenn broke rule #3.
The Beck Show (& Fox News in general) doesn't work if incorporating actual journalistic reporting techniques.

Even if Massa went on the show and said something like that, it still wouldn't have been news. That type of stuff goes on all time because our political system is flawed. It would have been highly deceitful to present this as some sort of new revelation so of course this would be something that a raving lunatic like Beck would do.

Here comes Massa saying before the interview: You think that somehow they didn't come after me to get rid of me because my vote is the deciding vote in the healthcare bill?

Beck hears (along with whatever was said over the phone before the interview) and thinks finally a politician has grown tired of the corruption and wants to come forward.

The FIRST thing Glenda should have done was check to see IF Massa was actually "the deciding" vote on health-care.

Here's a clue, he wasn't!

But Glenda didn't bother, he just heard someone, saying something negative about President Obama and his administration and scurried like the little rat he is and put them on live television.

Glenda and Massa are both jokes and deserved to sit together on live television, looking like dumber and dumber!

Massa had absolutely no credibility. He was in the middle of a sexual harassment scandal, resigned in the face of an ethics investigation, and was mad at his own party for not coming to his defense.

Beck was so thrilled at the possibility of getting dirt on the democrats that he was willing to overlook the fact that the guy had absolutely zero credibility. I mean, really. Who invites a guy who just resigned in the middle of a sexual harrassment scandal to come on their show as a credible source?

Beck was humiliated by Massa. He looked like the uneducated tool that he is.

I'd like to see his break come from the 5 guys jumping on him and tickling him with cheese graters.

(Funny how Beck can bring out the worst in an old pacifist, huh?)

JJ, this is for you...you've goota watch this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/12/this-week-in-unnecessary_n_496644.html

I'm thinking that the connection may be even deeper than that.