Today, Black & Decker and McNeil-PPC became Glenn Beck's newest advertisers, running ads on his Fox News show on behalf of their BuyTrimmer24.com and Rogaine products. At the end of his program, Beck teased tomorrow's show, in which he promises to reveal “how they're building” the new world order."
As I noted in February after VISA began running ads on Beck's show (they last did so on March 2):
It is this sort of extremist rhetoric that drove 80 advertisers from Beck's show last year. They decided they didn't want to be associated with Beck and his comments, and pulled their ads in response. Ever since, Beck's commercial breaks have consisted of ads for gold, “As Seen on TV”-type products, conservative organizations seeking a friendly audience and other Newscorp subsidiaries, along with an inordinate number of Fox News promos.
And yet, Visa has advertised on Beck's last two Fox News programs. Visa must be aware of this year-long advertiser boycott, so we have no choice but to assume that the company wishes to be associated with the following Beck comments:
- Beck: Obama has “exposed himself as a guy” with “a deep seated hatred for white people”
- Beck on Obama using his real name “Barack”: “You don't take the name Barack to identify with America,” but with “your heritage,” “radical[s]”
- Beck portrays Obama, Democrats as vampires “going after the blood of our businesses,” suggests “driv[ing] a stake through the heart of the bloodsuckers”
- Glenn Beck: Obama agenda driven by “reparations” and desire to “settle old racial scores”
- After stating, “I am not saying that Barack Obama is a fascist,” Beck compares auto bailout to actions of German companies “in the early days of Adolf Hitler”
- Beck: “The government is a heroin pusher using smiley-faced fascism to grow the nanny state”
- Beck: “The president is a Marxist” who is “setting up a class system”
- Beck imitates Obama pouring gasoline on “average American”; says: “President Obama, why don't you just set us on fire? ... We didn't vote to lose the Republic”
Beck's show certainly hasn't become less offensive or conspiratorial since February. So I have to ask: Is this what Black & Decker and McNeil-PPC want their products associated with?