For those who missed it, Glenn Beck offered up one of the worst on-air advertisements in the history of radio yesterday. In the middle of a Mother's-Day-themed ad for the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Beck railed against Mother's Day as a “big business scam” he said was created by former President Woodrow Wilson, whom he “hates.” (It's worth a listen just to hear him have to segue back into plugging the “bear bouquet.”)
Vermont Teddy Bear obviously wasn't upset enough to pull its advertising, because on today's show Beck read another on-air advertisement for Vermont Teddy Bear and its bear bouquets. After railing on Mother's Day yesterday -- “I hate the holiday” -- he was back to shilling teddy bears for Mother's Day today.
But that's not all. Two other half-hours on Beck's May 4 show were sponsored by The PajamaGram Company, which is owned by -- you guessed it -- the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. During the ads, Beck pushed the “big business scam” Mother's-Day-themed PajamaJeans.
Here's the larger question: Why is Vermont Teddy Bear advertising on Beck's show in the first place?
Just a few minutes before Beck read today's Vermont Teddy Bear advertisement he stated:
I got some heat from Brian [Kilmeade] on Fox & Friends ... This morning I was on and they were talking about the Constitution and did they read this guy [Faisal Shahzad] the Miranda rights. He's a citizen. As much as I don't like it, he's a citizen. Yes, you're damn right we read him his Miranda rights and we should. The underwear bomber? I'd still have a towel and a glass of water in my hand with that guy. Not a citizen. You're a citizen of the United States, read my rights. You don't shred the Constitution. And the Constitution only matters when it's hard to defend it. When it's hard to stick by it. You must do that.
Does Vermont Teddy Bear Co. endorse waterboarding terrorism suspects?
(Vermont Teddy Bear repeatedly declined to comment.)
How about comments such as these that Beck has made on past radio shows:
Or how about his most infamous comments that President Obama is a “racist” with a “deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture”?
Clearly, Vermont Teddy Bear Co. must approve of Beck's inflammatory rhetoric. They've been advertising since at least last year. What will Beck have to say for them to finally pull their advertising?
(For the record, Beck's other half-hour sponsors for his May 4 radio program were LegalZoom, LifeLock and Tax Resolution Services, Co.)