Glenn Beck and his radio co-hosts have displayed a strong pattern of making sexist, crude, and demeaning comments about female public figures -- Beck has even called Hillary Clinton “the stereotypical bitch.” (She was a U.S. senator and presidential candidate at the time.)
The object of today's vitriol was Daily Beast columnist Meghan McCain. McCain -- who is no stranger to degrading and sexist attacks from the right -- recently appeared bare-shouldered in a public service announcement raising awareness about skin cancer and promoting the use of sunscreen. She was rewarded for her advocacy for public health with a radio bit in which Beck repeatedly pretended to vomit while discussing her participation in the PSA. Radio listeners heard the sound of Beck mock-vomiting as he dumped water into a garbage can to mimic the sound of being sick (a stunt Beck has pulled in the past in reference to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi). The premium members of Beck's website were treated to this lovely visual:
Although Beck and his sidekicks claimed that Beck was sick because he had been traveling to the Middle East, Beck usually did his mock-vomiting shtick after McCain's name was mentioned or her voice could be heard in the PSA. As if the point weren't obvious enough, co-host Pat Gray commented, “That's weird that -- 'cause she was really -- there she was, naked, and that's when you threw up.” After the PSA ended, Beck said, “Well, I think this is an effective --” before Gray interjected: “It's a weight loss thing, though.”
This childish barrage lasts for about eight minutes, during which Beck and Co. suggest that McCain should “put some extra clothes on,” going so far as to ponder whether she has “thought about, like, a burka, just so she's extra safe?”
As if this segment wasn't disgusting enough the first time through, visitors to GlennBeck.com can view the video feed that was recorded live. It can be seen under the headline “Meghan McCain gets naked, Glenn vomits.” It's accompanied by the following text:
Glenn's certainly proven to be very sensitive. He cries all the time, he complains about his vegan diet, he whines about the temperature of the studio. But as far as we know, very little actually causes him to vomit -- just look at how he handles all that crap he eats all day! But if anything could turn his stomach, it's naked videos of Meghan McCain. “May I just say if you want to talk about essential, luscious, delicious, yummy, just... just a delectable appetizer for the main course, it would have to be Meghan McCain's naked commercial. Oh. My stomach, hang on. I might have eaten something bad.”