A recent schedule change shifted my drive time to later in the day, which opened up a whole new slew of entertainment. I've been at this for about four months now and I think some opinions can be made about my new drive time listening.
First, the Mark Levin Show is just excellent, no complaints at all.
The other new show I get to hear is the Glenn Beck program (taped delayed to evening drive).
And I can't decided if he's the most emotional, passionate voice on the radio or just completely full of it and laying it on extra thick for dramatic effect.
It's not the content of the show that sets off my BS alarm. I generally agree with the points Beck makes about the corruption in government, failure of both parties and the need for drastic change. I just wonder if I believe it more than he does.
My suspicion lies in the delivery. Every time I hear the voice tremble, the tears flow, the overly dramatic (and lengthy) pauses and the deepening of tone I can't help but immediately think that it is the most contrived, calculated delivery on radio and that I'm being played by this guy.
These nuances/production qualities have recently become even more apparent as Beck has delved into lengthy discussions about saving THE REPUBLIC (always in all caps), about "The Plan" he is developing to save THE REPUBLIC and the various modifications to his timetable for deployment of said "Plan" due to changes occurring in THE REPUBLIC. These things all strike me in two ways, the first being that grassroots alterations to the way governments are elected and run are absolutely needed in this country but it also strikes me that Beck is either a) faking it for ratings b) emotionally unstable/paranoid or c) a raging narcissist who has way overvalued the import of his ideas and influence.
I readily admit that my initial problem is that I have a knee jerk suspicion of men who become emotional to the point of tears so quickly. You could convince me that Dick Vermeil was in the Taliban based on this fact alone. It strikes me that it is a smoke screen to conceal the individuals true motives or indicative of a mental weakness, either of which make the message being conveyed moot. Crying is right up there with doing things "for the children" on the list of tools for political contrivance.
I suspect that my suspicions will be resolved one way or the other in the coming year. Beck himself has built up his ideas on how to instigate resistance to the Statist assault on the Constitution that is currently taking place. If whatever Beck has been building up to turns out to be something truly substantial (able to effect the outcome of things) then I will happily eat my words, chalk up my spidey sense going off to simple stylistic issues and not say a word about it again. If in a year though Beck is still stuck in the vagaries of his new direction and dedication, purely speculative and secretive in nature and the 2010 elections come and go with nothing to show, then I will be content that my fears were right and the Beck is simply selling "Glen's Revitalizing Tonic" to the masses of people looking for a way to counteract the red wave coming from Washington.
Personally, I hope Beck proves me quite wrong. The things that are going on in our government these days is such an atrocity that the daily barrage of news assaults simply overwhelms the mind and crushes the spirit. I hope Beck delivers something tangible to his dedicated fans that gives the conservatives of the nation an outlet for constructive and effective opposition. You can never have to much help in a dogfight and I hope Beck is able to rise to the level of the truly genuine that his radio colleagues Rush, Levin and Hannity have. Otherwise he may further depress and disenfranchise the very group of people he hopes to inspire.
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STRANGE YOU SHOULD POST THIS.....I'VE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT HIM MYSELF FOR A WHILE AND HAD YET TO CEMENT A CONCLUSION.
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