# Glenn Beck shedding advertisers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112 "2009-08-11T21:44:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/1 "2009-08-11T21:44:02Z")
[Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy…](http://colorofchange.org:8086/beck/more/geico-release.html) Probably just a few drops in the bucket in the grand scheme of things, but still nice to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/2 "2009-08-11T22:08:23Z")
Link doesn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/3 "2009-08-11T22:12:56Z")
Worked when I just tried, but here are the first few paragraphs: > [@](#): > > OAKLAND, Calif.–Adding to a growing list of advertisers distancing themselves from controversial Fox News personality Glenn Beck, GEICO has pledged to re-direct their advertisements away from Beck’s program on the Fox News Channel. The decision by GEICO comes on the heels of announcements made last week that LexisNexis-owned [Lawyers.com](http://Lawyers.com), Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance and SC Johnson were distancing themselves from Beck after the news host called President Obama a “racist” who “has a deep-seated hatred for white people.” > > “On Tuesday, August 4, GEICO instructed its ad buying service to redistribute its inventory of rotational spots on FOX-TV to their other network programs, exclusive of the Glenn Beck program,” said a spokesperson for GEICO Corporate Communications in an email to [ColorOfChange.org](http://ColorOfChange.org). “As of August 4, GEICO no longer runs any paid advertising spots during Mr. Beck’s program.” > > “We applaud GEICO and all of the other companies who have stepped forward to pull their ads from Glenn Beck,” said James Rucker, executive director of [ColorOfChange.org](http://ColorOfChange.org). “Beck’s rhetoric is dangerous to the fabric of our democracy, and we are heartened that so many big companies feel the same way. We won’t stop here – we’re going to continue our fight to see that as many of Beck’s advertisers pull their support as possible.” ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/4 "2009-08-11T22:20:48Z")
Yeah, but they’re still racist against cavemen. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/5 "2009-08-11T23:59:59Z")
GEICO must have [Keyrock, the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer) on retainer. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/6 "2009-08-12T04:32:11Z")
You see Glenn?..You SEE what happens when you “Taunt Happy Fun Ball” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/7 "2009-08-12T04:34:35Z")
I like how Beck recently had to remind his viewers not to blow up buildings or commit other acts of terrorism. Not a lot of shows on the air that require their host to do that. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/8 "2009-08-12T04:37:23Z")
With Hannity and O’Reilly and the other goons I thought Fox News couldn’t scrap the bottom of the barrel any further. I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/9 "2009-08-12T04:47:14Z")
I’m not surprised GEICO dropped their sponsorship. If you were a car insurance company, would you want to advertise on a trainwreck? Most pundits are faking their ire if not completely inventing their characters, but from the clips I’ve seen here and there, I do think Beck is deranged. I don’t feel sorry for him but I do think it’s disgusting that he’s on the air even apart from the things he says. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/10 "2009-08-12T05:08:00Z")
Personally, I believe that a few months before Glenn Beck’s show initially aired, Roger Ailes happened to catch an old Peter Finch movie on FMC and he saw the future. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/11 "2009-08-12T05:13:09Z")
Yeah… I used to compare Lou Dobbs to Howard Beale until I saw Beck. Beck is Howard Beale. Lou Dobbs is just a real-life Kent Brockman. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/12 "2009-08-12T05:22:41Z")
It’s difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/13 "2009-08-12T05:30:23Z")
I don’t think he’s hurting. He dropped GM when they were taken over by Obama. He hasn’t exactly had a dearth of adverts. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/14 "2009-08-12T13:30:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I like how Beck recently had to remind his viewers not to blow up buildings or commit other acts of terrorism. Not a lot of shows on the air that require their host to do that. It is to laugh. > [@](#): > > sat⋅ire >   /ˈsætaɪər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sat-ahyuhr] Show IPA > Use satire in a Sentence > –noun > > 1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. > 2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. > 3. a literary genre comprising such compositions. He was making fun of all the liberal jackoffs who accuse him of fomenting armed rebellion and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/15 "2009-08-12T13:37:22Z")
> [@emarkp](#): > > I don’t think he’s hurting. He dropped GM when they were taken over by Obama. He hasn’t exactly had a dearth of adverts. He’s not. He’s ranked #3 in the country and his numbers are growing, according to Arbitron. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/16 "2009-08-12T13:58:58Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It is to laugh. > > He was making fun of all the liberal jackoffs who accuse him of fomenting armed rebellion and the like. Doesnt’ seem like satire to me. Can you please point out where the satire is in the clip? Judge for yourselves: [http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/04/beck-mcveigh/](http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/04/beck-mcveigh/) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/17 "2009-08-12T15:44:51Z")
If that’s satire, I can only take it as further evidence that conservatives are clueless about humour, because he comes off as dead serious and sincere about advising his viewers not to become violent. One may as well claim there’s an invisible giraffe on his shoulder, because claims that Beck is using subtle irony are equally tenuous. I have no doubt whatsoever that he has no doubt whatsoever that some of his viewers will cheerfully use violence. If anything, it looks to me like an attempt to fend off liability. On further reflection, Beck’s still being a dick about it because the potential act of violence by a viewer apparantly isn’t bad in and of itself, but should be avoided only because it would give the government an excuse to, I dunno, release the Nazi werewolves or something and “destroy the Republic.” ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/18 "2009-08-12T17:02:31Z")
Beck is successful. Big-name advertisers will be brawling to take Geico’s place. However, if you want to see true Howard Beale behavior, take a look at foaming moonbats like Olbermann and Matthews. They are just as nutty as Beck but they’re also failures! I could totally see the utterly deranged Matthews or the scarily unhinged Olbermann doing themselves in on live television. It might actually get people to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/19 "2009-08-12T17:11:47Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > However, if you want to see true Howard Beale behavior, take a look at foaming moonbats like Olbermann and Matthews. Lemme guess: you’ve never seen _Network_. They’re both pompous and Olbermann is highly partisan, but no, they do not come off as paranoid and crazy. > [@](#): > > They are just as nutty as Beck but they’re also failures! How do you figure them for failures? I think all of these guys are wastes of carbon, but they’re not failures just because they have different political leanings. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112/20 "2009-08-12T17:14:53Z")
Chris Matthews does not deserve to be compared with Beck. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glenn-beck-shedding-advertisers/506112.md?page=2)