# What will happen when Glenn Beck finally goes nuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 24, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367 "2009-09-24T13:55:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Sue\_White](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Sue\_White](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_White)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/161 "2009-10-05T15:31:42Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It’s true, it’s on tape. > > He called a woman (a woman who had never said or done a thing to him) two days after she had a miscarriage to mock her about it on the air. That’s pretty nasty. If you don’t feel that qualifies as “evil,” then whatever, but I think you’d be in the minority. I’ve been looking for the audio of that - can you link? Thanks! ---
**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:** [October 5, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/162 "2009-10-05T15:54:43Z")
I can’t find it. I thought I saw it posted somewhere once, but now I can’t remeber where. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/163 "2009-10-05T15:58:13Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I can’t find it. I thought I saw it posted somewhere once, but now I can’t remeber where. Maybe Glenn Beck sued to have it taken down, just like he’s suing to try and stop the talking about whether or not he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. What is he trying to hide? I’m not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he did rape and murder a young girl in 1990, but I am concerned. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/164 "2009-10-05T19:07:26Z")
A _girl_??? I heard it was a frog. Well, that’s a relief, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/165 "2009-10-05T19:46:16Z")
From afar, it’s a bit weird to observe liberals on this board obsess about a fringe radio shock-jock. His politcs potentially appeals to, what, 10% of the electorate, a 10% that’s only going to vote for one party anyway? Maybe there’s a reason for giving him all this attention but I don’t get it at the moment . . . ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/166 "2009-10-05T20:27:33Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > From afar, it’s a bit weird to observe liberals on this board obsess about a fringe radio shock-jock. His politcs potentially appeals to, what, 10% of the electorate, a 10% that’s only going to vote for one party anyway? > > Maybe there’s a reason for giving him all this attention but I don’t get it at the moment . . . It’s a 10% that shouts and SHOUTS and **SHOUTS** so damn loud that they are effectively derailing normal political discourse. They shout so loud that the rest of the media reports on them because they’re a “story”. Plus they say nutty things, so they’re “newsworthy”. So we’re forced to listen to them far out of proportion to their numbers or importance. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/167 "2009-10-05T20:37:34Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > Maybe there’s a reason for giving him all this attention but I don’t get it at the moment . . . Because he and Hannity and Rush and Wiener would be valuable even beyond the low-value demographic that they deliver- they are not on the air strictly to sell gold futures and male enhancement herbal remedies and mortgage refinancing. They are on the air to inoculate the “MSM” with arguments, theories, and discussions that conservative political leaders cannot be seen to directly support. Once they say/do something, then the cowards in the corporate media can “teach the controversy”, discussing things that have no business in a legitimate exchange of ideas, such as the birth certificate fantasy. The best part about this is that when a particular bit of filth is too unacceptable even to be passed on in the adult media, they get to engage in the kind hairshirt victim complex that coincidentally reduces their need for male enhancement. Everybody wins. I think most liberal rage at these guys is a reaction to the reluctance of other media figures and conservatives in our personal lives to admit that Beck is doing a clown show. So we can’t help but pick at the scab, pulling it back to the surface every time Beck or Coulter or Malkin does something particularly risible or depressing. To translate it into conservative terms, “why do all the moderate Muslims say nothing- they must approve of fanaticism!” ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/168 "2009-10-05T23:06:30Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > From afar, it’s a bit weird to observe liberals on this board obsess about a fringe radio shock-jock. His politcs potentially appeals to, what, 10% of the electorate, a 10% that’s only going to vote for one party anyway? > > Maybe there’s a reason for giving him all this attention but I don’t get it at the moment . . . We’re not obsessed. We believe that he’s innocent. We just wish he’d answer these questions that are dogging him. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/169 "2009-10-05T23:26:10Z")
Seriously, in all honesty, I’m pretty sure he didn’t _kill_anyone. He does need to address this rape accusation, though. He’s got a daughter, and I’m just not sure he should be alone with either of his kids until all of this is investigated. With a history of mental illness in his family, and the possibility he’s already raped once, who knows what he’s capable of doing to his daughter? ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/170 "2009-10-06T07:42:12Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Seriously, in all honesty, I’m pretty sure he didn’t _kill_anyone. What about that poor frog? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/171 "2009-10-06T09:44:33Z")
I’m pretty sure the frog didn’t kill anyone either. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/172 "2009-10-06T14:15:30Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’m pretty sure the frog didn’t kill anyone either. But until Glen Beck’s frog takes a lie detector test, we really won’t know for sure ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/173 "2009-10-06T14:17:32Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > A _girl_??? I heard it was a frog. The “frog” story is his explanation of what he was doing with a naked underage girl. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/174 "2009-10-06T14:42:33Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > It’s a 10% that shouts and SHOUTS and **SHOUTS** so damn loud that they are effectively derailing normal political discourse. They shout so loud that the rest of the media reports on them because they’re a “story”. Plus they say nutty things, so they’re “newsworthy”. So we’re forced to listen to them far out of proportion to their numbers or importance. [David Brooks of all people](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/opinion/02brooks.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=wizard%20of%20beck&st=cse) argues cogently that the noisemakers really don’t have much influence anyway. I hope he’s right. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/175 "2009-10-06T15:45:31Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > The “frog” story is his explanation of what he was doing with a naked underage girl. Frog? I heard it was a mudshark. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/176 "2009-10-06T15:59:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > [David Brooks of all people](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/opinion/02brooks.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=wizard%20of%20beck&st=cse) argues cogently that the noisemakers really don’t have much influence anyway. I hope he’s right. Thanks for this - interesting article. This quote near the end of the piece made me think: > [@](#): > > They (Republican politicians) pay more attention to Rush’s imaginary millions than to the real voters down the street. The Republican Party is unpopular because it’s more interested in pleasing Rush’s ghosts than actual people. The party is leaderless right now because nobody has the guts to step outside the rigid parameters enforced by the radio jocks and create a new party identity. The party is losing because it has adopted a radio entertainer’s niche-building strategy, while abandoning the politician’s coalition-building strategy. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/177 "2009-10-06T16:17:43Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > [David Brooks of all people](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/opinion/02brooks.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=wizard%20of%20beck&st=cse) argues cogently that the noisemakers really don’t have much influence anyway. I hope he’s right. I think he’s right, and the 2008 election was a good example of it. I think some outrage fatigue is setting in, too, when it comes to numbers on things like health care. Most people can only sustain that level of vitriol for a limited time before it burns itself out, so the town hellers and the like are calming down. I don’t think the Limbaughs are _powerless_, but their power is overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/178 "2009-10-06T16:19:21Z")
But if that active, vocal minority is the controlling influence (note, not a conspiracy-like controlling influence) over the actions of Republican politicians, how does it follow that the noisemakers don’t have much influence? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/179 "2009-10-06T16:23:19Z")
Maybe it’s better stated that they wouldn’t have the direct influence except that the pols freak out and assume votes will follow voices. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367/180 "2009-10-06T17:56:43Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > But if that active, vocal minority is the controlling influence They may not be. Brooks gave the most notable counterexamples. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-when-glenn-beck-finally-goes-nuts/511367.md?page=10)