# Who are the liberal Glenn Becks/Hannitys/Bachmanns/Steeles/etc.? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 3, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777 "2009-09-03T18:39:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/21 "2009-09-03T21:20:20Z")
I’m on the left but _Rolling Stone Magazine_ is just waaay too lefty for me. I can’t even read some of their political articles without :rolleyes::rolleyes: through the whole thing. They pretty much amount to conservatives being evil spawns of satan and Obama the savior. A bit “out there” for me. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/22 "2009-09-03T21:27:20Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > See forged papers and CBS regarding GWB’s National Guard Duty. There’s plenty of discussion, cites etc here and elsewhere. It does not qualify. The point was for a Liberal commentator who screams and makes crap up. There is no one comparable to Rush, Hannity,Beck ,Bachmann and Palin . They are not only goofy but their goofiness gets aired all over the country. There may be some Air America folks who qualify. Except they are patriotic truth tellers. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/23 "2009-09-03T21:44:22Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > See forged papers and CBS regarding GWB’s National Guard Duty. There’s plenty of discusion, cites etc here and elsewhere. You may have forgotten, but that story was going on long before the forged papers showed up. There was plenty of evidence of Bush’s reluctance to do his job before that. If the story had started with the forged papers, then maybe. Al Sharpton gets my vote. He’s often as gullible as the birthers and their supporters. However he seems to go after people other than Republican officials, so I’m not sure he counts. He is also clearly nowhere as influential as Rush. Sharpton hasn’t exactly been a frequent White House visitor, has he? ---
**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:** [September 3, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/24 "2009-09-03T22:00:01Z")
There are a few demagogues on the left, Olbermann, Ed Schulz, some Air America hosts, but no one that rises to the Coulter/Hannity/Beck/Palin/Bachmann level of hysterical craziness, and the Democrats don’t run them for Vice President or dedicate entire fake news channels to smearing the other side. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/25 "2009-09-03T23:23:02Z")
I think it’s quite clear that right now, there is no left wing equivalent of the coulter/o’reilly/limbaugh/beck crowd. Which doesn’t mean that the left is somehow morally above such things, it just doesn’t happen to exist right now. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/26 "2009-09-03T23:29:17Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > By questioning “mainstream” and “patently false” you undermine the credibility of your other criticisms. > > Yes, clearly he’s trying to filter out the lone, uninfuential nuts that nobody listens to. It’s an obvious thing to try and filter out, because such people are irrelevent. (The Glenninsanity criteria was optional, you’ll remember.) > > So yeah. His question is fair. You just don’t like what the answer shows. I’ve heard people argue that cable news or the internet isn’t “mainstream,” even though the latter is now the main source of news for people. Lots of people use Jon Stewart as a serious news source; is he “mainstream”? When high-powered dem politicians embrace groups like Daily Kos and [Moveon.org](http://Moveon.org) (and the same for the pubs), speaking at their annual gatherings and soliciting support there, those groups to me are mainstream. And what exactly is “patently” false? Voyager seems to suggest that CBS passing off obviously forged documents doesn’t meet the test; if that isn’t patently false I don’t know what is. Is spinning facts in order to create a misleading impression “patently false?” How about omitting facts and only reporting the ones that you choose? I know what the answer is when I apply _my_ definitions: Both sides are full of shrill, dishonest, partisan jackasses, and it’s a fool’s game to try and quantify the types and degrees of jackassery. Off the top of my head, I’d say Michel Mooore wishing 9/11 hadn’t happened to a “Blue state” is about as odious a thing as anyone has said. I don’t like it when Limbaugh compares Obama to Hilter … but I don’t like it when Olbermann calls Bush a fascist, either, or when Dick Durbin talks about US troops behaving like Nazis, or Cynthia McKinney gives support to the 9/11 truthers, or when Moveon calls David Petraus a traitor … They can all of them, on both sides, get thrown in a sack AFAIC. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/27 "2009-09-04T00:13:02Z")
> [@furt](#): > > And what exactly is “patently” false? Voyager seems to suggest that CBS passing off obviously forged documents doesn’t meet the test; if that isn’t patently false I don’t know what is. Is spinning facts in order to create a misleading impression “patently false?” How about omitting facts and only reporting the ones that you choose? No I didn’t. The documents are clearly patently false - I called them forged without scare quotes. However someone producing forged documents as supporting evidence two months after a charge was made does not invalidate the charge. So the charge is not patently false even if the documents are. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/28 "2009-09-04T00:49:21Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > See forged papers and CBS regarding GWB’s National Guard Duty. There’s plenty of discusion, cites etc here and elsewhere. But Dan Rather got fired after that fiasco, and CBS has admitted that they were fooled by the forged documents. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/29 "2009-09-04T00:51:38Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > It’s been over a week since his passing, so I’ll say that besides Chappaquidick & his defiance of his Church in promoting feticide, a major tarnishing of Ted Kennedy’s record was his smear campaign against Justice Robert Bork. Most political commentators, liberal & conservative, still try to support “a President should get the justices he wants”, but Kennedy set a precedent on partisan smearing of judicial candidates. Oh boo hoo. Bork’s writings and speeches after he was turned down/withdrew (can’t remember) have shown that he was on the fringe of legal thought. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/30 "2009-09-04T01:17:34Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I thinkMichael Moore is the closest. I am on the left and he makes me wince quite often. Ditto. And ditto Al Sharpton. I can say Keith Olbermann might be getting there. (He used to be pretty cool, but he’s gotten too damned shrill, which is too bad. I liked “Worst Person in the World,” and the time when he signed O’Reilly’s petition to get himself fired) (Who the hell is Steele?) And people are defending Bork? The guy who fired the special prosecutor in Watergate? I think not. C’mon. (And what’s wrong with _Rolling Stone_? I like _Rolling Stone_. I never noticed any political spin there. I like to read it for the entertainment news) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/31 "2009-09-04T01:27:16Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (Who the hell is Steele?) Steele is Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and current chairman of the Republican National Committee, who has, since he became chairman, been forced to defend some pretty crazy views. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/32 "2009-09-04T02:03:16Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Steele is Michael Steele, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and current chairman of the Republican National Committee, who has, since he became chairman, been forced to defend some pretty crazy views. Ah, thanks. _looks him up on Wiki_ Oooooh, THAT guy. Yeah, I’ve seen him on the news occassionally, but I didn’t know his name. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/33 "2009-09-04T03:10:17Z")
> [@furt](#): > > So long, of course, as said behavior fits exactly within the six specific criteria you specify. Otherwise, it means nothing, right? > > Do the pubs get to set up their criteria of what exactly constitutes “superficial, intellectually lazy, and partisan?” Do dem politicians who supported the “truthers” count? > > You’ve filled your request full of terms such that you can reject every instance given to you. > > Define “mainstream.” > > Define “an orchestrated, constant campaign of character assassination” > > Define “some sort of formal or informal campaign.” > > Define “patently false.” > > Define “as much of a disconnect from reality (and sanity) as Glenn Beck.” > > The tone of you post suggests that, as Shodan says, you’re just going to shoot down every example given to you. In other words, you can’t think of anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/34 "2009-09-04T07:14:10Z")
I really don’t think there are leaders in the democratic party who are hypocritical or who lie blatantly and shamelessly the way leaders in the GOP are doing. Al Sharpton is the best guess I can come up with. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/35 "2009-09-04T07:50:55Z")
A pre 9/11 Dennis Miller? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/36 "2009-09-04T11:06:21Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I think it’s quite clear that right now, there is no left wing equivalent of the coulter/o’reilly/limbaugh/beck crowd. Which doesn’t mean that the left is somehow morally above such things, it just doesn’t happen to exist right now. I think you’re right here. I’m sure we can find a vegan Truther who psychotically hates the GOP, & if we wanted, give him a TV show. On a new network, with Olbermann, Michael Moore, Janeane Garofalo, &, say, me[sup]\*[/sup] as other commentators with our own shows. And we could all feed off each other’s neurotic obsessions & grow more ridiculous, the saner ones being eventually replaced by newer crazies. But such a thing would probably just make us look ridiculous. [sup]\*[/sup] My diction isn’t always that good, & sometimes I stammer, but with a little coaching, I could probably still pull out a decent radio baritone. ---
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/37 "2009-09-04T11:27:30Z")
> [@furt](#): > > So long, of course, as said behavior fits exactly within the six specific criteria you specify. Otherwise, it means nothing, right? > > Do the pubs get to set up their criteria of what exactly constitutes “superficial, intellectually lazy, and partisan?” Do dem politicians who supported the “truthers” count? > > You’ve filled your request full of terms such that you can reject every instance given to you. > > Define “mainstream.” > > Define “an orchestrated, constant campaign of character assassination” > > Define “some sort of formal or informal campaign.” > > Define “patently false.” > > Define “as much of a disconnect from reality (and sanity) as Glenn Beck.” > > The tone of you post suggests that, as Shodan says, you’re just going to shoot down every example given to you. Sure, all of these are debatable, but they hardly skew it to fit my nefarious liberal caprices. They’re only meant to narrow down the people eligible for discussion by prevalence, not party. If you brought up, say, an Open-Left blogger like David Sirota, there’d probably be some debate about whether he’s mainstream or not (which I think he is). Same for Michelle Malkin on the other side. They’re both on TV all the time, they’ve both written books and columns, etc. One, I think, tends to make arguments, however biased, that are based in reality. “an orchestrated, constant campaign of character assassination”? Palling around with terrorists, claims that you hope to kill someone’s (rather, everyone’s) grandparents, that you’re a socialist, making [claims](http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/new-rnc-ad-steele-pushes-deatherism-issues.php)against things that aren’t actually in a bill to defeat said bill. Such a campaign can be formal, as when the GOP co-ops a certain group or puts out memos to members saying that they will use a certain tactic. Informal, I suppose would be a couple of senators going on several different shows and writing op-eds. What’s patently false? It’s demonstratively not true given all the available information. Could Obama be setting up FEMA camps to intern naughty conservatives? Sure. Is it at all probably? No. Has any evidence ever been given other than Glenn Beck’s “I can’t prove it wrong”? Not that I know of. Some other examples: - Obama’s talk to school children is [_ **eeeeeeviiiiiil** _](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/02/republican-party-florida/republican-party-florida-says-obama-will-indoctrin/) - Obama said that he wanted to [kill unwanted old people](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/03/dan-lungren/lungren-says-obama-would-have-government-require-c/) (i.e. [death panels](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/10/sarah-palin/sarah-palin-barack-obama-death-panel/)). Oh, and they also want disabled vets to [kill themselves](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/25/michael-steele/rnc-chairman-michael-steele-says-va-has-manual-enc/). - The government’s going to [take over your computer](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/03/kimberly-guilfoyle/glenn-beck-claims-governments-cash-clunkers-web-si/) if you log into Cash for Clunkers. Anyhow, cash for clunkers is a sham cuz you just go get [any old car from the dump](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/22/sean-hannity/hannity-claims-loophole-cash-clunkers-program-woul/)and get a couple grand for it. - The stimulus package will make it harder to be a [practicing](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/08/newt-gingrich/stimulus-bill-wont-change-status-sunday-school/) [Christian](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/feb/13/jim-demint/demint-stimulus-prayer-dorms-religion/). - Swine flu broke out under [Carter](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/apr/30/michele-bachmann/michele-bachmann-wrong-70s-swine-flu-broke-our-/). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/38 "2009-09-04T11:57:55Z")
Not sure how big Pacifica Radio’s listenership is, but they’re pretty far left and have never heard a conspiracy theory blaming Bush for anything that they didn’t give full credence to. WPFW in Washington has “Jazz and Justice” as their slogan; a more accurate one might be “We play terrific music, and FREE MUMIA!” ---
**Author:** ![adhay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/39 "2009-09-04T12:19:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I suspect this will amount to nothing but three pages of “that doesn’t count!”, but examples are [not hard to come by.](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/02/white-house-green-jobs-adviser-republicans-assholes/) > > Regards, > Shodan So you’re down on this guy for rudely stating his asked for opinion or his apologizing for it? ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777/40 "2009-09-04T13:09:00Z")
> [@gitfiddle](#): > > - Obama’s talk to school children is [_ **eeeeeeviiiiiil** _](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/02/republican-party-florida/republican-party-florida-says-obama-will-indoctrin/) “The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students,” **- Richard Gephardt, Democrat, when GHWB spoke to the students in a similar manner. \*\* “Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.” -** Department of Education activity sheet for Obama’s speech, recently removed.\*\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-liberal-glenn-becks-hannitys-bachmanns-steeles-etc/508777.md?page=3)