David Sirota, has penned his as-usual perfect analysis of the newest limelight-seeking winger delushionist– Teaparty spokes-Mad-Hatter Glenn Beck– and his recent CrackPAC “presentation”:
Coming days after an anti-tax terrorist kamikaze-attacked a government facility in Texas, and following Republicans like Sen. Scott Brown and Rep. Steve King expressing sympathy for that terrorist’s grievances, Beck’s homily stands as the moment’s most forthright manifesto on the right’s authoritarian objectives.
Beck began his speech posing as a libertarian against “big government.” Notice that most Republican icons are now saying this, though not all resemble Beck – not all of them previously pushed the big-government Patriot Act or the even-bigger-government bank bailout.
From there, Beck worked up a drenching sweat, criticizing Theodore Roosevelt’s notion that we should make sure the accumulation of wealth is “honorably obtained” and “represents benefit to the community.”
His porcine complexion verging on crimson, Beck called that concept of “community” a “cancer” that “is not our founders’ idea of America” – somehow forgetting the notions of community and solidarity inherent in the founders’ “Join or Die” motto.
But ignorance, no matter how embarrassing, doesn’t get in Beck’s way. To wild applause, he labeled this alleged tumor of “community” the supposedly evil “progressivism” – and he told disciples to “eradicate it” from the nation.
INSERT Jerry Samuels’ “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha” here.
The lesson was eminently clear, coming in no less than the keynote address to one of America’s most important political conventions. Beck taught us that a once-principled conservative movement of reasoned activists has turned into a mob – one that does not engage in civilized battles of ideas. Instead, these torch-carriers, gun-brandishers and tea partiers follow an anti-government terrorist attack by cheering a demagogue’s demand for the physical annihilation of those with whom he disagrees – namely anyone, but particularly progressives, who value “community.”
And, while Sirota illuminates how winger spokes-crazies shrink the GOP tent, reporter-comedian Jon Stewart shows how winger reasoning shrinks their brains:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Rage Within the Machine – Progressivism | ||||
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Pretty soon the whole right wing will be small enough to drown in a Tea Party cup. Bottoms up!!




