Sunday, August 16, 2009



Advertisers desert Beck in boycott over racism remark

We read:
"Advertisers have been caught in the crossfire over Barack Obama’s healthcare plan after Glenn Beck, a television presenter and radio host, accused the president on Fox News of being ‘a racist'. At least 10 advertisers, including Geico, the Berkshire Hathaway insurance company, and Procter & Gamble, the household products group, pulled advertising from Mr Beck’s show after a July 28 broadcast in which he described the president as having ‘a deep-seated hatred for white people.’

The advertisers’ exodus was prompted by liberal activist groups such as ColorOfChange.org , which highlighted their financial support for the programme and called on supporters to boycott their products.”

Source

I gather that most of the advertisers concerned were Left-leaning to start with. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway has been prominent in his support for Obama, for instance.

It might be rather fun if conservatives boycotted the same advertisers until they renewed their support for Beck. Whether you agree with the speech or not, there is a public interest in political speech not being restricted.

25 comments:

J.Q. Public said...

This so-called healthcare debate is actually only a small part of a much larger problem. What has really caused the American people to finally wake up is seeing their voice in (what is supposed to be) "their" government being taken away from them. The current Leftist govt. is far more totalitarian than democratic, in that, the people are now simply being told what's good for them, not being asked or even consulted. If your opinions differ from those of the rulers, you are branded a racist, extremist, Nazi, terrorist, etc. In spite of the "illusion" they've created, the Left is not known for tolerating dissent of any kind.

You might say, this is the govt. the people elected". Well, that's partially true. This is the govt. "the media" got elected, using lies and distortions. And make no mistake. This govt. doesn't care about healthcare, or the economy, or that other phony issue, the environment. What this bunch cares about is POWER! The power to have total control over the lives of 300 Million people, including those yet to come, since their policies will have an effect on future generations.

The US is in the midst of a very real war, a cultural war, that pits the Left against the non-Left. On the one side you have the Left, (and their allies in the media, entertainment industry, labor, etc.) those who believe they, and only they, have the knowledge and the "right" to tell everyong else how they must live. On the other side, you have all those who believe in freedom, liberty, and the Constitution, which gives them the right to make their own choices. Free will and free choice is not something those on the Left like, unless it's "their" choices that are involved. Then, and only then, do they believe in total and unlimited freedom.

Understand that this war is very real. Also real are the things that can be lost if the Left wins. Things like the freedom to make your own personal choices, our history, culture, our sovereignty, and our very way of life. One of the basic ideas of our Founding Fathers was that the govt. is there to work for the people. That idea has very obviously been reversed.

The people can be pushed only so far. Then, they'll push back...

Anonymous said...

Geico is not advertising on Beck?

Well, there's a reason to watch him, if only for the respite from those incessant ads with the gecko and cavemen.

Anonymous said...

Sargento Cheese is also one of those sponsors. I called them yesterday and told them I would no longer buy their products.
1-800-243-3737

Phil in Cow Town said...

Fox News released a statement saying that the companies involved just had their ads moved to other shows, they're still supporting Fox.

They just don't want their ads associated with a crazy guy who bawls his eyes out on national tv like a two year old who shat his pants.

Frankly, if I ran a multi-million dollar company, I'd feel the same way.

And why AREN'T the companies allowed to remove their money? They have to do what's best for the company and their shareholders. If that means saying, "hey Fox, put our ads an hour later", then so be it.

Bobby said...

"And why AREN'T the companies allowed to remove their money?"

---They are allowed to do that, and we're allowed to boycott them for doing that.

"They have to do what's best for the company and their shareholders."

---Glenn Beck is one of the highest rated shows on Fox, more than MSNBC, more than NBC, CBS, and other shows on TV and radio. They are clearly not doing what's best for their company.

You advertise where the viewers are, you are not supposed to allow political correctness to get on the way of business.

Glen Beck is right, President Obama is a racist and I'm glad he has the guts to call him that.

Phil In Cow Town said...

"---Glenn Beck is one of the highest rated shows on Fox, more than MSNBC, more than NBC, CBS, and other shows on TV and radio. They are clearly not doing what's best for their company."

He's popular because he's crazy. I would bet that a LOT of those people watching him are watching for his next mental breakdown and not out of any agreement that he's right.

Hell, the guy can't even agree with himself on things.

In January 2008, after a surgery, he had several tirades against the healthcare industry in the US and demanded reform. Now, all of a sudden, the US has the best healthcare system in the world and is completely perfect. Well which is it Glen? Is it badly in need of reform or is it perfect?

G.S. Patton III said...

Personally, i don't like Glen Beck. Although i agree with his politics and what he says, and i'm very much in favor of him exposing things the Leftist media won't, i don't think he helps the casue by acting like a typical Fox clown and buffoon. (like they really needed another one) I have the same opinion of Rush Limbaugh. I agree with his politics, but i don't like his arrogant antics. IMO, both these guys are just pimps, constantly pimping their books, web sites, T-shirts, and all the other crap they peddle. Is it simply out-of-control egos, or is it just old-fashioned greed?

But, having said that, they are about the only real voices we have to combat the Left, so they will continue to have my support, in spite of what i said above. My hatred of the Left is such that i will endure their stupid antics.

Phil In Cow Town said...

""And why AREN'T the companies allowed to remove their money?"

---They are allowed to do that, and we're allowed to boycott them for doing that."

Ok. I agree with that. But have you thought it through?

Geico is an insurance provider, how often do you buy insurance? Short of you being one of their customers and leaving them because of this, a boycott isn't going to do anything.

It would be completely different if Safeway, Johnson & Johnson or Phillip Morris had pulled their ads, those companies you can really hit in the pocket book with an organized boycott. But an insurance company?

And consider this. Geico is moving their ads to another timeslot out of protest, and you're protesting their protest. You're like the 10 pro-choice people you see protesting the pro-lifers at abortion clinics.

I find it quite funny really.

Bobby said...

"Geico is an insurance provider, how often do you buy insurance? Short of you being one of their customers and leaving them because of this, a boycott isn't going to do anything."

---Boycotts can work, at the very least, no company wants to get thousands of e-mails complaining about the way they do business.


"And consider this. Geico is moving their ads to another timeslot out of protest, and you're protesting their protest. You're like the 10 pro-choice people you see protesting the pro-lifers at abortion clinics."

---Not quite, there are more people who support Glenn Beck than people who oppose him. It's all about ratings, if you have the ratings, you have everything. Geico can go f-ck itself as far as I'm concerned. I already have Progressive insurance, I had Geico in the past but now I have another reason to hate them.

As for Glen Beck's antics, well, they seem to work. Why should every commentator be a bore like Larry King? Politics needs to be exciting, Glen Beck simply happens to have a bombastic personality which works great in radio and TV. Is it a little annoying sometimes? Perhaps, but I'd rather listen to him than Bobby Jindal.











I find it quite funny really.

Phil In Cow Town said...

yeah, except larry king isn't a commentator, he's a reporter, an interviewer, a journalist.

Do we really need people on television telling us what to believe? How to think? How is that NOT what Beck is doing?

Don't get me wrong here, I don't approve of Olberman or the others. I think commentating is ridiculous.

Fox should start to live by their motto of "we report, you decide" and stop telling people how to feel about the news. I'm smart enough to make up my own mind thank you. And I certainly don't think I should be taking political advice from a guy who cries on air like a little girl who's lost her puppy and flipflops on issues.

Politics should be interesting, but NOT sensationalized.

G.S. Patton III said...

"Seriously, the Left couldn't organize a piss up in a brewery, let alone a massive globe spanning conspiracy."

Phil, when you over-estimate someone, the worst thing that can happen is that you will be disappointed. But under- estimating someone (ie; the Left) can be very dangerous! Did you happen to notice who's in full control of the US govt.? Have you noticed who's running the governments of the EU? And my hatred for the Left is based on their desire/attempt/goal to change my country into something it was never intended to be. Personally, i refuse to be told how i "must" live by anyone, especially by people who exclude themselves from the rules they want to set for me.

"Do we really need people on television telling us what to believe? How to think? How is that NOT what Beck is doing?"

No Phil, we don't, but that's all we have. All "real" news was quietly transformed into opinion a long time ago, while America was asleep. (as usual) People like Beck and Limbaugh are simply counter-points, alternative view points, to all the Leftist crap we see and hear on most of the TV "news" shows. Are they telling us what to think? Yes, they "all" are trying, because unfortunately, the majority of people seem to have lost their ability/will to think for themselves.

Again, my dislike for Beck and Limbaugh is a personal one. I dislike their style, not what they're saying or what they believe politically. With that, i agree 110%.

Anonymous said...

Larry King is a journalist? (LOL) You must be kidding! Or, you need to lay off the Kool-Aid!

Larry King is an old leftist jew from Brooklyn, NY. And the only reason he's on CNN is because they are the only people who would waste money paying an old commie like him. A journalist? LOL!!!

Anonymous said...

Glen Beck may be bombastic on television which is what sells. I would rather listen to bombastic rather than condescending which is what I hear from our "president" and congressional "leaders".

Bobby said...

"yeah, except larry king isn't a commentator, he's a reporter, an interviewer, a journalist."

---You don't think he's biased? You don't think that he gives democrats a free pass while asking republicans tough questions? Larry King is a biased bore and you know it.


"Do we really need people on television telling us what to believe? How to think? How is that NOT what Beck is doing?"

---If the people are informed on the subject and they present us with facts, then yes. Beck has a following because he uncovers the real truth about issues such as health care. What we don't need is people telling lies, which is what every channel does except for Fox.


"Don't get me wrong here, I don't approve of Olberman or the others. I think commentating is ridiculous."

---I don't know what's ridiculous about it. Some people read the bible and others read bible commentaries so they can understand what the bible is actually saying. Most people in politics are lawyers, they speak in legalese, we need commentators to translate the truth, expose the villains, explain why that bill is good or bad for us. Then we can do our own research and see if we agree or not.


"Fox should start to live by their motto of "we report, you decide" and stop telling people how to feel about the news. I'm smart enough to make up my own mind thank you. And I certainly don't think I should be taking political advice from a guy who cries on air like a little girl who's lost her puppy and flipflops on issues."

---Well, I don't think I should get advice from that "community organizer" we have as president. People love Glen Beck because he's authentic and honest, he really cares about the issues. Frankly, sometimes I feel like crying over what Obama and the liberals are doing to what used to be a great country. The inmates are running the asylum,

How can you not cry when Glen Beck reports stories like this:

FCC’s Chief Diversity Officer Wants Private Broadcasters to Pay a Sum Equal to Their Total Operating Costs to Fund Public Broadcasting
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/52435

You think Larry King is going to cover that story? You think MSNBC and CNN care about that? No. Yet Obama like the fuhrer he is, appointed yet another leftwing negro to a position that didn't exist in the past.

Don't you see how Obama and his storm troopers are destroying America? Don't you see how they want to destroy free speech?

"Politics should be interesting, but NOT sensationalized."

---Sensationalism is a matter of style, it's like rap vs. opera, or ballet vs. breakdancing. If you are a conservative, you should be focusing not on style but on the substance. How Beck gets his point across is irrelevant, what matters is the information Beck is communicating.

Greta Van Sustern and others on Fox do straight news, but Hannitti, O'reilly, Cavuto and Beck are commentators, it is their job to get upset and fight for issues. That's why people like me love them, because they are fighting for America, they are fighting for the voices of the common man which aren't heard.

Geoffrey Sturdy said...

"Are brit lefties ruining britain? "
Yes - or should I say have ruined it - this is now a country where pupils can't read or write properly at age 10 but are now given classes in "gay rights" at age 5 ...
As for Mr beck - we could do with someone like that over here to put the boot into some of these idenikit politco we have over here

Phil In Cow Town said...

"Don't you see how Obama and his storm troopers are destroying America? Don't you see how they want to destroy free speech?"

Please. Ann Coulter keeps going on about how Republicans have been in power for most of the last 25 years. The democrats have been in for 6 months. If anyone got the states in the shitty place it's in now, it's the Republicans.

The democrats control all 3 houses and can't even pass their own healthcare bill. The Republican's never have problems passing their legislation when they're in power. They form a united front.

Anonymous said...

And Phil, who was in power for the 40 years before the Republicans? Wake-up folks. There's no longer any difference. It's not just the elected lying crooks who are destroying this country, it's the system of government we have that is a failure. And a weak, gullible, mindless public that keeps that system, and those lying crooks in power.

Phil In Cow Town said...

That sparked quite an interest there, so I looked it up.

Apparently, since 1940, the white house has been equally controlled by democrats and republicans.

Both the senate and house though have been largely controlled by democrats. 42 years vs 20 years in the senate and 50 years vs 16 years in the house.

Democrats have controlled all 3 for 26 of those years, to the republican's 6. And they've run both houses for 44 years to the republican's 14.

It seems that most of the time, American's just like the Democrats more.

What's that saying? Democracy is the worst system of government ever, except for the rest.

If you don't like the system of government you have, maybe consider moving to a different country. Saudi Arabia is quite conservative, you might like it there.

Use the Name, Luke said...

Wow, what a shift in direction!

First argument: Our problems are all due to Republicans because they're the ones who've been in power.

Second argument: Oh wait, it's Democrats who've been in power, so our political problems have nothing to do with who's in power.

That rumble you feel is the goalposts constantly shifting.

Phil In Cow Town said...

Who shifted the goal posts? It was the other guy who blamed everything on the democrats. I pointed out that the republicans had been in power for most of last 25 years. He then asked who was mostly in power for the 40 before that, and yes, it was the democrats.

I merely presented the statistics. Which suggest that Americans prefer having the democrats in charge.

But you have to ask yourself when most of the problems we're experiencing now were started. Did they start between 1940 and 1980, or between 1980 and 2008?

Personally, I think the 1962 congress had very little to do with our current economic crapfest.

But here's a stat I didn't cover the first time. From 1980 to 2008, the Republicans have controlled at least 2 of the houses for 20 years, compared to the Democrats 8 years. And for 24 of the last 68 years.

So as I said, when did the problems start?

Bobby said...

Phil, what's with the history lesson? Why are you looking at the past? What matters today is what Obama and his democrats are doing.

Phil In Cow Town said...

I find statistics quite interesting. Not that whole z-factor and bell curver stuff. But I found it interesting when the coalition supporters tried to twist election results to show that the majority of Canadians were in favour of it when they really weren't. And the election results showed that. That's why I was against the coalition.

Also, these statistics reveal something interesting. When someone says at these townhalls "I want my country back", if they're not over 86 then for most of their life the democrats have been in charge, which means they never had the country they wanted in the first place.

Nutcase said...

Phil in Cow Town said...

He's popular because he's crazy.

Hardly, if that were all it took to have super ratings, Air-America would be the highest rated Radio show in history.

Now THOSE people were NUTS!

Robert said...

So as I said, when did the problems start?

I know the seeds for the Social Security time bomb were sown in the 1930's, squarely in the Roosevelt administration (and I believe a solidly Democrat Congress). The seeds for the Medicare time bomb were sown during the Johnson administration in the mid-1960's, with Democrats in control of the House and Senate. Though those may be going off now after a few decades time for them to do so does not change those responsible for setting them. The problems for those two government programs were begun with the starting of the programs themselves. I'm sure others will be able to add some less-conspicuous examples.

Phil In Cow Town said...

Ok. But as you said, Social Security was started in the 30s. The problem with Social Security is the baby boomers, who were born starting in the mid 40s after WW2. That's not exactly a problem that could have been foreseen by an administration in the 30s.

And the Bush Medicare reforms contain the exact same language as the Obama one, and no one thought about Death Panels then. Simply because they don't exist. (I know that's not what you asked, but it's related.)