The War Against Glenn Beck

Arianna Huffington seems to have it in for Glenn Beck, if her recent comments about Beck are any indication. Huffington's point is that Beck is dangerous for America because he "incites violence." (Of course, she can't seem to point to any real evidence of Beck-inspired violence, nor has she attempted to explain away Beck's comments advocating non-violent protests, but I'm sure she'll address that any day now.)

The fact that Huffington's comments are echoed by a number of Leftists isn't surprising. The fact that Huffington's comments are so at odds with reality isn't surprising, either. What is surprising is how ineffectual such comments have been. Most people who watch or listen to Beck are the type who pay little attention to the Huffington crowd, and those who may be lukewarm towards Beck, but are aware of the facts, may not agree with Huffington's assertions. That leaves those who are predisposed to agree with Huffington, and that group is pretty small, comparatively speaking.

At the heart of Huffington's anti-Beck comments is an attempt to marginalize Beck using the classic Saul Alinsky method. Beck has been open with his flaws, which the Left has taken to paint him as a drunk, drug abuser, divorced, college dropout and, thus, not a credible source of information. Others have taken it a step further, accusing Beck of rape, tax evasion, and murder using facts even more tenuous than Huffington's. Why is the Left spending so much time, money, and energy to simultaneously dismiss and slander Glenn Beck?

Because he's effective.

The Left operates on a principle of keeping people ignorant and, thus, easily controllable. As much as the Left says that's Beck's shtick, Beck and his staff do their homework before they go public with anything. His recent documentary about the rise of progressivism was well-received by many people, except for the Left in academia who claimed Beck was factually inaccurate. Beck did clarify one of his statements and apologized for it, but as yet the people accusing him of being factually inaccurate have been at a loss for words when asked to show what Beck got wrong. But it's not about Beck being wrong; it's about Beck being right.

What makes Beck so effective is that he's really not driven by the same two-party fervor as other talk radio show hosts. He is concerned about finding the truth, no matter whose ox gets gored in the process. On the other hand, Huffington and her ilk have a purely ideological purpose for trying to destroy Glenn Beck: to preserve the Leftist status quo. To them, it's a battle for survival against the biggest threat they've ever experienced. To Beck, it's a battle for the survival of the country he loves.

I'm not usually a betting man, but in this case, I'll go all in for Beck winning this one.