Glenn Beck Relaunching The Blaze As Global Libertarian News Network
Beck takes a shot at Fox as he expands his news network with foreign bureaus and a new show. “I consider myself a libertarian… I’m a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel.”
“Our Nightline will be a nightly half hour broadcast to update you on a topic that no one else quite frankly has the balls to do. I will,” he said.
I’ve been watching Beck since he was on HLN in the late afternoon, long before he went to FOX News. I was unhappy to see FOX cancel him, as I thought he was the best thing on their show.
It was fun but awkward to watch him back then when he interviewed Penn Jillette. He clearly likes Jillette; one suspects he appreciates his showmanship, since Beck is very much the showman, much more than most TV presenters. (Beck is probably more skilled than Oprah at the medium of television, and his talent simply isn’t, and probably cannot be, recognized by those with partisan blinders.) At least once I have seen Beck ask if Jillette would invite him into his home even though they disagree about religion, opining that he (Beck) would invite an otherwise agreeable atheist like Jillette to meet his family; on one such occasion Jillette pulled back and seemed to announce that his atheism was orthodox and biblical in its ritual purity, with no mixing of mystics and non-mystics in the home, and no otherworldly influences allowed on his children. Awkward!
I can see how libertarians could get in a snit (here/) over Beck creating a libertarian TV network. Libertarianism is becoming more popular. When it does you can’t control who will be representing it and what spin they will put on it, and some people who really aren’t libertarian on every issue (but are way libertarian compared to the political establishment), will call themselves libertarians. Ron Paul had his past odious associations, including those newsletter authors; and still he brought people into the movement. Rand Paul may not be a libertarian on every issue, and once or twice has said things he shouldn’t have; and yet he still is so far superior to what we have now that I think it is silly and counterproductive to criticize him. Why not let go at Jillette or Drew Carey as well for some reason or other – not being great beauties or being “too” critical of religion? I think we may be repeating the Rand/Rothbard problem, where instead of simply criticizing each other’s ideas, drama, high dudgeon, and calls for ostracism abound.
Given all that I think it is funny that I keep coming across people around the world naming their ventures “Libertarian” when they have even less to do with politics or policy than a TV network would.
Here is a milliner in England who makes fanciful hats, who calls her company The Libertarian:
And then there is a property management company, that calls itself The Libertarian:
The Libertarian is a family owned and managed commercial property company based in London Bridge. We have properties in London Bridge and Romford.
Why come to us?We are 100% family owned so our sole priority is with our tenants rather than external investors. We are open, flexible and always responsive to our tenants’ requirements. We have a hands on approach where you will always have a direct line of communication with us to make sure you have the easiest and most stress free transition into your new home for your business.Nick Riley, Director/Owner – nick@libertarian.uk.comNick started in the business from an early age, when instead of being taken to football matches by his father, he was taken to work and given a shovel. He graduated with a Masters in mechanical engineering in 2000 and spent the following years working as a Project Engineer/Manager for Tyco Infrastructure and Bovis Lend Lease in Australia. He assumed the role of director and company secretary of The Libertarian in 2009 and has steered the business towards the acquisition of further property and the modernisation of the existing stock. Nick is co-owner with his sister, Melissa Riley.
So Beck wants to call his TV network libertarian? What’s the problem? He’s been evolving in a libertarian direction for years. He’s almost the only TV presenter (aside from Stossel, Napolitano and Cavuto) who has a clue about inflationism and deficit financing of state expansion and how it causes business cycles, the core and major and unremarked political issue of the past century.
The problem of a growing liberty movement is not going away. For example, every time a state Libertarian Party gets permanent ballot status (as my Congressional campaign just produced in the District of Columbia), control of that party rests with organized groups of people who choose to register as Libertarians, whomever they may be. If you don’t like their positions you will actually have to educate and persuade them, beyond telling them they are not libertarians.