Glenn Beck, Then and Now

By: Clifden Kennedy
Topics: In Case You Missed It

Last Saturday, tens of thousands of people descended on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to hear conservative commentator Glenn Beck speak about restoring traditional American values.

Our story about the crowd estimate at Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally has been one of the top stories at CBSNews.com in the past 24 hours.

On Monday, Beck said his rally attracted "a minimum of 500,000 people" and complained that news outlets underestimated the number attendees.

At the rally, Beck declared "something beyond imagination is happening."

One year ago, could Beck have imagined this rally?

In an interview for @katiecouric last year, Beck described his audience as, "people who just want to understand what's going on. They don't want to hate anybody. They don't want to yell at anybody. They quite honestly don't want to get off their couch at night or on a weekend and go march in a tea party. They don't want to do that."

According to the turnout over the weekend, it appears they want to do precisely that.

Check out Katie's interview with Glenn Beck, below.

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by JayAdler1 September 10, 2010 12:36 PM EDT: Watching Glenn Beck reminds me of when Jack Parr ruled the Tonight Show a long time ago in my youth. Jack was a very psychological host, nothing like Steve Allen who was multi talented on instruments writing books and being brilliant and quick. Johnny was melodramatic in his personal life but his conversation was that quick dry wit of the mid-westerner that won the day and made him the Once and Future King of Late Night. Jack Parr quit on the air once, Glenn Beck just as psychological in his features will never do that. Beck wants to tell us in a round about way that we may be descending unless we do something about it.; Reply to this comment


by JayAdler1 September 8, 2010 12:31 AM EDT: I think it was that enchanting actress Betty Davis who said I don't care if people talk about me, I just don't want them to stop talking about me. There you go, that is precisely your Glenn Beck. Sure he manages to get a lot of bloggers and print media and TV talk show hosts saying some nasty things about him and believe me he is laughing all the way to the bank. Glenn is definitely not a right winger or a character or worse, he is a super intelligent media performer who has managed to get the entire country discussing him and his rhetoric for better or worse,; Reply to this comment


by JayAdler1 September 7, 2010 3:21 AM EDT: I really like Glenn Beck although I do find him embraced with a certain continuity that is difficult to follow. To me he is circuitous at times and to the best of my knowledge although Glenn is systematically drawn and quartered by the blogging youth on Left Wing sites, I do not remember him ever saying he was anything but an Independent.His history lessons in the late afternoon broach esoteric subjects that are rarely mentioned in social gatherings such as eugenics, the Third Reich and Woodrow Wilson's merge with the Progressive Movement. I think he is painting the Obama administration with objections but he does so as if he were Camus or Proust or Schopenhauer. I have never figured out how the average Joe on the couch drinking his beer and eating his chips and armed with a modicum of education can begin to understand him. I happen to be with him, there is a chemistry I feel. I believe Glenn Beck could sway an election for the better.
ly; Reply to this comment


by Sean707 September 4, 2010 5:51 PM EDT: Search for an interview of Glenn Beck with Barbara Walters and find out about Beck?s sinister past or his interview with 20/20 in which Beck admitted that he converted to Mormonism without spiritual conviction and mocked religion believes as a joke. Basically, Beck is not incidentally spurious; he is just another show business man that took the already established scheme started by Howard Stern. As a media personality without particular talent Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh can only use sensationalism to be in the media market. While Stern uses pornography; Beck and Limbaugh use bigotry. However, Beck is usually good material for comedians like Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert as Beck is frequently found contradicting himself. For instance Beck was the first in using Nazi and Communist references to demonize the Obama administration but his whole parody backfired at him when an actual Nazi Socialist Movement (NSM) was found to be behind the SB-1070 fascist law as its author the Arizona State Senator Russel Pearce was found associated with the NSM gang Leader J.T Ready. Moreover, search a video of Beck complaining about our health care system when he was hospitalized contrasted with a Beck show about Health Care reform stating that ?we have the best health care system in the world?, which in part is true as we produce the best medical technology globally, but according to Beck only royalty can have access to it as he refers to foreign prime ministers using the health care resources of Americans. At the end the exposure of how fake Beck really is by comedians, it is just hilarious.; Reply to this comment


by wjbtms September 3, 2010 7:37 PM EDT: dh1976: Your comments are typical of the uninformed left. Beck believes in the separation of Church and State from the viewpoint that there should never be ONE single church/religion selected as the religion for all, as our founders had intended... I happen to believe and interpret the first amendment in that way also. This is not a contradiction of the Constitution. Check your history and you will find out for yourself.

Next, the founders believed the only way this country can survive as a republic is through its citizens' belief in a God centered life (does not matter which faith or religion). Without that we cannot hold the union together for one simple reason, the morality of the society breaks down.

So what did Beck suggest on Saturday? First, we must individually seek the truth in ourselves, not lie about what we are and then figure out how we can improve and live a life with strong principles/values. The same things our God expects of us. Next, we must also seek out the truth about where this country is. "Question with boldness" as one of our founders suggested. Next we need to put aside our differences and work together to fix this country so it can be a great leader of freedom for the world again. That means that we as republicans, conservatives, liberals, democrats, Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Jews, Muslims, black, white, brown, Asian, etc must find those things which we can agree on and work from that to fix this country's problems so that our children can experience the same freedoms we have experienced in the past.

How is "working together to fix America" a bad plan? There were over 200 clergy of all faiths who joined Beck on stage and endorsed working towards a faith centered America.

There is a blogger Lexington Green who wrote a blog on "I think I see what Beck is doing" at http://chicagoboyz.net/

Take a read through that...

We need to stop the fighting and work together to fix the very serious problems of this country. It won't be easy and it will be painful, but it must be done to save the future of this nation for our children.

The road to fixing the country won't be as easy as yelling slurs at your perceived opponent/enemy. It won't be without all of us eating a bit of crow, but it is the only way this country will make it through the challenges it faces now.

So which is it? Are you going to continue to yell at the other side or are going to start to listen to those around you and work together for the future of America.......; Reply to this comment


by jdj143 September 1, 2010 5:09 PM EDT: This Article is a joke. Seriously, CBS writes and reports on petty news like this? WOW; Reply to this comment


by dh1976 September 1, 2010 4:46 PM EDT: If you want to see the America that Beck is urging on, you need only read his followers? comments on this site http://wp.me/pNmlT-mI which is critical of Beck and his rally. They are cult like in their blind adherence to the Beck doctrine, and this despite the fact that for some, like the Tea Party, Beck's worldview contradicts their core belief in the Constitution and the separation of church and state! It is sobering to read and provides a warning we all need to heed.; Reply to this comment