http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/10/14/slave-to-the-cocktail-circuit/
This blog discusses the recent fallout over David Frum's resignation (or forced removal) from AEI and the subsequent suggestion from one conservative that Frum attacked current conservatism as a way to be "invited to all the liberal social Georgetown parties." The article then goes on to say that opportunities for moderate conservatives (David Brooks, David Frum, etc.) at mainstream publications such as the New York Times are limited.
So what do aspiring conservative journalists do? According to this guy, they became right-wing ideologues, knowing such a mindset will land them a contract at conservative magazines or news programs. To me, it suggests that individuals like Limbaugh are not the true believers in their show, but understand it's the best to make money.
So, I raise the question (as Abhay and I did in our Limbaugh research): Are Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and others the true believers they claim to be or just raking it in on an act?
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Great question. How would it be possible to know the answer to this question?
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion is that anyone who claims to know with certainty the range of things Beck, Limbaugh et al. claim to know about the uncertain universe of politics is either delusional (or based on psychopathy) or phony (an act of authentic belief). How have I arrived at this opinion? Years of experimentation existentially with people who claim to know such things with certainty who are absolutely mortified by the thought that they might be wrong. Those I've known who seem less fearful of being wrong, seem to be open to competing claims--while retaining a sense of skepticism or comfort with uncertainty until the evidence is in. But, of course, this is only my best guess at this point. Therefore, it could be wrong. But, again, how would we know?
It is a great question, one i've been debating myself, especially with regards to Beck. He came on onto TV not too long ago, and was not that bad on CNN headline news or whatever that channel is. He did some outrageous things, but it certainly wasn't an everyday occurance. Then when he signs with Fox, all of a sudden he's borderline insane. Part of it has to be an act, to account for changes like that. However, to dismiss all the talking heads as phony is i think a huge mistake. I think Beck really is very conservative, I think he really does fear the "cancer" of progressivism, and i think it's possible that he has convinced himself of what he's saying and that he really thinks he is saving the country. Or he could just be trying to win people over to his side of the political argument with theatrics and publicity-generating stunts.
ReplyDeleteLimbaugh falls into the same category, although i feel in general like is having a lot more fun with his status, purposely saying things that he knows will outrage liberals, then insulting them when they speak out. Its more obvious that he's in on the game.
As far as the article goes, i think you have to be careful assuming that people "become" right-wing ideologues in order to gain popularity. I think it's more likely the case that people who are already ideologues are just more likely to generate attention and be successful than more moderate voices. Like it or not, the extremists do tend to be more fun to watch than the middle-ground voices.