Joan Walsh: Beck: Losing his viewers, maybe his mind?

[cal04]

His warnings about a Muslim Caliphate and Chinese New Zealand are only one of the right's delusions about Egypt
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joan_walsh/politics/2011/02/02/beck_loses_audience_and_maybe_his_mind

It took a few days for right-wing opportunists to figure out exactly how to deal with the popular uprising against Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, but they've caught up. Most of the world has watched the massive, peaceful demonstrations with deep admiration, hopes for a peaceful outcome, and uncertainty about where it will end up, especially with the emergence of violent Mubarak thugs Wednesday. Some Republicans, including John Boehner and even Mitt Romney, have actually managed to praise President Obama's cautious but increasingly firm statements demanding change. Despite the confusion, some right-wing fear-mongers are galloping to wildly false conclusions that serve them politically.

Naturally, Glenn Beck is the worst. We know he's losing his audience -- his January ratings were his lowest since his show began two years ago -- and he may be losing his mind. Monday night Beck outlined his grand vision of three dominant world powers, as a result of the Egyption turmoil. In case you missed it: "One, a Muslim caliphate that controls the Mideast and parts of Europe. Two, China, that will control Asia, the southern half of Africa, part of the Middle East, Australia, maybe New Zealand, and God only knows what else. And Russia, which will control all of the old former Soviet Union bloc, plus maybe the Netherlands. I'm not really sure. But their strong arm is coming. That leaves us and South America. What happens to us?"

What happens to us, indeed, in a country where Beck still has an audience of 1.7 million people (even if it's down a third from its peak)? On Tuesday he laid the blame for Egypt's unrest at the feet of "the uber-left, the anarchists and the communists and the socialists, the radicals, sowing the seeds and helping those in Egypt," and proclaimed: "The storm that I've talked about for so many years is here. The coming insurrection is here." Mercifully, he hasn't mentioned Frances Fox Piven (yet).

(snip)
We talked about Beck and right-wing hysteria about Egypt on "Hardball" today:
(video at link)

[Drale]

1. I'm not sure he ever had a sane mind to begin with

and you can't lose something you never had.

[madinmaryland]

2. Did he ever have mind???

[Maraya1969]

3. Alcoholics often have mental illness that is underneath the drinking.

The drinking is a self medication of sorts. I don't think Glen Beck is a plain old ordinary alcoholic. I have thought he was a bit nuts since I first saw him.

My unprofessional diagnosis is: bipolar disorder with manic phases of delusions of grandeur. He is the type that if he were to break out in a full blown psychosis he would believe he is Jesus. Even now he thinks he sees things that other people don't, because he has special powers. He interprets symbols into signs and he is the the one chosen to break their code.

I had a friend once that told me she had these delusions once where she thought license plates were a collection of signs from God that she was supposed to interpret. Now, she realizes that she was not in reality when she believed these things but Glen Beck who's main audience is the tea bagger party of the US still believes he has the power.

[Mopar151]

5. But it's so boring to be sane......

i knew a guy that was bipolar - the few months before he got on lithium, he was some fun:crazy: :bounce: to watch!:crazy: :bounce: He was kinda dissapointed when he came back to earth, and all the secret messages on the radio went away. :boring:

[Maraya1969]

6. I have bipolar and so did my late lover. One time she got very

manic and was speeding because, "The people were driving like turtles" and she was picked up. This was many years ago before cell phones. She ended up in jail until I bailed her out. She was furious the police arrested her and treated her badly, (she had a tiny scratch on her arm) repeated over and over that she was going to sue when all of a sudden she said: "I know what I'm going to do" and she picked up the phone, dialed 411 and said:

"I WANT F.LEE BAILEY, ATTORNEY And then of course there was the "Fuck you" when the operator said something back.

(I was laughing at her antics all night, waiting for her psychiatrist to get into his office the next morning. I told her we needed to validate her injuries so we had to go to the emergency room)

Finally a nurse and myself walked her to the psychiatric ward and she yelled every time we passed a clock because, "The clocks are all wrong"

I can laugh at this because I know she was not suffering and I had and have since been the same way and I supposed I was entertaining to others. That was one of the funniest nights of my life.

I miss her so.

[bleever]

4. This thread was unrecced because:

1. Someone thinks that Glenn Beck's mind is as sharp as ever! (for whatever that's worth);

2. Someone things Joan Walsh should just SHUT HER BIG YAP!

3. If you stimulate a frog's leg with an electrical impulse, it will kick, even if the rest of the frog is not connected.