NY Daily News Photo label - Beck, The Carnival Barker

[RamboLiberal]

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Whatever the size of Beck's crowd Saturday - estimates had it anywhere from 87,000 to half a million - this event was the kind of political showbiz that seems to inform so much of American life these days. Starring carnival barkers like Beck. Who dress up Hallmark platitudes about honor and freedom and God and country and actually delude themselves into believing they're doing it for something other than ratings.

You go back and watch his speech, and watch Palin's, and realize this was just another made-for-TV event, a reality show masquerading as a momentous political happening. And church service: If I'm this close to God, the other side must be lined up with the Devil.

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Beck hates it when people compare him to Father Charles Coughlin, the radio wingnut of the 1930s. He talks about how vastly different their politics are, and he's right about that. But Beck is the new Coughlin in so many other ways, starting with this one: confusing the size of his crowds and the size of his audience with an actual political movement.

So did Coughlin, whose career ended badly, the way Beck's someday will. The Michigan clergyman finally became so delusional he thought he could run a North Dakota congressman, William Lemke, for President. This was in 1936, on Coughlin's own Union Party ticket. Coughlin had a vast radio audience in a smaller America, and predicted that Lemke would get 9 million votes. He got 900,000.

Coughlin was another showman who thought he was something more. And a champion of the little people, the way Beck says he is. Not to mention being real good with God. Yeah. That's what they all say.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/08/30/2010-08-30_shock_jock_has_a_dream_pick_king_moment_rally_tea_baggers_restore_honor_to_us_gl.html#ixzz0y6Ld8Uch