Beck Channels 1930’s Era Invective

10 September 2010 |permalink | email article

Glenn Beck may think his recent successful “Restoring America” rally in Washington earns him part of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. But as Bloomberg News columnist Albert R. Hunt wrote he has far more in common with another religious political figure, the late Charles Coughlin, the Catholic priest who led a populist-right crusade against President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s.

Both share much in common: mesmerizing broadcasters able to articulate the anger and frustration of a flock frightened by tough economic times. Michael Kazin, a Georgetown University professor who wrote a book about American populism, said Beck and Coughlin “speak the language of rebellion against the establishment and to bring America back to God, citing a golden era of the past.”

Beck dismisses these comparisons, citing their differences. Yet substitute Coughlin’s animus for Jews, communists and FDR for Beck’s toward Muslims, socialists, illegal immigrants and Barack Obama and the similarities seem greater. “Still, like Coughlin, who was ultimately silenced by pubic opinion and the Catholic Church, Beck brings so much baggage that he may ultimately hurt political causes or parties associated with him.”

Yet Hunt sees the Coughlin parallel as instructive. The priest was brought down when it became apparent his gospel was based less on faith and hope than on fear and prejudice. “This is also why the Glenn Beck gospel won’t appeal to most Americans or endure politically.”

Undeterred, Beck will team up with Sarah Palin tomorrow in Anchorage at a pricey event to commemorate the ninth anniversary of 9/11 in what she described on Facebook as a gathering of patriots who “will never forget.”

California Notebook

The state’s deficit is close to $19 billion, a budget impasse has dragged on for two months, and lame duck Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t appear very concerned. The celebrity driven Republican governor is off to Asia on a trade to China, South Korea and Japan. The trip is being paid for by a business group Schwarzenegger has often used to pay for travel expenses. A Hong Kong-based eCommerce company also donated $550,000 for the trip.

Jack Citrin, director of the Institute of Government Studies at UC Berkeley, told the Sacramento Bee that Schwarzenegger’s absence won’t affect budget negotiations because the public perception of Sacramento “could not be any worse.” With his approval rating at a record-low 22 percent, the governor will be remembered more as an actor better suited for Hollywood roles than as an effective leader.

 

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