"The Blaze" Going Up In Smoke

It seems like ages since we wrote about right-wing flamethrower Glenn "Dreck" Beck. Dreck was one of the first proto-Trumpian media figures at a time when con man and sociopath Donald "Rump" Trump was still stiffing contractors on his real estate projects. So, it's with a great deal of schadenfreude that we see where Dreck's shabby nutzoid enterprise "TheBlaze" is burning out.

A new round of firings have left Dreck's right-wing conspiracy site with a skeleton crew:

"The right-wing cable and digital media company—founded by Beck shortly before he exited Fox News in 2011—fired another round of staffers this week, shrinking a workforce that has already been reduced to less than 50 employees, according to two sources who spoke with The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity. The two sources also confirmed that more than a dozen employees had been laid off over the past several days."

While Dreck has always been a hardcore, unhinged wingnut, he apparently had some initial qualms (envy?) about Rump, qualms which he dispensed with after seeing that it wasn't helping his media scam:

"Beck’s flair for conspiratorial, right-wing rants were largely seen as a precursor to the Trumpism that has overtaken conservatism in recent years. But as his empire began to crumble, right around the time Trump was elected to office, Beck—who likened Trump to Hitler—began to team up with mainstream media and liberal celebrities, rebranding himself as a born-again champion of civility. That seemingly failed, however, as his business continued to struggle. Ultimately, he flip-flopped on that conciliatory reinvention, donning Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hat in May and declaring on-air: 'I will vote for him in 2020! Gladly!'”

Sadly, we doubt that this will be the last we see of Dreck, given all the money sloshing around in the Wingut Welfare System that he's able to tap into, so we won't shed a tear for him. He has his own ample tears for that.

(photo: Precursor to the Very Stable Genius)

Advertisers Flee As Hannity Steps In It Again

Right-wing hack and Trumpist cult shill Sean "Heil" Hannity has been one of the most prominent defenders of pedophile Bible-banger and little gun-toter Roy "Teen Spirit" Moore, the Rethug candidate for Senate in Alabama. Following highly credible allegations from four women, including one who said Moore abused her at age 14, Hannity went on the offensive (which also describes him). He dismissed the story as a "he said, she said" case, despite the deep sourcing in the WaPo article and the corroboration of some 30 contemporary witnesses, and said that Moore's interactions with the teens was "consensual" despite their age (though he later claimed he "misspoke" and apologized).

The blowback from advertisers has been strong: so far, five major advertisers are walking away from sponsoring Hannity's vile propaganda hour on Fux, with more likely to follow their example. Moreover, after Hannity's despicable conspiracy-mongering last summer about murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, advertisers fled Hannity's program, causing revenues to drop precipitously for Fux. As Hannity becomes more unhinged as his Trumpist, wingnut world unravels around him, expect more meltdowns and loss of advertisers until he's carted off.

Voices

When someone talks about the voices in his head, it's usually time to phone the mental health number.  Our modern-day Lonesome Rhodes, nut ball Glenn "Dreck" Beck, is hearing those voices -- again -- and wants his flock of sheeple to know that they will "save the world," and that this message "has come directly from God."

Perhaps Dreck is back on the drugs he once relied on to hallucinate through his miserable days, or, much more likely, he's scamming the rubes that hang on every demented schtick he spins.  He needs to tell his sheeple that some day they're going to be in charge, not today, not tomorrow, just ….some day.  Just keep listening to Lonesome Rhodes Dreck for instructions until then.

(image: courtesy of driftglass.blogspot.com)

Wingnut Radio Network Files Chapter 11

Citadel Broadcasting, third largest radio broadcasting company and home (in some markets) to the likes of Pills Limpballs and Mark Levin, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Maybe they need to renegotiate some of those wingnuts' contracts?

"Citadel" - is that an appropriate name for a wingnut network or what!? Kind of like "Berchtesgaden Broadcasting."

Wanker of the Month

The month's not even over, but Matthew "Li'l Quill" Continetti of Wee Willie Kristol's "Weekly Standard" shitzine has retired the trophy for November with this nugget from his review of Winky You Betcha's ghost-written book:

"Like a lot of people, as soon as I got my copy of Sarah Palin's 'Going Rogue,' I immediately thought of the German literary critic Hans Robert Jauss."

Really? That was what jumped to mind? You and your small circle of friends need to get out more often, "Li'l Quill" (Matthew is destined, thanks to his pompous prose, to be the next George "Quill" Will)!

What I immediately thought of when I read "Li'l Quill's" review, as well as when I think of Winky You Betcha, is that Republican archetype Hugh Jass.

(Photo: "Li'l Quill" Continetti, purveyor of pretentious twaddle.)

The Most Dishonest Columnist Strikes Again

Wanker extraordinaire and holder of the "Most Dishonest Columnist" trophy Michael "Mushroom Cloud" Gerson has another gem in today's Kaplan Daily. This time he's trying to convince anyone who's been in a coma for the past 9 months to believe it's Obama and the Democrats who are acting "small" by actually pushing back against the unrelenting Rethug attacks. The birthers, teabaggers, town hall clowns, secessionists, socialist/ fascist/ Hitler smears, Limpballs, Boo-Hoo, Manatee, "Waterloo," "Party of No," etc., that's the work of the true midgets in American politics. Oh, add Mushroom Cloud to that list, too.

(Photo: Is this a douche bag or what?!)

Quote of the Day

"Factions should compete, but they should also recognize the legitimacy of other factions and, indeed, their necessity for a vigorous self-regulating democracy. Seeking to deliberately undermine, delegitimatize and destroy is not Madisonian. It is Nixonian." -- Obama Derangement Syndrome sufferer and Fox "News" regular Charles "Kraphammer" Krauthammer in today's WaPo, on the "war" that's been declared on Fux "News" by the Obama administration. The irony here, that clueless Kraphammer presumably misses, is this is precisely what he and Fux "News" have been doing since day one of the Obama term - undermining, delegitimatizing, and destroying (or trying to in their own crackpot way) the Obama presidency. When the administration simply points out the truth that Fux is not a news organization, the wingnut wurlitzer (with a few Villagers like ABC's Jake "Tippy" Tapper) goes into overdrive. And Nixonian? Coming from a Rethug like Kraphammer, is that a complement? Or is it simply the talking point put out by Grover Norquist that seems to be in heavy rotation in wingnuttia the past 36 hours?

And, in related news, as Wonkette reports, Politico's Asshat Mike Allen pumps a Roger Ailes run for Preznit (as a Republican, of course). Hee hee. What planet does this guy live on? No Fox bias there!

A Weiner Gets Cut

A bris? Only metaphorically. Hate radio's Michael "Savage" Weiner has been cut from his flagship San Francisco station, Talk Radio 910 KNEW. Apparently the station wants to go in a new "ideological" direction, and the "Savage Nation" doesn't fit their plans. Would that more stations would drop this sorry sack of scheiss.

(Photo: The Weiner, cut)

"There's a New Wingnut in Town..."

...and his name is Andrew "Fat Andy" Napolitano and Fox News Nutwork has him! The Daily Beast's Michelle Goldberg has the story of Fat Andy and why Fox put him on their on-line service rather than on their cable wingnut wurlitzer (hint: "He makes Glenn Beck look like Jim Lehrer."). Birthers, truthers, secessionists, Paultards -- you name it, Fox will put it on Fat Andy's glorified pod cast. Someday, maybe when Glenn "Boo-Hoo" Beck is committed to the sanitarium, Fat Andy can move up into the big time with seasoned nuts like O'Really and Mannitee.

(Photo: Fat Andy, 1/gazillionth actual size)

Wingnut Correction Time

Balloon Juice captures the debunking of two recent wingnut forays into the health care reform debate. First to be debunked is the bunk-loaded Wee Willie Kristol's performance on The Daily Show, courtesy of Ezra Klein; second up for neutering is Marty Feldstein, who recently opined in the fact-check-and-editor-free pages of the WaPo. Thanks to Jon Chait for that snip and tuck.

Enjoy!

(Photo: the late Marty Feldman -- not Marty Feldstein, although a wingnut could make the case they're one in the same)

More Reason to Savor Franken's Victory

Following Al Franken's victory, TPM canvasses the wacky wingnut media empire of Rupert "Arrrgh!" Murdoch, and finds more gaskets blown than from all the Indy 500's since 1947. They just can't understand how someone who ridiculed their heroes (O'Liely, Mannatee, Pills, The Old Fart Himself) could have possibly been elected. Wait... according to Murdoch's WSJ, the election was "stolen." Riiiiigt!

Maybe it's just me, but it's cosmically satisfying that these over-medicated crackpots are having peptic eruptions over this. I can't wait to watch their tiny heads explode when health care reform is law.

Frank Rich on the "Obama Haters"

Frank Rich adds to the growing focus on the Obama-hate message that's been emanating from the Fox Nutwork and other right-wing media. Maybe the "mainstream" media networks and print will start covering this too? (Nah!)

Limpballs, et al: Right is Left; Also, Up is Down

Southeast Missouri State dropout (after two semesters) Pig-man "Pills" Limbaugh has done some Orwellian spinning in the past, but his attempt to paint Holocaust Museum shooter James von Brunn as a leftist out-Orwells Orwell. Sadly, the Pig-man is not alone on the far right in trying to cast this latest example of right-wing extremism as something other than what it was; as right/left neutral -- or worse, as Leader Limpballs would have it, the work of a lefty.

Living in an alternate reality is one thing; mangling and distorting history is another. You can have your inane opinions, but there's only one set of facts. The facts scream that von Brunn was a man of the lunatic, far right. He's all yours, boys...

Wingnuts Gone Wild

In the aftermath of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, it's good to see some officials are taking right-wing hate speech seriously. Crooks and Liars has the story of right-wing nutbag radio mouth Hal "Heil" Turner, an anti-Semite and white supremacist who was taken into custody by authorities for inciting violence against State of Connecticut officials on his website. In his website rant, he called for "direct action against these individuals personally. . .obey the Constitution or die." That was over the line of free speech, and the Connecticut State Capitol police executed a warrant for the nutbag's arrest.

One hopes that he'll spend some meaningful time behind bars, preferably as the girlfriend of the baddest dudes in the jail.

Out-Foxed

A new Pew Research poll indicates that, by a wide margin, Americans point to the Fux News Channel as being too critical of President Obama. Some 29% identify the Fuxers when asked which of the six broadcast and cable news channels have been too critical. No channel was singled out as being too favorable toward the President. So Fux News, headed by former Reagan aide Roger Ailes, hasn't fooled many Americans into thinking that they're "fair and balanced." With a steady diet of Manatee Hannity, O'Liely, Dreck Beck, and the rest of the crew, Americans see the Fuxers for what they are: a partisan subsidiary of the Rethuglican Party.

UPDATE: Case in point: Fux caught fabricating.

(cartoon by Latoff)

"Pay No Attention to that Bomb-Making Right Winger Behind the Curtain"

Ah yes, it's good to know someone is finally taking the violent right-wing nut rhetoric seriously (besides the progressive blogosphere). Firedoglake reports on the angry wingnut blogger reaction to news that the Department of Homeland Security (heh, let that concept sink in!) issued a report alerting local law enforcement to the increasing danger of violent right-wing extremists.

To the tea baggers, Becks, Bachmanns, Manatees, Malkins, Limpballs, Poots and all the rancid yokels who comprise this noxious stew, be on notice: words have consequences, and violent words have violent consequences.

(Image: Field Marshal Y.B. Sane, commander of the Malkin Brigade.)

A Conservative's Post-Mortem

House Republicans are "cowards, sycophants, and snobs" and the wingnut media are "barkers, hookers, establishmentarian jesters, cultists, and...thatch-headed whiners." These assessments would be expected coming from, say, us. But coming from right-wing hate radio veteran John Batchelor, they're a sign that at least some on the right have the capacity for critical thinking. A longer snippet of Batchelor's post-mortem of the Rethug Party is carried by James Wolcott. Sometimes the truth hurts, Rethugs.

Coordinating Strategery, No Doubt

Item in today's "Reliable Source" (WaPo):

"Hey, Isn't That...?

Rupert Murdoch dining with a flock of House Republicans -- Eric Cantor, Cathy McMorris, Tom Price, Adam Putnam -- at CityZen on Wednesday."

A "flock" of birdbrains. Yes, indeedy.

The Nuts Weren't Just In The Salad

Think Progress has an interesting recap of the "benefits" accruing to President Obama from dining and schmoozing with a gaggle of wingnut pundits a while back. As we reported and speculated earlier, having a "dialog" with hard-core reactionaries like Wee Willie Kristol and Kraphammer wasn't likely to gain Obama more slack, only flack. Well, no time has been wasted by these malefactors in savaging Obama's economic recovery package, to no serious observer's surprise.

It's hard to be "post-partisan" when the other side is hammering you, isn't it?

Fairness is in the Eye of the Beholder

Today's WaPo had yet another right-winger's lament about the assault on their monopoly of hate, er, talk radio. Previous laments have come from such luminaries as "Mushroom Cloud" Gerson and Kraphammer; and now (again) we hear from George "Quill" Will. With everything they could be spilling ink about these days, isn't it curious that they feel so threatened by the (unfortunately, dim) prospect of the Fairness Doctrine being re-activated?

Toward the end of his piece, Quill has a wonderful statement that captures the irony of the cancerous spread of right-wing broadcast networks (Clear Channel, Sterling, Bonneville, etc.) and the message they have driven on the airwaves:

"Having so sullied liberalism's name that they have taken to calling themselves progressives, liberals are now ruining the reputation of reactionaries, which really is unfair."

Quill. Quill. Quill. No, what sullied liberalism's name was its use as a pejorative for 40 years by people like you, Quill, and the crackpots monopolizing the airwaves. Name calling and finger pointing to divide Americans has been a right-wing tactic long before Karl Rove raised it to an art form. What you don't like is for us to fight back. And don't worry - labeling liberals with your newest name (btw, we think "reactionary liberals" sounds an awful lot like Doughy Pantload's "liberal fascists" - creativity isn't a reactionary strong suit) doesn't ruin reactionaries' reputation. That's been accomplished by all the people enshrined in your Hall of Fame: McCarthy, Nixon, Agnew, Reagan, Cheney, Bush, etc., and the crackpots in the wingnut welfare media that you want to shield.

(Image: Quill's doppelganger, Richie Rich)