Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:07 pm
The city council of Glenn Beck’s hometown of Mount Vernon, WA has distanced itself from the mayor’s plan to honor Beck on September 26 with Glenn Beck. Last night the city council unanimously passed a motion that stated that the council is not affiliated with Glenn Beck day in any way.
According to The Seattle Times, the motion stated, “Mount Vernon City Council is in no way sponsoring the Mayor’s event on September 26, 2009 and is not connected to the Glenn Beck event in any manner.”
The day was Mayor Bud Norris’ idea to present Beck with a key to his hometown, but the controversial talk show host managed to divide his own hometown, and the idea of Glenn Beck Day filled up the courtroom where the meeting was held. It is estimated that 100 people attended. It isn’t a surprise that even Beck’s hometown would be polarized.
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As far as whether or not Beck should be honored, the argument can be made that he is a local guy who has become a national figure, so he is worthy of the honor, the other side of the argument is that Beck has risen to prominence through antics such as calling the president a racist. The town could be seen as endorsing Beck’s rhetoric by honoring him.
My opinion is that giving Glenn Beck the key to his hometown will not lead to the fall of the republic, but there is a risk that comes with any action that could be viewed as an endorsement of Beck’s tactics. There are probably people currently residing in Mount Vernon who are more deserving than Beck.
This looks like a publicity stunt for the mayor, and a chance to raise money as attending the Beck event will cost you twenty five bucks to attend. I wouldn’t want my hometown identified with Glenn Beck, and I hope the mayor thought this thing through, or else he could be in for some negative publicity the next time Beck goes off the deep end.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
