Glenn Beck may be this close to finally fulfilling his sideshow clown destiny as he has been offered a chance to appear on World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night to defend the Tea Party.
Right wing media is steaming with outrage over the WWE’s creation of a new villian based on the tea party. The new character named Zeb Coulter, who is really Dutch Mantel for you older fans, delivered a State of the Union address during this week’s Monday Night Raw.
Video:
This segment enraged the right, but most specifically Glenn Beck. Beck was so upset that he used his secure, undisclosed location ( a.k.a. The Blaze) to do what he does best. Beck attacked the WWE with an insane conspiracy theory.
“The WWE now has put a new character out that is demonizing the TEA Party. You know Linda McMahon, I’m sorry you didn’t win. We should have seen how your true colors early on, and I think we did,” Glenn said. “She’s just one of these progressive Republicans that we worry about.”
The character, Zeb Colter, is a Vietnam veteran who criticizes people who don’t speak English and have “faces I don’t even recognize”. He talks about deporting immigrants (no distinction between legal and illegal).
Oh, and he is using “Truth” and “We the People” as a villainous catchphrase. Awesome.
“So may I ask: Did George Soros buy the WWE? Is this a Cass Sunstein presentation? And maybe it’s just us. Maybe ‑‑ you know what? Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe that’s the way WWE people view the TEA Party. And maybe they love to hate the TEA Party. But I have to tell you, I expect that from Hollywood, but I don’t expect ‑‑ if I’m getting my entertainment from somebody that I think is on my side ‑‑ and I’m sorry. I just don’t see a bunch of progressives going and buying their tickets to the WWE. Do you? I mean, and maybe there are. I tend to notice that the progressives are not as popular in the South unless they’ve moved from the North. So I’m just trying to figure out exactly who they’re trying to appeal here, who they’re appealing to.”
Never one to miss an opportunity for free mainstream publicity, the WWE invited Beck to come on their flagship program, Monday Night Raw this week,
WWE has extended an invitation to talk show host and political commentator, Glenn Beck to appear live this Monday on Raw, in response to a segment that aired on TheBlaze TV yesterday. In the segment, Beck references WWE as “stupid wrestling people,” when criticizing a recent WWE storyline involving WWE characters Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio®, Jack Swagger® and Zeb Colter®. WWE is giving Beck the opportunity to address our 14 million weekly viewers and our global fan base, as he believes we are offending our “conservative” fans with this storyline.
Similar to other television shows and feature films, WWE is in the entertainment business, creating fictional characters that serve as protagonists or antagonists. To create compelling and relevant content for our audience, it is important to incorporate current events into our storylines. WWE is creating a rivalry centered on a topical subject that has varying points of view. This storyline was developed to build the Mexican American character Del Rio into a hero given WWE’s large Latino base, which represents 20 percent of our audience.
Anyone who has watched the WWE since the dawn of WrestleMania knows that they crave mainstream publicity. For Vince and Linda McMahon mainstream publicity is like crack, and they have been trying recapture the high that came from Hulkamania and the buildup to the first WrestleMania for decades.
The “sports entertainment” business has been in a prolonged slump for years, but the WWE seems to have hit on a winner with a current story centered around a Hispanic heavyweight champion, a tea party villain, and illegal immigration.
Glenn Beck is making a ton of money, but has not being seen by many viewers since Fox News canned his crazy ass almost two years ago. Glenn Beck doesn’t usually appear on media that he doesn’t control, so if Beck actually shows up on Monday Night Raw, this is all likely part of the WWE’s attempt to get mainstream press before WrestleMania.
In the end, it really doesn’t matter if this is a legit offer to Beck, or a “work.” The larger than life freak show that is professional wrestling has always been Glenn Beck’s destiny.
If Beck does end up on wrestling, consider that it was just a few years ago that he was the hottest name in political media. He was being talked about as the man who could take both Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly’s thrones. His ratings powered Fox News.
Thanks to his ability to build his brand he makes a ton of money every year, but as a political influence Beck has vanished off the map. (We’ve also seen the WWE’s underwhelming political influence in action, right Sen. Linda McMahon?) The man who killed his mainstream career by calling President Obama a racist has now been offered a chance to defend the tea party on pro wrestling, sorry “sports entertainment.”
Nothing says the tea party is dead like being mocked by the WWE.
PoliticusUSA
G+
Facebook
Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 2:55 pm
I was watching this online the other night when Mantel went off, and I couldnt help but think boy this is going to piss someone off big time. But I didnt think it would be beck lol. I thought it was a bit extreme.
The crowd will boo Beck off the stage. Linda probably had nothing to do with this and Beck is calling her out. I cant stop laughing at the fool.
There are a huge number of Latinos watching this. I know its also big in Mexico
It all may be moot however, Swagger was pulled over after leaving that show and busted for pot and drinking lol.
loading...
Jerry Blackburn
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Duh Glenn Beck! everyone knows the WWE is just a haven for Islamosexual Fascmmunists.
Haven’t you ever wondered about why they make fun of rednecks ALL the time? Maybe you just need to get a new, bigger, more insane chalkboard to figure everything out.
loading...
djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 3:10 pm
I’m so confused.The people that’s behind the WWE are republicans,one even ran as a tea party candidate for senate, Ms.Linda.Now I thought they are all in favor of the Free Market,right?So whats the problem?
loading...
ConfusedProgressive
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Aren’t we the side of love and acceptance and toning down the rhetoric? This seems like a really spiteful hateful piece of work. I don’t know that it belongs among a united people of peace and utopian ideals.
loading...
Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 4:01 pm
No we are the side that lays down and takes it like a man.
Happy?
loading...
mjh
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Aren’t we the side of love and acceptance and toning down the rhetoric?
Contrary to popular opinion, “love, acceptance and toning down the rhetoric” are NOT incompatible with calling out both the BS and BSers who create it . . .
.
loading...
Hrafnkell Haraldsson
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 3:41 pm
I’ve been watching these episodes of WWE with increasing joy. What’s most interesting to me is that the audience boos the Tea Party (Zeb and Jack). Of course it’s all over the top – it’s WWE after all. Part of it might be that the audience understands the game that is WWE. Part of it might be that the Tea Party has simply become that unpopular.
loading...
djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 4:03 pm
. (Part of it might be that the Tea Party has simply become that unpopular)
The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. 18% would equal a total of 55,261,179 Americans.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/tea_party_movement/index.html
Seems about right seeing thats what rmoney got in the election .Dont let people fool you into thinging they are a grassroot indepent movement.They are republicans plain and simple
loading...
mjh
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Part of it might be that the Tea Party has simply become that unpopular.
The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. 18% would equal a total of 55,261,179 Americans.
Yes the teabaggers have become that unpopular. And do you know why?
They’re not a grassroots movement, they’re an astroturf movement founded by Charles and David Koch.
As such, they were loud and numerous as long as the Koch money was flowing . . . but, once the presidential campaign season started, the Kochsucker Brothers had to devote all their time and money to ensuring their friend Mitt Romney got into the White House.
That meant less for the teabaggers — hence, the dwindling (and eventual disappearance) of crowds of teabaggers at the post office every April Tax Day . . .
.
loading...
Brigita Petrutis
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Sure hope you’re right about the death knell tolling for the Tea Party “movement”. I’m certain the orchestrators of this mob will not give up, however, and the effort to expose the fraud that was perpetrated on this country and its government should continue. I also wonder how much money the Koch brothers could have saved had they only paid some taxes, instead of throwing up a false revolution and funding Karl Rove’s madness.
loading...
oinonio
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 4:55 pm
This is brilliant on WWE’s part. If there’s any politicking involved, perhaps McMahon is playing for Rove’s team and deep-sixing the teaparty image for the next cycle? I like the that teaparty wingnut is a riff off of Ann Coulter.
loading...
Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 5:22 pm
it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. I cannot imagine Vince McMahon going for the tea party. He’s far more of a businessman and straightforward Republican. It’s no surprise that he would give Glenn Beck a chance to make a total fool of himself
loading...
Scooter Livingston
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Hmmm…now I wonder if one of the divas will be made up to look like Ann Coulter and she will become part of the storyline….
loading...
mjh
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Who says it’ll be one of the divas? ;^)>
.
loading...
Laurel
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Wrestling is just as fake as Glenn Beck and his (supposedly) grass-roots tea party, and I think perhaps he is afraid of people comparing and contrasting and seeing that there is more to compare than to contrast.
loading...
Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 6:27 pm
Wrestling is FAKE? WHAT? My life is OVAH!
loading...
mjh
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 7:11 pm
“Similar to other television shows and feature films, WWE is in the entertainment business, creating fictional characters that serve as protagonists or antagonists.”
And therein lies Becky’s problem.
While the WWE and Becky are both entertainment entities that masquerade as legitimate competition/journalism, only the former actually acknowledges it . . .
.
loading...
Clavell Jackson
Feb. 22nd, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Glenn Beck has finally reached his target audience.
loading...
nick
Feb. 23rd, 2013 at 8:21 am
Glenn Beck: “It’s still real to me dammit!”
loading...
Anne
Feb. 23rd, 2013 at 9:36 am
It looks like Glen Beck has sunk to his true level of incompetence and irrevelance.
loading...
PSzymeczek
Feb. 23rd, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Beck has hit bottom and is starting to dig.
loading...