During the 50's the GOP salivated over the blacklisting of communists. If you worked in television or radio you had to prove you weren't a communist otherwise you didn't work. The right mobilized its forces and convinced companies that they would boycott their products if they advertised on shows featuring "subversives."
Red Channels was among the more terrifying red baiting action committees. It had television and radio executives, intrinsic cowards already, around the necks. In the end, it didn't matter whether or not the "communists" where in fact communists. It also turned out Red Channels had little to no sway over the people it promised would do all the boycotting once called upon to do so. It took Louis Nizer and John Henry Faulk to discover how weak these bullies truly were in their famous trial to clear Faulk's name. But by then it was the 60's and the damage had already been done.
Now we have the boycott of Glenn Beck. Or: Red State Channels.
Liberals are deploying the threat of lost profits to do what the FCC should have done with this lying clown long ago. Funny how ACLU trashing Republicans scream first amendment when its happening to them.
If we learned anything from campaign finance laws it's that money is speech. Not spending money is also speech. If Glenn Beck is free to say whatever he wants, I am free not to spend money on any company that pays him to say what he says.
Because in the end all Beck and his ilk ever truly understand is money. Beck is nothing more than a corporate shill. Witness his appearance earlier this year on The View when Barbara Walters kept asking him what he really believed in and Beck, except for some patriotic tripe about freedom, kept coming up empty. The answer Babs is Glenn believes in making money.
Once the corporations stop paying him he'll probably pull a Huffington and switch sides. And because Americans, even liberals, have no memory, they'll think he was born a lefty, just like red diaper baby Arianna Huffington who has been championing the left since....what? Ten years ago.
Ah yes, Arianna Huffington who in 1994 ran her Republican husband for senate promising to deny illegal aliens education and health benefits. (Prop 187) Then it turns out illegal aliens were raising her children. And the rest is history long forgotten by liberals who want to believe opportunistic chameleons life Arianna Huffington choose their colors based on any core beliefs.
Where was I? Oh yeah. Glenn Beck.