Glenn Beck has excused murderous rampages as an understandable result of "political correctness" and joked about poisoning a member of the United States congress.
And to top it all off, he diagnosed bi-racial President Obama as being infected with a psychological bias against white people: "This president has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people. ... This guy is, I believe, a racist."
Many of us complained to FOX and nothing changed. Until now.
The push back against Beck finally took off when James Rucker and Color of Change.org started a petition aimed at FOX's lifeblood: advertisers, not the network itself.
GEICO told us that they will no longer run ads during Beck's show.
This comes on the heels of news last week that four other advertisers -- Lawyers.com, Progressive Insurance, Procter & Gamble and SC Johnson -- also distanced themselves from Beck. None of this would have been possible without the thousands of people -- more than 75,000, now -- who have taken action and signed our petition to Glenn Beck's advertisers. [ ]
We're making incredible progress. As Glenn Beck's advertisers learn of his hateful rhetoric, and how deeply it concerns thousands of organized people across the country, they're deciding that they don't want their companies associated with Beck's divisive fear-mongering. Source: James Rucker: GEICO Pulls Its Ads from Glenn Beck Show - Huffington Post
Beck has the right to free speech. And we have the right not to spend our money with companies that condone inciting hate speech and to redirect those dollars toward companies that condemn it.
I signed the petition and sent it to 20 of my friends. And I'll call GEICO for a quote when my current auto insurance runs out in October. Can't say for sure that I'll switch, but I will if they can make the numbers work.
President Obama Pictures
Leftist activists burn a portrait of US President Barack Obama in front of the US Embassy in Buenos Aires on August 12, 2009 during a protest against the US Imperialism and the coup d'Etat in Honduras. AFP PHOTO / JUAN MABROMATA (Photo credit should read JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Leftist activists burn a portrait of US President Barack Obama in front of the US Embassy in Buenos Aires on August 12, 2009 during a protest against the US Imperialism and the coup d'Etat in Honduras. AFP PHOTO / JUAN MABROMATA (Photo credit should read JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Leftist activists burn a portrait of US President Barack Obama in front of the US Embassy in Buenos Aires on August 12, 2009 during a protest against the US Imperialism and the coup d'Etat in Honduras. AFP PHOTO / JUAN MABROMATA (Photo credit should read JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Health care reform protesters join a demonstration in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on August 12, 2009. The protesters gathered outside a venue where Democratic US Senator Arlen Specter was holding a town hall meeting on the proposed health reforms. Republicans are loudly fretting over the cost of reform plans by US President Barack Obama, with some branding it "socialism" and warning that the soaring US budget deficit will skyrocket if the president gets his way. AFP PHOTO/Virginie Montet (Photo credit should read Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Health care reform protesters join a demonstration in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on August 12, 2009. The protesters gathered outside a venue where Democratic US Senator Arlen Specter was holding a town hall meeting on the proposed health reforms. Republicans are loudly fretting over the cost of reform plans by US President Barack Obama, with some branding it "socialism" and warning that the soaring US budget deficit will skyrocket if the president gets his way. AFP PHOTO/Virginie Montet (Photo credit should read Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Health care reform protesters join a demonstration in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on August 12, 2009. The protesters gathered outside a venue where Democratic US Senator Arlen Specter was holding a town hall meeting on the proposed health reforms. Republicans are loudly fretting over the cost of reform plans by US President Barack Obama, with some branding it "socialism" and warning that the soaring US budget deficit will skyrocket if the president gets his way. AFP PHOTO/Virginie Montet (Photo credit should read Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Health care reform protesters take signs as they join a demonstration in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on August 12, 2009. The protesters gathered outside a venue where Democratic US Senator Arlen Specter was holding a town hall meeting on the proposed health reforms. Republicans are loudly fretting over the cost of reform plans by US President Barack Obama, with some branding it "socialism" and warning that the soaring US budget deficit will skyrocket if the president gets his way. AFP PHOTO/Virginie Montet (Photo credit should read Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama embraces Professor Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh after presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on August 12, 2009. Obama awarded 16 individuals the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama talks presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Professor Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on August 12, 2009. Obama awarded 16 individuals the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama talks to Professor Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh before presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on August 12, 2009. Obama awarded 16 individuals the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Comments: (27)
Add a comment
By: Mirembe on 8/13/2009 1:12PM
This is awesome!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Kathy on 8/13/2009 2:26PM
My sentiments exactly! Walk softly and tug at the ol' purse strings. They'll get the message that we won't continue to tolerate this so call "freedom of speech" This is our "freedom to choose".
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: carrie640 on 8/13/2009 3:59PM
Firstly..I dare you to leave this up.
Secondly...can any of us HONESTLY say that if Glenn Beck were BLACK, this story would be in existence???
If GLENN BECK were BLACK calling a WHITE PRESIDENT (and Obama *IS* half white) racist....would there be an uproar? Would all of you be crying?
No. There would be no advertisers pulling out on the radio show.
Society is SOOOO terrified of even remotely being associated with the R word (racism) that they run as soon as the first syllable is uttered.
OUTRAGEOUS.
These people endorsed a program that is BASED on opinions. People LOVE drama...they LOVE controversy. THAT is what brings the ratings in...and ratings bring advertisers.
Don't think Geico and the like ran because they disagree of the opinion, itself Advertisers KNOW ahead of time what kind of show they are endorsing.....they are running because they don't want to lose their minority customers by "appearing" to be associated with the R word.
Get a clue and by ALL means, if you want equality, then PRACTICE it.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Ray on 8/14/2009 1:48AM
Carrie, i have to disagree with you...if beck was black, he simply wouldn't be heard. I give you Al Sharpton for an example...i live in Arizona and NO ONE here even knew he had a radio show until we discovered satellite radio. He discusses topics about racism often and you hardly EVER hear about it in the national media until they want to start a race debate.
While i mentioned national media i might as well harp on this subject too..glen beck, sean hannity, bill o'reilly, rush limbaugh are all on national, syndicated media outlets with millions of viewers/listeners. They should be held to a highter responsibility of political correctness because of the position of influence they hold. faux news is a national news outlet yet they do not report the news as much as they attack public figures mainly by means of blashphemy. You don't see an ethics problem there? They would be more appropriately placed on comedy central or TNN.
In short beck deserves to have sponsors pull back from him and i see it as companies doing the right thing by not endorsing this hate speech AND standing up for their employees!
Report This
By: I am baddkitty on 8/15/2009 10:25PM
i dare you to get a fudging clue you idiot
Report This
By: cocoadelight on 8/13/2009 10:57PM
These lying "journalists" like Beck don't understand the concept of conscience. They only care and understand losing money from deep pockets.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lashawn on 8/14/2009 5:23AM
@ Carrie - I'm pretty sure Kanye West lost sponsors when he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people." (during a telethon for Katrina survivors)
Other blacks (ie Akon) have also lost sponsorships (Verizon... and a drink compnay... coke? Pepsi) for doing things that Bill O'Reilly deemed horrible.
So, surely, it goes both ways. A white show host on HBO (Bill Maher?) lost sponsors for dissing Catholics on his show. ALL people seem to realize that the way to get someone's attention is to start messing with their income. This is no different.
No one's saying that advertisers left Beck because he's a racist. Beck is inciting hate against the President of the US for whatever reason he wants to. For a network that claims people are anti-american and unpatriotic for not supporting the President that they like... they're being quite hypocritical to do nothing but bash the current President and expect to get away with it.
Trust me, if Beck were black and a conservative show host on Fox and said Obama was a racist, the same thing would have happened.
Understand that it's a little elementary and borderline ignorant to assume that black people agree with black people no matter what's said and only hold white people's figurative feet to the fire. And it's definitely rude to make such an assumption with the demand that (black)folks reading "get a clue." You might want to buy one yourself.
He was out of line and most likely blacks AND whites signed the petition to get sponsors to leave his show. If you disagree... send him a letter of support and boycott the sponsors who are boycotting his show.
that's equality.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Jan on 8/14/2009 2:25PM
I'll do all I can to see that friends and relatives don't use Geico Insurance. This could put Geico into a downward slide
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: I am baddkitty on 8/15/2009 10:26PM
oh i'm sure you will, your threats mean nothing here
Report This
By: law dog6 on 8/14/2009 10:59PM
well you never hear anything on CNN or any liberal group say anything on TV about obama, of course he's wonderful and could NEVER make a mistake, by listening to the radical left he surrounds himself with, its likethere "OBOTS", and Hussein is the pied piper. I bet obama got 15 million+ black votes, simple because he's black. they still don't know his policies, are what he really wants to promote, or demand maybe
Reply to this Comment | Report This