New McCarthy Era?
Despite disastrous ratings declines, Glenn Beck continues to be hard to ignore. Lately he’s taken to “red-baiting” the president, as Media Matters and others report. Since the rise of the Tea Party and Beck’s history professorship — but since the election really — commentators have been asking what’s behind the Right’s demonization of liberal and Democratic political opponents? Many have been too quick to poo poo the significance of Beck and Tea Party actors like Dick Armey. But as the Republican party works to ally it’s various Religious Right, Neocon, free-market and Tea Party factions to regain power, the question of a unifying ideology remains. A clearly defined enemy and a hefty dose of paranoia always helps.
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