Glenn Beck Loses Advertisers Over 'Racist' Remark. White House Involved?

Glenn Beck has lost advertisers on his TV show after calling President Obama "a racist" in the context of the Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy. The pressure on advertisers has become a politically charged debate about the right to free speech, censorship and what constitutes hate speech. Conservatives are questioning if the campaign against Beck is connected to the White House staff.

The corporate sponsors are responding to the African-American online political coalition ColorOfChange.org, which launched a campaign two weeks ago, urging companies to stop advertising on "The Glenn Beck Program."

Color of Change, in a press release Thursday, said that the "target companies" which have responded to its campaign to pull ads from Beck's show are: ConAgra (maker of Healthy Choice products), Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, RadioShack, Men's Wearhouse, State Farm, Sargento, Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, SC Johnson and GEICO.

Fox News Channel has said that the advertisers have shifted their ads to different time slots so the campaign is not affecting revenue. Beck's 5 p.m. show is Fox News' third-highest rated, with over 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

“Make of it what you will...”

I can’t make anything of it. They call it “corporatese.” I call it gobletygook. They want to distance themselves from Beck, because they’re afraid of anti-Beckers, without saying Beck is politically incorrect. So they fall back on this idea that they’re impartial and can’t be pulled into the fray. As if anyone mistook them for being part of the debate.

First of all, advertising during an opinion show is not taking a stand on controversial issues. No one assumes GEICO believes whatever Beck says. Some might chastize them for materially supporting someone with incorrect views, but that’s another matter. They did not say they can’t support Beck because he’s a hate monger and out of line with mainstream American culture. They said they can’t fall on any particular side of a controversial issue. Nonsense.

Secondly, I’m sure they advertise during other opinion shows. How much you wanna bet they’ve bought time on O’Reilly, Hannity, Olberman, Dobbs, etc.?

Just a thought:

Every of those slimy little scumball lizard commercials, includes a Geico-paid 800 number you can call.

So. Call.

Then complain, quite clearly.

I’m thinking I might do that every time I see one of those stupid commercials.

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