GLENN BECK TO LEAVE FOX

THE TEA PARTY/CONSERVATIVE SCHISM:

FOX News and Mercury Radio Arts, Glenn Beck’s production company, have announced that Glen Beck will transition out of his previously popular TV show.

Glenn Beck's show, whose popularity rose amongst Brevard County conservatives when he aligned himself with the Tea Party movement over the last three years, is now seeing a decline in ratings and advertising revenue.

Glenn Beck's announced departure from Fox is only two week after Senator Marco Rubio's break from Representative Ron Paul's non-interventionist policy. 

These announcements crystallize the identity crisis that Tea Partiers, Republicans, Conservatives, Social Conservatives, and Libertarians have been going through over the last three years.

Glenn Beck has often disagreed with Rep. Ron Paul, the so-called "Father of the Tea Party" on many issues, including foreign intervention in the middle east (just like Sen. Marco Rubio).

Mr. Beck has also exhibited an unwillingness to vehemently attack banks, political corruption (unless its Democratic), and the Federal Reserve's existence and policy.

While Glenn Beck's ratings declined, websites with a Ron Paul similar policy message have seen an explosion in veiwership.  In particular, the website www.zerohedge.com has jumped from an Alexa.com page rank of around 50,000 two years ago to 787 today.

 

As for television viewership, The Dylan Ratigan Show, a competing afternoon TV talk show, which started airing last year on MSNBC, has also tapped into some of the demographics of Tea Party/Libertarian audience.  The Dylan Ratigan Show addresses issues such as TARP, Federal Reserve Policy, foreclosures, and political corruption in general; but it hs also alienated that same demographic with a pro-global warming stance which many viewers found suspect because General Electric, the former parent company of MSNBC, stood to gain billions of taxpayer dollars from pro-U.S. global warming fix-it policies.