Glenn Beck For Office? TARP Flip-Flop Shows Why He Can Never Get Elected

On last night’s show, Glenn Beck admitted that he “was for the TARP bailout, before he was against it,” which demonstrates two important qualities about the controversial broadcaster: the candor that makes him seem so refreshing to his audience; and the primary reason he will never get elected.

Although the idea was floated primarily in jest, there are many people that would love nothing more than to see Glenn Beck officially enter the political arena. His unique point-of-view and, at times, refreshing candor, has built a loyal fan base that is unrivaled by nearly any other broadcaster today — perhaps best evidenced by the 9-12 event which he helped organize. And while few have likely considered Beck running for office in a serious manner, I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of his 3 million daily viewers see him as a solver of the grave problems that currently face our nation.

The thing is though, Beck never actually has to solve a problem. All he has to do is talk for roughly 45 minutes on this television show, and it doesn’t even have to make sense. He never has to compromise with a differing point of view, or build any sort of consensus, or serve a constituency. All he needs to do is be entertaining – something he does very well.

Beck was smart to pull out he audio of his flip-flop on the bailout – by being the first to introduce his inconsistent policies, he not only neuters any of his critics, but he gets to play his self-effacement card (and really, does anyone else play that better?)

Beck may have a significant audience — but there are many people, including himself, that think that he’s a clown.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.