I recently read a very enjoyable book called “Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance” by Alexander Zaitchik. Glenn Beck is probably the best known person, apart from Sarah Palin, that is involved with the whole Tea Party movement in America which aims to select its own Republican representatives and move America back to what it “should be” in their narrow minded, conservative vision. The Tea Party was essentially brought to prominence by Rick Santelli of CNBC during a broadcast of CNBC from the trader’s floor.

What Beck is particularly good at is building a brand by selling fear – fear that “they” have already taken over America, that the government is under “foreign influence” and that the socialists are in control of America. His supporters frequently invoke Satan and all manners of evil when talking about Barack Obama, who they continue to try and suggest was not even born in America – to the extent that one of them even brought a court challenge to stop him being inaugurated as President, on this basis, just before the inauguration.

The book is a superb analysis of the Glenn Beck’s rise from being a top 40 DJ – in other words, essentially playing music on a radio station, to where he is now a leading political commentator on Fox News, although as the author notes, “If the dummying down of political commentary continues along this trajectory, the next plunder to make the grade will be a hyena.” Beck in particular frequently makes reference to black people or accuses Obama of being racist, and in one way or another, makes references that white conservative political voters understand to be anti-Democrat, anti-Obama and anti-black people. I watched the man on television with my wife, long before I read anything about him, and we both thought that he was visibly disturbed, although allegedly he has used his Mormon faith to train him in theatrics and wonderful, teary speeches – he frequently breaks down and cries during radio shows or TV programmes whenever it comes to anything that he feels is very important to America.

One of the more notable quotes from the book is from Phil Plate who said of Beck that, “His intellectual capacity is clearly such that he shouldn’t even be allowed to rant in public parks to passing squirrels.” You might find all of this a little bit arbitrary, but as a follower of American politics I can tell you that he is a hugely powerful man in America and a lot of their supporters are already holding up placards that read “Palin/Beck 2012”. The thought that Sarah Palin could be President of America and this man Vice President makes learning about both of them quite important – unless horror stories really scare you.