Since they lacked the class to forego advertising on the Glenn Beck show, I will never order a teddy bear from Vermont Teddy Bear.

Mother's Day is a big business scam started by Democrats. So what you should do is not go buy a cheap card at a store in a strip mall, you should by an overpriced stuffed animal. Because an aromatherapeutic stuffed animal is *not* a scam, and it means you truly love your mother and you're not spending money just because it's "Mother's Day"

Is that his pitch?

That's awesome. His nuttiness knows no bounds. Most of the time it's scary, but with this one it's nearly entertaining. Mother's Day is socialist.

Who hates Mother's Day?

The same dick who hates the 9/11 victims' families. And the "scumbag" New Orleans Katrina victims.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf33g9ep4YU

What is this idiot going to do when he figures out Jesus was a bleeding heart liberal ?

"It's a business scam."

Why does Glenn Beck hate capitalism so much?

I feel some empathy for the teddy bear company here. Yeah, they should have known better-- Beck's craziness is not a secret. But... it's a teddy bear company. Seriously, folks.

This clown in on first name basis with Governor Quitter? Ewww. That is so creepy.

It stands to reason that two of the least informed megalomaniacs in the world would provide intellectual (sic) validation for one another.

It almost makes me sorry for the people getting duped by their nonsense. Almost, but not quite.

What is this idiot going to do when he figures out Jesus was a bleeding heart liberal ?

Not a problem. His livelihood depends on his not figuring it out, so he won't.

by the way, Sarah and I were talking on Saturday and she didn't believe me, or it was on Friday, and she didn't believe me.

I hope she has to good sense not to believe him any day of the week. But then, she has the bad sense to live with him.

"What is this idiot going to do when he figures out Jesus was a bleeding heart liberal?"

Well, given that the only thing that differentiates government from any other institution in a free society is the power to coerce compliance, are you suggesting that Jesus believed in coerced altruism? That generosity is measured by how much of others' money can be confiscated and redistributed? Interesting.

And here I always thought "coerced altruism" was an oxymoron, which is why I've always viewed Progressives as mentally disturbed.

"What has always made the state hell on earth has been precisely that man has tried to make it his heaven." -Holderlin

A Vermont company advertises on Glenn Beck? Seriously? Sorry but they deserved what they got on that one.

Having listened to the audio, it's hard to tell, but you guys do know his big shtick over the past year is tracing the "origins" of the progressive movement and Woodrow Wilson is a big part of that ongoing "investigation and reporting" he has been doing?

And, for the most part, live spots like this are generally done with the same tone and shtick as the host generally goes with?

Funny/not funny is not really the issue, but his audience, who this spot is aimed at (those that listen every day) were in on the joke.

Hey NBTR? Vermont is FULL of Republicans. They just aren't CRAZY Republicans...well except for the few that wanted to TAKE BACK VERMONT a few years back but they were flatlanders. Anyway, I sent them an email...they are a nice company and don't deserve to put up with GB's crap. You can go right to their website and do it yourself. LET the advertisers KNOW what a moron he is. He's down to only a few now...

Bosses Day is a scam. Mom's day is not.

Hilarious!

Well, you might want to give the teddy bear company a little slack -- they might not have known exactly where the ad dollars were going (might use an agency) and their bears are handmade in the U.S.

Still, this was a great laugh. "If you have to be an idiot conformist and capitulate to the socialists so that your mom won't cry on her special day, I highly recommend these teddy bears."

are you suggesting that Jesus believed in coerced altruism?

An omnipotent being threatening eternal damnation seems somewhat coercive.

Well, given that the only thing that differentiates government from any other institution in a free society is the power to coerce compliance, are you suggesting that Jesus believed in coerced altruism?

That literally is the stupidest thing I've ever read. Well, today.

Companies coerce compliance all the time you asshole. I know, I know, "free society" means that while companies can rule your life, you always have the ability to opt out and live under a bridge. But in reality, the real world says otherwise. If, say, your company poisons you and the water, you probably "voluntarily" signed a non-disclosure contract which prevents you from blowing the whistle on it -- so other people have the right to die. And churches? Churches, even in a "free society" coerce you by condemning you to hell if you don't listen to them. I know, I know, you don't have to listen. But you do. The school you attend. The job you have. The church you go to. The contract you signed. Even if none of them have anything to do with the government, you can be coerced by all of them. Really.

I don't even disagree with your Holderin quote, I just wonder why glibertarians think that utopia can be found when corporations rule your life.

glenn beck has a mother?

Let's face it...The real reason Beck went off on Mother's Day was because he didn't want to help promote the Vermont Teddy Bear Company.

Beck is surely afraid that they are socialist teddy bears, like the rest of Vermont. And they were named after Teddy Roosevelt, whom Beck also hates.

I wonder what Bernie Sanders will have to say about this?

"Mother's Day is a business scam."

Er, no, BeckyBoy. A "business scam" would be your vapid books, your 9-12 tour, your "zoo radio" show, your FoxSnooze "blackboard rants", etc., etc. etc.

Well, you might want to give the teddy bear company a little slack -- they might not have known exactly where the ad dollars were going (might use an agency) and their bears are handmade in the U.S.

I know that I've never heard of the Vermont Teddybear company until they popped up on this post. No advertising on the radio stations I listen to, magazines I read, or the web cites I visit. That says to me that they were not targeting my particular demographic or their ad agency did not think that my mother should get one of their bears.

So, while I think my mother would like a crummy scented bear, I will not give a nickel of my hard earned cash to a company that would advertise on Beck's show.

Vermont Teddybear should have scrutinized the ad buy more closely.

By the way does Hallmark advertise on Beck?

what kind of sick freak hates dead people let alone Mother's Day. Hating dead people you've never met seems kind of pointless to me.

My guess is that his routine was ok'd by Vermont Teddy Bear.

You do know he's as authentic as pro-wrestling, don't you?

My mother holds Mothers Day in contempt. She believes any child who makes a big to-do just one day a year is essentially an ingrate.

Hate to say this, but GB is right - Woodrow Wilson first established Mother's Day as a national holiday in 1914. There were local celebrations previously, but it was not a holiday.

He basically took his entire bit straight from Wikipedia.

So Glenn Beck is on an anti-Wilson rag because he THINKS Wilson started Mother's Day? So then he must hate Wilson for the Espionage Act of 1917 and its "little brother" the Sedition Act of 1918 which

...prohibited many forms of speech, including "any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States...or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy." (Wikipedia)

Which Wilson are you trashing, Glenn Beck, your Mother's Day flamethrow or this piece of Bush-like trash that a paranoid, delusional Wilson pushed through Congress? Sound familiar, anyone...?

Dr. Nick wrote: "... are you suggesting that Jesus believed in coerced altruism?"

Of course not. Jesus believed that you have and ought to have complete free will as to whether to be altruistic or not. He also believed that if you freely choose not to be altruistic, you will burn in hell forever. But hey, it's up to you. No coercion.

Dr. Nick wrote: "I always thought 'coerced altruism' was an oxymoron, which is why I've always viewed Progressives as mentally disturbed."

And I have always viewed people whose self-proclaimed "libertarianism" has no content except a monomaniacal, obsessive hatred of paying taxes as pretentious phonies.

The lady who founded Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, later regretted it due to the commercialism it engendered, and tried to get the holiday "undone". see the Wikipedia entry on her.

Not only was Glenn Beck right about Wilson signing it into law, he was echoing Ms. Jarvis's disgust with what the holiday had become.

This is a really uniformed post, Steve. You should yank it, or add a correction of some sort.

Bah Humbug!

So, while I think my mother would like a crummy scented bear, I will not give a nickel of my hard earned cash to a company that would advertise on Beck's show.

Neither would I; even if my mother begged for one I wouldn't buy it. I'd buy her Lady Gaga's latest CD first (which would, guaranteed, be hurled back at me with such force I'd likely sustain a head injury!)

Neither would I; even if my mother begged for one I wouldn't buy it. -electrolite

I don't even try to comprehend what sort of junk my Mom would like any more, especially since her and my Dad have spent so much time trying to relieve themselves of junk collected over the years.

Instead, I made a donation in my Mom's name to an animal organization and got her a card with her grandkid's picture on it.

Betcha the Mother of all Boobs would love to be able to sit with Woodrow, munching pop corn and watching their favorite movie, "Birth of a Nation" They could even pass the white sheets between them. Wilson killed off integration in the military until Truman revived it.

sure it seems kind of callous for Beck to hate a day for all of our mothers, but honestly I have to admit I'm not real thrilled with Glenn Beck's mother, myself.

JW@3.45p - you and your mother are absolutely right. I'm the mother of two fab sons - ages 30 and 28 and both good Dems - and I think Mother's Day is a strictly commercial holiday. I don't care who started it. It's a greeting card holiday. (Of course, I do love it that my boys send my tulips every year, so what do I know...)

The Vermont Teddy Bear company has those ultra cheezy commercials around Valentines Day, showing a woman - wearing a stripping suit at the office - receiving a VTB from her boyfriend and how jealous all of her friends at the office - also wearing not-safe-for-office clothes - are of her.

All the actors, but particularly the women, are vomit making,

Just noticed that the Vermont Teddy Bears are advertising on Political Animal too. Judging from the above comments, they have just wasted more dollars trying to reach both left and right at the same time. My Mom watches Beck (groan) but would not appreciate more clutter in her house. I would rather have my kids get me a nice bottle of wine.

And when Sarah Palin was asked to respond to Beck's latest rant, yes, you guessed it, it was satire she said!

Who hates Mothers Day? Actually there are those of us who, as children, suffered indelible and life-crippling emotional mental and/or physical abuse at the hands of the women who gave birth to us. That's who.

Mothers Day, along with the sentiment that was so ably expressed in #2 - "The same dick who hates the 9/11 victims' families. And the "scumbag" New Orleans Katrina victims." thanks, Z! - can actually be an extremely difficult time of year for many.

My mother flipped out when I was kid, several times trying to either kill herself or kill me (easy to do when living in a high-rise in NYC with plenty of open windows) before finally abandoning me when I was 9. I have limited contact with her now - she's a lonely old woman who doesn't really remember much and who can't understand why I can't return her affection.

The most dreaded and painful chore of the year for me is the annual trip to the card store to buy a generic Mother's Day card (good old Catholic guilt works its wonders). The pain of having to wade through a whole bunch of "how wonderful you were" and "you were always there for me" until I find the hallowed simple plain "Happy Mothers Day" can be devastating.

thanks for the opportunity to vent. Now I have to go find some 9/11 families or scumbag Katrina victims to go hate on. You all have a great day on Sunday - especially you, Z! :-)

ouch! I was really talking about Roger Ailes in #4 - my apoligies Z! You csn suck on it Roger! :-)

The Vermont teddy bears are one of the few toy companies that still exist in the US.
They actually pay a living wage to American workers to manufacture something.
Shocking, innit?

In the US Mothers Day started as Mothers for Peace Day. An anti war demonstration day.

Just a couple reasons for Beck to hate it and them.

The whole idea -- a sickly-scented teddy bear -- is revolting, with or without Beck thrown in. Buy her a nice, silk teddy from Victoria's Secret and let her find her own bear to cuddle up with (if she doesn't have one waiting at home already).

Beck has got Mommy issues due to his own mother killing herself by jumping out of a boat when he was 14. Go figure.

"It's a big business scam"

Glenn should have seen my credit card bill for last December. Talk about a business scam.

@ friend sinkor --
Not quite sure whether you're trying to excuse Mr Beck for his psychoses, or just making an observation, or what?
It is a curious thing to note that another paragon political swillmonger, Mr KKKarl Rove, also had a mother who chose to end her own life. (He was 30 at the time.)
But I too am the child of a mother who suicided (when I was 16), and haven't turned to a life of crime (either petty, or against humanity); I can't help but suspect that I'm a lot more representative of my particular slice of the population than Messrs Beck or Rove. (If nothing else, we've got the brilliant Dave Barry as another example.)
So if you're not suggesting that Mr Beck's pathologies are in some way excusable, or at least mitigated, by his particular parentage, what is your point?

While Benen may have gone a bit far in suggesting that everyone loves Mother's Day, Brian Frederick's characterization as one of "the worst on-air endorsements in the history of radio." is right on.

No matter what his personal feelings about Mother's Day and no matter whether those feelings are right or wrong, only and idiot or a lunatic would use the occassion of a Mother's Day advertisement he is being paid to read as the launching point for his rant.

It's is particularly crazy that after the rant, he went ahead and read the on-air endorsement. If his actions had actually been based on some kind of principal, as opposed to the kind of say-whatever-crazyp-thought-comes-into-your-head diarhea-of-the-mouth that Beck usually operates on, then he would have followed his anti-Mother's day rant by saying he couldn't read this commercial and would be having his people return the endorsment fee.

Strange.

By Glenn Beck doing this the way he did, in an insane way only he can do, he actually helped Vermont Teddy Bear Co get a ton of free advertising.

Maybe there's a method to his madness?

Maybe he's Crazy like a Fox? Or maybe just as Crazy as everyone else at Fox?

This might just start a trend. Have Beck or Limbaugh or Savage or O'Reilly say something incredibly nutty as a lead-in to ones commercial, then sit back and watch as ones product ordering information spreads like wildfire through other information venues.

I doubt if Vermont Teddy Bear Co will turn down any orders placed from people who didn't get their information from Beck's program. Hey, free advertising is free advertising.

Aside from his basic "message," the language is totally incoherent. He sounds like he's on really good drugs or hasn't slept for two weeks. This guy's supposed to be a professional (OK,OK) and he's an idiot. I mean a *real* idiot.

In the same vein, Christmas is a big business scam. Super Bowl is a big business scam. Labor Day sales are a big business scam. 4th of July is a big business scam. Thanksgiving is a big business scam. Who knew that Glenn Dick was a bleeding-heart anti-big business agitator?

It is obvious you people are so brainwashed and ignorant that you have zero ability to recognize sarcasm when you hear it. Instead of focusing on this trivial crap, why don't you pay attention to the actual facts, and words coming directly out of mouths of Obama and his minions, (maybe its Obama that is the minion), that prove the ulterior motive of this collection of 60's throwbacks and elitists. Our country is a representative republic, not European socialist state.

Mother's Day started as something of a rally cry for political involvement. It maintained this sentiment as women's suffrage arrived in 1920.

We're well aware of what some Republicans feel concerning women's right to vote, so Beck's campaign against Mother's Day is fairly mainstream if you use historical context.

For more, read Stephanie Coontz's "The Way We Never Were".
A dense read you'll not soon forget!

A quicker read, we find Anna Jarvis who spearheaded the holiday agreed with Glenn Beck about its being a scam. The quote about greeting cards is a hoot!:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Jarvis