As you probably know (or ought to), TV/radio showman Glenn Beck is sponsoring an event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this weekend, in which he purports to feature speakers covering topics such as faith, the military, and respect for the country. Ostensibly, he wants to foment a rebirth of patriotic pride; however, the Czar thinks there is still plenty of that in the country. More likely, he is attempting to lay down the groundwork for the next Reagan-like candidate, or at least set the expectations for how a Republican candidate should act running up to 2012.

What is far more interesting to us is the media’s response. In an almost obscene fashion, many news outlets are falling over themselves trying to paint this event in different ways. Sure, some are taking a “wait and see what it becomes”-approach, which is the right path. Some appear to be taking that approach—but the Czar reads words very carefully to see what is stressed.

In skimming about twenty news articles on the upcoming event, the Czar noticed some interesting elements from more liberal outlets.

Frequent comments about Tea Party followers top the list. To the best of our royal knowledge, Mr. Beck is not linking this to any Tea Party events. Indeed, we recall him advocating everyone to leave the signs, costumes, and soapboxes at home: he does not want this to be an overtly political event because, he previously claimed, he is attempting to lure otherwise-non-Tea Party folks to hear the conservative message. However, as a necessary crowd pleaser, Mr. Beck has invited Sarah Palin to speak. As a result, the media understands that Palin = Tea Party, and so therefore this has, for them, become a Tea Party event.

Another curious item to watch is the number of expected attendees. As with any other conservative event, numbers vary. “Thousands are expected to attend” appears in one story, while “tens of thousands” shows up in another. Another story, more neutral to Beck, suggests “more than 100,000.” The Czar will be interested to see who was closer. The Czar’s own prediction does not matter: it could well be a quarter-million or more, from non-aligned media reports we are seeing. But consider this: even if 300,000 people show for this, let us see how that number gets reported after the event. The Big G got in some warm water here for the 9/12 event a year back, in which we were slipped a mickey photo that tricked our complex crowd estimation tool. As you remember, no one has yet to admit the real number of attendees there, although media outlets gave widely varying estimates that shared one thing in common: they were astonishingly low for the probable attendence.

You must remember that most liberals need identity politics to comprehend anything. You either belong to a group with inherently genetic issues, or you follow a leader. Nothing else exists. Third, a good number of news stories are playing up (you guessed it) the Race Angle. This has become the red flashing light for most Americans as to the writer’s own political agenda. Al Sharpton, it is true, is planning to have a rally near the event. Stories are being written with words like “counter-protest,” (Beck is not holding a protest per se), that is “expected to clash” with the Beck event. Clash!?! As loopy as Sharpton can be at times, there is nothing in his history whatsoever that suggests he would promote or encourage violence at one of his own events. Two items being largely ignored: Alveda King, the neice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is not only endorsing Beck’s event, she is going to be a featured speaker. That is not, evidently, sticking in any journalist’s craw? Second, Sharpton has not linked his gathering to Beck’s in any obvious way; nor has he spent much time or money preparing for the event. As a result, his will be sparsely attended. The media may attempt to make hay out of that (proof that most Americans are racists!), but the reason for the disparity is pure logistics.

In the Czar’s mind, which is spacious, the correct news report would simply report the nature of the event, avoiding any mention of Tea Parties, rallies, protests, or revolutions; further, they should either not mention Sharpton’s technically unrelated gathering to remember Dr. King’s speech, or mention it as a courtesy—but avoid painting a picture of it as a counter-protest. That’s grossly unfair to both events. And instead of playing an altered numbers game, simply describe it like “a tentpole event, with a rock-concert-like atmosphere.” That paints a better picture, especially when no one is sure how many people will attend this free, come-as-you-are event.

Yes, that is exactly what you would do, if you were writing the story. But you are a sensible person with a grasp of reality. So why is the media screwing this up so badly? Well, it should’nt have caught them by surprise: Beck has been promoting this event since probably 2009. Rather, four reasons add together.

1. It caught a lot of them by surprise because they do not actually listen to or read conservative media. Some of them probably noticed the stage being built and asked who was performing. “Glenn Beck is doing something this weekend.” And that is probably all they needed to hear to imagine the rest. “Ah, another racist Tea Party event. No doubt to dishonor Dr. King and his message of social justice.”

2. A lot of them are genuinely scared of this. 9/12 was way more popular than they expected, and many in the media were humiliated by the poor coverage, all of which backfired to make the 9/12 event more important than it really was meant to be. With Beck behind this one, there will be massive turnout, and the liberal media will see that they are very much in the minority. Hence, you will see downplayed numbers and attempts to pass this off as another routine Tea Party event, in hopes you stay home since there is nothing to see here, so please keep moving along.

3. You must remember that most liberals need identity politics to comprehend anything. You either belong to a group with inherently genetic issues, or you follow a leader. Nothing else exists. So the Tea Party, which has no centralized leader and cuts across all social classes, is a divide-by-zero concept for them. Clearly Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are the rich, white leaders of it, and this is a rally. Two things to remember about this: first, this is how most liberal groups operate: you either fit into a category (male, female, white, black, gay, straight, Christian, non-Christian) and therefore you must act and think a certain way, or you follow a charismatic leader who will take care of you all the way. Second, this concept results in some of the telling cognitive dissonance which perpetually pre-occupies their time. The fact that Alveda King is supporting Beck’s effort? Blank stare. That Sharpton’s gathering will feature only a couple hundred people versus Beck’s teeming horde? A hanging crash. Only possible answer: racism, Islamophobia, and homophobia. There.

4. There is a real possibility that Beck’s event could work. Progressivism managed to climb back to its feet under Barack Obama after languishing Darth Sidious-like for the last few decades, influencing legislation and entitlements. This was, and they knew it, the last hurrah of a bankrupt concept. And pretty much everything has been a disaster. Progressivism is back down to one knee, and a popular, patriotic, conservative event could be a mortal blow for them. And this one could be it. The Czar doubts this event will have much direct effect against Progressivism, but it will of course serve to bolster support for the Reagan renaissance. And if you are a progressive liberal, you already see the public attitude that tanked Carter is rising to the top again. This event, progressives believe, comes at a pretty freaking bad time.

The Czar will not be in attendence at either event, by the way.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.