Glenn Beck, radio talk-show host and CNN Television personality, has returned to his comedic roots in a stage show titled “An Inconvenient Tour”, now making its way across the country. If your town is fortunate enough to be on the tour’s schedule, it is an event worth attending.
Unlike Beck’s Christmas Tour, which has been making the circuit for several years, there are no “hanky required” moments in this production. Glenn has devoted the entire time to making his audience laugh at the “inconveniences” of life. He tells stories his audience will relate to, ranging from his experiences with the DMV and airlines to spousal relationships.
Beck’s comic genius relies on a formula that Bill Cosby perfected years back… take real life – and observe and highlight the humor in it! Beck himself points out that what makes his comedy work is that we can all relate to the circumstance he lampoons. We’ve all been there. We share the common experience.
Beck interacts with his audience. Let me simply recommend that if you sit close to the stage, make your potty stop before arriving, and don’t arrive late!
Dismayed by today’s disintegration of civility in political discourse, Beck makes an impassioned plea for unity as Americans, despite political differences. Beck concludes his show with an appeal for all Americans – whatever their political stripe – to focus on our similarities rather than what differentiates us, and to respect our friends, neighbors, coworkers and acquaintances who hold differing viewpoints. While we may disagree on policy, he implores, we should find areas of agreement on purposes and on principles.
What a noble endeavor! Wouldn’t it be nice if both the left and the right could stop talking past each other, stop scoring political points by playing “gotcha” against the other side, and simply make their case with civil debate in the arena of ideas? Would not a reasoned, rational debate without ad-hominum attacks, vitriol and disingenuous subterfuge ultimately lend itself to actual achievement of legitimate pragmatic solutions? Can the power struggle between the parties give way to an agreement to work together to do what is best for the nation?
It’s sure a nice vision, Glenn. Would that it could be realized.
Copyright © 2007 Doug Edelman is a conservative political commentator and a contributing editor for The Conservative Voice. His work is also seen on News By Us, The American Daily, The Post Chronicle, New Media Journal, Capitol Hill Coffee House etc. For the support of his family, however, he is also an IT Consultant/Contractor and owner of a Computer Services Business. He has taught PC Maintenance & Repair and Networking at his local Community College, and maintains a blog at http://edeldoug.blogs.com/.