A currently rec-listed diary contains a quote from a disaffected Fox News personality who compares Glenn Beck to Huey Long. He is not, by far, the first person to do so. Personally, I would be happy were he the last.
(Note: I said it in the comments, but it should be noted at the top--KingOneEye did not make the Beck/Long comparison, but merely quoted Eric Burns making it.)
Huey Long used populist rhetoric to gather public support and accrue power to himself, power which he used, like countless others before him, to benefit himself and his allies. A savvy media operator who knew the power of the microphone, he used radio broadcasts to spread his message and influence around the nation.
And that's about where any parallels between the two end.
Long was governor and a US senator. He used his positions to challenge long-entrenched interests that had determined the policies of Louisiana since the Civil War. And, while it's true that there was no better way to make a pile than to be a well-connected crony with an interest in construction, he understood that nobody stays on top unless some of the sugar made it to the bottom.
That's why, under his rule, life actually got better for the poorest and neediest Louisianians.
The next time I hear someone compare a certain former shock jock to Gov. Long, I want to know:
When exactly did Glenn Beck provide school textbooks to American children who had never seen them?
How many free public hospitals has Mr. Beck built?
Where exactly are the hundreds of miles of paved roads and highways that Mr. Beck built to replace muddy paths? Where are the bridges that united neighbors formerly isolated by great rivers?
Which international oil companies has Mr. Beck forced to pay royalties to the states where they drill?
When exactly did Mr. Beck call for a ceiling on accumulated family wealth to provide a national minimum family income?
What, in short, has this man ever done for people?
I'll grant that Huey was not a paragon of ethical government. Drive down some of the exits on the highways he built and you'll see wonders of engineering and mathematics that definitively answer the question, "Just how little concrete must you pour to create a ramp with enough curve that someone going over 10 mph can actually stay on?"
But remember that he lifted up thousands of poor people from despair into pride, provided the means to improve their lives and the hope that their children could be educated, healthy and gainfully employed.
Meanwhile, Glenn Beck offers the opportunity to buy his books.
If you'd like to read more about Huey, visit the legacy site HueyLong.com. There you can read a history of his works and testimonials of what he meant to average Louisianians. (Also, you can hear a song I wrote about him. Hey, Huey's not the only one who understands that self-interest and the greater good are not mutually exclusive.)