Jonah Goldberg in defense of Glenn Beck:

For a self-described rodeo clown who frequently admits he isn't that bright, Glenn Beck must be doing something right. A de facto leader of the populist backlash against President Obama, he made the cover of Time magazine, with his tongue sticking out no less. His books are immediate best-sellers. His radio and TV shows have stratospheric ratings. His one-man comedy performances draw packed audiences, and the proceeds from his numerous ventures have him making north of $20 million a year.

What Jonah says makes sense. I haven't watched much Beck myself, but the times I have watched him, I find him informative. And entertaining. These two things are not mutually exclusive, despite what many on the left might have you believe. They happily refer to Beck et al as entertainers, yet none take the time to listen to them, and none can actually refute much, if anything, that they say. My favorite thing about Beck is that he simply plays clips of those he is discussing to demonstrate his points. Van Jones was forced to resign simply because Beck played clips of him speaking. ACORN is being investigated and defunded around the country simply because Beck played the sting videos, letting the ACORN workers hang themselves with their own outrageous actions. Call him what you want, but I call him effective. It is hard to dispute what some of these people say, and Beck just allows a huge audience to see and hear it. Hard to argue with that. Which is why personal attacks are so much more common. It is just easier.