1.  Is Glenn Beck More Dangerous to Obama Than Elected Republicans?

In an analysis of Van Jones' resignation, Ben Smith and Nia-Malika Henderson write that the green jobs czar's fall "says as much about the Obama White House as it does about Jones," namely that the administration would rather capitulate to the right than fight protracted political battles. But the furor over Jones says something about conservatives, too: "[T]he real opposition party to Obama right now" isn't Republicans in Congress. It's conservative pundits on talk radio, Fox News and the Drudge Report, who often leave elected Republicans "scrambling to catch up." The brouhaha over Jones' past was largely incited by Fox News host Glenn Beck (which has Keith Olbermann looking for blood). The Obama's administration's willingness to placate the rabble-rousers has infuriated some of his former backers on the left, who see his capitulation on Jones as linked to his retreat from progressive priorities on health care. "Succumbing to these types of propaganda attacks from the right wing only emboldens the aggressors. This controversy will go away and they will trump up another one tomorrow," Media Matters for America founder David Brock said. Even Beck wouldn't disagree; he's already said, "Van Jones is the tip of the iceberg."

Read original story in Politico | Monday, Sept. 7, 2009