Saturday, September 12, 2009
About 30 miles separate the towns of Mount Vernon and Bellingham in Washington state, but a much greater distance separates their mayors. Conservative Mayor Bud Norris of Mount Vernon likes Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, and recently he decided to award the local native with the key to the city. The mayor of Bellingham, Dan Pike, didn’t take to this idea too well, and decided to offer the key to his town to Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show.
“The mayor of Mount Vernon is free to do whatever he wants, but I think Glenn Beck is out of touch with, what I think, certainly most of the constituents I talk to believe,” Pike told The Bellingham Herald. “I actually think Jon Stewart does a lot better reporting.”
Pike attended the same high school in New Jersey that Stewart did, although the two don’t know each other. No word yet on whether Stewart intends to accept Pike’s invitation.
Beck has already announced he’ll gladly show up in Mount Vernon on September 26 to receive his honor. Most of the local city council disagreed with their mayor’s decision, and many constituents in the town expressed their opposition to the idea. Nonetheless the 700 tickets printed for the event sold out in no time.
Beck has made many controversial remarks while hosting his own program on Fox News and through his syndicated radio show, including accusing President Barack Obama of being a racist and hating white people, and perpetuating the myth about “death panels” in the health care reform debate.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Bellingham Offers Counter to Glenn Beck: Key to 'Daily Show' Host (Associated Press)
Bellingham Mayor Offers 'Daily Show' Host Key to City (by Sam Taylor, Bellingham Herald)
Mount Vernon Not United on Mayor's 'Glenn Beck Day' (by Mark Rahner, Seattle Times)
Comments