Beck To Headline Texas Event With Rick Perry, The Man He Once Said He Wanted To ‘French Kiss’

Earlier this month, Fox News host Sean Hannity fell into hot water with network executives for his plan to headline the Cincinnati Tax Day Tea Party. Perhaps sensitive to criticisms in recent weeks that Fox personalities have been doing too much cheerleading on behalf of conservative political parties and candidates, executives pulled Hannity from the event when news broke that profits were going to benefit the Cincinnati Tea Party (which the group has denied).
Today, Fox News host Glenn Beck will be appearing with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is running on the Republican ticket for re-election. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:
Gov. Rick Perry will be in Tyler this Saturday to appear on stage with conservative commentator Glenn Beck, Perry’s office confirmed.
Beck is holding a town hall-style event in Tyler’s Oil Palace this Saturday [at 7:00 p.m.] Ticket prices range from $25 to $85.
ThinkProgress spoke to Jim Couch, manager of the Oil Palace, who said that ticket proceeds would be going back to the private venue and to pay Beck’s speaking fees. “We have to pay for Beck to appear,” he said, but wouldn’t disclose how much they are paying him. Couch added that none of the money would be going toward Perry’s re-election campaign.
Beck has played a substantial role in the Texas election. In February, Beck blunted the momentum of one of Perry’s Republican challengers, Tea Party favorite Debra Medina, by asking her, “Do you believe the government was any way involved with the bringing down of the World Trade Centers on 9/11?” Medina subsequently took flack for responding, “I think some very good questions have been raised in that regard.” Although he had previously dismissed Perry as a “progressive,” Beck quickly rushed to embrace him after Medina’s stumble:
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