Bob Beckel

2022 - 2 - 21

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Bob Beckel, Liberal Operative Who Became a Fixture on Fox, Dies ... (The New York Times)

He ran Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign, and later became a curmudgeonly pundit on conservative TV.

In early 2001 he got drunk at a bar in Maryland and made a pass at a married woman. “It’s a way for me to keep my finger in the socket,” he told The Washington Post in 1991. When The Wall Street Journal reported on the project, Mr. Gore distanced himself from it, and when Mr. Beckel persisted, two partners at his firm left, forcing him to dissolve it. He married Leland Ingham, a professional golfer, in 1991; they divorced in 2002. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in political science from Wagner College, on Staten Island, where he also played football. I can go to Iowa and New Hampshire, do my stand-ups and then go to bed.” “The Five” took off, dominating its 5 p.m. time slot and ranking behind only Mr. Hannity in Fox viewers. He might make a crude gesture at one of his conservative sparring partners, or show up just before Christmas dressed as Santa Claus. Soon after, Mr. Beckel announced that he was done with campaigns, but not politics. Fox News fired him in 2015, ostensibly over a dispute about an extended medical leave, which began with back surgery but, after he became addicted to pain killers, turned into a stay in rehab. Mr. Beckel rose to national prominence as the outspoken campaign manager for Walter F. Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. But he frequently crossed the line into cultural insensitivity.

Bob Beckel, campaign manager and political commentator, dies at 73 (The Washington Post)

He was a manager of Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign, then later became a political commentator on Fox News.

Both parents were alcoholics, Mr. Beckel wrote in a 2015 memoir, “I Should Be Dead: My Life Surviving Politics, TV, and Addiction.” He joined the State Department in 1977 and, as a liaison with Congress, participated in President Jimmy Carter’s effort to win passage of the Panama Canal Treaty. He was in charge of Carter’s 1980 Texas reelection operation against Reagan. “This was not about a racist comment,” he said. In 2015, he took a leave from the show for back surgery, then sought treatment for dependence on painkillers. But “they’ll stay exactly where they are — proudly.” Mr. Beckel supported the policies of President Barack Obama, but he also courted controversy with some of his statements about Muslims and changing social mores. The gun misfired. In one of the most lopsided presidential elections in history, Mondale won only D.C. and his home state of Minnesota. “When you manage the largest loss in American politics, nobody is particularly asking you, either.” He established a consulting firm and advised major organizations on media strategies. Mr. Beckel’s career in politics began in 1968 during Robert F. Kennedy’s run for the Democratic presidential nomination. “Only in America,” Mr. Beckel said in 1988, “can a guy manage a campaign that loses 49 states in one election season and then be on television analyzing the next one.”

'The Five' remembers Bob Beckel: 'He really was made for television' (Fox News)

"Bob was one of a kind, a political legend and a great friend to many of us at Fox and at this table. We will miss him dearly," Dana Perino told viewers on ...

and he just talk and talk and talk and the guy- he didn't have a bad word to say about anyone and God rest his soul." "He and I spent a lot of time on the train going back and forth to DC when ‘The Five' started, and he used to come over to see us for Sunday supper… "He had strong point of view, he was a good, loyal Democrat, but he loved to debate. "He was always full of joy, happiness, light, sunshine. Instead, the show stuck around and has become one of the highest-rated shows in all cable news. "Bob was just a great guy," Martha MacCallum said. Fox News severed ties with Beckel in 2017. "He was just a wealth of information. "Like, he was non-stop, even with his pretty bad diet and, uh, and these other things…" "What a great dude. He was gonna get there first, but man, he packed in a lot of life," Gutfeld added. We will miss him dearly," Dana Perino told viewers on Tuesday.

Political commentator Bob Beckel dies at 73 (WTOP)

A cause of death for Beckel — who ran Walter Mondale's unsuccessful 1984 presidential campaign — has not yet been released. FILE – Bob Beckel co-hosts of Fox ...

The name of his ironically titled autobiography is ‘I Should Be Dead.’ It is a highly readable book about a difficult life that was dramatically changed in the last 15 years. For ten years we wrote the ‘Common Ground’ column for USA Today and a book by that title. Earlier in his career, Beckel worked as the youngest deputy assistant secretary of state for President Jimmy Carter. He also was a graduate school professor at George Washington University.

Bob Beckel, former co-host of Fox News' 'The Five,' dead at 73 (New York Post)

FNC star Sean Hannity announced Bob Beckel's death during his nightly primetime show on Monday.

“He had a key to my house, he was always full of joy, happiness, light, sunshine. In 2015, he left the network to join rival CNN before eventually returning to host “The Five.” “We miss him already,” Hannity said of his former FNC colleague, whom he called a “dear friend.”

Bob Beckel, former co-host of Fox News' 'The Five' and USA TODAY ... (USA TODAY)

Bob Beckel, former host of Fox News' "The Five" and a columnist for USA TODAY, has died, his family confirmed in a statement. He was 73.

In 2017, Beckel returned to "The Five," but he was let go again, this time for allegedly making a racist remark to a Black employee. "We did so many things together and I hope we modeled what two people of different political persuasions can be like when they love one another," he continued, also recalling his time co-writing "Common Ground" with the late columnist. It has been an honor and pleasure to share this space with you, Cal." During his television career, Beckel appeared on several Fox News programs, including "Outnumbered" and "Hannity," from 2009 to 2017. Sean Hannity also announced Beckel's death at the end of his show Monday. "We end the show with sad personal news," he said. Hannity said he received a call from Beckel's son Alex, who gave him news of Beckel's death.

Bob Beckel Dies: Former Fox News Host Who Ran Walter Mondale's ... (Deadline)

Former Fox News Channel host and long time political operative Bob Beckel has died at the age of 73.

In 2000, Beckel joined Fox News as a political analyst and one of the few self-described liberals featured on the conservative outlet. However, he was soon in corporate hot water again due to racially charged remarks he made toward a Black employee of the network. After former Veep Mondale was beaten by Ronald Reagan in a landslide, Democratic apparatchik Beckel put up his own lobbyist and consulting shingle.

Bob Beckel, Former Fox News Host, Dies at 73 (Hollywood Reporter)

Beckel was known for hosting over 700 episodes of the network's long-running panel talk show 'The Five.'

Beckel joined Fox News in 2011 and co-hosted over 700 episodes of The Five. Talk show host Sean Hannity also announced Beckel’s death at the end of Hannity on Monday. “We end the show with sad personal news,” he said. Columnist Cal Thomas shared the news of Beckel’s death via Facebook on Monday afternoon.

Bob Beckel obituary: former Fox News host dies at 73 - Legacy.com (Legacy.com)

Bob Beckel, former host of the Fox News show The Five, died Monday at the age of 73.

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What Was Bob Beckel's Cause of Death? The Fox Host Died at Age 73 (Distractify)

Bob Beckell, the one-time Democrat and eventual Fox News host, has died at the age of 73, and many want to know what his cause of death was.

So, as it turns out, Bob was fired from The Five on two separate occasions for two different reasons. He left the show in June of 2015 because of a painkiller addiction that was making the entire set dysfunctional. Bob began appearing on Fox News in the 2000s, and became a co-host of The Five in 2011.

Bob Beckel

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