Updated w/ Video: Glenn Beck Labels Geert Wilders A Fascist?

Video via Cubachi at The Right Scoop.

Evidently, Beck doesn't know his French political figures very well, either. But he didn't let that stop him from going on about them. What's it going to take for people to realize the guy doesn't seem to give much thought to what he says on air? And if he does, then it's his mind that's weak, not his willingness to do his homework.

But that's okay. He doesn't like Obama and says George Washington a lot, so he must be one of us.

Beck just called Wilders a fascist, and far-right.

(He also mixed up Dominique de Villepin with Jean Marie Le Pen.)

What is he doing?

Why would he stigmatize him this way?

Comments

[USMC]

Yeah, I caught that. He screwed the pooch on that one. He needs to slow down a little. He's making some careless mistakes that gives fodder to folks like yourself.

As far as I can tell Wilders is good to go. That being said there are some "extreme" groups rising like in England you got the BNP. The EDL is rising and is a much better alternative against it. A battle is going on for the UK and Europe's soul.

Still think Beck is doing much damage and he's got my support.

[Dan Riehl]

You may not like hearing it USMC, but with Beck, you're looking at the next Charles Johnson. He runs on emotion, not intellect and his emotions go hot and cold. People forget how solid a citizen Charles was back in the day. With Beck, the signs are already there. If conservatives ever got power, he'd be railing against us.

[USMC]

We'll see. On a side note that hydrogen bomb post you dropped last week was absolutely priceless. Bookmarked for future reading.

[Shari]

Yeah the guy goes off on some weird tangents. I take what entertainment I want from his show and leave the rest. Can someone explain how far right wing ideology=facism. I dont know much but I would assume far right=anarchy.

[Jerry]

I think that Beck and the others at Fox News are all saying the same thing because they know that if they were to really say how they really feel, that the rest of the liberal MSM would jump on them with both feet claiming that Fox News had just proven that they were racists and fascists. Never mind that Wilders is correct about the nature of Islam and the dangers of Muslim immigration changing the demographics of Europe. Muslim immigrants are working to Islamicize all of Europe. Europeans are slowly waking up to see that their cultures are being taken away from them by their Muslim 'neighbors'. We will be next to face that threat.

[Thomas]

Shari, neither fascism nor anarchism is anywhere on the right side of the spectrum.

[Huey]

Troubling. Wilders is anti-Islam. Not anti-terrorists. Anti-Islam.

Not sure how that tracks. But, I don't live there. We have the 1st Amendment here (for now, anyways...) so his country faces threats ours does not (as yet...)

But "facist?" Don't know where he dredged that up...

[Gary]

He's making a more general point about how people in power can easily be overtaken by either the left or the right once their approval tanks due to economic forces they probably can't control. It's whoever can come up with the best narrative on how to "fix" things.

He uses Wilders as an example of the right; but he doesn't explicitly label him as fascist. I hope he clarifies himself in the future, and he often does. Not that big of a deal, hardly anyone knows who the guy even is.

Or, maybe he's just trying to endear himself to Charles Johnson and his lizard army of twelve.

But my goodness. The guy does three hours of radio and one hour of TV every day of the week. He does live shows and gives speeches. He writes books. And he has a family. Why are some expecting some kind of superhuman perfection from him, and why are some assuming he's supposed to, or has ever claimed to be, on their "team"?

A lot of people are learning a lot from him about how this country's gotten off track, and the reasons for it. These kinds of lessons are not necessarily compatible with towing the partisan line. That's Hannity's and Limbaugh's schtick. But if Republicans behave according to their basic planks and charters, they will naturally benefit from the Glenn Beck show(s), and people's newfound awareness.

You know many people say that Hannity and Limbaugh, and even Levin are harmful to the Republican party, a net drag. But we know that's not true, or the left wouldn't be so intent on trying to shut them up and discredit them. And guess who's at the top of their priority list for destruction these days? That's right .... Beck. Don't help them, please.

[Terry Gain]

Beck has done more to expose the left wing radicalism of Obama than anyone else and perhaps more than all others combined. He deserves to be cut some slack when he errs.

[Roger Knight]

I must admit. Beck's rant against Geert Wilders is a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment for me.

Here is a dirty little secret about Europe and Britain: The farms there simply cannot grow enough food to feed the people who live there. That is why we had a Holocaust: to reduce the number of mouths to feed to the food capacity of the European farms. The Jews and Gypsies were merely first in line for the elimination. Mein Kampf is tough to read but it is all there. The U-boat campaign was designed to starve Britain out of the war. She was importing 65% of her food then. Even more now.

So what do these geniuses in Europe do in the decades since: Import millions of Muslims! Who have to eat, just like every other human being. Who have a supremacist ideology that involves converting or killing the infidel. Most white Europeans are Infidels who desire neither death nor conversion to Islam.

At least the Nazis had bier und bratwurst und pretty girls in dirndl dresses! These Islamic jihadists are about as much fun as being waterboarded with grape Kool-Aid!

An argument can be made that if your nation's farms cannot grow enough food to feed your people, then to allow ANY immigration is patently irresponsible and dangerous. For what happens when those ships from Canada, US, Mexico and other food exporting nations can no longer come across the ocean? Or those nations can no longer export large amounts of food due to their increasing populations?

Geert is not a fascist. Glenn is either misinformed, bought off, or gone Charles Johnson on us.

[USMC]

He did interview Wilders in the past:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooBmZOH-oQE
It was a favorable interview. Beck tries too pack a lot of info into one sitting thus the slippage and the causing of WTF? all over. Gary brought up some very valid points.

Sidenote: Beck seems to be becoming a male Palin. No matter what he gets "clobbered". Also Jim DeMint absolutely loved Glenn's CPAC speech! As did Palin. Will Levin rip these also?

[Huey]

Maybe not so troubling.

Beck didn't call him a facist. Why Dan says he did when he clearly did not is beyond me.

Maybe not. It's Beck.

[Gary]

I'm pretty sure Beck doesn't think Wilders is a "fascist", and didn't mean to imply that he is one. He was on his show on pretty friendly terms about a year ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLZE3pTZ7TY

Obviously, Wilders is fighting AGAINST the fascism of Islam.

I think he does owe us some clarification, and maybe an apology to Wilders. I think there will be .... there's a lot of buzz about this on both the left and the right.

Nobody's perfect. Glenn's still about the only thing non-snooze-worthy on Cable TV news, IMHO.

[Shari]

I'm just a stay at home mom so help me out. Isnt right wing ideology about limited government. So if you go the extreme then its no government at all. Too little government to have a functional society?

[Huey]

Shari: "Right-wing" and "left-wing" are really misnomers as they are used to describe the political continuum. There isn't a "center" of political philosophy which goes out "left" and "right" in any comprehensible fashion. What exists as a political continuum is, in reality, a measure of the power of government over the individual -- with one end of the continuum being "anarchy" and the other "totalitarianism." Communism and fascism, approach the "totalitarianism" scale but are completely different political philosophies. (Fascism can be either "left" or "right" in my opinion. See, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism -- sorry for the Wiki, but it's "handy..." if not always entirely accurate.)

Thus, the fascists of Italy and Germany were in direct opposition to the Communists of the Soviet Union and much of the support for the National Socialist Democrat Party was as a result of the growing fear of the left, i.e., the Communists of the Soviet Union.

[Shari]

appreciate your input huey.

[Scott]

Don't get me wrong. I still like Blenn Geck. But he weirds me out sometimes. See? That's what I mean.

[WillOTP]

You've got to be kidding me to try to make that connection with what he said in that video. He also said Sarkozy was on the right. He wasn't calling those specific people facist and communist. he was talking about them gaining support from far right and far left groups. Just because a facist group supports someone, doesn't make that person a facist and more than if someone from the KKK voted for Bush it makes him a racist.

I think you have one of the best conservative voices out there, but when it comes to Beck you're pretty much the Keith Olbermann of the internet. We get it. You're Levin's boy. Levin doesn't like Beck and you agree with his opinion. Take a couple breaths before you waste a whole post on silly stuff.

Of course, these posts get more comments than any other here, but that wouldn't have anything to do with it, now would it?

[xerocky]

Huey, in a way he kind of did. He called the far right facists, right after describing him as far right.

Great post Roger Knight.

[Aye Chihuahua]

"Thus, the fascists of Italy and Germany were in direct opposition to the Communists of the Soviet Union and much of the support for the National Socialist Democrat Party was as a result of the growing fear of the left, i.e., the Communists of the Soviet Union."

Huey, I would strongly encourage you to watch the documentary "The Soviet Story".

That film will show you the startling reality of how closely the Nazis in Germany were connected to Stalin in Russia up to, and including, how Jews fleeing into Russia were sent back as well as their agreement to divide Poland in halves each one getting a piece of it.

Here's a link to the vid (multiple parts here):

http://vodpod.com/watch/2667361-the-soviet-story

There are places where you can watch it complete as well.

[Dan Riehl]

Now, now, Aye Chi-waah-waah!! Has Flopping Aces let you off the leash, again??

[Huey]

Aye: I agree that, after Hitler's consolidation of power, he and Stalin became bed-fellows. (Really, essentially a 2-3 year strained relationship...)

This doesn't alter the fact that his rise to power was based, in large part, on the fear of the German people of the rise of Communism, a fear stoked by many large-scale battles between Nazi and Communist forces.

See, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotfrontk%C3%A4mpferbund

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_rise_to_power (especially 1925-1930)

Certainly, in the march to WWII, Hitler and Stalin "agreed" essentially to carve up Europe (beginning with Poland) between themselves -- but, equally clear (as Hitler's subsequent betrayal of and invasion of Russia attests) Hitler never trusted Stalin, in fact had announced in Mein Kampf (1925) that his intent was to invade the Soviet Union. Neither Stalin nor Hitler believed the relationship was to be long-term. Stalin thought that Hitler would invade in 1942 and was caught flat-footed when Hitler invaded a year earlier.

[Huey]

xerocky: Beck was warning us of the potential of European countries, in a time of great economic turmoil, to turn to totalitarianism -- from the left and from the right. He used the example of the growing strength of the left in France and the growing strength of the right in the Netherlands -- essentially (with the economics of both countries being similar, i.e., in the toilet) a reaction AGAINST the sitting government regardless of which "side" of the political spectrum the governments aligned with.

He warned us of what might happen (and what historically has happened) in Europe NO MATTER WHICH side of the political spectrum the leaders were aligned with in the event of economic collapse -- totalitarianism -- from the left Communism -- from the right fascism.

He used the current leaders of the various countries as examples merely to show that some countries are turning LEFT and others are turning RIGHT although the economic circumstances are similar throughout -- simply attempting to show that the current trends are merely ANTI-INCUMBENCY. He used the current leaders to show this.

He then went on to his LARGER POINT, i.e., that, in a time of trouble, the potential exists, FROM BOTH "SIDES" OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM the potential for totalitarianism exists.

[michigan]

At times, we’re rather quick in dismissing all the plusses for a few minuses. Glenn has done some pretty informative and effective communications. Some of us point out he’s “dangerous” or “a loose cannon”, etc. People make mistakes and will continue to. I’m willing to give him a “mulligan” on this one for sure. Maybe he’ll make a clarification, maybe not. My point is that Glenn should not be the issue we critique; at least most of us are aware enough to know when he has made a mistake and I would think after listening to him he would be proud of us. It’s a bit of a stretch to anticipate him going “Johnson”. The hard left doesn’t really hate him as much as they hate his effectiveness and I would bet many of them watch him secretly because he taps into their emotional method of communication that is like a flame to a moth for a leftie; only he destroys their argument and they are torn, some persuaded. If you don’t like him, don’t watch or listen to his product, but I have a feeling that those that have been, will.

[buckjohnson]

Roger Knight great post. And you were right about all your points being little known. It takes a great reader, a careful and thoughtful reader, and a person full of discernment to realize your thoughts, not one who last book read was written by a person who writes crib notes on her hand.

[Huey]

michigan: Beck's point is extremely important.

The world is on the verge of economic collapse -- still. What happens if there's another world depression? The danger is that the people turn to a "leader" to fix the mess and end up with a dictator -- and it doesn't matter if that dictator arises from the left or the right.

[Aye Chihuahua]

Hey Dan....

Have you found the source for the quote you falsely attributed to Beck yet? I'm sure, for the sake of your waning credibility, you'll get right on that.

You know since you devoted so much time to giving Beck a hard time over the Washington quote....

The same Washington quote, by the way, that was also used in books by Newt Gingrich, David Limbaugh, a speech by Billy Graham, and hundreds of other examples going back to the 1800s.

Sounds like you need to call them out on their errors too.

I'm sure, in the interest of consistency, you'll get right on that.

[sam]

Glenn Beck is a circus clown who exists merely to entertain to gain high ratings. If he has followers then they are naive fools.

[Terrye]

I don't trust Beck, I never did. But I have to admit I was surprised the other evening when I heard Krauthammer call Wilders far right and a demagogue. And I do like CK. So I am not sure what to think.

[Pablo]

"Beck didn't call him a facist. Why Dan says he did when he clearly did not is beyond me.

Maybe not. It's Beck."

And it's Riehl. Who could be on the cusp of a Sullivanesque "awakening."