Glenn Beck as Charles Johnson?

Karl D. writes:

Have you seen the Glenn Beck show today? He pretty much threw Geert Wilders and any “Right wing” European parties under the bus by saying they are leading to Fascism! He even asked his viewers to “Tweet” him about these parties. He has fallen into the same familiar trap that anything resembling serious Conservatism or Nationalism in Europe is going to lead to another Hitler. I am sick. I always had mixed feelings about Beck. He had some very good things to say. But his misreading of Europe is astounding.

- end of initial entry -

Posted March 9, 12:02 a.m.

Diana West writes:

The same thing happened on the Fox News show with William Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and someone else as panelists tonight.

Krauthammer said Geert didn’t know the difference between Islam and Islamism (oh,please, do enlighten us, Chas.). The gal in the middle said if Holland elected a man such as Geert it would suffer the consequences. And Kristol called Geert a demagogue.

And they all, including Beck, work in part for the Saudi royal family, don’t forget.

A revolting display all around.

Dan S. writes:

I too caught Beck’s statement linking Geert Wilders with “fascism” and lumping him with the anti-Semitic Jean-Marie Le Pen. I cannot say I’m surprised. Glenn Beck, despite being right on many things, is ultimately incoherent and offers the most shallow analysis on many issues. He is a firm believer in the myth of “moderate Islam,” and thus not surprisingly cannot bring himself to entertain the policies advocated by Wilders. Of course brushing Geert Wilders off as a fascist is a tactic of the left, so Beck should be forced to explain himself here. Beck should also explain exactly what is wrong with what Wilders has proposed and how it is fascist. (Unsurprisingly, left-wing libel-blogger Charles Johnson is praising Beck’s idiotic anti-Wilders rant.)

Ferg writes:

Karl D. Says:

He has fallen into the same familiar trap that anything resembling serious Conservatism or Nationalism in Europe is going to lead to another Hitler. I am sick. I always had mixed feelings about Beck. He had some very good things to say. But his misreading of Europe is astounding.

Do not Beck and others like him understand that the longer it takes a white Christian revival of Europe to occur, the MORE likely it is that a Hitler will be the only remaining alternative? Beck and the others need to read some history and think this through. Hitlers come along when people get really desperate.

Paul K. writes:

Glenn Beck thinks he’s really skating on the thin ice, saying the unmentionable, but when it comes to race he’s as politically correct as they come. Beck’s bete noire is Woodrow Wilson, and what was one of that president’s greatest sins, according to Beck? He was anti-immigrant and a racist!

Mark Jaws writes:

Yes—I just listened to Beck on Fox News, and I think he is getting just a tad too big for his britches. For a guy who is in bed with us TEA Partyers, he sure does not understand what the right stands for—limited government, welcoming the role of the Church in civil and cultural affairs, rule of law, free enterprise and individual rights. Beck is claiming that there is a danger of our emulating the “European way,” which is repeating the mistakes of the 1930s and going either hard left—Communist, or hard right—Fascist. Someone ought to tell Glenn that Fascism is a movement of the left as it demands the collective, and is not of the right. Beck has shown that he is no Lawrence Auster. He is no Rush Limbaugh. I am somewhat disappointed in him. He got lots of ‘splainin to do.

LA replies:

I of course strongly disagree with the idea, widespread in some conservative quarters, that Fascism and Nazism are primarily leftwing ideologies, as I’ve discussed many times but particularly here.

Tom P. writes:

I was in shock to hear Beck’s idiotic comments as well. Strange thing is Geert Wilders has actually been on Glenn Beck’s show before!

Ron L. writes:

In 2008, Beck stood up for the right of Wilders to make Fitna In 2009, Beck stood up for Wilder’s right to free speech in the UK Beck even played part of Fitna as well as Churchill on Islam. Beck made it clear that he disagreed with the idea that all Muslims are bad, only disagreeing with the way some use Islam.

Frankly, I am stunned by tonight’s broadcast. Beck doesn’t know what he is talking about. If he did he would not call Domenique de Villepin “right wing.” Villepin is no fascist, certainly not in the “round up the Jews way.” He simply comes from the anti-American and dirigiste side of the UMP, De Gaulle party. This is an intraparty fight against the free-market seemingly pro-U.S. Sarkozy. Given Beck’s great work on showing fascism’s progressive roots, his use of this term to slander Wilders is ridiculous. Pamela Geller is correct that Beck is, at best, an ignoramus using a platform to spout words he barely understands. The alternative is that this is the result of the same Saudi funding that gave us a week of Fox Business News spots on the virtues of investing in the Arab world including Syria and the Palestinian Territories. (The downsides were not mentioned.)

March 9

Ron L. writes:

Last night, I forgot to mention the most obvious reason, Kristol and Krauthammer hate Wilders: Ideology. Kristol and Krauthammer are Neoconservatives wed to the idea of democratization and assimilation. If the problem is not a few crazy Islamists and enablers then the liberal and neoconservative visions or a middle east and Eurabia collapse. Personally, I think Wilders is wrong to call Islam Fascism. Communism is a better analogy: Orthodox Islam with their Dawa are mensheviks to the Jihadists playing Bolsheviks to mainstream Islam being the equivalent of Democratic Socialists. When Wilders calls the Koran fascism, he stabs neoconservatism in its heart.

Beck is all over the place. He loves immigration. A few weeks ago, Beck read approvingly Emma Lazarus’s poem, the New Colussus, which redefined the Statue of Liberty in terms of immigration. Far from seeing this as progressive or left-anarchist, Beck loved this idea. He is too ignorant to recognize his liberalism.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 08, 2010 05:44 PM | Send