Beck’s accusation that progressives have “co-opted” civil rights movement rings hollow
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on June 4th, 2010 4:47 am by HL
Beck’s accusation that progressives have “co-opted” civil rights movement rings hollow
On his Fox News show, Glenn Beck claimed that the civil rights movement “has been co-opted by progressives.” However, Beck routinely uses both the civil rights movement and its rhetoric for his own political agenda, such as his claim that his August 28 rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial will “reclaim the civil rights movement.”
Beck claims progressives have “co-opted” the civil rights movement
On the June 3 edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck said:
BECK: I told you that this summer we’re gonna concentrate on restoring history. The history of our nation, the founding, the early 20th century, the Depression era, and the civil rights movement, which has been co-opted by progressives.
Beck himself co-opts civil rights movement for his own purposes
Beck compared health care reform protesters to civil rights marchers. During the October 14, 2009, announced on his website that he had planned a rally at “the feet of Abraham Lincoln” for August 28, 2010.
Beck has an extensive history of race baiting
Beck claimed Obama is a “racist.” Discussing Obama’s response to the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Beck asserted that Obama has “a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.” After being reminded that Obama has numerous white staffers, Beck contradicted himself, saying, “I’m not saying that he doesn’t like white people. I’m saying he has a problem,” before going on to state, “This guy is, I believe, a racist.” [Fox News’ Fox & Friends, 7/28/09]
Beck: Obama satisfying his “desire for racial justice” though “intimidation, vilification, bullying.” On July 27, 2009, Beck said: “We have demonstrated President Obama’s desire for racial justice, but how is he setting out to achieve it? Exactly the way a community organizer would: through intimidation, vilification, bullying, a system, an underground shell game.” Beck continued: “Look how he has handled different things. Gates — he calls the cops stupid and racist before he admits, he says, ‘I don’t know all of the facts.’ But he jumps to the conclusion that the cops are racist.”
Beck wondered why blacks identify as black since he doesn’t identify as white. During a panel discussion on his Fox News show on November 13, 2009, Beck asked the studio audience: “How many people here identify themselves as African-Americans? Why?” He added: “Why not identify yourself as Americans?” After a panelist said, “But people can look at you and tell you’re black, you can’t escape that,” Beck said, “Yeah, but I don’t identify myself as white or a white American.”
Beck frequently declares that things are “slavery” or will lead to slavery. Beck has claimed that debt is “a path to slavery”; stated that recipients of federal aid have been “taught to be slaves”; said that “illegal immigration is modern-day slavery”; asserted that progressive policies cause “slavery to government, welfare, affirmative action, regulation, control”; repeatedly said that that the stimulus bill “is slavery”; ranted that Obama is “addicting this country to heroin — the heroin that is government slavery” and that “the government’s irresponsible spending is turning us into slaves”; claimed that an Obama-proposed change to itemized tax deductions “involves enslaving people”; and alleged that a “modern-day slave state” is being constructed from ACORN, SEIU, and federal student loan, census, and service initiatives.
Beck has repeatedly compared Obama’s agenda to “reparations.” Beck has said that Obama’s agenda is driven by “reparations” and desire to “settle old racial scores through new social justice.” He later said: “This is all affirmative action.” Beck spoke at length about reparations during the July 23 editions of both his Fox News and his radio shows.
