False advertising: Beck show promo denounced calling Dems communists, but he often does that on his show

In a January promotion for his then-upcoming Fox News program, Glenn Beck denounced those who accuse Democrats of leading America toward communism: "I'm tired of the politics of left and right. It's about right and wrong. We argue back and forth -- 'If you haven't voted for the donkey, you're just a hatemonger.' The other side -- 'Oh, those donkeys trying to turn us into communist Russia.' Stop!" But since Glenn Beck premiered on Fox News, Beck has repeatedly used his program to smear President Obama, Democrats, and their policies as communist -- and Marxist, socialist, and fascist. Indeed, a March 6 Los Angeles Times article reported that this is a core purpose of his Fox News show: "In making the jump to the top-rated cable news channel from [CNN Headline News], where [Beck] had a show for two years, he hoped to alert people to one of his consuming fears: that the government's handling of the economic crisis is ushering in an era of socialism." According to the article, Beck said, " 'Look in your rear-view mirror; we just passed France' ... 'I think our country is on the verge of disintegration.' "

Contrary to his earlier promotion, Beck has repeatedly smeared Democrats and their policies with totalitarianism:

• In a "Comade Update" segment on his March 4 program, Beck, delivering a mock speech to communist "comrades" to the strains of the Soviet national anthem, asserted that "[t]he destruction of the West is happening." Beck said: "Comrades. Our time is now. We have them spending trillions to save their precious banks. We nearly have their Census in the hands of their fearless leader. We have convinced them that those who cheat on their taxes are more important than the average person, so they should be ignored. Let them work, let them work. And their very own agents, our agents are now in Congress. We are very close to our ruling party. The destruction of the West is happening just as we always hoped, but not with violence -- no, no, with fear." Beck also referred to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Obama as "Comrade Brown" and "Comrade Obama" and referred to "the good work [of] the agents that we've planted inside our great worker organization, the AFL-CIO."

• In a "Comade Update" segment on his February 5 program, Beck said: "Comrades, today I bring you good news from the western front. Our fearless leader of the American swine say their country will never recover if the stimulus doesn't pass quickly. Ho-ho-ho-ho! How right he is. But comrades, you must not listen to the foolish propaganda from the pigs who say that their leader Obama is simply fear-mongering. Those pigs say that others accused President Bush of doing the same thing with that old terrorism thing. What evidence was there of terrorism? OK, sure, a few bombings, some videotapes, maybe a hole in Manhattan. Please. That could have been anything. You and I both know how desperate the situation is for the Americans. Yes. And thankfully, our good friend, Comrade Pelosi does as well." After playing a clip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaking, Beck said: "hundred million people will lose their jobs every month. Yes, Comrade Pelosi. Yes, we can."

• In a "Comade Update" segment on his February 4 program, Beck cited several policies of the Obama administration, including "setting salary caps for bailed-out company executives," "[t]he dangers of the union card check," and "insuring the SCHIPs." Beck then said: "I'm going to show you how these things are happening today, and they line up with some of the goings-on in history's worst socialist, fascist countries. When did socialism become a happy thing for us? These people may not be taking us on the same road that fascist dictators took the rest of the world on a long time ago, but they're using the same tactics and the same propaganda."

Beck has also repeatedly invoked the Nazis in talking about Obama and other Democrats:

• Appearing on the February 24 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Beck compared the course of the American economy to Weimar Germany's, saying: "[W]e are making all of the mistakes that we made in the Great Depression. And the scariest mistake that Germany made during the Weimar Republic was, 'We gotta nationalize, nationalize, nationalize.' And all of the capitalists, all the bankers, all the industries said, 'Absolutely, because we'll get it back.' Unfortunately, the guy running the country was Hitler. You never got it back. In our country, you don't -- and I'm not comparing Obama, I'd say this about George W. Bush. You don't let these people have control of your life. You may not get it back. You don't do it."

• Appearing on the February 6 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Beck asserted to guest Laura Ingraham during a discussion of Obama's economic recovery package: "We are really, truly stepping beyond socialism, and we're starting to look at fascism. We're putting business and government together." He continued by making comparisons to Nazi Germany, saying: "OK, let me just explain what happened in Nazi Germany. Remember, it was national socialism. We're talking now about nationalizing the banks. And we're also putting in socialized programs. National socialism. At first in Nazi Germany, everybody was so panicked, they were so freaked. Remember, don't take any time to think about it, we just got to do, do, do. ... It didn't take too long before, like here in America now -- Goldman Sachs, they started to see the writing on the wall and went, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You guys are getting out of control here. What are you guys doing?' And they couldn't get out of it fast enough. Unfortunately for those in Germany, you could never go back. I don't know if this is the system that we're headed towards or not, where they're not going to let you out. But let me tell you something, I don't want to play this game. This is becoming extraordinarily dangerous."

• On the February 5 edition of Glenn Beck, Beck played a clip of former Vice President Al Gore "speaking to a bunch of teens and preteens at a youth conference on global warming"; in the clip, Gore tells his audience: "There are some things about our world that you know that older people don't know." Beck introduced the quote by saying: "When I finish this story, some may believe we're on the road to the Hitler Youth." Afterward, Beck continued comparing this quote to the Hitler Youth, saying: "And now you got the former vice president of the United States and a Nobel Prize winner looking your kid in the eye and telling them, 'You know what? You know things that your dad and mom don't.' ... The government and its friends are indoctrinating our children for the control of their minds, your freedom, and our choice, and our future. It must stop, because history -- when properly taught -- has already shown us where it leads. This is what Nazi Joseph Goebbels said about the Hitler Youth: 'If such an art of active mass influence through propaganda is joined with a long-term systematic education of our nation, and if both are conducted in a unified and precise way, the relationship between the leadership and the nation will always remain close.' "

From the February 5 edition of Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck:

BECK: Last night, I told you that we were on the road to socialism -- some comedy, you know, coming your way. Well, tonight -- oh boy, this might not go well. When I finish this story, some may believe we're on the road to the Hitler Youth. Here is the latest example -- and buckle up, because if you thought last night was bumpy, well, this one is going to be a rollercoaster ride.

One of my radio listeners gave me this exclusive story just a couple of days ago. I want to play it in a minute. You hear the voice of Al Gore. He is speaking to a bunch of teens and preteens at a youth conference on global warming, or as he is calling it now, climate change.

GORE [audio clip]: There are some things about our world that you know that older people don't know.

BECK: Yeah. I'm going to play more of this tape for you in a minute and introduce you to the 12-year-old who was there recording it because her dad told her to. Her dad will be with us, too.

But what is the point of all this? Well, as I see it, as a father of four, you're probably a little like me. You're working hard to raise your kids right, and it seems like everything is stacked against you. In many cases, both you and your spouse are working -- and some are working two jobs.

You get home, and you're tired, man. You've been dealing with a screaming boss all day, an economy that's falling apart. Everybody is freaking out wondering if they're even going to have a job next week. And you got a government that is out of control -- you look at on TV, and you're like, "What the hell are they doing now?"

And you're doing it all without any help. In fact, I think you are doing it against everything that's been set up to make your life oh so easy. And now you got the former vice president of the United States and a Nobel Prize winner looking your kid in the eye and telling them, "You know what? You know things that your dad and mom don't."

Well, try to beat that, mom and dad. What do you know? I mean, you tell me what a 12-year-old knows instinctively that an adult doesn't -- I mean, except being able to play Guitar Hero. And if it is true, well, then why didn't we appoint a 12-year-old to lead the Treasury? I mean, they know things instinctively. You know, we didn't need Tim Geithner. Or how about -- how about we appoint a 12-year-old as a new climate czar?

Why is it that our Constitution says that the president has to be 35? I'm sure he's trapped in some of that old thinking. Wouldn't -- shouldn't we just make sure that at least the vice president is 13?

The government and its friends are indoctrinating our children for the control of their minds, your freedom, and our choice, and our future. It must stop, because history -- when properly taught -- has already shown us where it leads.

This is what Nazi Joseph Goebbels said about the Hitler Youth: "If such an art of active mass influence through propaganda is joined with a long-term systematic education of our nation, and if both are conducted in a unified and precise way, the relationship between the leadership and the nation will always remain close."

Well, what's next? If mom and dad decide to keep the temperature above 72, should our "Gore Youth" report mom and dad? Should they also report spankings and groundings every time daddy comes home and watches that evil Fox News?

Environmentalists, along with everybody else looking to promote an agenda, understand what the drug dealer understands instinctively -- and he's not 12 -- and that's this: Get kids hooked when they're young, and you will have a customer for life.

[...]

BECK: Capitalism is being trashed at every turn. Have you noticed, or is it just me, that we seem to be marching down the road to socialism?

Oh, no, it's socialism! Stop! Stop! Stop! Scary communism.

Comrades, today I bring you good news from the western front. Our fearless leader of the American swine say their country will never recover if the stimulus doesn't pass quickly. Ho-ho-ho-ho! How right he is.

But comrades, you must not listen to the foolish propaganda from the pigs who say that their leader Obama is simply fear-mongering. Those pigs say that others accused President Bush of doing the same thing with that old terrorism thing. What evidence was there of terrorism?

OK, sure, a few bombings, some videotapes, maybe a hole in Manhattan. Please. That could have been anything. You and I both know how desperate the situation is for the Americans. Yes. And thankfully, our good friend, Comrade Pelosi does as well.

PELOSI [video clip]: Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans lose their jobs. I don't think we can go fast enough to stop that. The president asked for action -- swift and bold. And that is what we are doing.

BECK: Five hundred million people will lose their jobs every month. Yes, Comrade Pelosi. Yes, we can. Now, some pigs will say $7.6 billion for rural advancement for the communities; $1.7 billion for the National Park System; $87 million for a polar ice-breaking ship; $50 million for the National Endowments for the Arts, that's really -- that's not going to save the country.

But of course they would say that. What do they know about the struggle of the noble worker? We, comrades, must keep up the fight. We must show them the way. Stay strong, comrades. Victory is finally near.

Stop. You know, yesterday I did a segment like this, and the Drudge Report, you know, "Oh, look. They call it communism." You know what? Look, you want to be a socialist? Be a socialist. That's fine. You want to be a communist? Be a communist.

Why are we hiding this? Why is it we're not having the conversation now about universal health care? Let's have that conversation; not the conversation of, "Quick, our country will never recover if we don't pass all of this bull crap -- which we're still printing out -- unless we act now."