On Good Morning America, ABC News' Claire Shipman confronted Glenn Beck with his remark in March 2007 that Sen. Hillary Clinton is “the stereotypical bitch.” Beck responded, in part, that “probably a better word was 'nag.' ”
Confronted on GMA with “stereotypical bitch” statement about Clinton, Beck said “probably a better word was 'nag' ”
Written by Kirstin Ellison
Published
On the May 30 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, ABC News senior national correspondent Claire Shipman confronted CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck with comments he made during the March 15, 2007, broadcast of his radio show, airing an audio clip of Beck saying of Sen. Hillary Clinton during the broadcast: “She's the stereotypical bitch. You know what I mean? She's that stereotypical nagging -- [screeching]. You know what I mean?” Beck then asked Shipman, “Do you know what I mean? Do you?” Shipman responded, “What did you mean?” Beck, who is also a GMA commentator, replied: “This is what I meant. We were watching one of her interviews, or whatever she was doing, or a speech. And she had that tone of voice, where she just sounds like -- [covers his ears]. I can't listen to it 'cause it sounds like -- it sounds like my wife saying, 'Take out the garbage.' ” Shipman then asked, “But what about the 'B' word?” Beck interjected, “Go ahead and say it.” Shipman continued: “Is that OK to use?” When Beck again said, “Say it. Go ahead,” Shipman replied: “You think I should say it? I don't want to say it. I don't like it.” Beck then said: “No, you know what? Here's the thing: Calling her that -- no. I don't think I'd call her that. I hope I've never called her that. Saying, 'sounds like the stereotypical' -- probably a better word was 'nag.' ”
From the March 15, 2007, edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:
BECK: I don't want to sound like the old ball-and-chain guy, but Hillary Clinton cannot be elected president because -- am I wrong in feeling, am I the only one in America that feels this way? -- that there's something about her vocal range. There's something about her voice that just drives me -- it's not what she says, it's how she says it. She is like the stereotypical -- excuse the expression, but this is the way to -- she's the stereotypical bitch, you know what I mean? She's that stereotypical nagging [unintelligible], you know what I mean? And she doesn't have to be saying -- she could be saying happy things, but after four years, don't you think every man in America will go insane? Is it just me? I mean, I know this is horrible to say, but I mean it not -- I would say this if she were Condi Rice and she sounded like that. Condi Rice doesn't have that grate to her voice. You know what I need to do? I need to talk to a vocal expert, because there is a range in women's voices that experts say is just the chalk, I mean, the fingernails on the blackboard. And I don't know if she's using that range or what it is, but I've heard her in speeches where I can't take it.
From the May 30 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:
SHIPMAN: Is that stuff sexist, funny, or really bad taste? We asked Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson if they wanted to talk about it; the only personality, though, who manned up to talk about his words with us -- radio and TV host Glenn Beck.
I'm going to show you examples of --
BECK: I feel like --
SHIPMAN: -- one thing you said. All right, don't get nervous.
BECK [audio clip]: She's the stereotypical bitch, you know what I mean? She's that stereotypical nagging -- [screeching]. You know what I mean?
BECK: Do you know what I mean? Do you?
SHIPMAN: What did you mean?
BECK: This is what I meant. We were watching one of her interviews, or whatever she was doing, or a speech. And she had that tone of voice, where she just sounds like [covers his ears]. I can't listen to it 'cause it sounds like -- it sounds like my wife saying, “Take out the garbage.”
SHIPMAN: But what about the “B” word?
BECK: Go ahead and say it.
SHIPMAN: Is that OK to use?
BECK: Say it. Go ahead.
SHIPMAN: You think I should say it? I don't want to say it. I don't like it.
BECK: No, you know what? Here's the thing: Calling her that -- no. I don't think I'd call her that. I hope I've never called her that. Saying, “sounds like the stereotypical” -- probably a better word was “nag.”
SHIPMAN: One of the problems is sexism is hard to define. The virtue of name-calling, if you will, or slurs like “iron my shirt,” is that, sexist or not, they are so obvious. But what about the very silly, a pen with Hillary's cackle? A Hillary nutcracker, her legs lined with spikes? In the bigger picture, even Obama supporters like leading feminist Naomi Wolf think Hillary is feeling unfair pressure, but she thinks it's self-defeating for the candidate to talk about it.