Beck resumes villification of Tides Foundation with a taunt: “Did you guys think I wouldn't talk about it anymore?”

Written by Jeremy Holden

Published

Before launching into his latest attack on the Tides Foundation, Glenn Beck taunted, “Uh-oh. Did you guys think I wouldn't talk about it anymore? Uh-oh. Look who's wrong.”

Last week, Media Matters reported on how conspiracy theories promoted by Beck and the right-wing media drove Byron Williams to plot the assassination of the leaders of the ACLU and the Tides Foundation. Beck has since been roundly condemned for his violent rhetoric.

But Beck has shown no signs of backing down in his efforts to villify the group. Friday, he devoted an hour of his show to demonizing Tides. Tonight, he repeatedly attacked Tides, its CEO, and founder Drummond Pike, and the “dirtbag[s]” connected to Tides. Tides, Beck said, is responsible for “anti-capitalist propaganda movies” to “indoctrinate people in their schools” and in their churches.

Beck later launched into an all-out tirade against groups organizing advertiser boycotts of his show, accusing them of using threats, intimidation, and harassment. These boycotts, Beck said, were an effort to “put me in my place.” Tapping the camera, Beck said that “they've been doing this now for two years, and as far as I know -- yeah, it's still working -- we're on the air. Oh, man, you guys are good.”

Since Beck called President Obama a “racist” who has a “deep-seated hatred for white people,” at least 100 sponsors have dropped their ads from Beck's show. A September 29 New York Times Sunday Magazine profile of Beck reported that “as of Sept. 21, 296 advertisers have asked that their commercials not be shown on Beck's show.”

Asked about those reports during a recent shareholder meeting, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch issued a flat denial. “No one,” Murdoch said, “has taken any money off the channel.”

In a letter released last week, Tides CEO Drummond Pike called on advertisers to stop supporting Fox News, noting that “businesses that pay to broadcast commercials on Fox News are subsidizing Glenn Beck's television show by continuing to pump money into the network,” adding, “It has become clear that the only way to stop supporting Beck is to stop supporting Fox News.” Today, Media Matters and People for the American Way joined in calling on major advertisers to stop supporting the network.