Beck doctors Soros quote to suggest Soros called for giving “the world” “a vote in Congress”

Beck claim: Soros quote shows that he wants “global citizens” voting on “who represents us.” On the November 11 edition of his Fox News program, Beck repeatedly aired and referenced comments Soros made during a September 16, 2003, talk at the Open Society Institute. Beck claimed that the clip shows that “it's a problem” for Soros that “people in China and France don't get to vote”; that Soros wants “the world” to have “a vote in Congress”; and that Soros wants “Global citizens who are voting on who represents us. And what we do”:

BECK: I want you to know and remember this: In the last three episodes, I'm not making claims, I'm not asking questions, I'm not telling you statements of fact. What I'm telling you is, watch George Soros in his own words. Where is the country headed? George Soros.

[start video clip]

QUESTIONER: The question is what whether we need and whether Mr. Soros and his foundations can help to bring more foreign influence in the United States instead of relying on what is essentially a balance between Democrats and conservative Republicans.

SOROS: I think you put your finger on a very important flaw in the current world order, and that is that only Americans have a vote in Congress. And yet, it is the United States that basically determines policy for the world. That is a flaw in the current setup.

[end video clip]

BECK: It's a problem for him that people in China or France don't get to vote, find out who sits in Congress. Is it for you? You need to make a choice. Mr. Soros has made his choice. I have made mine. Tonight you decide.

[...]

BECK: So which part of the London School of Economics does Soros favor? The Hayek side or the Fabian side? Which one?

This is where he learned about an open society. The Open Society Institute, which is now his charitable arm. Sounds harmless on the outside. But I mean -- really, I mean, who doesn't want to be open? But when you listen to him at the top of the hour and the beginning of the program, we played that. Notice that logo behind him? That was his Open Society Institute. Can your institute bring in more foreign influence here in America?

What is an open society, really? Well, you saw it a moment ago. The world has a vote in Congress. But you also saw it in his father. Soros. A world free of nationalities. It is a global replacement for our republic, for all the work our founders did, that's old news. We must progress past it. We must have a new world order. It's a replacement for the republic, for all the work our founders did, that's old news. We must progress past it. We must have a new world order. It's a replacement for the republic.

[...]

BECK: Does this sound good to you? Does it sound good to you? How much has the price of sugar gone up? How much has your gasoline gone up? Why? Why? Is there a shortage with sugar? No. Your dollar is being devalued. It is going down in an orderly way. Prices go up. Is that what you want? Let me play the clip that we just played one more time at the top of the hour. Listen to this.

[start video clip]

QUESTIONER: The question is whether we need and whether Mr. Soros and his foundations can help to bring more foreign influence in to the United States, instead of relying on what is essentially a balance between Democrats and conservative Republicans.

SOROS: I think you put your finger on a very important flaw in the current world order, and that is that only Americans have a vote in Congress. And yet, it is the United States that basically determines policy for the world. That is a flaw in the current setup.

[start video clip]

BECK: OK. Worthless dollar. Global citizens who are voting on who represents us. And what we do. That's what George Soros and an open society looks like. When he is done with America, that's what you will have. Now, how does he achieve it? How does he achieve it?

Well, we showed you these five steps last night. He is collapsing the economies. He's quite good at it, collapsing the economies. We showed you how he's doing it here in America. He's doing it over and over and over again. All of them. He's doing it, in his words, subversively. Subversively.

Beck deceptively edited clip to reverse meaning of Soros' statement

Soros opposed having foreign citizens vote for Congress, instead calling for “American leadership” to “take into account and respect the interests of others.” During the session, Soros was asked whether he supported establishing “a third branch of Congress for foreign governments only.” Beck aired the portion of Soros' answer in which Soros called it 'a very important flaw in the current world order" that “only Americans have a vote in Congress,” even though the United States “basically determines policy for the world.”

But Beck edited out Soros' subsequent statement that “I don't think you can correct it by giving the Chinese government a vote in Congress... this is where American leadership is needed -- to take into account and respect the interests of others as well in order to retain the dominant position we currently enjoy.”

From the question and answer portion of Soros' talk at the Open Society Institute (emphasis added to indicate Soros comments Beck cropped out):

QUESTIONER: My name is Lee Retiener, and sir, it seems to me four options have arisen today, only one of which is new and hasn't been spoken of yet. Your option of creating a new community of democracies, which in a sense is pronouncing the U.N. a little bit dead [...] The second is improving the United Nations. Its failures -- I don't mean in the Security Council but over the past 20 years and through the dominance of the Group of 77 and the new world economic order -- gave Wolfowitz the right, the power, and the philosophical justification, and those like him, to do what he has now done. That's part of the answer to the question that was asked earlier. So improving the United Nations, which is a long-sought-after goal, is one to which great effort would have to be given. But there's another way, which would be entirely unconstitutional, but I advance it not for the sake of humor, but only to help thought -- which is to create a third branch of Congress for foreign governments only. Proportionate representation in the United States Congress so that the Chinese can legitimately give money, so that Israel can give us money --

[unintelligible]

The question is whether we need and whether Mr. Soros and his foundations can help to bring more foreign influence into the United States instead of relying on what is essentially a balance between Democrats and conservative Republicans, which hasn't worked and is not about to start working.

SOROS: Look, I think -- I think you put your finger on a very important flaw in the current world order, and that is that only Americans have a vote in Congress. And yet, it is the United States that basically determines policy for the world. That is a flaw in the current setup. I don't think you can correct it by giving the Chinese government a vote in Congress. But it is a flaw, and I think this is where American leadership is needed, to take into account and respect the interests of others as well, in order to retain the dominant position we currently enjoy.