During the January 12 broadcast of his radio program, Glenn Beck -- who in a promotion last week for his upcoming Fox News program criticized those on the “right” who make statements about “those donkeys trying to turn us into communist Russia” -- asserted that President-elect Barack Obama is a “socialist” who “has Marxist tendencies.” Beck claimed that “I don't want to get into name-calling,” then stated: “However, with that being said, I don't believe name-calling is something like, 'That person's a socialist'; 'That person is a Marxist,' because that's like people pointing to me and going, 'Hmph, you're a conservative.' ” After saying that “I don't think calling somebody a socialist or a Marxist is name-calling when you can back it up with facts,” he went on to say: “Now, I am going to say what I believe is true, and I do believe that Barack Obama is a socialist.” Beck added: “He may be a full-fledged Marxist. He has surrounded himself by Marxists his whole life.”

Beck also asserted: “So let's match the words that our politicians are saying with those of Karl Marx or Lenin or Stalin. Do they match? Let's take some of the words from people like [Sen.] Chris Dodd [D-CT] and match them to Mussolini. Do they sound familiar? Yeah, some of them do.”

In a promotion last week for his new show, Beck claimed: “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 as Media Matters for America has documented, on his CNN Headline News program, Beck repeatedly compared progressives -- including President-elect Barack Obama, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, and former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) -- to Russian communists, Marxists, and socialists.

From the January 12 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show:

BECK: I want to make it very, very clear that while I don't want to get into name-calling -- and I probably will, because I'm a weak and flawed individual -- there will come a time that I'll go, “He's a fat pig just like me” -- I would rather not, because it's not what Jesus would do, but I realize you're not listening to the Jesus program. And as much as I'd like to be like Jesus, I ain't ever going to get there. So, I'll try, but I'm a flawed individual.

However, with that being said, I don't believe name-calling is something like, “That person's a socialist”; “That person is a Marxist,” because that's like people pointing to me and going, “Hmph, you're a conservative.” Uh, yes. For a thousand, Alex?

I'm sorry, what is, “Yes, Glenn is a conservative?” It's not name-calling. I don't think the labels do enough, because when I say “conservative,” you know, people say, “Oh, well, he's a conservative talk-show host.” And that just kind of puts all kinds of ideas into people's heads. Well, yes, I'm a conservative, and, yes, I'm a talk-show host, but I'm much more of a libertarian than anything else. My conservative bent really runs to “leave me alone.” Leave -- leave my business alone. Let me fail. If I can -- if I -- if I can -- if I can find a way to failure -- believe me, I can do it -- and I'm pretty good at finding ways to failure. I've failed most of my life. But then when I succeed, don't take it all away from me.

So, I am much more of a libertarian, but you can call me a conservative. You can call me a libertarian. You can call me a jerk. You can call me a fat fat fatty, because I kind of am. Have you seen me lately? Ooh, Boston cream doughnut last night. Jack Bauer was on TV. I was in heaven. But that's a different story.

I don't think calling somebody a socialist or a Marxist is name-calling when you can back it up with facts. When you can back it up with -- I mean, you know, I don't have anybody's Marxist card or socialist, you know, World Workers Party card, but I do have their words, and I know the difference. I mean, I have said on this program -- is it name-calling to say, “That guy sounds like a Founding Father”? Is that name-calling? Or is that just matching that person's words with the words of the Founders? That's all it is. So let's match the words that our politicians are saying with those of Karl Marx or Lenin or Stalin. Do they match? Let's take some of the words from people like Chris Dodd and match them to Mussolini. Do they sound familiar? Yeah, some of them do.

Now, you've got to take out the whole, “You know what, I think Hitler -- I'm going to help him with the Jew thing, too.” You know, they're not saying that, but people say many of the same things. Now, I am going to say what I believe is true, and I do believe that Barack Obama is a socialist. He is -- he has Marxist tendencies. He may be a full-fledged Marxist. He has surrounded himself by Marxists his whole life. And if you're a socialist, I don't know why that's a bad thing, because socialism doesn't seem to be a bad thing in America anymore. Most people are like, “Yeah, socialism isn't so bad.”