Glenn Beck's Obsession With Slavery

In the past two years, Glenn Beck has repeatedly invoked slavery to attack President Obama, progressives, and progressive policies, among other things. Here is a sampling.

Beck Warned That Progressives And The Progressive Movement Were “Enslaving” People...

Beck: Progressives Will “Regress Into Control, Bigger Government, Corruption And, In The End, Slavery.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/18/10]

Beck: Van Jones Is “Going To Send Millions Of Americans Into Modern-Day Slavery Under The Camouflage Of The American Dream.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/13/11]

Beck: “Our Children Are Not Only Being Shortchanged, They're Being Turned Into, I Think, Slaves, Eventually.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 5/6/11]

Beck: “Progressive Policies” Create “Slavery To Government, Welfare, Affirmative Action, Regulation, Control.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/27/09]

Beck: Frances Fox Piven And Progressives Have “Enslaved The People.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/15/11]

Beck On Progressives: “Their Ideas On How To Run Government And Enslave People Are Stupid, But They Are Not.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 12/9/10]

Beck Compared “The ACORN Structure” To The Romans Who Gave Gifts To “Enslave People” In Britain.

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 1/14/10]

Beck: “Progressives” Were Previously Known As “Tyrants,” “Slave Owners.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/20/09]

Beck Said He Can “Make A Case” The Rathke Brothers Are “Enslaving People Through ACORN.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 9/10/09]

... And That Government And Government Programs Lead To Slavery

Beck: The Government Is “Taking Your Children” And Making Them A “Slave To The Government And Debt.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/9/10]

Beck: “Politicians” Will “Sell You And Your Children Into Slavery.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/22/09]

Beck: “Just Like” Many Of Us Are “Slaves To Medication,” Many Of Us Are “Slaves From Government Handouts.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 9/16/10]

Beck Equated People “On Government Assistance” With Being “A Slave To The Government.”

[Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/12/10]

Beck: Recipients Of Federal Aid Have Been “Taught To Be Slaves.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 11/3/09]

Beck: “The Government's Irresponsible Spending Is Turning Us Into Slaves.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 5/29/09]

Beck: “Don't Become A Slave! Stand Up! Follow Me.” Exhorting viewers to stand up against government and “start taking responsibility for our own lives” and “start policing our own lives,” Beck stated:

BECK: If you believe this country is great, but we risk losing everything, and the government's chains -- even the desire to escape from those chains -- don't become a slave! Stand up! Follow me.

[...]

BECK: Our government doesn't fear us. You know why? Because they believe that they have all of the power. You're small. What do you have? You know, all you have is your voice. And they're counting on the fact that you won't use it. You have your voice and your feet. And in the past, they have been right about many of us.

But fortunately, people aren't sitting around on their marshmallow couches eating burritos all day. They are finding outlets like tea parties and “The 9/12 Project.” They're finding their voices again.

Look, America, we all -- each of us, in our private lives, has a decision to make. We either going to be told what to do, what to say, what to eat, how to act in every single situation dictated by whoever is in power, the right or the left, or we have to start taking responsibility for our own lives, start policing our own lives and then start policing those who dare call themselves “representatives” of “We, the people,” and eventually, maybe -- maybe, those people will start representing us. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/24/09, via Nexis]

Beck On The Stimulus Package: “It Is Slavery.”

[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/10/09]

... And That Obama Was Pushing Americans Into Slavery

Beck: Obama Administration Pushing Americans Toward “Dependency And Regulation” -- “Our Founding Fathers Used To Call It Slavery.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/26/10]

Beck: Obama “Wants You To Work As A Bureaucratic Slave To Government.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 7/24/09]

Beck: Obama Is “Spending Money That Leads Only To Slavery.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/9/09]

Beck: Obama Proposal Altering Tax Deduction “Involves Enslaving People.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/2/09]

Beck: Obama “Is Addicting This Country To Heroin -- The Heroin That Is Government Slavery.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/11/09]

There Seemed To Be No End To The Things Beck Saw As Slavery

Beck: “Illegal Immigration Is Modern-Day Slavery.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/9/09]

Beck: Abortion Will Remembered “As The Slavery Or Slave Debate Of Our Time.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/18/11]

Beck: “Social Justice” Is “Dragging Us Back In” To Slavery.

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/20/10]

Beck On National Debt: “It Is Slavery For You And Slavery For Our Children.” On his show, Beck said:

BECK: This is a flag from July 4th, 1864. You can barely see it here but it is signed by Abraham Lincoln. Only flag in existence known. It's worth about $2 million. And the stars say “free.” Freedom.

I want to show you this flag. Today - or this weekend, I read some Abraham Lincoln and I found a great quote from him, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.”

I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. There's a lot of people now that don't want to be slaves but they're willing to be a master. I'm going to show you this - this is the debt clock. All of the spending that is going on now in our country - here is our national debt.

Here's the debt per citizen. Debt per taxpayer is $118,000. Federal budget deficit, U.S. federal spending - bring the unfunded liabilities. This is a great one. Here it is - $109 trillion. The liability per citizen is $352,588. I'd like to see the calculation on what it is per taxpayer - $109 trillion. Do you see all of these zeros? You know what those are? Those are links in a chain. It is slavery. It is slavery for you and slavery for our children. Your kids are being enslaved. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/14/10, via Nexis]

Beck: “What Is The Easiest Way To Have You Enslaved? Food.” Discussing the uprisings in Egypt, Beck stated:

BECK: Most Americans don't know what a caliphate is. And you have to teach your friends and neighbors. Caliphate is like an empire. We'll explain here in a second. But, first, I want to know what is driving people, because it's not -- a caliphate is driving some. But this whole crowd -- this isn't driven by the caliphate. What's driving the average Egyptian, what has changed? They've had Mubarak for 30 years. Why all of a sudden? What's happened?

Well, there are a couple of things. And you'll understand it -- by today and tomorrow, you will understand there are strings being pulled. You're watching a well-orchestrated campaign, but it all really started for the average person with food.

Now, I know I have been made fun of relentlessly for being talking about being prepared. I know, I have some nerve telling people, live like your grandparents, you know, get prepared. Maybe do some canning like grandma used to, or have some food down in the basement, because food prices are going to rise. Yes.

I also said be prepared spiritually. I've -- look, that's what this is all about -- enlightenment, education, empowerment and entrepreneurship.

Now, what does empowerment mean? What does that mean? Empowerment means don't be a slave to someone else. What is the easiest way to have you enslaved? Food -- if you don't have food. People can play you.

Please, if you take anything away from this show, please be prepared. Look at Egypt right now. These were people that were not prepared. Nobody warned them. People are now waiting in long lines in order to get a loaf of bread. Grocery stores have boarded up their windows and their doors, they can't get food.

So, now, you have angry people and we throw in a little hunger into the mix -- that's a deadly combination. Prepare. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up to being played. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/1/11, via Nexis]

Beck Has A “Profound” Thought On “What Is Coming”: Either “Profound Global Slavery” Or “Profound Goodness.”

[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 11/5/10]