Beck to Boyles: “You cannot prove you're not a racist”

As a guest on Peter Boyles' 630 KHOW-AM show, conservative CNN talk-show host Glenn Beck made numerous comments disparaging Muslims and illegal immigrants, and stated regarding criticism of such remarks, “You cannot prove you're not a racist.”

As a guest on Peter Boyles' 630 KHOW-AM show, conservative radio personality and CNN talk-show host Glenn Beck made numerous comments disparaging Muslims and illegal immigrants. Regarding criticism of such remarks, Beck told Boyles, “You cannot prove you're not a racist.”

On December 4 and 5, Boyles hosted Beck, who -- as Media Matters for America has noted -- has a history of making derogatory statements about Muslims and Islam. During a recent interview with Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), who on November 7 became the first Muslim elected to Congress, Beck said to Ellison, “I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' ” On Boyles' show, Beck repeated his comments regarding Ellison, claiming that they represented “an honest expression of what a lot of people feel.” After referring to a December 4 New York Times article about CNN's move to a more “personality-driven talk-TV format along the lines of Fox News's evening line-up,” he stated:

BECK: It was that. It started the first paragraph and, I tell you, Peter, my life has changed since we did the special on Islamic extremism. Our whole life is -- whole life has changed, and I think it's about to change again, because what The New York Times has done today. There's a paragraph -- the first paragraph is when I was talking to Keith Ellison --

BOYLES: Sure --

BECK: -- from Minnesota, and I said to him, I said, “Look, I, you know, I know Muslims; I don't think Islam is an evil entity. There are evil people that have hijacked the religion. But I got to tell you, inside I've been nervous about this because I feel like saying to you, 'Here you are, a Muslim, you're extreme liberal, you're saying cut and run, and I feel like saying, prove to me that you're not part of the enemy.' ” And I thought that was an honest expression of what a lot of people feel. It's -- I'm not saying that it's right.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: And he wasn't offended or anything. He said, you know, “I'm not going to prove my patriotism.” And I said -- and I interrupted him -- I said, “I'm not asking you to. But can you understand? Can you relate to the feelings of that?” The New York Times just kind of took that and skewed it a little bit so now it looks like, you know, I'm a hatemongering racist that is questioning any Muslim. And I think that's not --

BOYLES: But --

BECK: -- not real helpful.

Later in the broadcast, Beck claimed that “everybody in their gut knows that anybody who says anything about Islam and radicalized Islam is in danger for their life[.]”:

But, you know, because of what I talk about on the air, people always come up to me, and they say, “Glenn, we are praying for you, we're praying for your family, and we're praying for your safety.” Now, let me tell you something -- how is it that everybody can say, “We don't have a problem in this country” when everybody in their gut knows that anybody who says anything about Islam and radicalized Islam is in danger for their life?

Furthermore, during a discussion of a violent protest that disrupted a November 30 speech by U.S. Rep Tom Tancredo (R-CO) at Michigan State University, Beck and Boyles equated criticism of Tancredo to McCarthyism:

BOYLES: So, I have this from the Rocky Mountain News on Saturday. Tancredo goes to Michigan State and the signs are out: “Ignorant racist.” “Where is the wall to keep you out?” “No Nazis KKK Racist USA.” Racist. Nazi. Fascist.

BECK: Unbelievable.

BOYLES: And who was doing the spitting and the hitting and the throwing? The protesters. Who stopped this man from speaking and attempted to stop him from speaking? The protesters. And it just goes on from there. And I'm thinking to myself, OK, we started it out this morning. All right, tell me why he's a racist. Well, he just is. Well, tell me why he is. Well, he is. Well, why is he a racist? Why is he a heretic? And you have a sense of this that this is the new reverse --

BECK: -- This is McCarthyism.

BOYLES: -- McCarthyism.

After making charges of “McCarthyism,” Beck stated, "[Y]ou cannot have a dialogue. How do you prove you're not a racist? You cannot prove you're not a racist."

During the December 5 broadcast of Boyles' show, defending Tancredo's controversial comment that Miami has become a “Third World country,” Beck pointed to "[e]ight out of the top 10 cities in the Southwest" and claimed, “It's happening. The illegal immigrants come in, and they have a fourth-grade education. We cannot survive as a nation with people who have a fourth-grade education and rarely increase that, that education level”:

BECK: It's amazing. How is that it's turning into the Third World racist? How is it -- look at the -- look at the numbers in Los Angeles.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: The middle class is almost gone. Eight out of the top 10 cities in the Southwest, the middle class is disappearing. It's turning into the Third Wor -- have you been to Mexico City? You are either rich or you're poor.

BOYLES: Very rich or --

BECK: -- Very rich or very poor. And that's exactly what's going on in California right now, and eight out of the top 10 cities in the Southwest. How is this racist to poi --? I don't care what -- I don't care if they all come from Iceland.

BOYLES: Mmm-hmm.

BECK: It's happening. The illegal immigrants come in, and they have a fourth-grade education. We cannot survive as a nation with people who have a fourth-grade education and rarely increase that, that education level.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted (here and here), other Colorado media outlets have referenced Beck's views regarding Islam without noting his numerous derogatory statements about Muslims and American Muslims.

From the December 4 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Peter Boyles Show:

BECK: We're the fastest-growing cable news show now on television. And New York Times just did special, a deal -- their angle was, “This can't be good. This kind of show can't be good for cable news.” And then they showed the ratings, and like, you know, how are you making that point, guys? How are you making that point?

BOYLES: You got -- today was your day in the barrel, as we say. Was it today or yesterday with the Times?

BECK: Uh, I'm not sure. I know I read it this morning. It could be yesterday. I'm not sure.

BOYLES: Yeah, I thought it was yesterday. Talk about the article.

BECK: Well, apparently The New York Times has done an exposé where I have declared war on [the motion picture] Happy Feet, which I don't even -- I don't remember doing. That's why we're losing the war, because The New York Times declares me declaring war, as me saying, “Come on, can we not have a movie where the UN comes in to the rescue at the end? Stop with the indoctrination.” That apparently is war. So, um --

BOYLES: -- Ouch.

BECK: It was that. It started the first paragraph and, I tell you, Peter, my life has changed since we did the special on Islamic extremism. Our whole life is -- whole life has changed, and I think it's about to change again, because what The New York Times has done today. There's a paragraph -- the first paragraph is when I was talking to Keith Ellison --

BOYLES: -- Sure --

BECK: -- from Minnesota, and I said to him, I said, “Look, I, you know, I know Muslims; I don't think Islam is an evil entity. There are evil people that have hijacked the religion. But I got to tell you, inside I've been nervous about this because I feel like saying to you, 'Here you are, a Muslim, you're extreme liberal, you're saying cut and run, and I feel like saying, prove to me that you're not part of the enemy.' ” And I thought that was an honest expression of what a lot of people feel. It's -- I'm not saying that it's right.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: And he wasn't offended or anything. He said, you know, “I'm not going to prove my patriotism.” And I said -- and I interrupted him -- I said, “I'm not asking you to. But can you understand? Can you relate to the feelings of that?” The New York Times just kind of took that and skewed it a little bit so now it looks like, you know, I'm a hatemongering racist that is questioning any Muslim. And I think that's not --

BOYLES: But --

BECK: -- not real helpful.

BOYLES: -- you -- I know you know quite a bit about what's happening here in the state, and --

BECK: Sure. What you're going through is the same thing.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: Racist!

BOYLES: Yeah. But you're a racist.

[...]

BOYLES: So, I have this from the Rocky Mountain News on Saturday. Tancredo goes to Michigan State and the signs are out: “Ignorant racist.” “Where's the wall to keep you out?” “No Nazis KKK Racist USA.” Racist. Nazi. Fascist.

BECK: Unbelievable.

BOYLES: And who was doing the spitting and the hitting and the throwing? The protesters. Who stopped this man from speaking and attempted to stop him from speaking? The protesters. And it just goes on from there. And I'm thinking to myself, OK, we started it out this morning. All right, tell me why he's a racist. Well, he just is. Well, tell me why he is. Well, he is. Well, why is he a racist? Why is he a heretic? And you have a sense of this that this is the new reverse --

BECK: -- This is McCarthyism.

BOYLES: -- McCarthyism.

BECK: This is -- “racist” and “hatemonger,” that is the new, um --

BOYLES: -- “Communist.”

BECK: “Communist.”

BOYLES: Sure.

BECK: He's a communist! You didn't need any proof.

BOYLES: No, you didn't.

BECK: You couldn't prove it. You couldn't disprove it.

BOYLES: That's right.

BECK: It's what's in your heart.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: You were one time associated with somebody.

BOYLES: Absolutely.

BECK: Tell me who it is.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: And that's what this is.

BOYLES: True.

BECK: Because you cannot have a dialogue. How do you prove you're not a racist? You cannot prove you're not a racist.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: And so you --

BOYLES: But I can -- yeah.

BECK: But, Peter, it is an organized, well-financed effort to discredit people. Well, you know, you bring up the church. The difference was, they didn't just lock people in the tower.

BOYLES: Mmm-hmm.

BECK: They locked those guys in the tower, but everybody else was killed.

BOYLES: Yeah, they burned them.

BECK: They burned them.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: And I got to tell you, we are entering very, very, very scary times.

BOYLES: I agree.

BECK: And when I -- you know, I just did this stage show in -- on Saturday in Salt Lake City, and everybody I met after the stage show -- and we don't talk any politics, this is all Christmas -- this is really, this is just going to make you feel so good. But, you know, because of what I talk about on the air, people always come up to me, and they say, “Glenn, we are praying for you, we're praying for your family, and we're praying for your safety.” Now, let me tell you something -- how is it that everybody can say, “We don't have a problem in this country” when everybody in their gut knows that anybody who says anything about Islam and radicalized Islam is in danger for their life?

From the December 5 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Peter Boyles Show:

BOYLES: And on college campuses we were talking about what happened to Tancredo on Thursday, and so -- and then Tancredo makes that speech, and it gets picked up and [unintelligible] when he talks about Dade County. And so the Rocky Mountain News -- it's going to be -- their publisher's going to be on this morning -- they had a poll, and the poll said, “Do you agree with Tom Tancredo, or is that statement --” or, in essence, they're saying, “Was the statement racist?” Those are your two options. I agree with Tom or I don't agree with Tom. I agree with Tom or no, that's racist. Well, he said Miami's turning -- he said Dade County's turning into the Third World. And so your options, you look at this psychologically, and you think to yourself, “Oh my God, I don't want to be a racist.”

BECK: Mmm-hmm.

BOYLES: “Tom's wrong.”

BECK: Mmm-hmm.

BOYLES: And so, I saw Tancredo on Saturday, or rather on Sunday. And he said there's a newspaper down there and a television station that did polling data. 85 percent of the people that lived there said Tancredo's right. Didn't get attention here.

BECK: It's amazing. How is that it's turning into the Third World racist? How is it -- look at the -- look at the numbers in Los Angeles.

BOYLES: Yeah.

BECK: The middle class is almost gone. Eight out of the top 10 cities in the Southwest, the middle class is disappearing. It's turning into the Third Wor -- have you been to Mexico City? You are either rich or you're poor.

BOYLES: Very rich or --

BECK: -- Very rich or very poor. And that's exactly what's going on in California right now, and eight out of the top 10 cities in the Southwest. How is this racist to poi --? I don't care what -- I don't care if they all come from Iceland.

BOYLES: Mmm-hmm.

BECK: It's happening. The illegal immigrants come in, and they have a fourth-grade education. We cannot survive as a nation with people who have a fourth-grade education and rarely increase that, that education level.

BOYLES: Now, what you just said --

BECK: -- is racist.

BOYLES: Thank you.

BECK: I know. I'm a hatemonger.