Glenn Beck's Top 5 Failed Predictions
Written by Adam Shah
Published
Glenn Beck has claimed: “I have been given the gift, the blessing, or the curse” to see “slightly over the horizon” and said that on his “big predictions, we have about a 90 percent accuracy rate.” But Beck's ability to see “slightly over the horizon” certainly isn't a gift, given how wrong his bizarre predictions often are. With that said, Media Matters presents the top five failed Beck predictions from his time on Fox News.
5: In 2010, Beck Twice Predicted An Imminent Five Percent Drop In The Stock Market
Beck Prediction: In August 2010, Beck Said “The Hindenburg Omen” Had Been Triggered, Meaning A 5 Percent Drop In The Market “Usually Takes Place Within The Next 40 Days.”
[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/16/10, via Media Matters]
Beck Prediction: In October 2010, Beck Reset The Clock On The Hindenburg Omen, Saying, “We Just Entered The 30 Day Period.” After the 40 day period passed, Beck reset the clock on the Hindenburg Omen on October 5, 2010:
[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/5/10, via Media Matters]
Reality: The Stock Market Has Risen Since October 2010. While there have been ups and downs, the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ are all higher now than they were in October 2010. For example, here is the S&P 500 over the last year:
[The New York Times, accessed 6/28/11]
4. The Caliphate Will Start Coming To Fruition In February 2011
Beck Prediction: The Caliphate Moment “That I've Been Saying For Five Years” Is Coming Here To America With Speech Scheduled For March 3, 2011.
[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/28/11, via Media Matters]
Reality: The Speech Was Canceled, And Shariah Has Not Been Implemented In America. As Media Matters documented, the speech Beck was so worried about was canceled. And to date, Shariah does not appear to have been implemented in the United States, or at least no one has told the Supreme Court, which ended its term by issuing rulings based on the U.S. Constitution, not Shariah law. [Media Matters, 3/3/11; Supreme Court of the United States, accessed 6/28/11]
3. In The Fall 2010, Progressives Will Take To The Streets As “Revolutionaries”
Beck Claim: “Out Of Control” Progressives Will Take To The Streets As “Revolutionaries” In Fall 2010. Appearing on Fox & Friends, Beck commented on a video of Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX) criticizing someone who accused him of lying about health care reform and predicted “1960s protests on the streets” before the 2010 midterm elections and “revolutionaries on the street” after the elections.
[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/13/10, via Media Matters]
Reality: September And October Did Not Witness Massive Protests Or Widespread “Revolutionaries On The Street.” While the protests Beck predicted did not pan out, Beck has continued to fearmonger about civil unrest, widespread protests, and revolution. [Media Matters, 6/17/11, 4/18/11, 3/22/11]
2. In 2010, “The Summer Of Rage Is About To Begin”
Beck Claim In June 2010: “The Summer Of Rage Is About To Begin.”
[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/10/10, via Media Matters]
Reality: The Predicted 2010 Summer Of Rage Was Such A Bust That Beck Now Believes It Is Actually Coming In Summer 2011. The summer of rage must not have begun in 2010, because Beck has been right back at it this year, claiming: “We may have to rename this summer, the summer of insurrection or the summer of rage.” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/6/11, via Media Matters]
1. “On November 3, [2010,] The Fed Hits The Weimar Moment”
Beck Claim: The “Weimar Moment” Is Coming The Day After The 2010 Midterm Electionss.
[Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/25/10, via Media Matters]
Reality: Prices In Weimar Quadrupled “Each Month” For Sixteen Months; In The U.S. Inflation Is Currently At 3.6 Percent. During the period of hyperinflation in Weimar Germany, "[o]n average, prices quadrupled each month during the sixteen months of hyperinflation," according to Michael K. Salemi of EconLib.org. By contrast, in November 2010 (when the Weimar Moment was supposed to occur in the U.S.) monthly inflation was 0.1 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, according to the latest inflation numbers, U.S. inflation is currently at 3.6 percent over the last 12 months. [EconLib.org, accessed 6/28/11; Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6/15/11]
For video of Beck bragging about his ability to see “slightly over the horizon” and his roughly “90 percent accuracy rate” on his “big predictions” see here and here.