“Birther Idiot” From “The Fringe Elements” At Glenn Beck's The Blaze

Glenn Beck's website The Blaze is promoting Donald Trump's demand that Obama show his birth certificate, arguing that Trump's “logic is hard to argue with.” Beck himself has repeatedly criticized the birther movement, calling birthers “idiot[s]” and “the fringe elements.”

Beck's Website: Trump's Birther “Logic Is Hard To Argue With”

The Blaze: Trump's “Logic” On Obama's Birth Certificate “Is Hard To Argue With.” Beck's website The Blaze featured an article headlined, "'Let Him Show His Birth Certificate': Trump Propels Birther Rumors on 'The View.'" In the article, Meredith Jessup, assistant editor of The Blaze, wrote:

It's interesting that Trump continues to bring this issue up. The Left loves to paint so-called “birthers” as crazy right-wing wackos. But as a household name, Trump obviously yields a bully pulpit similar to figures like Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin who try and avoid the issue.

Does it suggest Trump will make a run for the White House? Not necessarily, but the man's logic is hard to argue with... unless you're like Goldberg and quickly dismiss the enforcement of the Constitution's residency requirement as “BS” aimed at attacking America's first black president. [The Blaze, 3/23/11]

Beck Previously Called Birthers “Idiot[s]” And “The Fringe Elements”

Beck Calls Birthers “The Fringe Elements.” From the February 17, 2010 edition of Beck's Fox News show:

BECK: OK. I showed you this chart yesterday and I said, you know, you're -- this is you kind of in the middle. The vast majority of people are in the middle. Conservatives over here, progressives are over here and the fringe elements -- the birthers and the 9/11 truthers are on this side with the progressives, and the birthers and the 9/11 truthers are over here with the conservatives as well.

But there is also something else over here. In fact, let me just flip this -- let me flip this over if I can and show you what the -- is it on this side, Erin? Let me show you what's on the other side here because it's not really right.

I was thinking about it last night and it's really not -- it's really not a straight line like that. It's more of a circle. OK?

Here are the total government people, right here. They meet here. You've got the progressives over here. You've got the anarchists, and I don't know, fascists, you know? The people who are hiding in the hills with their Nazi style. I don't even know who those people are.

But here they are. They're here -- on the left and the right, the crazy people that don't really like America. Got it?

In this group, you have communists like Van Jones. You have -- he's a 9/11 truther. You have Medina.

Now, I don't think -- she's not a communist, she's not an anarchist, she's really more of a -- this is a woman running for Texas governor. But she is a 9/11 truther or at least thinks that there is some good questions that haven't been answered. I'll agree with you but one of them is not: did George Bush blow up the World Trade Center?

Here's Alan Keyes, he's a birther.

This guy -- what is this guy's name again? He's a Democrat. He's one of the original birthers. What he's name? Phillip Berg? He's a Democrat. He was the first birther, or one of the first ones.

OK. So, you have these people. Then here, you have about -- maybe -- maybe her, about half. These people are the people that will just say, “No, it's the Republicans,” “No, it's the Democrats.” Have you noticed they're going back-and-forth and they're saying the same things? [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/17/10, via Nexis]

Beck Calls Birtherism A Conspiracy Theory, Says Birthers “Look Like” “Flat Earthers.” From the August 4, 2009 edition of Beck's radio show:

BECK: Everybody says, everybody says, “why is Barack Obama not just producing the birth certificate?” Ok, first of all, he did. And you're never going to get, you're never going to get a conspiracy theory to stop. You're never.

BURGUIERE: Never.

BECK: I mean, we got a moon rock, sitting in the Smithsonian, and people don't -- I mean, you're never going to quell a conspiracy theory.

PAT GRAY: It's from the Arizona desert.

(laughter)

BECK: So --

GRAY: I'm just saying.

BECK: But, let me tell you this. One of the reasons why he doesn't just come out is because it is so great for him because it immediately marginalizes anybody who says that kind of stuff. It makes them immediately look like they're flat earthers. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 8/4/09]

Beck Refers To The “Birther Idiot.” On the August 5, 2009 edition of his Fox News show, Beck said the following, after playing an ad condemning extremist Republican “mobs”:

BECK: Had enough of the mob. I know I have been trying to get a hold of all the union people at the White House right now, telling them the same thing, I'm tired of the mob. Did I just say that out loud?

Out of the thousands of protestors, you notice the birther idiot is the only one the media continues to show over and over and over again? She's the only individual highlighted from this ad and the DNC, and then the ad dives into some sort of third grade, “They lost the election, boo- hoo.”

Now, they're claiming the GOP has just released their fake angry mobsters to protest. GOP robots, you are now activated. Come alive! [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/5/09]

Beck Asks His Listeners To “Run Away From The Birther Movement.” From the April 6, 2010 edition of Beck's radio show:

GLENN BECK: We're talking about this new audio from Michelle Obama, came out in 2008.

PAT GRAY: New to us, anyway.

BECK: Yeah, new to us.

GRAY: Almost two years old.

BECK: Yeah and it's starting to make the rounds, and I'm telling you, I'm telling you, please, run away from the birther movement. Run away. Let's just -- let's, let's just say, here's the case that people always make: Well it's against the Constitution, you care about the Constitution. Let's just say we live on another planet where everything is upside down and you're right. Do you really think that that's the most pressing issue today, that that's the one, that's the one that's gonna bring this guy down. Really? That one -- The birther issue. It's the biggest waste of time I have ever, ever seen. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 4/6/10]

Beck: Politicians “Must Not Excuse Birthers.” From the February 18, 2010 edition of Beck's Fox News show:

BECK: OK. Let's look at the crazies. This is what I showed you last night. Here's the guy who filed the first birther lawsuit in Pennsylvania. He's a Democrat.

Here's the strongest probably birther on the right.

Here's a 9/11 truther. He hasn't killed anybody. But I certainly don't agree with his policies.

Now, I put Deb Medina up, she's running for governor in Texas. It's really not fair but I just don't have any name or any famous person that is a 9/11 truther on the right. But they're there.

Deb Medina who is running for governor of Texas is really here, just like Barack Obama is. It's OK. It's OK.

No, no, it wasn't OK when Barack Obama had him over here because this man is dangerous. He hasn't done anything. But he is -- he's not somebody who believes in the republic. He doesn't believe that our system is good; it's just been corrupted and needs to be reset.

No, no, no. No, no, no. Dangerous. I don't care if he's on the left or on the right.

And these people, no matter who they are, it could be a Republican, it could be George Bush. It doesn't matter. Lindsey Graham, I don't care who it is. These people must not excuse birthers.

Now, I suppose on the right, you could say we had Timothy McVeigh. But on the left, we've had William Ayers and we have Jeff Jones. These are the Weather Underground bombers.

These guys have been excused by politicians -- not just Barack Obama but here in New York. Jeff Jones is part of the Apollo Alliance, helped writing the stimulus package, helping the state of New York spend the stimulus package. He blew buildings up and so did he -- so did he.

Just like today. Just like today. No difference. This man must be condemned.

They have no place around politics. And while all of these people will excuse because it's fueled, they'll excuse radicals, because, “I don't know, it's just a -- I don't really listen to them. And besides, they really believe, they get out and they really make a difference.” They're a danger to the republic.

Every single politician -- every single one -- must distance themselves from radicals. They must distance themselves from radicals, because they're just as dangerous as this one. This man has already done. These guys -- these two -- let's put it up -- these guys have already done violence. Nobody else has, but these have. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/18/10, via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck Mocks Birthers For Believing Obama To Be The “Manchurian Candidate.” From the January 4, 2010 edition of Beck's radio show:

BECK: Today there is a concerted effort on all radio stations to get birthers on the air. I have to tell you, are you working for the Barack Obama administration? I mean, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. First of all, let me just, let me just, let's just play these out. If you're a birther, you believe that the president of the United States was born in, they think Kenya, right? So he was--

STU BURGUIERE: Anywhere outside of here, I guess, but yeah.

BECK: Anywhere outside of the United States, so they believe he was born in Kenya.

GRAY: I think it was Manawaniahawa.

BURGUIERE: Really? It could be.

BECK: So you believe that he was born outside of the United States of America. And then somehow or another, he became, and I saw this movie with Frank Sinatra, oh yeah, it's called The Manchurian Candidate. So somehow or another, maybe he was indoctrinated, or whatever, and then he came over here and he ran and became president.

BURGUIERE: Well, also you gotta remember that he pre-emptively planted his birth announcements in the Hawaii newspapers back when he was actually born.

GRAY: Knowing, I mean his parents actually knew at the time that this man would become president.

BECK: That's what they want you to think. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 1/4/10]