Considering CNN’s Glenn Beck’s record of lunacy, I more or less assumed he was no longer able to surprise me. I stand corrected.
Cable news viewers can be forgiven if, like us, they happened to turn on Glenn Beck’s show on CNN Headline News Wednesday night and were surprised to see a spokesman for the John Birch Society being treated like an expert source.
It is, let’s face it, pretty shocking to see a group that has been a pariah since the 1960’s given credence on a mainstream television network, especially when the group is as far out as the JBS. The JBS is, after all, the group that believed fluoridated drinking water was a Communist mind-control plot. Oh, and its founder, Robert Welch, once accused Dwight Eisenhower — and no, we are not kidding — of being “a dedicated conscious agent of the communist conspiracy.” It even inspired Bob Dylan to write a satirical song, “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues.”
Beck himself referred to the group’s reputation, introducing his guest, JBS spokesman Sam Antonio, by saying, “Sam, I have to tell you, when I was growing up, the John Birch Society, I thought they were a bunch of nuts.” But Beck’s views on that score seem to have changed — “You guys are starting to make more and more sense to me,” Beck told Antonio.
He wasn’t kidding. Glenn Beck seriously wanted his CNN viewers to know that he believes the John Birch Society is “starting to make more and more sense.”
My friend Ron Chusid notes that the modern conservative movement seems to have shifted so far to the radical right, that all of a sudden, the JBS isn’t necessarily considered fringe in GOP circles. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul was asked about his association with the group, and said in mock horror, “Oh, my goodness, the John Birch Society! Is that bad? I have a lot of friends in the John Birch Society. They’re generally well educated, and they understand the Constitution.”
But Beck’s interview with a JBS spokesperson was even more striking, in large part because the right is convinced that CNN is somehow unfair to conservatives. Giving a nut like Beck his own show, despite humiliating ratings, where he can feature the John Birch Society as a legitimate, sensible group, should be enough to make everyone ask, “What liberal media?”
ThinkProgress has a clip of Beck’s segment, and in case anyone thinks Beck is being taken out of context, I’m including a full, unedited transcript below.
BECK: I want to turn now to Sam Antonio. He’s a national spokesperson on immigration for the John Birch Society.
Sam, I have to tell you, when I was growing up, the John Birch Society, I thought they were a bunch of nuts, however, you guys are starting to make more and more sense to me. There is something dirty in this — in this whole thing. I happen to believe it’s connected to the SPP. Can you float some of the theories here by the American — by the American public?
SAM ANTONIO, NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY: Well, first and foremost, Glenn, it’s great to be on your program. And yes, we at the John Birch Society are not nuts. We are just exposing the truth that’s been out there for many, many years.
Now this news that just came from Congressman Rohrabacher has been very shocking, but at the same time is not shocking. And as you just mentioned in your segue, it is part of the bigger picture of the Security and Prosperity Partnership that was signed by the Bush administration in 2005.
What this all means to me, just taking in all this information, leads to me again, that it’s the breakdown of our law enforcement, the breakdown of our men and women at the border, to prepare our country for an opening of our borders for Canada and Mexico and eventually all throughout the Americas.
BECK: OK. The SPP — in case somebody doesn’t know, you should go and look at this at SPP.gov. It’s a government web site and it’s — you have to read between the lines. And a lot of people say that you’re a conspiracy freak if you believe any of this stuff.
But if you really think about it is the one answer that makes sense, that we want to share trade. We want to share workers. We want to have an open border. We want to have one border around Canada, Mexico and the United States. And we share everything including information.
You contend that the information that we’re sharing has — has allowed the Mexican government to get a hold on our enforcement of laws here in America. What do you mean by that?
ANTONIO: That is correct. Again, your viewers, if they go to the web site, SPP.gov, it talks about exchanges of information between our governments.
Now in this case with Ramos and Compean, it was the Mexican government that really drove this agenda to get these innocent Border Patrol agents convicted and sent to jail for these terms.
Now, since this exchange of information, under the Department of Homeland Security, we’re going to see more and more and more of this. And what this is going to lead to, Glenn, is really a demoralization of our men and women on the Border Patrol. And it’s happening now.
BECK: Right.
ANTONIO: I live here in San Diego, Glenn. I’m 15 minutes away from the border. I’ve spoken with Border Patrol agents, you know, active and retired, and I’m telling you, this case has really demoralized them.
BECK: I have to tell you, Sam, that you know, whether you want to believe in the black helicopters or not, America, you should look into this. And this is the warning to the Bush administration, by not releasing the documents. And this is the stuff they’re holding back.
Well, the people want to know what was the communication between our government and the Mexican government? Give us those records. They will not release them. And by not releasing them, they further these conspiracy theories of black helicopters and all kinds of things.
Sam, thank you very much.