Glenn Beck: “If I Could Do Things Over Again I Would Be More Temperate On Everything That I Said”

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by Steve Krakauer and Glynnis MacNicol | 6:49 am, June 15th, 2010

» 52 comments

MacNicol: When you talk about the tea party scene, the moment when Noah gets up on stage and pulls aside the guy with the T-shirt [it said “Jew-S-A”] and says, ‘this is why you aren’t being taken seriously,’ it reminded me of your CPAC speech.

Beck: Exactly right. That speech was again difficult to write. It could have been a whole book. It would have bored the snot out of people because there are so many points in there that I thought needed to be made from several different angles and it was, when he steps up the microphone and says that, it was the CPAC speech in a way. The problem is a lot bigger than you think it is. And part of it is, ‘you’re the problem.’ And in part of that, I’m saying to myself too.

“One of the things I don’t think Washington understands yet and New York doesn’t understand either is that people have been marketed to their whole life and they’re onto it. The marketing tricks don’t work anymore. They know. That’s why things don’t feel right in America, because it’s focus group and test-marketed. What people want is something that’s genuine. ”

Krakauer: There was another part, when Danny reflects on how some people took his words and have misconstrued them, and taken the negative elements of it. It seemed like there was some identification there too.

Beck: As our situation in our country becomes more and more serious, I think you’d have to, if you’re a responsible human being, I have taken inventory of my words over the last five, eight years. And if I could do things over again I would be more temperate on everything that I said only because, you know, people will misunderstand, or I will misspeak, or I will just say something stupid, or people will take out of context and twist. And that’s kind of what Danny was, part of the problem. And I think that’s true for all of us. We’ve all been part of the problem in one way or another. We just have to recognize that now and then do the right thing.

Krakauer: There’s some interesting takes on the PR world in here, specifically Noah’s walk through his father’s trophy case of PR wins. It seems you feel the world has a lot of power, but sometimes cynically so. I’m curious if this comes from any sort of experience you’ve had.

Beck: No, really I was looking for a place for a villain to be. It comes from Walter Lippmann, when he says there’s no such thing as public opinion, public opinion will be made. Basically – tell them what they want. I wanted to keep him away from Washington. One of the things I don’t think Washington understands yet and New York doesn’t understand either is that people have been marketed to their whole life and they’re onto it. The marketing tricks don’t work anymore. They know. That’s why things don’t feel right in America, because it’s focus group and test-marketed. What people want is something that’s genuine. And I thought the best way to go there and be able to point out the outside forces on Washington would be to go to a PR person as opposed to what, an evil banker? I didn’t want it to turn into an episode of 24.

MacNicol: I’m curious why you chose to set it in New York. New York is almost an extra character in the book, and it seems at times you have a love/hate relationship with New York City. So I’m curious, why place it here?

Beck: I’ve read that you have…said that. You guys are like the only people really that I read about me – everybody else is so boring and trite. My love/hate relationship with New York is puzzling to me because, doesn’t everyone have a love/hate relationship with this city? It is absolutely the best city in America and simultaneously a block away, someone is being stabbed to death. It is simultaneously the best city and the worst city in America. You can get the best of anything and worst of anything here. So, while I go through periods of uber-frustration in the day with this city, and mainly on a business level, whenever I get away from this city I love it. I just love it. My wife and I have talked about moving out west, and as much as I would love that, I’ve said to her we’d have to have a landing strip somewhere by us because I’d have to come back to New York. It’s just a great city, and simultaneously drives you out of your mind nuts.

(This has been edited for length and clarity.)

Pages: 1 2

100-part review, fnc, fox news, Glenn Beck, The Overton Window

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kam-Fet/572005492 Kam Fet

Glenn, it’s not too late. I know especially with your start at FNC. Its getting harder to catch up with the tea party groups, perhaps that’s why they are bored with you now. Perhaps, they are the only one watching, as Mr. Stewart’s, Mr Colbert and Dr. Savage have exposed your lame attempt of being taking seriously.
The Real Royal King

The “Overton Window” is 41% off at Barnes and Nobles.

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The Real Royal King

… and 46% off at Amazon.

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The Real Royal King

Of course, if Beck were temperate, he’d lose 75% of his small audience.

Buy gold.
Use gold to buy “Overton Window.”
If you have any gold left, buy seeds.
TROLLING4LIBS

” The Overton Window will drive the left absolutely crazy ! ” —- Glenn Beck

This is becoming too easy , Fly ! Moonbats Fly !
The Real Royal King

Actually, there has been a rather large spike in the “Das Kapital” purchases in capitalist and free market countries, Blower.

And, I’m sorry for sounding priggish and picayune, I have no idea what “comete” is and I can’t figure it out from the context.
http://mediaite.com Steve Krakauer

I think I’ll just ban all of you. MrGlenn, TRRK, Trolling4libs, GordonBloyer. It’s embarrassing the low level you’ve taken our comment section.
bamman

Thanks for an excellent interview, Steve and Glynnis.
valkyrie101

The book will sell a lot of copies to the Beck faithful. Critics (who of course are mostly part of the liberal elite) will pan it. Beck will claim that the criticism is politically motivated. His faithful will buy more copies. There will be articles, discussions, appearances on FOX and Friends, a KO worst award, talk of a movie, and possibly a sequel. And Beck will pocket the money and come up with another angle on promoting his franchise. This is all a tried and true formula. PT Barnum would be proud.
valkyrie101

…and yes, there is a sucker born every minute.
Anne 1

Mr Royal R. Kin(g)

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go”. ~Oscar Wilde

Good Day .

You are the weakest link , Goodbye ! (?)
me1ranger

Great article Steve and Glynnis..I learned a lot. At least you guys humanized your interview subject and showed that you had actually read the book. This site is starting to become a bit of a drag..I’m not perfect either and I have sinned on here in the past, but I might just go back to reading and not commenting for a while. We’ll see..
lonestar77

Good Q & A. I can’t remember the last time I read a Q & A with the author of a new book where the interviewers had actually read it. What a concept!
lonestar77

TRRK:

What are the points of you links about the % off at Amazon & B&N? The #1 book on the NYT best seller list is currently 57% off. The # 2 book is 45% off.

Is there a point or do you just have a fascination with the sale prices of Amazon & B&N?
MichelleF

I agree with Lonestar that that it is refreshing that you actually read the book. I too will apoligize for getting too worked up in my comments sometimes. I need to remember that this is a liberal site and instead of calling you out on it all the time, just tell you where I think you are wrong. In return though, I think you should also look at yourselves. When Glenn said:

or people will take out of context and twist.”

I think he was speaking of people like Glynnis and others on this site, who daily take something he says and twist or totally misrepresent it. If you are asking more of your commenters, you should take the lead and be more honest in your pieces. Can’t we all just get along!
valkyrie101

Glenn suggests that he could be “more temperate” on the things he has said, the day after he calls the POTUS a racist for the umpteenth time. It is encouraging that Glenn knows he has been intemperate, at least. But there are no ratings in the shock jock market without blatant and consistent “intemperance”, and Glenn knows what butters his bread.
MichelleF

or people will take out of context and twist.”

Enter Val, doing that very thing.
MichelleF

but I might just go back to reading and not commenting for a while. We’ll see..

Don’t do it Ranger!
me1ranger

I’m here Michelle..I’m not going to leave you. I just can’t let some people get under my skin. Rangers lead the way..
Tony the Fist

This is a liberal site? I had no idea. I’m relatively conservative, but I think this site is perfect. It has the right amount of people on the right, left and middle to make for good conversation/debate. I get bored with more conservative sites like Newsbusters and liberal ones like HuffPo because everybody is on the same page as it were. This site I believe helps strengthen your own ideas and investigate why you think that way. Preaching to the choir gets dull. Cheers.
MichelleF

Tony, to each their own. There is a good amount of debate here, but to me it’s only in the comments, not in the editorials. But that’s fine, I just need to remember that. I like Newsbusters for what it is. They own what they are and don’t try to hide an agenda.
valkyrie101

Nice, Tony, very perceptive.
valkyrie101

Yes, Newsbusters does not hide there agenda by, for example, exclaiming their motto as “Fair and Balanced”.
MichelleF

Val, why do you feel the need to be dishonest? The Newsbuster motto is clearly stated on their home page:

“Exposing & Combating Liberal Media Bias”
lonestar77

Tony:
There is left & right in the comments but I’d love for you to point me to a mediaite writer from the conservative side. Steve seems pretty non-partisan (which is good) but that’s about as far-right as they get over here. Pretty much everyone else is left to far-left.
valkyrie101

Michelle,
What part did I take out of context, the part where I said that Beck calls the POTUS a racist, or the part where I said that Glenn suggested that he could be “more temperate”? The truth is, if Glenn was not intemperate, and even beyond intemperate into the realm of “outrageous”, he would not be world famous and we would not be talking about him now. And, as I said, that is the shock jock meme.
MichelleF

Via the WA Post:

The danger of books like this is that radical readers may take the story’s fiction for fact, or interpret the fiction — which Beck encourages — as a reflection of a reality that they must fend off by any means necessary. “The Overton Window” risks falling into the tradition of other anti-government novels such as “The Turner Diaries” by William L. Pierce, which became a handbook of extremists and inspired Timothy McVeigh to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. As Beck tells his soldiers in the voice of Noah: “Put up or shut up . . . go hard or go home. Freedom is the rare exception . . . not the rule, and if you want it you’ve got to do your part to keep it.”

Exit question, Did they worry that the novel about the assassination of Bush might in fact lead to his assassination? I’ll have to do some research to check, but I think I know the answer.
The Real Royal King

The danger of books like this is that radical readers may take the story’s fiction for fact, or interpret the fiction — which Beck encourages — as a reflection of a reality that they must fend off by any means necessary.

—

We actually got a bit of a taste of this with Reagan and films. He was forever mixing up movie characters and scenes with real life. Because he was the president, people assume he was correct. That led to some jumbling of facts that could have had some troublesome consequences.
The_Reasonable_Lib

Whoa, good job, Glenn, you’ve really begun to surprise me. Some of your reasons may be a bit off, but I like the sentiment.

On a side note, looks like nobody got banned after all. I do see some posts were deleted.
ConLoonPatrol

Kam Fet,

“Dr Savage” ?

btw, it’s “taken” not “taking”

The Real Royal King,

http://tinyurl.com is your friend

TROLLING4LIBS,

You seem confused. Funny cons also think (somehow) that we’re afraid of Sarah Palin when we are all just laughing at her.

The Real Royal King,

“comete” isn’t a word

Steve Krakauer,

you think this is bad, visit the world politics forum on CL, cons there are um, well….

valkyrie101,

In your analysis, you left out the fact that the idiot cons will think his book is factual, not a fiction.

me1ranger,

You’re going away? Oh please do…

lonestar77,

Oh such wit! NOTTTTTTTTT….

MichelleF,

You’re wrong, but then again being a con, you probably get that alot. But by all means go hang out at Breitbart’s charade of a site or redstate..or dailycaller, or politico.. you’d fit in so well there.. best to keep you all caged in 3 or 4 spots, easier to keep an eye on you.

You know what is really funny, sad and embarrassing for this country? that someone like Beck, with no experience, no qualifications in ANYTHING, no resume, no education… can get so many loons to actually believe in anything he says, loons who think he’s an educated intellectual whom knows of which he speaks.. THAT IS WHAT’S FUNNY.

Ever read his bio on wikipedia?

the republican party is run by Limbaugh, Palin, Beck, Bachmann, Hannity, and the teabaggers.. what an embarrassment for you all…
me1ranger

Who the fuck are you? I thought I flushed this morning?
Pablo

That someone like Beck, with no experience, no qualifications in ANYTHING, no resume, no education…

Yeah, just like that stupid Abraham Lincoln! Except without the multi-millions of books already sold.
MichelleF

MichelleF,

You’re wrong, but then again being a con, you probably get that alot. But by all means go hang out at Breitbart’s charade of a site or redstate..or dailycaller, or politico.. you’d fit in so well there.. best to keep you all caged in 3 or 4 spots, easier to keep an eye on you.

So you say I’m wrong, but don’t point out where I was wrong? Spoken like a true lib.
http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

Good interview and I’ve been looking forward to it, since you teased the conversation.

My only regret and I mean this all in fun, but no questions about “the panther”?
It’s become like a viral marketing term. I’m sure to the chagrin of those who first started quoting.
CSS

The correct “genre” title for his book is “realistic fiction”, but I’m sure most who blog here will poke fun at the realistic part. I really had to laugh when he called it “faction.” He’s creating genres, now. Yikes!

I don’t always agree with Beck, but I do plan on reading his book.
CSS

By the way, very nicely done interview! I enjoyed reading it.
The_Reasonable_Lib

Pablo says:
June 15, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Lincoln had experience.
valkyrie101

Lincoln was a liberal.
valkyrie101

Michelle: “Val, why do you feel the need to be dishonest? The Newsbuster motto is clearly stated on their home page: “Exposing & Combating Liberal Media Bias”

Excellent. :-) No, that motto (which I love) proves my point. That is clear where they stand. It is an honest right wing sentiment. But FOX takes the same political position but tries to pass itself off as “Fair and Balanced”. Though, by this time the FOX motto is an effective parody.
titan

Lincoln and Sherman were war criminals. If anything that even remotely resembled Sherman’s march happened anywhere today the entire planet would be calling for justice.

Back on topic. Nice interview. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the review.
Big_F-ing_Deal

“Who the fuck are you? I thought I flushed this morning?”

Haha, Tyler Durden strikes again!
The Real Royal King

Excellent. :-) No, that motto (which I love) proves my point. That is clear where they stand. It is an honest right wing sentiment. But FOX takes the same political position but tries to pass itself off as “Fair and Balanced”. Though, by this time the FOX motto is an effective parody.

—

Well, mottos don’t necessarily mean all that much anyway. I had an uncle who owned a small chain of drive-in hamburger restaurants. His motto was: “Quality. It’s Not Just Something We Say, It’s Our Motto”. I’ve always felt that was the best motto ever.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ln-Smithee/100000022977772 L.n. Smithee

Michelle F wrote:

I think [Beck] was speaking of people like Glynnis and others on this site, who daily take something he says and twist or totally misrepresent it.

Or, sometimes, they just stuff up. Glynnis still hasn’t admitted that she was in error when she wrote that Beck had once claimed the government put sterilants in the water supply even after I IMMEDIATELY disproved her assertion. She had the opportunity to do a mea culpa within hours after her error. Next Tuesday, it will be a full six months.
Anne 1

The_Reasonable_Lib says

On a side note, looks like nobody got banned after all.
___________

Mr Kin(g) must now be on triple secret Mediaite probation . This is becoming a weekly occurrence apparently.
Pablo

The_Reasonable_Lib says:
June 15, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Lincoln had experience.

Beck does too. Has Obama ever met a payroll before?
valkyrie101

Pablo,
Obama did not become a professional politician until after the paid his dues, both at school, including Harvard Law School, which was no walk in the park, and as a person in the streets seeking to address local problems in his community. We progressives love Obama precisely because he is not a career politician but an idealistic younger person. And as far as management goes, consider how unsurmountable the management problems associated with running a campaign to become the POTUS when you have an Islamic name and do not have that career politician resume. :-)
tommybringthepaine

TROLLING4LIBS says:
June 15, 2010 at 8:10 am
” The Overton Window will drive the left absolutely crazy ! ” —- Glenn Beck

This is becoming too easy , Fly ! Moonbats Fly !

Bwhahahah, you believe something Glenn Beck sez? Joke’s on joo! ROFL.
tommybringthepaine

MichelleF says:
June 15, 2010 at 10:25 am
or people will take out of context and twist.”

Enter Val, doing that very thing.

Pshah, let’s just go VERBATIM…..no twisting, just shouting….lol

Beck: You know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9/11 victims’ families. It took me about a year. Um, and I had such compassion for them and I really, you know, I wanted to help them, and I was behind — let’s give them money, let’s get them started, and all of this stuff. And I really didn’t — all the 3,000 victims’ families, I don’t hate all of them, I hate about, probably about ten of them. But when I see 9/11 victim family, you know, on television, or whatever, I’m just like, ‘Oh, shut up.’ I’m so sick of them. Because they’re always complaining. And we did our best for them. And again, it’s only about ten.

Only 10…name names? Seems like a Beckish…
Rufus0U812

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http://trickletown.vox.com/ Trickletown

Beck’s deceit is akin to pornography. You know it when you see it. It’s painful to see that the “Fool’s Prophet” has multitudes of vulnerable thinkers believing he is a “teacher” of truths. I’ll leave it to others to recite the litany of cozenage and beguilement he sells daily with the smug confidence of sociopath. Prey on it.
King Of Hell

Hi friends. Follow me.
http://sharethisurlaboutglenbek.wordpress.com/ GlennBeckReview

For all things Beck, see The Glenn Beck Review, What Everyone Needs to Know About Beck’s Honesty, Political Values and Methods of Communication. This weekend features a juxta-position of the “evil” George Soros (in Beck’s view) and the man who supports Communists in China, Beck’s boss: Rupert Murdoch.