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Bob Beckel Apologizes For Calling Tea Party ‘Terrorists,’ The Five Debates The Party’s Importance

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» 35 comments

Nearly every topic that comes up on Fox News’ The Five tends to be discussed with the same lines; Bob Beckel versus everyone else. In fact, his “token Liberal” status has become one of the shows most entertaining running jokes (as well as occasionally being its biggest drawback) with Beckel providing quips like today’s “I accept my job here” whenever Eric Bolling and co. interrupt him. However, one topic puts Beckel and his co-hosts most at odds; the Tea Party. As such, it’s unsurprising that the topic has begun to get increasing air time on the show. Today, two segments were devoted to an increasingly heated exchange about Party.

Early on, the conversation drifted to Vice President Joe Biden’s alleged insult of the Tea Party as “terrorists.” While the rest of the panel took it as given that Biden had made the remark, Beckel wanted to take the VP at his word. He did, however, acknowledge that he had called them that during yesterday’s show and, distinctly unlike when he called them “anarchists,” felt the need to apologize. That didn’t mean, though, that he didn’t have other things to say about them.

When Bolling claimed that the Tea Party had “changed politics in America forever,” Beckel hilariously burst out the accusation that Bolling was “smoking bad Jersey dope.”

Speaking as someone who grew up in New Jersey, I think Beckel owes us an apology.

Of course, speaking as someone who went to college in New Jersey…yeah, that was a fair insult.

The argument raged on even as Andrea Tantaros tried to corral things enough to throw to commercial.

Watch the clip from Fox News below:

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  • Anonymous

    HAHAHAHAHAHA….this is soooo sweet.
    Obviously Beckel needed to apologize because the marching orders came down and Fox will be focusing on Biden’s comment for the next day or two.

    AND IT WOULDN’T DO WELL FOR FOX TO POINT THE FINGER AT BIDEN WHEN THEIR OWN EMPLOYEE DID THE SAME THING!!!

  • Anonymous

    Bob Beckel has always been one to slam the other side. He felt he crossed the line this time, and he apologized. I take him at his word. BTW: Beckel is one of the funniest pundits on all of television. give him his own show already!

  • Anonymous

    My advice to the left: if you think the tea party is wrong, present real arguments for why the government ought to continue borrowing another $4 billion per day.  And if you can’t do it (and who can), lay off the name-calling. 

  • Anonymous

    But Muslim terrorists are still “misunderstood low-income people” in lib land.

    BTW, has Norway held a nation-wide conference to determine just what is so wrong with its society and culture that it made a Christian hate them so much, and how they can change their society so such people will no longer hate them?

  • Michelle

    They can’t,  That’s why they resort to lies and smears. 

  • Anonymous

     So basically Glenn Beck called democrats terrorist and people on the left but the lone token liberal on Fox has to apologize.Fox News fair and balanced.

  • insideguy

     This show is so incredibly bad. On tomorrows show they will dress Bob up like a clown put a fat red nose on him and beat him with nerf bats. Oh wont that be fun. Poor Bob talk about being stuck in a rut what a joke.

  • Anonymous

    Two years ago, progressives hated what the fat, old racist Tea Party was doing outside the Capitol. Today, they hate what the terrorist, hostage-taking Tea Party is doing inside the Capitol.

    That is what progress looks like, my friends.

  • BeggarBoy

    Once again, as a far, far Lefty I want to smack anyone who uses this kind of rhetoric, whether it comes from the left or the right. Especially using the word ‘terrorist,’ say that word ad the first image in my head is 3,000 dead Americans and you use it describe a fellow American just because they kicked your ass in a political fight, it’s just bullshit. I find nothing good in Tea Party politics, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think there are good people there, and I’m pretty sure there are no more assholes on the right then there are on the left. When it comes to political discourse let’s make ‘terrorist’ the political equivalent of the ‘N’ word, don’t use it. (PS Mr Vice President I love ya, but you really should be ashamed, start apologizing)

  • Michelle

    BillO just had a GREAT point.  Why are the TP’ers racist for voting against the debt deal, but far lefters like Dennis K aren’t?  Hm, something to think about. 

  • http://www.constitutionallibertarian.co.cc/ DavidKramer

    First they ignore you.
    Then they laugh at you.
    Then they fight you.
    Then you win.

    Mahatma Gandhi.

    I guess we are at the fight stage. See, when people have no argument against your assertions, they attempt to change the subject or they attack your character.

    Hmmmm, the Vice President of the United States called a MAJOR component of the populace terrorists because he does not agree with their stance.

    Yeah, someone else use to call US citizens terrorists once, his name was George. King George. How did that work out for him?

  • realheadline

    One down. 5,000,000 apologies to go. Biden? You led this collective effort, you go second. Where is your apology Mr VP!

  • Jerry Baustian

    You know what I think they could do to make the show better? Get a bigger table. Spread everybody out. Take away the scripts.

  • Centre

    Why was Beck not told to come out and apologise for all the ignorant, hateful smears he told every day on his show when he was at Fox

  • Marymary57

    Beckel has a prostitute problem.

  • BeggarBoy

    And I have a prostate problem, what’s your point?

  • insideguy

    lol yea that would be a start!

  • Anonymous

    Can’t have one of your on-air talents referring to Tea Partiers as terrorist, when you want to go after Vice President Biden for (allegedly)  calling baggers terrorist, even though he adamantly  denied it.

  • dave

    The difference between Beck and Bob is that Bob is human being (warts and all). Beck is a mindless automaton who lacks any semblance of a soul.

  • Anonymous

    Hmmm…if Token isn’t happy being the only Lib/Prog on the show he can always go to work for that shining network on a hill called Current…lol What, wait, no…? Oh well…he he he.

  • Anonymous

    Substance to an argument? Didn’t think so. Name calling becasue you don’t agree with someone proves the depth of your intelligence.  

  • Anonymous

    I’m sure you prefer the “debate” over at msnbc where they’ve already called the 2012 winner?

  • Yukon Jack

    Bob Beckel is a stand-up guy, who should have an ally on The Five. Seems not entirely ‘fair and balanced’ to have four against one.

    Mind you, that is still better than the conservative vs. liberal ratio on MSNBC shows.

  • insideguy

    Nope but you prefer to make up things I haven’t said.

  • Katty

    I’ve quit watching the program because I can’t deal with Beckel watching himself on the monitor – very disconcerting to say the least.

  • Katty

    I’ve quit watching the program because I can’t deal with Beckel watching himself on the monitor – very disconcerting to say the least.

  • Anonymous

    Every name Bolling spewed out of his list of “teas” has already ( more then once ) blown their “hate” whistle, that only the “teas” can hear! Yet that was fine, but let’s spin, twist and take out of text anything any liberal says. How does that go:” that statement was not meant to be factual”!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SIYF5565LXG7BBKTKGSSFWU7TA The Rock

    I agree I can’t stand when people use the word terrorists about any group other than Bin Laden & his terror and what happen on 9/11. Don’t ever say that about the Tea Party left or right as you said.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SIYF5565LXG7BBKTKGSSFWU7TA The Rock

    Gleen Beck is wrong to use it I don’t ever remember seeing a clip if he said it or not. I take Bob Beckel at his words that he shouldn’t have used it and apologize on his own not because Fox told him to.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SIYF5565LXG7BBKTKGSSFWU7TA The Rock

    I believe Beckel is sorry what he said I didn’t see it as I didn’t watch The Five on Monday. No one should be calling anyone a terrorists reather it’s on the left or the right unless it’s KKK, Bin Laden & his terror group, Skin Heads, New Black Panthers etc. To me those groups are terrorists & hate groups as well.

  • Hagen619dj

    Boy, that Tea party put the fear in everybody?  They gathered, they conquered and they won.  That hurts those who want to hurt them back.  Come on Obama lovers….get out there and gather too instead of whine about it.

  • Anonymous

    The Tea Party has made hatred, fear and bigotry more American than ever.
    They have re-defined “patriotism.”  (It still looks like WASP from here.)
    Conservative has now become a profanity.
    This is the legacy of the TP.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SFO4QZZ4PPUSABUR4O7WQWAAY4 ILoveJesus

    The boogieman used to be a monster lurking in the shadows, waiting to
    jump out and grab you. Now the boogieman is hiding in the shadows of
    Washington DC, lurking and encroaching, step by step into our lives each
    day! They continue gnashing at the mouth, stumbling in the darkness.
    Our
    government seems to think that they alone possess all the power,
    magnificence, and glory. Their personalities and power cast a shadow
    across our nation and the world. Washington DC, a city set on Capital
    Hill, cannot be hidden.
    The executive officials of our government,
    and these legislators, making our laws, have made us submit to a budget
    that most Americans do not agree with. The use of force and threats, to
    coarse us into intense fear and submit to their political policies is
    Terrorism at its best. They play the American people as fools and deceive us with their silly, unwise and absurd way of serving us, We the American people.They
    can call our fellow Americans Terrorist, radical, racist, fringe,
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    correct towards Terrorism on our own country!They want us all to
    continue to live in darkness with them, but I will follow the light of
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    outlaws, and we can all see this! We are attacked for our love of the
    Father, and our country, and anxiously await, for the last of the body
    of Christ, to make the right choice. We ask not to be hated for our
    love of the whole human race, but cannot be mad at God, for the choice
    is theirs and theirs alone. We are all sinners and fall short of the
    glory of God. You are so much more then this! http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA&feature=r​
    elated I have cast my sins into the deep sea with a “NO FISHING SIGN.”
    I now place a sign WANTED THE LAST OF THE BODY OF CHRIST I’m tired and I
    want to go home.” Wake up and turn on the lights, come to the water,
    and you’ll thirst no more, the best is yet to be!
    http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=UVNxGiQk6FM A false balance is
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    take refuge in Him.The wise man knows their is a greater power at
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    mere shadow of what is to come, and the substance belongs to Christ, as
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    with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow! Always remember
    that Only the shadow knows! BWAHAHAHA This little light of mine…I’m
    going to let it shine!May peace and love follow you along the path of life and may God love, bless and keep you always!Always remember that you are beautiful http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=7C2o0jHNRuU. Love Never Fails! http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=8nQy-aP_Koo&feature=r​elated The moral of the story is this!It is not Flesh over flesh but over the darkest of angels in the heavens and with God For Us, Who can be Against US! http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=yfc9y7X3zog

  • Michael

    Beckal does not need a red nose or clown suit to be seen as a clown.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pbacogiannis Petros Bacogiannis

    BOB BECKEL AT five fox,HE should ever be at fox HE is nothing not funny but uneducated liberal/socialist, I haven=t heard him to disagree with OBAMAs policies or the way others crusified the TEA PARTY or when question their patriotism,every liberal even the VP BIDEN have call the TEA PARTY AND THE CONSERVATIVES RADICALS and TERRORISTS, in the other side the PRESIDENT have asked to be civil, just be civil for the conservatives and TEA PARTYERS ONLY. BUT GIVE the liberal/SOCIALISTS EVERY OPPRTUNITY TO USE ANY VITRIOLIC INCLUDING BOB BECKEL, mr BECKEL TO MY KNOWLEDGE UR TO SMALL MINDED LIBERAL/SOCIALIST LIKE UR BUDDYs THE LEFT WING SOCIALS, WISE UP BECKEL  MY FATHER HAD SAID TO ME THE DOG BARKS WORSE THAN HIS BITE, U KEEP UP WITH ANOTHER AIRHEAD DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTS FROM FLORIDA, U GUS DONT KNOW HOW TO KEEP YOUR LOUD MOUTH CLOSE, SILENCE  IS BETTER THAN DANGEROUS  GOTTSA TYPE U,,,,

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