Glenn Beck's Crazy 9/12 Tea Party Had Nothing to do With 9/11

Yesterday I watched one of the most bizarro TV shows that I have ever seen: Glenn Beck's 9/12 special on Fox News.

Even now, I am not sure what it had to do with 9/11 -- other than completely co-opting it for Tea Partiers, Fox News, dissent and -- oh, yes -- Glenn Beck.

The thesis: Beck wants this country to return to the values it held on 9/12/2001, the day after the terrorists attacks devastated and horrified the nation and the world. As someone who was in New York on 9/11 (and 9/12, and was evacuated from midtown office buildings in a panic along with thousands after a scare on 9/13), I remember those values being terror, bewilderment, shock, horror, and a profound grief. Over the days that followed, as people walked around in a daze and hugged and clasped hands more than usual, I recognized it as a city-wide sense of bereavement.

But Beck is right -- there was also something else. There were people all over the city galvanized to try to help. People with medical training rushing to Ground Zero to see if they could offer assistance. Collections and donations for food and supplies. My roommate and I ran around our high-rise in an impromptu clothing drive, and took bags down to Chelsea Piers where volunteers were being organized. Rumbling past us along the West Side Highway were trucks, laden with white ash-covered debris. After seeing that, my roommate put his head down on his knees and just sobbed.

There was also the well-documented coming together of the country, looking to the president and his bullhorn, unable to turn the TV coverage off, donations pouring in to the Red Cross. There was a nation riveted, wanting to do something.

There was not, as I can recall, an angry if vague call to ward off socialism and cut taxes.

Yet that was what dominated today's 9/12 Glenn Beck special on Fox News. Starting from the position that "Americans" "with their head in the sand" were to blame for 9/11 on 9/10/2001, he somehow moved to the now-familiar rhetoric of the Tea Partiers, about lower taxes and "taking our country back," with a dash of fist-shaking at nebulous "political corruption" across government. Beck was careful to point out that the corruption was bi-partisan -- he wasn't on a particular side! -- but of course happily hosted Republican Senator Jim DeMint and Congressman Mike Pence -- two of "the good guys." (And, of course, the past few weeks have left us with little doubt as to who the bad guys are. So there's that.)

But as far as I can tell, other than the obvious and craven "hook" for the special, this two-hour special wasn't about 9/11. I may have missed it, but I didn't even see reference made to the 9/12 manifesto -- its 9 principles and 12 values -- that was supposedly the raison d'etre for the project. That may be because, as True/Slant's Colin Horgan points out, they've been removed from the 9/12 website with no explanation.

>>>CONTINUED: Glenn Beck doesn't trust "the media" and hates when you throw around the term "racist." Also: Wet T-shirt contest!

This column was originally published on Mediaite.com.

Follow Rachel Sklar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rachelsklar

Comments

[shelobo]

I think that 90 percent of Glenn Becks 'followers only get one channel on their Tv,and it's a ANTI-AMERICAN channel ! TRUE Americans should boycott FOX and block it from being watched by family members, let people who want to watch the crazies rent a room somewhere ! Not on my TV !

[daultman463]

True americans should boycott anything that you don`t like?Exactly What do you libs want? To ban fox news from anyone else to watch.You know rush says some things that aren`t you know mainstream, lets pass the fairness doctrine and get him off the air. You know, air america not that bad so we will give tham a pass . shame on you and anyone else that thinks like that!

[Chem is she]

This is interesting- One thing that occurs to me is that it is endemic among Beck followers to really hook a sense of pride into the accomplishments of others. As if admiring Ben Franklin a whole lot somehow means his accomplishments are also their own.
Interesting to see what enormous challenges were left out: Civil rights were not explored as an accomplishment, nor was the uniting the country after the civil war. That tells me a lot.

[AlphaDragon]

Very interesting point.

[Cathar]

9/12 was a day of shock and mourning. It was not a day that we called our President a terrorist and NAZI. Only when President Bush made 9/11 a campaign slogan for the Republicans did the majority of us turn away form his policies. When he polarized our country with a war of convenience in Iraq and paid for that war by putting us in debt did many protest. No Beckster 9/12 was never about hate. It was about sorrow and trying to come together as country. What you and Fox represent is the tearing down not the builiding up of America.

[avchavis]

This is what GlennBeck really thinks about you912ers:

(NYT 03/29/09 - Media & Advertising Section)

""When it was suggested in an interview that he sometimes sounds like a preacher, he responded, “No. You’ve never met a more flawed guy than me.”

He added later: “I say on the air all time, ‘if you take what I say as gospel, you’re an idiot.’ ”"

[SharpDressedMan]

Here is an interesting MSNBC/Newsweek report on Beck and his teabagger protesters.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32844937#32849407

[presto uno]

The outrageous stupidity and bad manners are breathtaking.

[lel2007]

Yes. I feel exactly the same about MSNBC - a third rate TV station masquerading as a News channel.

[SharpDressedMan]

This request is for Libertarians and other Beck supporters.

Please show me one developed industrialized country that has a Libertarian government.

If not, which country already has the government closest to that envisioned by Libertarians?

[books4literacy]

Are you talking about Independents?

[SharpDressedMan]

Libertarians. If I was referring to Independents that word would have been in my post.

Libertarians. Like Ron Paul, Bob Barr, etc.

[BeVeryAfraid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y&hd=1

[BeVeryAfraid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y&hd=1

a must see pass it on 912

[jaggededge]

THANK YOU FOR THE LINK---i think this pretty much clears up the information level we're dealing with here. --om here cuz glenn beck beck tole me to. i don'rt zakly know what om mad at but i sure is mad

[CanadianinCleveland]

Great link.. thanks... a must see...
Here we have upwards of 100K people... steeped in ignorance for just about any topic, proudly racist, and deifying Glenn Beck ( note: Glen Becks 9/12 crusade... and show...) it plays out like a horror film... and most likely there are alot more of these people who didn't crawl out of their caves to attend the protest.... yet......
Sensible thinking people need to keep on top of this movement... its turning ugly...

[teapot90]

Amazing clip - thanks for sharing, This clip should be the "macaca" moment for all the teabaggers.

Those folks are so sad! There's nothing in their minds but a jumble of emotion-charged ideas racing around in circles. Taxes, Jesus, Socialism, abortion, Czars, the Constitution. And they are probably nice people down deep, beneath all the racism and fear and confusion. But the worst part of it is: they are only stage props for Foxnooz, for the corporate lie machine of the media they claim they hate.

[TXLADY44]

Glenn Beck please answer:

Who are the 10 9/11 families that you hate and why?

Why didn't you show up for your OWN 9/12 rally?'

[SharpDressedMan]

Hating 9/11 families is contrary to Beck's 9-12 project. How does he square that?

[swimbiker]

He really hates it when someone uses his own words against him. After all, he's a great family man and a Christian! Yesterday, he asked his listeners to "fast and pray " for him, his staff and his family. He said, "They're coming after me!" as if he were a martyr.

[MountainPenelope]

Why can't we go back to Aug. 2001 when Bust/Chancy were warned that this was about to happen, and try an stop it rather than let it happen?

[swimbiker]

It was reported at the time that the Bushies discarded anything that the Clintons had passed on to them. That is why Bush refused to negotiate with North Korea, why he didn't act on the bin Laden report, and countless other things: these policies were tainted by Clinton's turning them over to Bush.

[ObamacratInCA]

This is what our leaders asked of us during the weeks that followed 9/11:

"Show your confidence," Giuliani said. "Show you're not afraid. Go to restaurants. Go shopping," he urged citizens."

N.Y. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani 9/14/01

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YzAwOTUwMjQyNDMwYTZmODc4ZjkzMTdhOWQ5OWU3Njg=

"When they struck, they wanted to create an atmosphere of fear. And one of the great goals of this nation's war is to restore public confidence in the airline industry. It's to tell the traveling public: Get on board. Do your business around the country. Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed."

President George W. Bush, 9/27/01

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/27/se.19.html

Instead of Beck asking his viewers to tune in to see who he can get fired from the White House each week, or have them cringe in fear of an imaginary Presidential racist oligarhy (his spelling, not mine) and FEMA camps, why not encourage teabaggers to test this White House to see if they really are looking for the best ideas from anyone in the country regardless of party. The President is meeting with anti-abortionists this week, so it's possible that he's at least trying to listen to people he disagrees with.

Or not.

Rabid, paranaoic, hatred and fear is always a tried and true way to commemorate 9/12 too.

[Louise Smith]

Beck really is beloved by the Dixiecrats who somehow feel that one day the civil war will be re-fought and the south will win, then rise again. Those old SOUTHERN boys really need to leave DC and let someone from the NEW South have a chance at representing those of us who are not rich, crooked, or just plain race haters.

[spartacus7502]

Its about the MONEY!!

Fox has a captured market in the right-wing of the GOP. As long as they push a conspiracy around there competitors they will continue to harvest from this group. It is in FOX' interest to inflame and drive its viewers away from other news sources, and to promote itself, threw censorship, and implication.

[MacGregor57]

Glenn Beck. What more can be said?

[Pupadup4oBama]

Why do they want to go back to 9-12?
Why can't we go back to 9-10 when over 3000 people were still alive, don't forget to include the thousands of soldiers and thousands of Iraqi lives that have been lost as well.

[billhodges]

Because on 9/12 the country came together for the first time in years. It is a shame it would not last.

[BeVeryAfraid]

9/12 video pass it on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y&hd=1

[swimbiker]

Well, that started with John Ashcroft telling people not to dissent, to be patriotic, and to "be careful what you say!" Given the imprimatur of the Attorney General's office, that started the chill in relations between Republicans and Democrats.

[dans5843]

heck, i want to go back to when I was young and pretty! LOL

[comicpro]

Because that would be utopia and the clowns that are on TV that would mean the country is unified no matter what you look like where you live and what your financial status is. Seemed like a long time ago.

[StephCaster]

To be fair to Beck (who certainly doesn't deserve fair treatment) the Bush Administration's response to 9/11 did indeed include pushing it's tax cuts for the super-rich. Pushing tax cuts (aka kickbacks) to the hyper-wealthy was the Bush Administration response to almost every political issue, and 9/11 was no exception.

And Beck is right that the national security apparatus had its "head in the sand" prior to 9/11, as the Bush Administration was busy dismantling Clinton's terror monitoring apparatus, ignoring the warnings it was receiving, and instead drawing up its plans to attack Iraq (which it just pasted on to its 9/11 response, just like the tax cuts).

[EasyCheese]

I have to say, Clinton was the one doing the dismantling. he was the one that cut the CIA budget so far down.

Bush did nothing to tear it down further (although i dont believe he did anything to boost it either, not sure) until 9/11

[DevonTexas]

Bush ignored the warnings from the CIA about OBL determined to attack. No matter how much money they were budgeted or not, ignoring their warnings was fatal for those killed that day and in the ensuing years.
So tell me again what Clinton had to do with 9/11?

[FunkyP]

It's Clinton's fault.

[StillweRise]

for the record....

Clinton got hit (wtc) the third month in his first term. We were not hit again....

UNTIL THE 9TH MONTH OF BUSH'S FIRST TERM.......

[swimbiker]

How is passing on the folder with the warning about bin Laden "dismantling"? Bush just ignored it!

[rrisright]

Stephcaster were where you when tduring the Clinton administration we had 5 attacksa against US interests. Or when Clingon decided to use teh Justice System during WTC in 93. I do not necessarily blame Clinton for 9/11, but to blame Bush inoffice for only 7 months is just a joke on your part. The things I do remember about Bush are 5% unemployemnt 52 quarters of jpositive economic growth and no further attack fo r7 years.

[grooveygrover]

all the positives you listed were the result of the Clinton years. Things just don't move that quickly within the economy or the country or even in life fo those things to be the result of bush"s first 7 months in office. We are now living through the consequences of the bush years.
It's very interesting how the right will deny that bush is culpable in any way for his first 7 months in office, yet want to blame President Obama for everything, when it is so obvious that what is happening now is the result of bush's deregulation of everything imaginable. Free markets are great in theory, in practice they suck.
But while bush should have been reading those security memos he was too busy deregulating and sending our country down the tubes, in more ways than one.

[Wendy Dyke]

So by your logic all the things being blamied on Obama must not be his fault either since he too has only been in office 8 months.
As to the 52 quarters of economic growth... you are crazy. the only growth this country saw was an increase in munitions mfg., a decrease in the wages for everyone but the rich, 2 major recessions, 2 unfunded wars, 1 useless "no child left behind bill (also unfunded),
deregulation of all industries, forced non-enforcement of regulations and complete politicization of DoJ. The list continues but I'm certain that is sufficient to give a snap shot.

What a stellar record.. IF you are trying to destroy a country!

[RenoSage]

Forget that Bush was warned about the impending attack?
Forget that Bush took a budget surplus and turned into a record deficit?
Forget that Clinton stymied an attack on LA by beefing vigilance at north border?

Selective memory?

[swimbiker]

Do you remember that Clinton passed Bush a surplus and then Bush left the situation to Obama with the biggest deficit in the history of the country? do you remember that Bush started 2 wars of choice and didn't carry the costs for them in his budget yearly?