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Glenn Beck on Why He's No Rush Limbaugh
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In a deeply personal interview, the Fox News star defends Michael Steele’s right to be pro-choice, AIG’s big bonuses, and crying on air like Tammy Faye Bakker.
Recovering alcoholic, staunch libertarian and—according to detractors—occasional wacko, Glenn Beck has become a bright star at Fox News since he launched his show two months ago and quickly doubled the ratings in the “Fair and Balanced” cable network’s sluggish 5 p.m. slot. Part raging populist, part “rodeo clown” (his own description), Beck regularly scorches President Barack Obama (whom he has accused of trying to remake America into a totalitarian state), has wondered if the government is plotting to use the Federal Emergency Management Agency to operate concentration camps for the politically incorrect, and is already the third most-watched cable-news personality, after Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity.
Beck averaged 2.2 million viewers in February—multiples of the audience he used to attract as a longtime host on CNN’s HLN channel. He also boasts a popular radio program (on 350 stations and growing), two best-selling books (one of them a novel), his own magazine, Fusion, and a fervent fan base in the disenfranchised precincts of the recession-battered heartland.
We’re headed toward statism where these gigantic corporations and government are in bed. That was one of my main problems with George W. Bush.
At 45, rich and successful beyond his wildest dreams, Beck has coped with more than his share of personal tragedies—the suicide of his mother when he was 13, the untimely deaths of other close relatives, and the cerebral palsy of a daughter, plus life-threatening addictions to alcohol and cocaine, and he has he lived to tell the tale. Lloyd Grove talked with Beck about Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s right to be pro-choice, AIG’s right to pay huge bonuses to undeserving executives, and his disturbing suicidal impulse while hospitalized last year.
A little over a year ago, you were recovering from serious surgery or, as you put it, “ass surgery.”
I believe I said “butt surgery.”
And you were on a mixture of painkillers, and you got to the point where you said that if someone had brought a handgun into the hospital room, you would’ve blown your brains out. And I’m just wondering what got you into that suicidal state, and what stopped you from following through?
Wow, this is going to be a long interview! What got me there is they had me on a cocktail of about five or six different medicines, one of them was a patch, and I’m trying to remember what kind of drug it is, it’s the heaviest painkiller they have, and on the box it said, “for end of life use only.” So it was a combination of a whole bunch of drugs and what stopped me from doing it is those drugs were really only in my system at that level while I was in the hospital, but it was just a horrible cocktail of medication that was torture.
Have you considered filing a malpractice suit?
No, I talked to the head of the hospital. I’ve never named the hospital—it’s somewhere up in Connecticut. But during the conversation I said, “Look, I’m not a suing kind of guy. I’m interested in making sure this doesn’t happen again to the next person.” He said, “Oh yes I know, we’ve looked into it, yada yada yada,” and at the end he said “Listen, if you ever need to use the hospital here again, here’s my phone number, my cellphone.” I said “Excuse me. Boy, I’m not the suing person but this conversation, if you continue, will make me a suing person. I don’t want your phone number. I want to be able to come into your hospital like everyone else and get good treatment. If you’re going to give your phone number to everybody that needs to come into your hospital, well, that’s a different story. You’ve got a problem, fix it--not for the celebrity, fix it for everyone.”
How do you feel now? Are you OK?
[Laughs.] Yes, I’m fine, totally fine. I just had a bad spell, with that medication there. For several reasons—you know my history—I couldn’t get away from that medication fast enough.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Amateur Hour at the White House
Leslie H. Gelb, a former New York Times columnist and senior government official, is author of Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy (HarperCollins 2009), a book that shows how to think about and use power in the 21st century. He is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Going Rogue: The Index
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
Did Oprah Make a Mistake?
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
The All-New Sarah Palin
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
I love Glenn Beck, he has enough guts to tell you what he thinks.
This guy just reads the newspapers and then goes out and repeats all the most outrageous stuff he reads. He's never had an original thought. He wants to be Rush Junior he just doesn't have the bulk yet.
Glenn Beck is a buffoon. He argues based upon his own opinions and very rarely offers facts to back them up. For anyone who has not seen his interview with Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project please look it up for a prime example of how Beck conducts interviews.
Nancy Pelosi makes this guy cry in public.
The only thing that's missing is that
He doesn't do it in his underwear.
@woodnut - that then would be the one silver lining in the midst of all these newspapers shutting down.
The one thing I like about Glenn Beck is that he provides an incredible amount of fodder for Stephen Colbert. The colonoscopy, the doom bunker, and all of the one liners are priceless.
Over a year ago this guy was talking about an
upcoming economic crisis where the government
would start nationalizing private industry, there'd
be major layoffs, and a housing crisis.
This guy seemed nuts.
Look where we are today.
Isn't interesting that even though he's proven to be correct,
the media will still bash him as some raving lunatic.
He actually cares about this country, seeing it
as just that . . . a country with citizens,
BEFORE a marketplace with consumers.
The same can't be said for many in outsourcing Washington.
The guy was right. Glenn Beck is NOT nuts.
Silly-goofy-funny-blubbering cry baby . . . yes.
Nuts . . . No.
The left has identified Beck as an emerging threat. I expect the Journolist (see Politico today) will decide he has to be taken down or out.
Well there appears to be an emerging quality about political entertainers/influencers - chemical dependency. OOOOOOOO'Reilly please tell me ain't so.
Love ya, Beck!
@Sophia5
No. He's just nuts.
Response to your post will be entertaining.
I'll do a shot every time I read the word 'moron'.
"Look, I'm a libertarian. The problem is that we are so far away from being a society that understands self-regulation, it would be an absolute meltdown at this point. We're going in the wrong direction. We've got to wean ourselves off of government and start regulating ourselves. That's the same thing with the free-market system. You let people live with the results, good or bad. It'll fix itself."
_______________________________________________
And this ideology is exactly the problem. We don't live in UTOPIA. Does Glenn Beck, who says he loves his children, allow them to "self-regulate?" Or does he, as the head of his house, set boundaries and expectations? The government is no different. Get off the totalitarian bull****. It's uttery ridiculous.
Beck is not insane nor is he a lunatic. He does ramble and he does rant. To me he is more everyman than any other person on the talk radio circuit.
He truly cares about the country and wants us to get back to the founding principles of the nation. I like the guy and while he has been a bit of an alarmist he has been close to the mark on some of what we are facing now.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Debbieqd you are stretching what he said to fit your view. Adults should be allowed to do what they want as long as they do not injury another or burden another. That is the libertarian mantra as I interpret it.
We govern our children simply because they have not matured enough to self regulate themselves. But as they grow we allow them more and more independence as long as they self regulate.
Your argument is that essentially we are all children and we need Daddy Government to keep us in line on all fronts. This is the incrementalism that will ultimately lead to the government controlling nearly ever aspect of your life for the "common good." The common good is best served when the goverment does not interfere with a free people. People who are free to associate, free to work, free to earn free to choose.
Between now and maybe 5 years ago, as a regular listener of his radio show, it is hard not to see him as a repackaged personality, modified to fit a broader, more conservative audience.
In those earlier shows I found him very funny-like no one else funny. But now it seems a little too contrived, and sadly, just not as funny.
"mclaubr1
Angry white men looking for a country that is not inhabited with minorities and women. They want to create a "perfect race" of Americans. All others stay out. Drug addicted and narcissistic, Beck and Limbaugh are the public voices of a GOP, terribly out of touch. Their messages are akin to "No Irish Need Apply" or "Colored Entrance." There is no entertainment value in racism or sexism. They have been come rich and famous from hate."
I am a woman of color. And totally agree with Glenn Beck's stances on just about all issues.
Plus he is funny.
I have never heard a single racist or even sexist thing come out of his mouth. If anything he is true supporter of ALL Americans rights, no matter the color, gender or sexual preference.
And I am extremely tired of people using the "Angry White Man" approach to describe any Caucasian male who does not agree with their views. I find it racist and sexist.
Why don't you try watching or listening to him for at least one week. And then if you still feel the way then maybe women and other minorities might actually respect your comment.
I lived in Canada most of my life and if Glen Beck thinks this country is already socialist he does not know of what he speaks. Compared to any country in Europe we don't know the meaning of the word socialist in this country!
I find it interesting that all these guy on Fox claim to have no party affiliation but continue to spout Republican rhetoric. If your going to promote their agenda at least have the courage of your convictions and come clean about who you're shilling for.
And finally how in the world does calling Al Gore a Nazi advance the conversation in this country. To refer to him as a Nazi in public and then qualify it when challenged by saying, "What I meant when I said that was..." just isn't good enough. You really can't qualify using the term Nazi. You either are one or your not, and Al Gore is not. So Beck needs to tone it down and stop saying outrageous things just to be famous.
Great post! Now we know what causes ordinary people to become GOP monsters: heavy pharmaceutical drugs. Apparently that's why the Rx industry is coddled by all American administrations -- it's true purpose is to create a zombie class to oppress the rest of us.
The real story isn't Glen Beck. He is laughing all the way to the bank with his millions. The question is what is it about the right wing that finds such a clown to be a figure of authority and adulation. What is it about right wing minds that find characters from Looney Tunes are actual historical figures?
Occasional whackjob? No,actually full-time whack job.
So, if you "break the law, pay the penalty" -- did Beck ever pay the penalty for his drug use?
I like GB. Only problem is he comes on too early. Wish they would put him on right before the factor!!! He's a cartoon just like BO. They give me something to laugh about since WFBjr. death. NOT that they are anywhere near the man he was or will there ever be anyone to replace WFB. I shall continue to be a lost political soul without him & continue to wonder around the news. Thank God for The Beast!!!!
Glen Beck is about as sympathetic as a baby rattlesnake and twice as venomous. I feel sorry for him, I am guessing he really fried his brain on LSD and other drugs from the way he acts and talks, what I just don't understand is the mentality of idiots that listen to him and think he has something to say.
Self regulation is a tempting proposition. Even, as Beck describes it, self regulation might be a little chaotic at first. What is not clear is how we get from the initial chaos to a self regulation utopia. I don't think there's a way. But maybe Beck can reach the point where he can identify the path. But, he's not there yet. Until then, more regulation has a nice ring to it -- especially since the mess we have is a product of regulation-lite.
Being a Libertarian isn't any kind of political philosophy. It's a childish dream of wanting to live like a cowboy. Beck doesn't like big government, only the military, the largest part.
He doesn't like government interference, except when it comes to abortions. Oh and the Octomom. Plus drugs. Drugs are bad.
He's for what? Low taxes? Then complains when people who make 10 grand a year pay fewer taxes.
Seeing how quickly Red Staters have latched onto this crazy train is making me so happy.
Please secede from the Union! Oh surround us! And as always the rational majority of America will bring you kicking and screaming into the future, where you don't have to die because you can't afford healthcare, the nuclear option is not always on the table, and taxes are paid by the people with the most money.
I am just putting this out there is there is another civil war like Glenn Beck is proposing to his viewers every single night, I am going for him first.
Thank you.
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