Glenn Beck: Grandparents' Nazi and Communist sympathies behind today's Progressivism

On his March 2 TV show, Glenn Beck asserted that Nazism and Communism are indistinguishable political ideologies because they allegedly share common aims, that they share a common political banner with "social justice" written on it. Then he reads something from a 1938 pro=communist pamphlet called "Progress in Democracy" published by a communist group in Rhode Island. As a professor of critical thinking, I believe he is trying to create connections to argue his case, which is that there were people in the U.S. from that generation who became our grandparents who held on to some Nazi and Communist beliefs and then went on to try to influence future generations with "progressive" ideas, ie, "progressivism." The clip I created is from third quarter of his show, which you can see below, in which he makes the case for a lingering communist influence in society today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARUUz6g5xlo&feature=related

The last part of his show is devoted to showing a lingering Nazi influence in the U.S.. He then says that communism and Nazism are both side of the same "social justice" coin, which is tossed about these days (he says) as "progressivism." Here is that part of his show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuc3RsdZaDQ&feature=related

Frankly, I'm astounded at the leaps in logic and critical thinking Beck makes. He offers no evidence to support the claims behind his "misguided/evil grandparent" theory. It's all speculation, it seems to me, a big "bogey man" scare tactic. To quote a 1980s Wendy's commercial, "Where's the beef?"

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Glenn
• Keck
• March 2
• 2010
• nazism
• communisim
• nazis
• communists
• socialism
• social
• justice
• George Washington
• grandparents
• FDR
• government

[j4unumber1]

Interesting Glenn. If the Nazis and Communists had the same ideology, then why did the Nazis specifically order all suspected Communists living in Germany to be sent to work camps and/or executed? I mean, did you just assume, like you obviously always do, that Jews were the only people sent to Nazi concentration camps? Indeed, the Nazis put the Communists there too, and gay people, and practically anyone else not willing to adopt Nazi ideology who lived there.

[SatchManFan]

Exactly. How he made the leap from what was happening on the Eastern front in WWII across the Atlantic to the US and made Communists and Nazis allies is amazing.

[58tkdmike]

Ya know...the country has a ton of GAPPED TOOTH HILLBILLIES that watch GB - but the rest of us FUKIN HATE YOU GB - no really - WE FUKIN HATE YOU

[goopiegoo]

oh NO!!!! NOT the COMMIE-NAZIS!!

[juslom2002]

You knows this guys parents are brother and sister right?

[MaoistLeninistMarx]

Hitler was always condensing democracy as evil, Stalin and the Communists want true democracy (people's power)

[falcons12345]

The "socialism" in National Socialism (Nazi) was just their to fool people into voting for them. Socialism was very popular in Germany then and very party that wanted votes would add "socialist," "worker," or some other variant into their party name. It was the norm. Names mean nothing, look at the Democratic Peoples Republic of North Korea...does anyone really think that place is a democratic republic? Nazis were right wing. Suggestion otherwise makes me wonder what his true motivations are.

[mrekbass]

Glenns fans love it when he says stupid crap like “liberal Nazi” or “Socialist Nazi” or heavens only knows what other malarkey he has made up more recently. I think they actually believe his lies and they are blissfully unaware that anyone who has a passing understanding of early 20th Century history, laughs at them when they say this idiotic shit. It used to irritate me but now I simply see them as the idiots that they prove they are every time they say such foolish crap!

[styleovermoney]

Did Beck get that swastika off his living room wall??? XD

[tjkc59]

Some 1963 communist goals

28) Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29) Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30) Discredit the American founding fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man".

[stevedude92]

@Totalpranny I agree I am communist my self and I can't stand people who call their selves Nazis.

[Totalpranny]

The Nazis actually hated the communists. Glenn Beck hasn't got a clue what he's talking about.