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Glenn Beck

Hillary Clinton`s Campaign at an End?; How Can McCain Win Over Conservatives?; Berkley Sends Marines Mixed Messages; Rabbit Teaches Hatred to Children

Aired February 13, 2008 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, comrades, yes, he can.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, we can.

BECK: Obama rolls in the Potomac Primaries. Does this mean it`s no, she can`t for Hillary?

Also news from the far western front. The city of Berkeley, California, told Marine recruiters they weren`t welcome in town. Then, they changed their mind. The few, the proud, the confused.

And meet the newest, most adorable star of Palestinian TV, Assud the Rabbit. Sure, he hates Jews, but look how cute he is. Silly rabbit!

All this and more, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, America. I`m glad you`re here.

Am I the only one in this fruited land of ours that is pissed off by the steroid hearings? We`ll get into it here in just a little while.

First, I want to recap what happened last night. Barack Obama steam- rolled over Hillary Clinton in the Potomac Primaries. Now, he`s won eight straight. I guess, some would say a more exciting way is to look at it as Hillary lost eight straight. She`s now calling herself the underdog. I don`t even know how you do that, but forgive me if I skip the pity party.

As for Republican frontrunner John McCain, he also won, but he struggled with some conservatives. Maybe because he`s about as conservative as a vegan florist at a yoga convention.

So tonight, here`s "The Point." While it ain`t over, I do kind of feel like the fat lady is singing. Barack`s momentum seems unstoppable. John McCain may be on the ropes of the right-wing evangelicals or at least the conservatives, but he is the team to beat. Here`s how I got there.

Obama`s win in yesterday`s Virginia primary is especially telling, because it represents a microcosm of U.S. political landscape. It is no overstatement to say that he crushed Clinton across all Democratic lines. I just want to play a bit of a speech that he gave last night where he addressed his broad-based appeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We have now won east and west, north and south and I across the country we love.

We have given young people a reason to believe, and we have brought -- and we have brought the young at heart back to the polls who want to believe again. We`re brings Democrats, independents, Republicans, blacks and whites, Latinos and Asians and Native Americans, small states and big states, red states and blue states, all into the United States of America. That`s our project. That`s our mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I`ve got to tell you. I don`t know how you beat this guy unless you base it on the facts. He`s going to sweep.

Now John McCain, he walked away the Republican winner last night, but he struggled with conservatives, the only group that rival Mike Huckabee seems to resonate with. With that in mind, here is an odd moment from McCain`s victory speech from last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to commend my friend Governor Huckabee. His spirited campaign and many gifts as a communicator and advocate, and passionate supporters are a credit, are a credit to him and our party. Can we hear it for Governor Huckabee, a fine man?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Nice and everything. I don`t understand it. Three cheers for the guy who can`t win but won`t stop running against me? Get a room, will you?

I hate to break the bad news to you, John, but Huckabee`s the guy running against you.

So tonight America, here`s what you need to know. Time is running out for Hillary Clinton. If she doesn`t turn things around in dramatic fashion soon, you know what? I think the clock has already run out on Hillary Clinton. But never say never.

As for McCain, he needs to remember that doing well in blue states isn`t going to be enough. And come clean about Huckabee. I don`t know what is going on between the two of you, but I mean, if you need to, you know, do the VP thing, get the Republican Party started. If not, will one of you run the race to win? And take either McCain or Huckabee out?

Douglas Wilder is the current mayor of Richmond, Virginia, former governor of Virginia.

And Mayor, I know, as you like to be called. Welcome to the program. You were a Clinton supporter for years and years and years, and you are on the Obama bandwagon. Why?

DOUGLAS WILDER, MAYOR, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: Well, I think he brings change. As you know and see, the differences between what people say they`re going to do and that what they are going to do is very different. You captured the spirit in Virginia very, very well when you described what took place yesterday. This is microcosmic of Virginia -- of America.

BECK: Yes.

WILDER: They`re genuine. We have the smallest concentration of African-Americans of any of the southern states. And yet, Obama did so well with every demographic we can describe.

BECK: Let me ask you this, Mayor. You know I respect you.

WILDER: Same here.

BECK: And I like you a great deal. You`re just an -- you`re an honest guy.

WILDER: So do I. Yes.

BECK: Here`s the thing. I don`t think America is embracing his ideas or his policies as much as they`re embracing his optimism, his honesty. I mean, he seems like a guy who`s just going to, like, "Look, man, that`s just the way it is, like it or not. Here`s who I am, warts and all." And that`s what America -- that`s what America is hungry for.

WILDER: There`s a great deal of truth in that, and that`s why he has separated himself from the Washingtonian mentality. That`s why Bill Clinton got elected in the first instance.

Look at the lack of real experience that Bill Clinton had in 1992.

BECK: Yes.

WILDER: Small state in Arkansas. No great resources. No great accomplishments in terms of the numbers of social service things that went unattended: transportation, jails and all of those things. And he said, Washington doesn`t have the answer. And that`s what Barack Obama is saying.

And you`re absolutely right. Optimism.

BECK: So let me ask you -- let me ask you this. The only way -- and I said this in the monologue. The only way to beat this guy, I think as a conservative, is on the facts. He wants to spell -- he wants to spend, and I laid it all out today on my radio show, $250 billion in new spending. It`s a staggering amount of money.

WILDER: And that is -- and you`re talking about things that has to be addressed. When you start talking about what you`re going to spend, you`ve got to identify where the funding will come from.

But I`ll say this to you. To the extent that, if John McCain is the nominee, and he will be, for the Republicans, if Hillary Clinton were the nominee of Virginia, McCain wins.

BECK: Yes. I don`t think -- you know, I was talking about this, again, on the radio today. I don`t know how you beat Barack Obama. And it is actually kind of frightening to me, because I disagree with his policies. I like the man, but I disagree with his policies.

Because I think he sweeps. Unless there`s something dramatic that happens, I think the guy absolutely sweeps across, and he will -- he`ll take this, or the party will take this, as a giant liberal mandate. Where that`s not what America is saying. They`re saying they just want somebody honest.

WILDER: I think you`re right. I don`t think it should be interpreted as a giant liberal mandate. Because as you know, my record of fiscal accountability and responsibility as governor and still as mayor, has been that which has stood me in good stead.

Americans want someone, however, to be accountable. The war was a mistake. The money we are spending on the result of that war is a mistake. They money we could be spending on our infrastructure improvements, educational things and things that we need to do. Barack Obama promises that.

BECK: Mayor, I always enjoy talking to you, sir.

WILDER: Same here. We`ll get back together.

BECK: You got it.

WILDER: God bless.

BECK: Now, let me talk -- let me talk about John McCain here. What does this man do to turn up the heat on conservatives to get them to buy into John McCain?

Michael Reagan is a radio talk show host, GOP strategy.

Michael, I`m looking at the numbers here. First of all, McCain and Huckabee combined, only 484,000 people came out and voted for him in Virginia -- for the two of them in Virginia. Obama got 619,000 votes alone. There is excitement on one side. And you`re like, well, whatever.

MICHAEL REAGAN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I tell you, what John McCain could probably do is sponsor keggers at every college campus in America the night before the election to make sure they`re hung over on the morning of the election, to keep all those people home.

That`s what Barack Obama has done; he`s brought new people to the table to vote in this election.

BECK: Gee, where does -- how does that sound familiar to you, Michael Reagan?

REAGAN: John McCain -- John McCain and the Republicans have brought nobody new to the table. Even if the conservatives show up, where are the new people going to come from?

BECK: They`re not.

REAGAN: You`ve got Obama talking about Obamacans like Ronald Reagan was talking about Reagan Democrats.

BECK: Yes.

REAGAN: And it`s going to be sweep across this country unless the Republicans find a way to get to the issues and kill him on the issues.

BECK: Michael, there`s no way. OK, you`re right. If you kill him on the issues, if you kill him on spending, et cetera, et cetera. But John McCain is not the guy to ignite that by any stretch -- I don`t think, by any stretch of the imagination. I`m looking at it last night, and I`m thinking about your dad`s victory over Mondale. You remember that?

REAGAN: Yes.

BECK: I mean, it`s just -- it was just sweep all the way across the country.

REAGAN: John can win Arizona. What`s the problem?

BECK: Yes, exactly right.

REAGAN: Mondale and John can have a party together...

BECK: Exactly right.

REAGAN: ... and say, we both won one state.

But the Republicans still don`t have a message of hope. You`ve got Obama out there, giving a message of hope. And people just hear the message of hope. They don`t hear what hope`s going to cost. But John McCain needs to also bring a message of hope to the Republican Party and to the country. We have not heard that yet.

And last night, of course, he was reaching out to Huckabee to try to reach out to those people who voted for Huckabee to come over to his side when he reaches 1,191.

BECK: It`s still not enough, though. You know what`s amazing to me? Is everybody said, and I think all these stupid Republicans, the ones that just are elephants all the time, over-thought this. Well, who`s the one that can win, maybe, in California or grab some votes in California?

John McCain might win, in a primary, New York, New Jersey, California. But he ain`t going to win it on election day against Barack Obama.

REAGAN: Well, part of what happened, Glenn -- part of what happened, Glenn, is the fact that the conservative candidate lost his senatorial campaign in Virginia with George Allen. And once that happened, the conservatives just didn`t know where to go.

And then you had people who had never been conservative in their life pretend to be conservative for their selection, and they were really called out. So the conservatives looked all over the map, looked for that one person who was going to lead them into the Promised Land. They`re looking for Moses. And Moses and Reagan are dead.

BECK: I have to tell you, Carter gave us Reagan. Bill Clinton gave us Newt Gingrich. What is Barack Obama going to give us two years after the presidential election? I hope Congress and the Republicans wake up and find a conservative leader.

Michael, thank you very much.

REAGAN: Thank you.

BECK: Now we`re going to shift gears here, and we`re going to go to a question I don`t understand. How can you be against the war but for the troops? Especially if you`re Berkeley, California? It`s a nightmare out there, and we`ll talk about what happened last night.

And if you think Barney brainwashes the kids, wait until you see what Palestinian TV has. I`ll introduce you to Assud the Rabbit, the latest, greatest in radical propaganda. You`ll be begging for Barney.

And then, will the final downfall of America be Roger Clemens? Somebody call Congress. We should have all-day hearings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, coming up in just a bit, our economy is skating on thin ice. But Mexico, their economy is on the rebound. One example: their inflation rate is now lower than ours for the first time in history. Could a surge in Mexico`s economy be our answer to illegal immigration, and doesn`t this give you a headache? We have the stories in tonight`s "Real Story."

Now, one of the things I`m really sick of, I`m sick and tired of hearing people say that they`re against the war but they support the troops. I don`t even know what that means. It`s not really an opinion. It`s a bumper sticker, and I`m stick and tired of it.

I know the charisma of Barack Obama has pushed the war in Iraq right off the front page. But the reality is American men and women are still fighting, and they are still dying in Iraq and Afghanistan every single day.

I have two family members currently serving. Chances are you have family members that are serving or you know somebody who`s over there, as well. That`s why my disgust is beyond -- I mean, just -- it`s spit right out of my mouth for Berkeley, California, and their city council.

They told Marine recruiters that they weren`t -- weren`t invited or welcome in Berkeley. Good. Then defend yourself, Berkeley.

I don`t get it. We`re for peace, love and diversity and understanding. And yet, you don`t want the people who have given you that right.

They`ve know eased their stance a bit and finally recognized the Marines` right to be in Berkeley. But the city council restated their opposition to the war, recognized the Marines but support the troops and militant zombies like Code Pink.

I hate Berkeley, California. But that`s just a diverse opinion, isn`t it, Berkeley?

First Lieutenant Peter Hugest is executive director of Vets for Freedom.

You know what? They didn`t just say -- while they said they supported the troops, you know this. They also said that they were unwelcomed intruders in Berkeley, California. How do you connect these two thoughts?

PETER HEGSETH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VETS FOR FREEDOM: You can`t connect these two thoughts. You know what? They wouldn`t even apologize for what they said. They said frankly they -- actually said a couple of the members said they are still unwelcome in the community. And, you know, they said the counsel officially opposes their presence, still, in the city.

So they have -- they can`t backtrack. They only backtrack rhetorically.

BECK: OK.

HEGSETH: And this whole nonsense about mission and troops being separated, it`s impossible. I couldn`t have said it better myself.

BECK: Hang on just a second. We just had Doug Wilder on, and I didn`t say anything, because I like Mayor Doug Wilder from Richmond, Virginia. He`s a nice guy. He disagrees with the war. But he`s respectful about it. He`ll make a case, yada, yada, yada.

Code Pink is entirely different. And Berkeley, California, put a parking zone for Code Pink right in front...

HEGSETH: Yes. Yes.

BECK: ... of the Marines` recruiting station, which means that every time a recruiter has to go into their own place of business, they have to hear it from people like Code Pink. Well, that`s taking it out on the troops. You can`t tell me that Code Pink supports the troops by taking it out on the troops. You take it out on the people in Washington that are the pinheads that are conducting the war.

HEGSETH: Yes, you`re absolutely right. The Berkeley City Council removed the language against the troops, supposedly, but they maintained the preferential treatment for Code Pink. So they can camp outside the Marine recruiting station and harass the Marine recruiters that are there to defend them.

They certainly -- they somehow don`t understand. The freedom of speech that they so embrace, as you said, is defended at the -- at the muzzle of an M-16 or an M-4 that those Marines towed around the world. It`s amazing.

And one other point, Glenn. You know, they said that they do not support -- they support the military but not recruitment. I don`t really understand how that works. How do -- how do you have a military without being able to recruit new members? It doesn`t make sense.

BECK: See, here`s the thing. I say if that`s your opinion, that`s fine. But you ever have a natural disaster, you ever have a flood, you ever have a problem, you ever need the Marines to come into Berkeley, California, you`re on your on own. I say you cut all ties from Berkeley, California.

If you`re in a city that you can`t support our military, and I`m not saying that you support their mission, per se. I`m not saying that you don`t stand up and you write your congressman, and you say, "We`ve got to stop this war."

I`m saying you can`t stop your city council from putting a -- a parking permit right in front of the recruiting station, where you`re harassing our troops, you get nothing from us. How come we can`t do that?

HEGSETH: Well, I mean, that`s what some members of the United States Senate are doing. Senator Jim DeMint and others have put it on the desk of the president that earmarks for Berkeley, California, be removed. And us at Vets for Freedom and the folks over at Move America Forward that have really been leading the charge on this are behind them all the way. Why should Berkeley receive funds if they`re trying to kick out the very troops that have provided that?

BECK: But Pete, here`s the thing. I know you`re doing a national heroes tour. I`ve only got about 10 seconds here.

HEGSETH: All right.

BECK: I know you`re traveling with Marcus Luttrell and a bunch of other heroes. When you`re in New York City, will you please come here? I`d like to spend an hour with you and your heroes.

HEGSETH: We would be honored to. Thank you, Glenn.

BECK: Thanks a lot.

Now, tell me where I`m wrong. I don`t buy this B.S. from these militant anti-war war groups that say they`re against the war but they still support the troops. Bull crap. Agree or disagree? Go to CNN.com/Glenn and cast your vote right now.

Coming up, I want to show you a cute little bunny. It`s Assud the Rabbit, the latest tool in radical Islam`s propaganda machine. I`ll tell you about how he wants to eat the Jews. Coming up in just a second.

And what matters in this country today? The war, the economy? Nope. If you listen to Congress, it would be about people who play games for a living and if they have needles in their arms. What it says about Congress and America, coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This country...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: I want to show you some more propaganda from the Middle East. It`s Assud the Rabbit. You call me crazy, but when I think of, you know, cute little rabbits on TV, I think of Bugs Bunny. Not somebody who says, "Don`t worry, kids. I`m going to eat the Jews."

Ready for this? This is the character that is taking the place of a giant bee character who died because the Israelis wouldn`t let him cross the border to get medical treatment. Here`s the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: We are all martyrdom-seekers, are we not, Saraa?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: Of course we are. We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our homeland. We will sacrifice our souls and everything we own for the homeland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: But I, Assud, will get rid of the Jews, Allah willing. And I will eat them up, Allah willing, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: Allah willing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Wow. I mean, I can`t -- I don`t know to start with some of this.

I want to go Zuhdi Jasser now. He is a doctor with the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

Zuhdi, where do I begin even begin on this? I mean, it`s just evil stuff. You`ve got a children`s character, a children`s TV show, saying, "I will eat the Jews, Allah willing."

ZUHDI JASSER, AMERICAN ISLAMIC FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY: Glenn, this is basically political fascism, filth, and they do it in my faith. And I was raised believing that Muslims are equal to Jews and Christians in every way and all other faiths.

But this is a political ideology that uses the evil hate to fuel its demagoguery of its population and to continue to -- rather have them fix their own condition, they want to find -- find some outside enemy. Today it`s the Jews. Tomorrow it will be someone else.

BECK: Does anybody, do you think, on this set, you know, while they`re putting on the big rabbit head, go, "Gee, I might be on the wrong side here"? I mean, do they all look at the scripts or anything and say, "Wow, that kind of is a little evil"?

JASSER: Well, certainly, there`s probably people in there that are confused, that know that this is wrong. But you have to remember, this has been going on for generations now. This is not just this child. This is the child`s parents are part of this. Their grandparents have been taught this.

And if we`re going to break this, I think it`s so important for America to see this, because we need to start penetrating Gaza TV and Middle Eastern television with other types of ideas that can counter. This is where the war of ideas is. This is where the conflict is.

BECK: But hang on. Didn`t Egypt and Saudi Arabia just pass a new charter on television that, basically, you can`t run anything that they disagree with?

JASSER: But what that should tell everyone, Glenn, is that they are circling the wagons, and they`re worried. This is something they now -- they get together the monarchs and the best dictators and say, "Oh, we`re going to now control satellite TV."

And the only one that objected was actually the Islamist television network, Al Jazeera, who by the way, a month or two ago when Musharraf declared martial law, they allowed him to shut down Geo TV, which was out of Qatar.

So these are all demagogues and dictators that want to control thought and freedom and liberty, which is really the only way to defeat them, something they want to avoid at all costs.

BECK: Unfortunately, Zuhdi, as you know, some of these people are our allies in this war. And I don`t understand it.

Thank you very much. Always good to see you, Zuhdi.

Coming up, the president is set to sign an economic stimulus plan. But I`ve got a plan that might be a little better. I`ll tell you about it in tonight`s "Real Story," coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up a little later on in the program, why I believe the fascination with Roger Clemens and his testimony before Congress speaks volumes of the state of America and our government. What the hell were they even doing today?

But first, welcome to the "Real Story."

A free money bonanza began today. President Bush signed that $168 billion economic stimulus bill this afternoon.

While that story was front page news everywhere, there was another one that was far more important that has essentially been ignored, and that is this: The U.S. Treasury Department, the same one that`s encouraging government to open up its checkbook, just announced that our federal spending is already over 8 percent ahead of last year`s pace, and the deficit is nearly double.

It all confirms what most of us, you know, who live outside of Washington have already known for years -- the problem is overspending by these crazy people in Washington. I honestly believe if you would have put this stimulus package to a vote, let the people decide -- I know, what a novel concept that is -- it would have been rejected.

The people of America get it. They understand the real story -- that this is nothing more than an election year ploy to buy votes of stupid people.

You know what? I wrote an editorial for "The New York Daily News" last weekend in which I predicted most people are not going to spend these checks. They are going to pay down debt.

Oh, was I taken apart by the really smart bloggers. They said things like, "Oh, you`re so out of touch. People are struggling. They need this money."

Really? Well, an AP poll now shows that just 19 percent of Americans intend to actually spend their rebate checks. Everybody smart is going to save it or use it to pay off debt because they know things are getting bad.

Both of those things will not do a damn thing to help this economy. But, put that inconvenient little fact aside for just a second, and let`s pretend that everybody is dumb enough to spend these checks.

Doesn`t it matter what they buy? The answer, according to the chairman of the Federal Reserve, is yes. "Well, you`d hope that they would spend it on things that are domestically produced so that the spending power doesn`t go elsewhere."

Domestically produced? Ben, have you been to a story lately? We don`t produce anything in this country anymore. And if you`re wondering what he meant by our spending power going elsewhere, listen to Mike Huckabee, one of the few politicians who`s actually been honest, at least about this issue and this package.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We`ll probably end up borrowing this $150 billion from the Chinese. And when we get those rebate checks, most people are going to go out and buy stuff that`s been imported from China. I have to wonder whose economy is going to be stimulated the most by the package.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Amen, brother. Thank you.

I like to think of this whole debacle as a Chinese trifecta. First we borrow the money from them, which we`re going to pay them back with interest, then we buy their stuff, which forces us to import even more from them and put more Americans out of work.

Oh, what a great day to Beijing.

Stephen Moore is senior editorial writer for "The Wall Street Journal."

Stephen, 19 percent of Americans say they`re going to spend this check that they get back from the government, and part of me, a small part of me, doesn`t believe it because we`re spendaholics.

STEPHEN MOORE, SR. EDITORIAL WRITER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, that`s what`s so funny about this package, Glenn, is that Americans have been on a shopping binge now for eight straight years. The last thing we need from Washington is urging to go out and spend more money.

You know, this is a country, Glenn, that spent over $2 billion last year just changing the ringer on their cell phones. I mean, we are -- we are a country that spends, spends, spends. But I like the idea of free money from Washington. I really do.

BECK: Well, wait a minute, if it worked, why wouldn`t we do this all the time?

MOORE: Well, that`s a good point. I mean, here`s the way this scheme works -- the government takes about $25,000 from every household and taxes every year, and they spend about $26,000 per household on all the government programs that they have.

And now they say, you know what? Out of the benevolence of our heart, we`re going to give you $500 or $1000 back this year. And my feeling is, look, if you didn`t spend so much of my money in Washington, you would haven`t to take the $25,000 in the first place.

BECK: But you know what, Stephen? Here`s the interesting thing. I tried to explain this earlier today on the radio program, that if they were cutting programs, you could -- it wouldn`t be valid -- but you could make the case, oh, well, they`re just taking the money from that program.

MOORE: Yes, exactly.

BECK: But they`re still borrowing a lot more money than that from China to pay for all the other programs that we can`t afford.

MOORE: Right. But, Glenn, it is worse than you think, because not -- the ink isn`t even dry on George Bush`s signature yet on that legislation, and the Democrats in Congress are saying, you know what? We need more spending stimulus programs, too.

So, they want unemployment insurance, home heating subsidies. All of this stuff. I mean, home heating subsidies, that would be only a big stimulus to the Saudi Arabian government.

BECK: Or Venezuela.

MOORE: Exactly. Hugo Chavez gas rebate.

BECK: Here`s what I -- here`s what I pointed out earlier today. I said the only way that you can beat Barack Obama is to get him on the facts, on what he really wants to do. And I said that just about a half hour ago.

Here`s what he wants to do on this one. He is proposing a $10 billion program that -- quoting -- "will assist individuals who purchased homes that are simply too expensive for their income levels."

(LAUGHTER)

MOORE: Well, that`s most of us.

BECK: Well, I should have bought a house that was more expensive. I`m missing the boat on this one.

MOORE: Exactly. No, I mean, this idea that people took out these loans and they`re victims of, you know, predatory lending is just so absurd. But it`s -- the problem is, Washington has grown so big. And these politicians, they treat spending like passing out candy to people. If we could get the budget under control, we wouldn`t have this potential recession in the first place.

BECK: I have to tell you, Stephen, it`s almost like they`re doing it intentionally. I don`t see either side actually getting serious.

MOORE: You know what, Glenn? The only jobs that are going to be saved by the stimulus package are their own jobs in Congress.

BECK: Yes, exactly right. And it`s sickening. It really is.

Stephen, thanks a lot. We`ll talk to you again.

MOORE: Thank you.

BECK: Now, if you were serious about turning our economy around, then I`ve got a great idea. Try this one on for size. See what you think.

I say we take about 12 million of our poorest citizens -- you know, the uneducated -- and we encourage them to sneak across our northern border at night and go to Canada and get a job there, and live free off the Canadian health care, and get a free education through their school system.

And then ship those earnings back here for their families to spend in our economy. Wouldn`t that be great? That sounds familiar.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is now touring the U.S. right now. He`s telling anybody who will listen to him that a thriving Mexican economy is the best way to end illegal immigration.

You know what? You`re right, but I don`t know how you exactly want to get there.

People who have good jobs, nice homes, especially if those homes are in places with nice weather, generally stick around. But I want to show you what is actually happening.

The real story is -- you ready? Economic conditions that have been driving millions of Mexicans north are starting to reverse themselves as we deal with trillions in unpaid entitlements because of the weasels in Washington. It`s caused the falling dollar.

Mexico may finally be starting to turn things around. They had the largest increase in new jobs in their nation`s history last year, a 25 percent increase in foreign investment, and perhaps most importantly, a lower inflation rate than we did for the first time in history.

It all points to Mexico potentially being -- are you sitting down? -- a net importer of labor in the coming decades. We maybe sneaking across their border. Americans may some day be looking to Mexico for employment.

And if that sounds insane, well, let me ask you this --- 30 years ago, do you think our parents would have ever believed that American jobs would be replaced by people in India? A lot can change. And it can happen like that.

You know, I`m a huge supporter of fences, with an "S". Both of our borders, north and south. It`s a security thing.

You know what? The way things are going, it may be Canada and Mexico who want those fences more than we do.

Leonardo Martinez-Diaz is a political economy fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Leonardo, is what is happening in Mexico real and lasting, or is it just a fluke that it`s getter better?

LEONARDO MARTINEZ-DIAZ, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: Well, Glenn, I think the first thing to remember is that the Mexican and the American economies are joining together. They`re really tightly connected. And so things look good right now, but they could also change.

Remember, 85 percent of Mexican exports come here to the U.S. Sixty- five percent of their investment is American investment. And $20 billion, as you pointed out, of money -- dollars from the U.S. goes to Mexico every year from workers working in the U.S.

So, the two economies are very closely linked. And if we slow down, they will slow down as well. So, the idea that the Mexican economy will by itself become prosperous without our help and our own participation will not happen.

BECK: But isn`t -- isn`t this the case, Leonardo? Isn`t that the very case that some of us have been saying, that the lifeboat is only so big and you have got to at some point push away from the Titanic and say, wait a minute, we can only save so many, because if we sink the lifeboat, we all drown. In many ways, we are the lifeboat, and just an unending wave of people coming in and taking our services is going to sink the lifeboat, and that hurts Mexico as much as it does us.

MARTINEZ-DIAZ: It`s true. Mexico is losing some of its -- a lot of its young people. Almost 10 percent of its total population, if you think about it. And that`s certainly bad for an economy.

But think of yourself as sitting -- you`re a 25-year-old Mexico sitting in a central Mexican state. You have maybe a wife and two kids. You`re looking around, and you don`t have an education, you don`t have much -- you don`t see much future around you. The industries around you don`t really work -- or provide much opportunity.

What are you going to do? You have several options.

You can stay in Mexico and maybe find somewhere else in Mexico to migrate to internally. That`s not very easy because credit is not easy. You can`t just pick up and go that easily.

There`s the U.S. option. But then you have to think about, well, how long do I want to stay there? What am I going to do? How much is it going to cost to cross the border? Is it going to be dangerous?

So, the hope is that by improving the Mexican economy, we will be able to help people in that position to stay in Mexico. And that that way...

BECK: You`re not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination that we send them some sort of relief package more than we already have?

MARTINEZ-DIAZ: Look, relief is not going to do it. Sort of short- term, quick fixes are not going to help. What is needed is a long-term development plan. And that`s what this president is talking about, and that`s quite refreshing.

BECK: Yes.

MARTINEZ-DIAZ: But let`s not be under any illusions. This isn`t going to happen overnight.

BECK: Yes. I`d like business to do that, and let the governments stay out of it.

Leonardo, thanks very much.

MARTINEZ-DIAZ: Sure. No problem.

BECK: That is the "Real Story" tonight.

Coming up, we glorify them. Our children idolize them. We call them heroes. They`re American let-downs. That`s what they are. But now Congress is involved. Oh, well, now it will be fixed.

What it says about us coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: I want to ask you a few tough questions that have been going through my head recently, and I don`t know the answer. What does it say about our heroes?

Roger Clemens, idol, role model for so many kids, spent hours answering questions from Congress about his alleged steroid use today. What does it say about our country that Congress actually thought this was the best issue to spend all of their time on? What does it say about our culture?

Two of the fastest-growing publications last year were celebrity magazines -- "US Weekly" and "OK! Weekly."

What does it say about our society that Jamie Lynn Spears, the pregnant, unwed teenager, still has her own television show? What does it say about us that her television show has virtually doubled its ratings since they announced that she was 15, unmarried and pregnant?

I don`t know if I want the answers.

William Donohue is the president of The Catholic League, and he is here.

Bill, let me just start with the baseball thing. Congress allows Major League Baseball to be a monopoly, so there`s no competition. So, baseball, you know, has no competition to have a non-steroid league.

The famous people down on the field are getting rich, they`ll do whatever they have to do to continue to be rich and to get famous. Big business is letting them do it. They know it every step of the way. And we`re watching it and consuming it in all avenues.

What does this one say about us?

WILLIAM DONOHUE, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: Well, you`re absolutely right about it. It`s driven by money and greed. And the commissioner of baseball and everybody else knew about this for a long time, but they turned a blind eye because of money.

Now, the Congress stepping in, normally I don`t want to see congressional oversight. But you mentioned it correctly. They have granted a monopoly here, to some extent. And to that extent, they do have obligations. If the commissioner is not going to take care of this situation -- and he`s done practically nothing -- then it does fall to some people who are higher up.

I actually welcome them in.

BECK: Suspend the monopoly. Let the -- why do we have -- we couldn`t allow AT&T to exist and Ma Bell, but Major League Baseball, for some reason, we think is so hallowed that we have to let them have it all to themselves?

DONOHUE: Well, there is no question about it, we have to suspend the monopoly. And why did Selig just get rewarded with another contract?

Look, Clemens, to the extent that we know of the situation, and assuming that it does look like the man is guilty, having said that, he is responsible for his behavior, but so are the people above him.

BECK: But what -- but, Bill, what is the difference? I learned this in the `90s -- it`s OK to perjure yourself on sex. This guy was just perjuring himself on sports.

DONOHUE: Well, yes, but, I mean, the question is this -- you know, what`s really at stake is the whole ethics of professional sports and what`s going to happen to young people looking up at these people.

BECK: Yes. Oh, it is.

DONOHUE: The good thing is this: I don`t think that he is the hero and the role model anymore. I think that the Derek Jeters and the other people who are clean as a whistle are the role models.

BECK: Yes. OK.

DONOHUE: This guy is damaged goods. That`s why he has a lawyer.

BECK: I don`t even know -- I don`t even know where to go next. We have the Jamie Lynn Spears. She is pregnant, she`s unmarried, she`s 16. I mean, does Jerry Lee Lewis come to anybody`s mind?

She`s 16 years old. Her ratings for her premier of her show have doubled since that announcement.

What parent is saying, yes, let`s watch? Let`s watch her get pregnant on TV at 15 and unmarried?

DONOHUE: Well, first of all, what about her parent, namely her mother, who accepted $1 million in an offer from "OK!" magazine for this exclusive on this thing? So she`s getting money off it and exploiting her young girl.

Now, look, I think the American people look at this not so much, again, as idol or hero worship. It`s more of a freak show. You know, when I go through the supermarket check line and you look at the magazine cover, and it says the kid was born with two kids, most people are going to take a look at that.

And next week he may even have three heads. That will make you look again.

BECK: Bill, you`ve got MTV with their Grammy Awards -- they have the Grammy Awards. Nas, I guess is his name, had the n-word on a T-shirt. MTV put up on their cool site that that was cool that he did that.

What is going to happen to the next generation? We`ve seen what this generation will do. If we tolerate this, the next generation embraces it.

What is the future going to be like?

DONOHUE: Well, there`s no question about it. What we`re talking about are dysfunctional people who are being treated as idols and as icons. And it does say something very sick about our society, that we have to get the edginess.

We`ve got to get those who were jazzy and sexy in order to titillate us, because the entire society seems to be driven by sensation. And there are people out there who are making a fast buck out of it and exploiting a lot of young people. The vector of change doesn`t look very good on this one to me.

BECK: Bill, it is always good to have you on. Thanks so much.

DONOHUE: Thank you.

BECK: Now, I was asked recently to give 21 answers to 21 questions about living in New York, which was interesting, because I don`t actually live in New York. But I answered them. Not to their liking, I think.

I will give them to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, now that I`m a best-selling author and a Manhattan media darling, I am constantly being courted by the local press. I mean, they want to know everything I think about all kinds of things -- from politics to panhandlers.

In fact, the recent online issue of "New York Magazine" features yours truly in a little column called "The Daily Intelligencer," where they ask big-time celebrities and me 21 questions. And the celebrities not so much answer those questions, but they think of delightfully witty (INAUDIBLE) that self-important New Yorkers chortle about on their way to buy overpriced coffee.

It`s great.

Well, I think I did pretty well, especially when I compared, you know, my answers to others.

For instance, they asked me who my favorite New Yorker was. I of course answered "The Old Lion," Teddy Roosevelt.

When they asked FOX` Shepard Smith the same question, he said Derek Jeter. I don`t even know who that is.

When they asked who my mortal enemy was, I answered almost everyone between 63rd and 86th streets. See, that`s New York`s Upper West Side, mostly filled with elitist liberals, like by writer, John Bobby (ph), who confuses pretense for substance.

They all want to kill me.

When they asked me what my favorite drink is, I said, "Well, as a conservative, I guess it`s what you`d expect it to be. I drink the blood of small people who are different than me."

See, that`s my favorite answer, I think. It`s me being self- deprecating, and that`s what New Yorkers love so much about me.

NBC`s Keith Olbermann said his favorite drink was White Rock 2002 Napa Valley Claret. Claret -- Claret. Love that stuff.

I`m an alcoholic. I`m not even snotty enough to know the name. I`m an alcoholic, man!

If I didn`t already despite Keith Olbermann, oh, I would after a snotty answer like that.

Lastly, they asked me, "What makes someone a New Yorker?" And I said, "Paying the never-ending city tax." And, see, that one`s funny because -- actually, that`s not funny. That`s just true.

Greg Brady, AKA Barry Williams, said, "You`re a New Yorker if you have a scowl and a big heart."

Greg, you`re half right, probably the heart part.

It was fun, but to tell you the truth, I`d rather live in Idaho. I would. And I think they may force me to do it soon.

Don`t forget, if you want to know what`s on tomorrow`s show, if you would like a little more in-depth commentary on the news of the day, or actually see that article, sign up for my free daily email newsletter at the all new, completely redesigned, glennbeck.com. That`s a fancy Internet thing, by the way.

From New York, good night.

END