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Glenn Beck
Do Race, Religion, Gender, Age Matter in `08 Race?; Joy Behar Calls Saints Insane; Iranians Release Tape of Confrontation
Aired January 11, 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, anatomy of a candidate. Gender, race, religion, age. Why only one of these issues should really matter to you before stepping into the voting booth. I`ll explain.
Plus, Joy Behar`s strange view on sainthood.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": You can`t find any saints anymore because of psychotropic medication.
BECK: I have to ask this: how heavily medicated is "The View" co- host?
And newly released documents show armed Mexican military personnel crossing our border dozens of time. It`s time for answers on what`s happening on our southern border. We pick up that flag again, tonight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BECK: Hello, America. Stay with me. It`s Friday, feels good, doesn`t it? We could go all wonkish on you tonight and talk, you know -- hey, let`s talk politics, and we`re going to, but not in a just -- let me just get right to the point tonight. Here`s "The Point" tonight.
Understanding this election is easy if you don`t go all wonkish. All you have to do is look through the prism of four important categories: race, gender, religion, and age. Here`s how I got there.
First, let`s go to the race and gender. The two Democratic frontrunners are an African-American and a woman. I mean, think about that. Is that fantastic? I mean, that`s pretty dramatic stuff, you know, coming from a country where the word "candidate" and "white man" are almost synonymous.
To a large degree, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can tie their chance to victory at how well African-Americans and women support them. But is Barack`s ethnic background relatable to most African-Americans? I don`t know. Does anybody care? Does Hillary resonate with women when she`s not crying? I don`t know. Does anybody care?
As for religion, Mitt Romney`s Mormonism deemed too strange, too exotic. You know, it`s from Salt Lake City, and there are weird things out there, I hear.
He actually had to make a speech to assure people that his beliefs were in line with beliefs that you hold. I mean, John F. Kennedy was the last president we had to have defend his Catholicism. That was in 1960. A candidate`s personal religious belief have come under public scrutiny again?
The question seems to have subsided recently, but there`s still plenty of time for candidates to play "I`m more Jesus than you."
Now, the last one is age. I think this one is actually important and fair. New Hampshire primary winner John McCain is 71. I mean, not exactly, you know, Jack LaLanne 71 either. Here`s how he explains it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I`m older than dirt, more scars than Frankenstein, but I`ve learned a few things along the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: OK. John McCain, I like him because he`s frank. I don`t think that he`s too old to serve. You know, I mean, if a monster who`s older than dirt, I mean, that`s not really the campaign slogan I would go for.
But -- and age does come with wisdom, and Senator McCain has a great deal of meaningful experience. But when a candidate is in his 70s, shouldn`t we all look at his vice president, I mean, just in case? I know that may sound dark, but it`s realistic, isn`t it? Shouldn`t it allow -- shouldn`t we say it?
Look, my dad is 80 years old. And no offense, Dad, I know you`re watching right now. I love you and everything, but God help us all, I don`t want you in the Oval Office. You know what I`m saying?
I mean, some people want people over 65 to take a driver`s test and retake them every couple of years. If there are folks in this country who don`t want Grandpa driving, I`m pretty sure there are folks in this country that don`t think Grandpa should have his hand on the button either.
Tonight, America, here is what you need to know. Race, gender, religion, and age do not define a candidate. But it`s naive to think that there are taboo topics in the world of politics.
Also, while you might feel good about the candidate you`ve chosen to support, you might want to wait and see who they`re choosing as a running mate. I mean, remember, we didn`t elect President Ford. Remember how that turned out?
Amy Holmes is a CNN political contributor, and former Gore advisor and Democratic strategist and finally a liberal that I like. I just want to grab your cheeks, Peter.
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I like him, too.
PETER FENN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You guys are so nice.
BECK: Let me -- oh, it`s all a ploy. Let me -- let me ask you guys both simple questions. These are yes or no questions, OK? And Amy, we`ll start with you, then go to Peter in the next question.
Amy, would you vote for somebody who is a different race than you?
HOLMES: Yes, and have done.
BECK: Peter? Peter?
FENN: Absolutely.
HOLMES: Would you vote for a woman, yes or no?
HOLMES: Yes.
FENN: Absolutely.
BECK: Would you vote for somebody who is a different religion than you?
HOLMES: Yes.
FENN: Absolutely. Sure.
BECK: OK. How about age? Does age play any role in your decision- making?
HOLMES: I would definitely vote for someone older than me.
FENN: And I`ll tell you, I don`t want to vote for anybody younger than me.
BECK: OK. Well, here`s the point. When I looked at these four categories, it is the only category that I thought, well you know what? Seventy-one years old. I think John McCain is totally -- you know, he`s totally there. I`m not -- I don`t mean to disparage Senator McCain.
However, 76, 74, 78, he runs two terms, you know, is he going to be fully -- I`m serious. My dad`s 80 years old. I love him but...
HOLMES: Glenn, Glenn, I know a 95-year-old who went to work every day until he was 90 and was playing tennis. And you know what?
BECK: My grandfather when he was 68 drove the tractor into the Sambo`s restaurant. For the love of Pete.
HOLMES: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I would submit to you that 70 is the new 60. I think that John McCain`s age does confer wisdom and experience. And let`s remember, George Bush, he hired -- he chose a vice president that was older than himself who has a defibrillator in his chest and some people say he`s too active as a vice president. I don`t think age should really matter any more.
BECK: Not at all. Peter, not at all?
FENN: Well, I think you have to look at the health records of folks. I will tell you, Glenn, my dad is 84. His memory is better than mine. He has fewer senior moments than I do. He travels the country, teaches around the country, but when he was 72 -- let me tell you that when he was 72 years old, Glenn, he was a spring chicken.
BECK: Yes, but -- we`re all talking -- yes, we were all talking about specific people that we know. And it does depend.
My father is fully there, OK? He`s not -- he`s in a lot of pain because he`s 80, but he`s fully there. We`re all talking about that. I`m talking generally speaking. Generally speaking, we`re talking about should -- there should be something that says -- for instance, Ronald Reagan, I loved Ronald Reagan.
By the time he got out of office, what was he, 76, 77 years old? I don`t know if I would have reelected -- I`m pretty sure I wouldn`t have re- elected Ronald Reagan to a third term, because I could see the diminished ability of the man over the -- over the course of the eight years.
HOLMES: But Glenn, isn`t that exactly the point that we should not be taking generalizations and we should be talking about specific people. Just as we do with women, African-Americans, Hispanics, whomever is up there for -- for our vote for the candidacy.
We`re talking about the specific candidate, and we shouldn`t be projecting these general assessments and judgments of them. That kind of gets a little bit into the territory of bigotry, I have to say.
BECK: I don`t think -- Peter.
FENN: I think that`s a very interesting point. I think what you do is you look at how they`re doing on the campaign trail. How vigorous are they? Do they lose their place? Do they have problems?
And you know, the trouble -- and you`re right, Glenn, what people do is they say, OK, 72, he`s -- you know, being in a prison camp adds a few years to your life, too, the poor guy. And is he up to the job?
I think he is, to be honest with you. I think John McCain is very energetic.
BECK: I agree with you. I agree with you. He is. And maybe he`s just done a better job of hiding it. Are you guys honestly telling me -- hang on, are you telling me with a straight face you haven`t seen John McCain become a little more cranky than he was four years ago?
FENN: He`s always been cranky.
HOLMES: He`s always been cranky.
BECK: No, I mean, he`s really cranky.
FENN: I knew him in the `70s. Let me tell you, he`s one cranky dude.
HOLMES: And Glenn -- and Glenn, we`re not going to have to worry. If he were to become president, he`s not going to be driving his own car.
BECK: OK, all right.
FENN: Or tractor.
BECK: Don`t you find that amazing, though? That we want -- there are people that want people tested to drive a car every couple of years for 65. But you can be president of the United States. You can have the nuclear codes.
HOLMES: I have to say, I do want that. I do want elderly people to be tested for those licenses. They can be very dangerous on the road.
BECK: So what is...
FENN: I do want to see the folks who -- of any age, for that matter, put our their medical records and make sure that there`s nothing there that people are worried about. And that`s really key. And I think John McCain has done that in the past, and I assume he`ll do it again.
HOLMES: And Glenn, don`t forget, Bill Clinton, he`s a young man, and he had a heart attack after he left office. You know, I mean, it was touch and go there. You know, thankfully, he recovered.
BECK: I don`t even remember. Boy, that`s how shallow I am. I don`t remember his heart attack. He had a heart attack. I`m like, really? He had a heart attack? I don`t remember that.
FENN: Lyndon Johnson. Lyndon Johnson had a heart attack in the late `50s before he even was vice president.
HOLMES: Let me add, JFK, he was riddled with disease and physical impairments while he was in office. He was a young man.
BECK: But you know what? He was -- Peter, that`s a great example of being straight with your records. That guy was under the influence, and granted, I mean, he did enough to be able to be on our 50-cent piece. Do we even make those any more? But he was on heavy medication for a lot of his -- for a lot of his stay.
HOLMES: Yes, we don`t want to have a president whose, you know, vice president Dr. Feelgood.
BECK: I mean, I`m not voting for Elvis, if that`s what you`re inferring.
OK, guys. We will see you -- I guess I understand that you guys are both going to be with me on Super Tuesday live for our first live show? Is that true?
FENN: It will be great.
HOLMES: It will be great.
BECK: Your career is to stay forever. You know that. Thanks a lot, guys.
Coming up, "View" co-host Joy Behar suggests Christian saints are just do-good nut-jobs. Apparently, she has a beef with modern medicine, as well. We`ll find out who the real psycho is here in just a bit.
And we`ll look at the role domestic abuse plays in radical Muslim communities and what can be done to stop it. All that and more in just a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: I know daytime television isn`t exactly a place to find, you know, enlightened ideas on theology or political science, but I think kind of like a drunk driver, ABC`s "View" has once again just kind of crossed over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic.
It seems that Rosie has left the program to devote more time to, I don`t know, concocting conspiracy theories and eating or whatever, but Joy Behar now has been crowned the queen kook.
Yesterday, she decided to share her unique understanding of who becomes a saint and why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: I think that the old days, the saints were hearing voices...
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": Right.
BEHAR: ... and they didn`t have any thoracine to calm them down. Now that we have all of this medication available to us, you can`t find a saint anymore.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": I don`t think so. Mother Teresa.
BEHAR: Mother Teresa had issues. Let`s not forget. She didn`t really believe 100 percent like these saints who were hearing voices. She didn`t hear voices.
HASSELBECK: What do you mean?
BEHAR: So the church said, OK, she does good deeds, make her a saint. In the old days, it used to be, you heard voices. They can`t do that anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: I would think she would hear voices maybe in her ear, somebody saying, shut up! Shut up!
Let me go to Bill Donahue. He is with the Catholic League.
Bill, where do I even begin on this one? First of all, I agree with her that drugs have stopped people from hearing that inner voice. There is so much prescription drug, there are so many illicit drugs that we`re pouring into our bodies now that we can`t hear sometimes the voice of God. Yes or no?
BILL DONAHUE, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: Well, I think you`re right. What exactly she`s been drinking, I don`t know.
But, you know, what you really here have is you have a combination of ignorance and malice. Ignorance in the sense that she`s talking about the situation in the Catholic Church, about sainthood and the likes, Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa never, never said that she didn`t believe in Jesus. She did say, "There were times when I didn`t feel his presence." There`s a...
BECK: Bill, how is it any thinking person that understands Christianity theology at all can speak like that? Jesus Christ was down on his knees on a rock in the middle of the night, going, "Please don`t make me do this."
He said, while he was on the cross -- he didn`t say, "Hey, give me bigger nails." He said, "Why have you abandoned me?" Even the savior himself was left alone.
DONAHUE: Well, you know your scripture. And I think most Americans know their scripture. That`s why you heard the ignorance of Joy Behar.
But I also said there was another element, mainly the malice.
BECK: Yes.
DONAHUE: There were 15 occasions where they rapped the Catholic Church for Labor Day of 2006 up until through May of 2007, which is why we took out an op-ed page in "The New York Times" last June holding Barbara Walters accountable. Not because she said anything untoward, but because it`s on her show that Rosie O`Donnell and Joy Behar were doing this. They did clear up their act up until yesterday.
BECK: Let me -- let me go to the praying to statues comment. Because I`m not a Catholic, but I just hate all religious bigotry. It drives me out of my mind. And this is such ignorant religious bigotry against Catholics I can`t take it. Watch this about the statues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDBERG: Thou shalt have no false idols. And every time I would go in and see a statue, or I`d see -- I`d be in a building, I think, this is not -- this is -- something`s wrong here.
BEHAR: What about all the saints` statues? Those are false idols. What about that?
HASSELBECK: Well, I don`t think they are.
GOLDBERG: But it says -- you should not have any idols. People shouldn`t pray to the...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: OK, Bill. I mean -- first of all, she -- you know what that is? That`s akin to people who say, "I can`t take a picture because it robs my soul."
DONAHUE: Right.
BECK: It`s that kind of thinking. It is a picture; it is a statue. It reminds people of who they are. It helps them reflect. Am I wrong? And I`m not a Catholic.
DONAHUE: You`re absolutely right. And the saints are there because some of these people lived the most incredibly decrepit lives, but they realized Jesus in their heart at some point, and they were saved. These people didn`t walk around as devout all the time.
Saint Augustine certainly had his share of problems. So did many, many of them. The fact of the matter is, we look at the saints as role models. We pray to Jesus through them. We don`t pray to saints.
Now, look, Joy Behar is an ex-Catholic. The biggest anti-Catholic bigots in the United States are the ex-Catholics. This woman`s got it in her claw. She`s angry. She`s the one who needs some medication.
BECK: I`ve got to tell you. Bill, I`m an ex-Catholic but I...
DONAHUE: You`re respectful.
BECK: Because people need to respect each other`s religion. For the love of Pete, this is America. And it`s driving me out of my mind. If I tear down your religion, what`s going to stop you from tearing down my religion?
We`ve got to stick together. Jeez, people, we are in one of the worst crisis in our -- in our country`s history, and if people who believe in God don`t start sticking together, we`re doomed.
DONAHUE: Well, I would agree with you. And the Protestants and the Muslims and the Mormons and everybody else, the Jews, who respect their religion, they`re not a problem with Catholics. Catholics don`t have problems with these people, because they respect their religion. And therefore, they will respect your religion.
It`s always the ones with one foot out the door. In cases like her, I`d like to help to take the other foot and put it right out the door with her.
BECK: All right. Be respectful.
All right. Believe it or not, Joy Behar is actually mentioned in my book, "An Inconvenient Book." While I`m not going to tell you exactly what I said, I will say that it -- well, it might stop me from becoming a saint. I`m just saying.
Anyway, the book is back in stock all across the country. I just got word before I started the program today it made "The New York Times" best seller list again, unbelievably, for like, the seventh straight week. I mean, listen, America if I can do it, anybody can do it. This is a great country. GlennBeck.com, or you can go wherever books are sold.
Coming up, the Iranian speedboat showdown. Each tells their own story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: It`s often been said that pictures don`t lie. Well, let me show you two videos of the same incident, and you tell me if that`s true, because one of them is lying. It is a confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz between U.S. warships and Iranian speedboats.
Here is the video that the Pentagon released of the standoff where the Iranians say that the coalition ship will soon explode. Watch and listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inbound small craft, you are approaching a coalition warship operating in international waters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will explode after a few minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will explode after a few minutes?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: OK. Bizarre, especially when you put it together with this tape that was released by the Iranians two days later. Their own video, the same incident. What we hear or don`t hear is something completely different.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attention warship. This is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Iranian and navy boat. How do you copy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is coalition warship 73. I read you loud and clear. Over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coalition warship 73, this is Iranian navy (UNINTELLIGIBLE) boat. Request site number. You are operating in the area this time, over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: OK. Somebody is lying here. I mean, they`re obviously lying, and I believe you can probably guess who I think is lying. But it is awfully strange.
With the thoughts now on this, Clifford May. He`s the president for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Cliff, that was a weird, "We will explode in a few minutes." What do you make of all of this?
CLIFFORD MAY, PRESIDENT, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: I think what we have here is an Iranian provocation initially, an Iranian threat, a violation of international freedom of the seas, and now it`s all wrapped up in a great big lie. And I think the last thing it is, is a warning. This is what you can expect from Iran.
Remember, when they took British naval officers hostage. Remember when the U.S. was attacked, the USS Cole in international waters and a hole blown in it and many of our seamen were killed. Imagine an Iran that has nuclear weapons and what kinds of threats and provocations it might be bold enough to offer.
BECK: I don`t believe -- Iran is an awful lot like the former Soviet Union. Their soldiers, their sailors and their airmen, they just don`t do things on their own. This isn`t a mistake. This is -- this is something that came from the highest levels, if, indeed, our side of the story is true.
What is it they`re trying to get us to do? Or what is it they`re trying to do here?
MAY: A couple of things. One is they`re testing the waters. They`re seeing what happens when an American warship is provoked, how close they can come before we`ll fire on them. They want to see if we`ll back down.
The view, I think, in Iran right now is we`re spooked by them. The National Intelligence Estimate that came out that said they weren`t building nuclear weapons, I think a lot of those in the Iranian leadership believe that`s an excuse because America didn`t want to do anything about them, so we`re making them believe that there`s no problem whatsoever.
It`s very much like the Soviet Union in that you`re taking film and playing with them. Remember, in the old days, you know, Trotsky is up there with the other leaders in the Kremlin, and the new picture of Trotsky isn`t up there with the other leaders in the Kremlin. So, you have a little bit of that involved in this, as well.
BECK: With Bush being over in the Middle East this week, is this -- there`s no coincidence here that these are happening at the same time?
MAY: I think it`s also an attempt to humiliate the Americans, to show the Americans will back down. To show that they`re not frightened of President Bush. I think it`s related, sure.
BECK: OK. Cliff, thanks a lot. We`ll talk to you again.
Coming up, a double murder in Texas. Two teenage daughters, the only suspect, their killer, possibly the father. There is more to this story that you need to hear, and I have one brave woman who is going to tell it to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: America, I`m sorry to say things continue to move forward. Two teenage daughters of a Muslim family in Texas have been murdered. The lead suspect is dad. The question being asked now by at least one family member is, was this an honor killing? We have all the details coming up.
But first, welcome to the "Real Story." I have said if you really want to know what people think, forget about what they say in public. Forget about what they say in the polls, watch where they put their money. Well unfortunately right now, people are putting their money in gold. It hit another new high of $880 an ounce yesterday and since gold is viewed as the safe haven hedge against Doomsday, that can only mean one thing -- a lot of people, a lot of big investors believe that`s exactly where this planet is headed.
But if that doesn`t convince you that we`re headed for real trouble, maybe this will. Countrywide Financial, which is the largest mortgage lender in the United States of America, yesterday suffers its worst stock loss since Black Monday 1987 after a rumor surfaced they were headed for bankruptcy. That, of course, is still unconfirmed. While the company denies it, I`m guessing that Bank of America, the second largest bank in the country, is just a little worried.
That`s because they invested $2 billion in Countrywide just last August. So if Countrywide goes under, the bank of opportunity will take it on the chin as well. Who knows? Maybe. Just maybe if they spend a little less time catering to illegal immigrants and a little more time researching their investments, maybe this wouldn`t have happened. I`m just saying.
While Countrywide collapsing would be a huge sign that this crisis is nowhere near finished, the indicator that everybody is really watching is consumer spending, which now accounts for over 70 percent of our economy. So far, even the midst of all the other turmoil, that spending has stayed remarkably strong, which to me has been fishy. I haven`t understood it.
After all, if voters really think that the economy is the number one issue right now, then why are they spending all this money? Well, if you don`t want somebody doing digging, then you should probably turn the channel because we did digging. The "Real Story" is, consumers are not spending, they are charging and there is a difference. Since home equity isn`t available anymore, they`ve got back to where else? Credit cards.
U.S. credit card debt rose almost $9 billion in November alone to a total that is just shy of $1 trillion in credit card debt. And now just like with the mortgages, people are having trouble paying those credit card bills. A study shows that late credit card balances are up 26 percent and defaults, which is when lenders basically write off the debt, are up 18 percent.
The truth is, that now Americans are unfortunately following their government`s example by taking on debts they just cannot afford to take on or pay. But there is a dirty little secret that everybody always seems to forget. Someone always pays. And soon, when those bills come rolling in, everyone will quickly understand exactly what that means. Want to buy some gold?
Gary Herman is the president of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services. Gary, where am I wrong here? Credit card debt is frighteningly high.
GARY HERMAN, CONSOLIDATED CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICES: I find you to be completely correct, Glenn.
BECK: See, I like this guy. Conway, book him again. This guy`s a genius. The credit card debt that is rising so rapidly in November, the people who really put it on, it`s the worst of the worst credit as well, right?
HERMAN: Yes. I agree. I`ve seen a new type of consumer finding themselves in trouble with credit card debt and the people who were in trouble before are finding it completely impossible to make their payments.
BECK: OK so what we`re doing is we are giving credit and people are taking that credit who shouldn`t have that credit in the first place.
What is the -- what`s the straw that`s going to break the camel`s back here? We have people who are in houses they can`t afford with credit card debt that they can`t afford. We`ve got the banks and American Express and Citi Corps and everybody else all leveraged beyond any kind of reason on this. What is it that is going to make this unravel?
HERMAN: Well for individual consumers, the straw that breaks the back is different for each one, but it`s one event that they weren`t planning on. Whether it`s their mortgage adjusting so their mortgage payment is $200 more or the price of gas went up and they weren`t accounting for how much they had to pay to commute back and forth to work. And when consumers reach the limit on their credit cards, they can`t borrow on their house anymore because of the credit crunch. When they stop spending, that`s when things will really get bad.
BECK: So Gary, it amazing me that people don`t see this coming. It amazes me. You`ve got gas prices going up. We`re in a war. You can`t afford health insurance. I mean, all of these things are sitting out here and nobody is paying attention. Are we intentionally just sticking our heads in the sand or is there a chance that guys like you and me are just completely wrong?
HERMAN: No, I think that nobody is talking about it because the solution to the consumer debt problem is to stop spending. And if people stop spending, the concern is that you would wind up in a recession. So the cure may wind up being worse than the disease.
BECK: But you`re going to have to do it at one point or another. I had a guy call me on the radio program today and he said "Glenn, you`re killing me. I`m in business, would you stop telling people to stop buying stuff?" I said, "OK look, I`ll tell you what to buy. You go out and you buy a coat. You buy shoes for what your kids are going to need two years down the road because if this continues, the dollar is going to continue to fall. Everything is going to collapse. At least buy something that you`re going to need. You know you`re going to need not another plasma television." Wrong?
HERMAN: No, correct.
BECK: This guy. America, you listen to this guy. This guy over here -- wait, this guy over here he`s a genius. I`m just saying. Thanks a lot, Gary, appreciate it.
HERMAN: Thanks, Glenn.
BECK: Now while it might seem impossible that America could ever be on the verge of economic collapse without realizing it, the "Real Story" is, it`s happened before in 1928 to be exact. In fact, 1928 and 2008 seem to have an awful lot in common, at least in my book.
Back then we had the roaring `20s. But people complained that they were only roaring for the rich. Well now of course we`ve had the six year major economic expansion. Billions of new wealth created, yet people still think it`s only the rich getting richer.
2008, also the first time since 1928 that there is no incumbent president or vice president that`s running for office. Back then, we elected Herbert Hoover over Alfred Smith who lost after he was vilified and attacked for being the first Roman Catholic to run for president. People thought his allegiance would be to Rome and the Pope and not to the constitution and country. Sound a little like what`s happening to Mitt Romney this year?
And finally, you probably heard the Republican slogan from 1928, a chicken in every pot. But what you haven`t heard is the rest of that slogan, that`s only half of it. The second half of that slogan is, and a car in every garage. The car in 1928 was quickly morphing from a privilege into a right, just like health care and college education and anything else Hillary Clinton and the rest of them can dream up today.
I guess we can only hope that Mark Twain was wrong when he said, history doesn`t repeat itself. But it does rhyme because this rhyme ends in a second rate depression and perhaps even worse, another new deal. Oh, wouldn`t the new progressives just love that?
Amity Shlaes is a syndicated columnist for "Bloomberg" and the author of "The Forgotten Man." I believe the last year`s the most important book and that is over my book as well. Welcome to the program, Amity.
Thank you.
BECK: OK biggest connection between 1928 and today, are you seeing shades of 1928?
AMITY SHLAES, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: The biggest connection is the complacency, this feeling that we`re taking for granted the growth. You know, we haven`t had a serious downturn since the early `80s which means people under 50 have never had a serious downturn. And that was also the sentiment in the `20s. It can go on forever.
BECK: OK, what is amazing to me is nobody is really telling the American people the truth on the economy today. We`re in deep, deep trouble. Was this the case back in the late 1920s and were the politicians saying the same kinds of things that are progressive politicians like Hillary Clinton are saying now, just promising the sky and some people aren`t going, wait a minute, we can`t afford that?
SHLAES: The `20s were a monetary problem and it`s slightly different today. But the politicians then were promising quite a lot. Both parties, Hoover was more of a progressive than the standard books allow and that is similar to what the politicians are promising now. Even apparently the Bush administration today.
BECK: I`m amazed, as I was looking at 1928, you just come of the Coolidge years when radio had been invented. And everybody was talking about technology back then. Here we are sitting with a YouTube debate. The echoes are just phenomenal. But you and I disagree. I believe that there`s a chance the Great Depression, the real Great Depression is coming our way. You believe that at least the 1970s are coming our way.
SHLAES: It could be yes, like the `70s. You get a disrespect for inflation that leads to stagflation, that rotten combo of unemployment and inflation. You can sense the possibility of that now and you see in none of the candidates, things aren`t offered that would repair the longer term structural deficits.
BECK: But your book points out that the reason why the rest of the world recovered from the depression was because government got involved and spooked the markets and everything else. Does it make you sweat when you start to see -- especially people like Hillary Clinton or god forbid John Edwards, some of the things that they`re suggesting if we go down this road, they are suggesting a New Deal kind of scenario, which your book suggests is the real cause or the lengthening of the Great Depression.
SHLAES: The New Deal did indeed lengthen the depression. What`s a problem today is this idea that we can solve our ills by working on the social contract, the New Deal social contract, making a new new deal and not looking outside internationally. We can`t afford a New Deal. We are a global country now. We can`t afford to rehearse our emotions with FDR. We have to work on being competitive and you don`t see the candidates talking enough about that, especially not the Democrats.
BECK: I only have 30 seconds. Al Smith, would it have been different if Al Smith would have been elected?
SHLAES: Oh, Al Smith is a great man. He said I will take off my coast and vest and fight any man who makes class warfare. He was the Democratic Catholic man, a great man who did lose in part because he was Catholic, yes.
BECK: Amity, thank you very much. We will talk to you probably on the radio in the coming days. If you have not read her book, Rudy Giuliani and I were talking about it about a month ago. It is so important that everybody in America reads it. It is "The Forgotten Man."
That`s the "Real Story" tonight.
And coming up, a double murder in Texas. Two teenage daughters. The only suspect of their killer, possibly the father. There is more to this story that you need to hear and I have one brave woman who is going to tell it to you next. Don`t miss.
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BECK: I want to take you about a week ago. It was New Year`s Day. There were two sisters that were shot in the back of a cab in Texas. The sole suspect is the driver, who happens to be their father. But if that alone doesn`t make you pray for the future of mankind, then consider this. One of the theories about the motive for the murder is that it was a Muslim honor killing here in the United States.
The father, who is wanted on capital murder charges and still on the loose, is a devout Muslim from Egypt who allegedly had become upset that his daughters had become so westernized. But could that anger really have boiled over into a brutal honor killing in the name of religion here in America?
Tanya Eiserer, she is a staff writer with the "Dallas Morning News" and she has been covering this story. Let me just get the facts from you here, Tanya. First of all, take me back to Christmas, what happened?
TANYA EISERER, DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Right around Christmastime, Mr. Said found out that his two daughters were dating American boys and he, according to friends and family, he was extremely upset by this and angry.
And friends and family said that he threatened to kill them. Around that time, the mother actually on Christmas Day fled with the two girls and the two boyfriends and they went to Kansas. They stayed in Kansas just a few hours and then they went to Tulsa, where they rented an apartment actually in another name.
BECK: OK. So why did -- they left because they were afraid of him?
EISERER: Yes, that is what friends and family have said, including also absolutely that the girls were scared to death that their father would kill them.
BECK: Tell me about mom, is she a devout Muslim?
EISERER: No, as far as we know mother is not a Muslim.
BECK: So I know this isn`t your theory, but I`m going to go to somebody here who is a relative who is living in danger right now, won`t even allow her face to be shown. But before I go down that road, how does a devout Muslim marry a non-Muslim and then kill the children because they`re not Muslim enough? That doesn`t make sense to me.
EISERER: My understanding is that Patricia and Mr. Said had met when she was about 14 or 15, that they married and then she had the children in pretty quick succession. My impression is that her family over the years didn`t have a lot of contact with the family.
BECK: OK any idea where the father is, any clue?
EISERER: No, not to my knowledge. The authorities aren`t sure if he`s still in the area, if he fled and is still in the country even.
BECK: OK, thank you very much.
Now I`m going to go to a woman that we`re just going to call Katie, and bring her up on the screen here. She doesn`t want her face to be shown. She wants us to conceal her identity. She fears for her safety. Katie first of all, thank you for being brave enough to be on the program. Let me ask you, why are we blacking out your face, what are you afraid of exactly?
KATIE, FAMILY MEMBE ROF MURDERED SISTERS: Well, Mr. Beck, to be honest with you, I am totally convinced that this was an honor killing and I want these girls to be honored not that way.
BECK: You are the great aunt of the girls. Why do you say that this was an honor killing?
KATIE: Well, because when I would hear from a family member that - Patricia, Said`s mother, she would tell me quite often that she feared that, you know, one day he might kill them.
BECK: Was she - can you tell me a little, was she abused by him?
KATIE: Who?
BECK: The mom.
KATIE: You know, they kept me out of the loop because the girls were being physically abused and I was told about that.
BECK: Katie, let`s slow down here. Were they being beaten or were they being sexually assaulted is your charge?
KATIE: You know, I really don`t -- they really kept me out of the loop. I just know that, yes, what I can say truthfully is that, yes, what I can say truthfully is that, yes, they were beaten by a fist, that I had heard about -- beaten for taking a phone call.
BECK: OK. You know what? We`re going to take a break here in just a second. We`re going to come back and I want to get the rest of the story. I want to find out from you why you were kept out of the loop. We`ll be back. Her name is Katie. She`s a little emotional. This is her family that she`s talking about and she`s speaking out and doesn`t want her face put on television because she is afraid that this was an honor killing here in America. Are we there, America? More in just a second.
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BECK: We`re back with a woman we`re just going to identify as Katie. She is talking to us from Texas. We have blacked out her face at her request. She is -- Katie, I don`t know, have we said how you`re related or how you know these children? I don`t believe we have and we don`t need to get into that. But you have been kept away from the family. Tell me why you were kept away from the family, because that`s important. What do you know?
KATIE: After they were -- the children spoke to my sister, and then they spoke to someone else about they were afraid of their dad. And they were young children. And because their grandmother tried to get help and get the children away from him. Then --
BECK: How many years ago was this?
KATIE: Let`s see, I think it was like around `98.
BECK: OK. So when these two girls now show up dead and dad`s missing, you immediately say dad did it. But not only did dad did it, dad did it in a Muslim ritual because they were dating Westernized boys.
KATIE: Yes, and they were -- they were, you know, dressing American. They chose to -- they really were choosing to be just teens like -- like any child.
BECK: Do you have news from the family that is recent, that shows that these girls knew that they were afraid of their dad and dad was very upset?
KATIE: Yes, yes. Kathleen Wong said that Sarah -- she was Sarah`s best friend, they were like sisters, she even called her sister at the funeral. And she said, you know, that Sarah was so afraid of her dad that even if the teacher just made a joke about wow, maybe I should tell, you know, your parents, she said Sarah would just start shaking and start.
BECK: Katie, I`ve got to go. We will have more on this tonight, on tomorrow`s broadcast as well. Katie, thank you. Good night, America.
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