Glenn Beck claims Americorps will be Obama's SS

Seriously, folks. Glenn Beck and his cronies believe that Obama wants to enlarge Americorps to be his shock troops, his fedayeen. Beck and his guests convince themselves that Americorps will be the ones who will disarm the radical militias in South Texas if the military refuses to follow the president's orders.

In the clip, Beck claims that Americorps has "just received half a trillion dollars in funding." What the hell is he talking about? Half a trillion dollars is $500 billion. Half a trillion dollars would put Americorps in the same league as the Pentagon.

For FY 2010, the president requested less than two billion dollars for Americorps' parent agency, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and congress appropriated $90 million less than he asked for.

Half a trillion dollars for Americorps would the agency in the same league as the Pentagon. Is Beck talking about the $5.7 billion national service bill which, amongst many other things, would put Americorps on track to grow significantly between now and 2017.

Update: Commenters tell me that Beck corrected himself later in the show. A grownup must have realized the claim was too preposterous, or more too easily falsifiable, even for the Glenn Beck side show.

It's even funnier that Beck's guests played along with the half-trillion claim. Surely they knew it was false. This wasn't just an incidental mistake, it was the hook for Beck's crazy conspiracy theory.

Comments

[Alon Levy]

It's not just Glenn Beck who's crazy. The RNC sent a poll to its members with an item asking whether they're concerned that government-run health care rationing would discriminate against registered Republicans.

I need to read White Protestant Nation by Allan Lichtman - I just read the intro, but the sort of conspiracy mindset it describes in movement conservatism hasn't changed much.

[Christie]

If you would watch the ENTIRE show - Glenn corrected himself about the $ amount of what Americorp received. After he came back from a commercial break he said that they were looking into the amount. He didn't know if he was right or not. He ended up correcting himself - so GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!!!
He is on right now - it is the repeat of his show - so why don't you tune in and see for yourself????

[Greg B]

Yes Christie, I am watching it too. (2nd time today) Glenn stated he did not want to give ouy wrong information and questioned the amount and was checking the number. Of course they take his statements and warping them to suite their own needs.

[Greg B]

8 mins before the show ended Glenn corrected the $ amount and explained where the larger figure came from. It was Obamas own words that they would be as well funded as the military (500 bil). Glenn is getting the word out and people better start listening! He even give Obama the benifit of the doubt and ended the show saying. "it is not about the parties." Glenn Beck is risking his life to get the information out to the public. BTW. Over 3 Mil. watched his show at 5 P.M. which is not even prime time. Asked the Gov. questions BOLDLY! It is all of us that this country belongs to.

Greg Barnett, Indiana.

[Greg B]

Watch your own clip at the top of the page. It was the Sgt that eluded to that type of "SS" connection. Beck stated he was not suggesting anything. That he was just asking questions and hoped that the Whitehouse would clarify what Obama meant by his earliere statement about the civilian Corp.

[CW]

"If you would watch the ENTIRE show..." Thanks, but I'd rather eat glass.

[cfrost]

Um. Wow.

So an open mike session at the local funny farm is what the right wing considers “fair and balanced” journalism. Then Mr. Beck's apologists weigh in here, replete with misspellings and malapropisms, to claim he is “risking his life” to tell us the news.

Nope, you can't make this up. No point in satire or mockery: Mr. Beck and his fellow clowns, an “expert” from the Heritage Foundation and a former staff sergeant (!), have already beat any would-be comedians to the punch.

Christie, Greg B, the point is not that at least one of the FOX staffers evidently knows the difference between million, billion, and trillion, but that the FOX management sees fit to showcase idiots like Mr. Beck and his guest “authorities” who: 1 - can't distinguish fiscal sparrows from condors, and are: 2 - flat, fucking crazy.

[squashed]

Glenn beck is inway over his head. He appoint himself political attack dog, but he doesn't have the intellectual sophistication of complex media attack. His method is pretty obvious, mostly appeal to emotion.

He is just a dumber version of hannity.

Lou doubb is much more pernicious cause he know how to stick around.

Beck won't last another few months. he will be too costly even for foxnews. If he keeps it up, it will be legal battle and investigation.

[TB]

Glenn Beck claims _______________.

You can fill in that blank with almost any crazy-assed shit in the world these days, and not just for Beck, but for most conservatives.

Glenn Beck claims Americorps will be Obama's SS.

Glenn Beck claims there are FEMA concentration camps.

Glenn Beck claims there will be death panels.

Glenn Beck claims Obama is a racist.

Rush Limbaugh claimed, "It is President Obama who wants [to] mandate circumcision ... And that means, if we need to save our penises from anybody, it's Obama."

Hannity claims health bill doesn't have "any restrictions" on undocumented immigrants

Fox & Friends hosts Scheuer to claim Obama is "giving aid and comfort to the enemy".

Sarah Palin claims that being next to Russia counts as foreign policy experience.

At this rate, conservatives should start reserving their table at the UFO convention before it's snapped up by the black helicopter crowd or the cattle mutilation proponents.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

What kind of ignorant boob fails to understand the difference between five hundred billion dollars and five billion dollars? Any halfway well informed person would recognize the half-trillion dollar claim as absurd on its face. It wasn't just a slip of the tongue. He really thought that there Obama just gave Americorps almost as much money as the entire Pentagon (not counting the war funding).

[Christie]

Um - nice language cfrost!

TB - Glen Beck did not claim that their was FEMA camps - he was investigating the claim - he didn't make the claim. You need to learn to actually hear the WHOLE story! It is obvious that you don't have a clue what is happening in America today - or you don't care!

And Lindsay - it was a mistake he made regarding the money - why did he correct himself?

[Alon Levy]

Glen Beck did not claim that their was FEMA camps - he was investigating the claim - he didn't make the claim.

Investigating the claim is nearly as bad. People are nutty not just because of what they believe, but also because of what they take seriously. You don't investigate claims that Obama's creating his own SS, or that the Jews are secretly planning to take over the world, or that 9/11 was a Bush administration conspiracy. You mock them if you're a comedian, and ignore them if you're a serious host.

And Lindsay - it was a mistake he made regarding the money - why did he correct himself?

He corrected himself because he made a mistake. But why make the mistake in the first place, unless you're prone to believe anything about Obama?

[Cass]

Glen Beck did not claim that their was FEMA camps - he was investigating the claim - he didn't make the claim.

They're just investigating the rumored existence of death camps... and fake birth certificates, plots to steal Aryan penises, the UN takeover. Who could possibly object to that?

...why did he correct himself?

He knows his audience, who wants to hear the same story confirmed over and over again. The most inflammatory figure is going to be one that gains currency.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

Christie, the entire hysterical segment was predicated on the idea that Obama was massively increasing the funding for Americorps.

Beck claimed that Americorps had already gotten hundreds of billions of dollars in funding under Obama. That would be bizarre and inexplicable. If Obama really started funding Americorps at the same level as the Pentagon, it might make sense to wonder if he was trying to build it into a force to rival the military.

He got guests on to say how alarming the situation was. Evidently, they didn't realize or didn't care that there was no massive funding increase. It was all Glenn Beck's fevered fantasy.

Think about it. Glenn Beck gets the idea that the Americacorps budget is five hundred times bigger than it actually is and starts howling about the SS and elite guards and disarming South Texas Militias. In fact, no such massive increase occurred. Do you find this man credible?

[cfrost]

"Um - nice language cfrost!"

I'm assuming you're objecting to the present participle use of an intransitive verb meaning to copulate as a meaningless intensifier? Sorry to burn your ears. Fudge off.

[Gilad]

The part the most do not understand is that the monster mechanism Obama is building won't erupt in a big way during his presidency. Glenn Beck is correct but the timing of what he is warning about is not simple to comprehend. Obama is transferring wealth to the have-nots in the US and many under-qualified people are being put into positions of power with access to large budgets. These people will become corrupted by money and major trauma is waiting the American people through unemployment and the transfer of wealth from the West to the East. At that point, the organized mechanism that is currently being built will be mobilized and you had better watch out because people suffering will want simple answers to their problems and if there are no simple answers, then minority groups will be in for a rough ride. Nazi Germany, here we come.

[Rob]

Beck is just echoing what I have been thinking for a long time. I too am a "thinker". Obama appeals to the young and ignorant...

Go Glenn!

[Cass]

Obama is transferring wealth to the have-nots in the US and many under-qualified people are being put into positions of power with access to large budgets.

Obedience to established money and power= security for you and your family.

This message brought to you by established money and power.

[Alon Levy]

Cass, I'm pretty sure Gilad's a parody, what with the name and the communist-era language.

[Stuhlmann]

I am just waiting for people to start seeing those unmarked black helicopters, like back during the last democrat administration. It shouldn't be long the way things are going.

[Cass]

Don't expect me to distinguish reality from parody these days.

[fishbane]

Glen Beck did not claim that their was FEMA camps - he was investigating the claim - he didn't make the claim.

Right. Just like I'm investigating the claims that Sarah Palin dines on corpses and and tortures moose for the amusement of Trig. I'm not making that claim!

Beck, in and of himself, would be just another amusing freakshow, something to enjoy alongside some of the public access TV nutcases. Unfortunately there are a striking number of people who take him seriously.

[a]

I find it odd that the only thing you are disagreeing with is his $ mistake about americorp. Glenn has much to say every night. Can you please refute all the things he says and insert your factual notes at the bottom for your sources? Bet you cant!

[b]

Oh and just for clarification who did you vote for?

[fishbane]

Glenn has much to say every night. Can you please refute all the things he says and insert your factual notes at the bottom for your sources?

Head over to Media Matters. They can't catch every bit of bullshit he spews, but they do a very good job of catching a lot of it, and document everything.

Oh and just for clarification who did you vote for?

What exactly does that have to do with Beck being one of the lowest forms of demagoging liars on the air? Want to see a birth certificate, too?