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Glenn's 2008 Message About Barack Obama Should Ring True for the Left in 2016

November 10, 2016
Lori Hanes

Writer

When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, Glenn went on air with a word of advice to Americans on both sides of the aisle. Hindsight being what it is, his message might be even more applicable today than it was back then.

RELATED: Dear Every Democrat Freaking Out Today: Learn From My Mistakes

From 2008:

He's going to be the President of the United States. Let's give the man the respect that the office deserves. Let's be better people than they were to George W. Bush, be better people than the left was to us. Let's treat them the way we would them to treat us.

And I believe that's by saying, congratulations, President-elect Barack Obama. You have the toughest job in the world. And in any way that I can, I will help you and support you. I am not going to sell out my values, but I think any man of honor, any man of integrity, any man who deserves to be in the Oval Office can appreciate that.

You're not their president. You're not the president of the left. You're the President of the United States. You're our President. You're my President.

In any way I can, without selling out my principles, we will help you.

Glenn reflected on this pivotal moment from the past during his radio program on Thursday. Echoing his own message from 2008, Glenn urged Americans --- and Republicans in particular --- to move forward with kindness.

"Let me give the advice on both sides: Republicans, please, do not push this pendulum. Do not go for revenge. Do not go for vengeance," Glenn said. "Dismantle the pendulum. Do not swing it so far, because as I said in 2008, it will swing back as far, if not farther than you push it."

He went on to call for Americans to reach out to those who did not vote for Donald Trump with decency and respect.

"It is our job to reach out now to our friends, our friends who didn't vote for Donald Trump," he said. "I know we had all kinds of words. Let's forget about that. Let's move forward."

Read below or listen to the full segment for answers to these pivotal questions:

• What did Glenn say in 2008 about the pendulum swinging?

• Why is it dangerous to concentrate too much power in one individual?

• Exit polling showed that 27 percent of voters want what?

• Why should we not dismiss the fears of those on the left?

• Should we treat liberals with more compassion and understanding?

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

GLENN: I want to play something that I said on this day in 2008, when Barack Obama -- and I want you to listen to this, especially if you didn't vote for Donald Trump or if you're on the left. I want you to listen what I said in 2008 on the day they announced that Barack Obama would be President-elect Barack Obama.

(audio starts)

I give the same warning to the Democrats that I gave to the Republicans in George Bush shortly after 9/11: Be careful how far you push this pendulum up. Because if you take this pendulum and try to swing it so far up, the pendulum always swings back. And when it does, it goes back as far, if not farther than you just swung it. That's what gave us Barack Obama.

What gave us Barack Obama was the pushing of that pendulum so far. The wrapping of America in the flag and everything else, and not really standing for anything, as they push this pendulum up. It's going to swing. Mark my words, Democrats. It will swing just as far the other way. And what I said was the danger after September 11th: You interject hunger and fear, that pendulum can stop. And it depends on who is in power that grabs that pendulum.

So while you may be happy today about Barack Obama, be careful what you do. Because we don't want an extremist on either end to grab the pendulum. We've got to -- we've got to bring the pendulum and stop it swinging so far and bring it closer to the center. We're not that different.

(audio ends)

PAT: That might be the truest best callback we've ever played of one of those clips, of something you said in the past.

GLENN: So that was 2008. So now let me issue an update on that.

We know that to be true now. We know that to be true.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And one of the things we saw last night in the exit polling is that 27 percent of those who voted wanted a strong man. Wanted a strong man. That is the interjection of fear and hunger of -- it could be a million different things for a million different people. The pendulum swung too far.

If anybody was worried about the power of the government, like we were, if you weren't worried about that, during the Obama administration, we kept saying, "Somebody is going to come in that you're not going to like. You don't want to give them that much power."

So let me give the advice on both sides: Republicans, please, do not push this pendulum. Do not -- do not go for revenge. Do not go for vengeance. Do not take the IRS -- de-weaponize the IRS. Do not even allow it to continue to be weaponized. Dismantle the pendulum. Do not swing it so far -- because as I said in 2008, it will swing back as far, if not farther than you push it.

Now, let me give -- let me give some advice to the left that comes not from knowledge, but from wisdom. Because I've lived it.

Last night, I heard Donald Trump called everything. Everything. I realize -- I realize, as I pointed out under Barack Obama, there are echoes of 1933.

Now, you didn't want to hear that when I said that about Barack Obama. Too much power is being concentrated in one guy. Be careful. That's what happened in 1933. Okay. You didn't like it.

Last night, I heard so many comparisons of Donald Trump to Hitler. And we, on the right must not dismiss their fear.

For instance, people who are saying, people are going to be scooped up in the middle of the night, blah, blah, blah, blah. You may not believe that. You may say, "That will never happen." But instead of saying, "Oh, stop it. He's not going to ban all Muslims. Stop it." That's a real fear. Remember the fears that you had under Barack Obama. They could tell you a million times it wasn't going to happen, that he wasn't going to suspend the election, but a lot of people still had that fear and wouldn't let go of it.

And every time they said, "Oh, please," that's ridiculous, what happened? Did you feel better?

We have to say: Look, I don't believe he's going to scoop up Muslims. I don't think that's going to happen. He's not going to ban all Muslims.

But let me tell you something, if he does, I'm on your side. I'm on your side. I will stand against anyone who does anything against a man because of their religious beliefs. I'm for the Constitution. Don't worry about it.

And if we cross that bridge, we're going to cross that bridge together. Take that attitude instead of dismissing their fears because many on the left are truly afraid today. They need reassurance from reasonable people on the right.

STU: And that's what Trump tried to do in that speech.

GLENN: Exactly right.

STU: That's what he did.

GLENN: Exactly right.

STU: That was his point in the speech, I think.

GLENN: Yes. So we need to make an effort. It is our job to reach out now to our friends, our friends who didn't vote for Donald Trump. They don't have to be on the left. They could be people who didn't vote for Donald Trump. And they're on the right. And they're constitutionalists.

You need to tell them today, "Don't worry about it. I know we had all kinds of words. I know we had all kinds of words. Let's forget about that. Let's move forward."

Listen, if he would do something like that -- which he's not -- don't dismiss their fears. Please. Learn from my mistakes from 2010.

The other thing, to the left, every time you call him Hitler, believe me, because my job -- I see my job as using history to teach. That's not what you're doing.

When I'm using it, I'm taking a historic piece and saying, "Look at this piece. This piece looks exactly like 1934." But what you're doing is you're saying, "He's Hitler." No, he's not. Only Hitler is Hitler.

But you -- when I said that about Barack Obama --

PAT: I don't believe you ever said Barack Obama is Hitler.

GLENN: No. No, I didn't. Never did. Never did.

But I did say, "These earmarks happened at that time."

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: And this could be very Hitler-esque.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: This is how it started. The seeds are very important to point out. So I will listen to you on the seeds. When you say, "Glenn, look at this," I am going to say to you, "I know. I know. But I'm with you if we continue down that road. I'm not going to dismiss that warning." But don't -- I'm telling the left, do not call people sexists, racists, Hitler.

PAT: Hmm.

GLENN: Don't do it?

PAT: Too late.

GLENN: It's not too late.

PAT: But they were doing it last night. All night long.

GLENN: I know. But today, we have to have a period of forgiveness. They're scared. And we also have to have -- please, I am the guy out of everybody in the country, I'm the guy who knows these things because I've learned them firsthand. You won't get anyone on our side to listen to you if you do what you did to George W. Bush or what we did to Barack Obama. It will only get worse, which will cause the right to push the pendulum even further and dismiss you and say, "You're a bunch of kooks anyway. I'm not listening to you."

Please, please, the left has a --

PAT: And they feel justified because that's what they did to the right in 2008.

GLENN: Correct. And we felt justified. We felt justified.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: They will feel justified too. We must be better. They -- we have to listen to them. Please. Listen to them.

Anybody who is on the left, don't be angry. Please don't be angry. It won't get you anywhere.

I will fight by your side. I hope I have gained some credibility with people on any side, that I am a constitutionalist. And I will stand next to any man who stands for the Constitution. I will stand by your right for religion, for speech, political, abhorrent speech, I will stand by your side. But I will tell you this: I understand your fear. But as a guy who has learned firsthand, you're going to survive, to the right, don't punish. Please, don't punish.

2020 is going to look very, very different than 2016. If we are lucky, Donald Trump will be the president of all of our dreams. We have a chance to change things. But if we engage in vindictiveness and anger on any side, our children lose.

Let's be better people, please.

Featured Image: US President Barack Obama waves as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House March 6, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama was returning after making remarks at the Columbus (Ohio) Police Graduation Exercise earlier in the day. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE