Both Sides Are Being Played: It's Time to Renounce the Hate Because 'This Is All About 2018 and 2020'

August 16, 2017

The Glenn Beck Program

I want to start by asking you, if you're somebody that needs blood, if you're somebody that needs to be angry, if you're somebody that needs to rub the nose of whomever in whatever, this is not the show for you.

If you're tired of all of this, if you think we're better than this, if you think we have to solve this problem, then this is the show for you.

But the way we're going, the world has gone before. The way we're going will end with either the communists rounding up and slaughtering those who disagree with them or the Nazis, rounding people up that disagree with them and slaughtering them.

I'm sorry. But I don't have a thing in common with these Nazis and the white supremacists. None of it. None of them.

My gosh, I've gotten in trouble on both the right and the left for talking about the evils of Nazis for the last 15 or 20 years.

I want nothing to do with them. And I also want nothing to do with the radical anarchist communists who show up in black masks with baseball bats and burn our cities down. I want nothing to do with people who are saying, "Our heritage is our white heritage." And I want nothing to do with people who are saying, "Our heritage is our black heritage." It's not!

We are humans. All of us. Each of us.

I can't take the left, and I can't take the right. I can't watch either side of the media anymore. Does anybody really care about our country anymore?

Please don't give me lip service. I about caused a panic in my own church, when I started teaching the 15-year-olds and I started asking them about, you know, "tell me what you know about the Bible and tell me that you know that Jesus is, you know, the savior. And how many people here, you know, firmly believe in the Bible?" And they all dutifully raised their hand. And I said, "Shut up. Put your hands down. No, you don't. How do you know that? How do you know that?"

If you can tell me a story about how you searched and searched and searched and how you prayed -- right now, you know it because somebody else has told you it's true. So how many people care about our country? Everybody is going to raise their hand. Really? So what is the tough thing that you have done? What's the thing that you have stood up against that made you a pariah in your own circle? Because I got news for you, it's not the left's fault and it's not the right's fault. It's all of our faults. All of us. We're all playing the same game. And if you're not man enough or brave enough to admit that, then I invite to you stay with us. But as you say in AA meetings, when somebody comes and they have fallen off the wagon and they're still drinking, "You know what, this is probably a good meeting for you to just listen."

Americans --- and hear me --- Americans, and I believe it's 90 percent, but let's be totally crazy. I'll say it's only 70 percent --- 60 percent. Only 60 percent of Americans. And I think that number is wildly wrong.

Most Americans don't want anything to do with the Nazis or the anarchists and the communists. Nothing. They have nothing in common. They despise them both.

Most Americans --- and, yes, that includes the left. And, left, if you happen to be listening, that includes the right. We want nothing to do with it. They're both crazy, dangerous, and racist, period.

And here's what's happening: The media, because they hate Donald Trump so much, and the right media, because they hate the media so much, are giving America a false choice.

You don't condemn Donald Trump, really. Not even the Nazis. You don't condemn Donald Trump. You are choosing the side of the Nazis. And if you don't defend -- on the right, if you don't defend Donald Trump, then you're a communist anarchist that might as well be burning down Berkeley.

Neither of those are true. That's not our choice. You with the black nationalists or the white nationalists? I'm not with either of them.

The Democrats co-opted a very small sliver of radicals that despise capitalism, that despise America, that despise white people, that despise the cops. They co-opted them, thinking they could control them. They'll bring them in because it will add fuel.

Now, right, if you're shaking your head right now and going, "Yep, that's exactly what they did," you'll shake your head even more when I say, "And they lost that battle. They have lost their soul. Those guys are the heart of the party, not the average Democrat, but the party."

Now, let me speak to the left: And you're going to shake your head. And the Republicans are all going to be pissed. But the Republicans did the same damn thing. First of all, it was the Republicans that started the progressive movement. So they've had progressives in their ranks from the very beginning. But what have they done in the last three years? They've co-opted the alt-right. Because why? Because they're racists? No.

Because every vote counts. And so we'll use them. And what's happening? The same thing that happened to the Democrats.

And why did each side do it? Because it drives money and it drives votes. Hate drives money and drives votes.

And so where does that leave the average person? Well, 80 percent of Americans haven't seen a wage increase. Most Americans have their kids in a school that they know is not preparing their children for anything, other than politically correct living, other than living in a Marxist state. It's not preparing them for anything.

There's no actual education happening. There's a re-education happening in our failing schools. And, you know what, don't tell me that that's a thing on the right because the left knows it. Watch the lefties talk about education at TED talks, where they condemn the failing American education system.

The left knows it too. We both do. None of us can afford college anymore for our kids. Barely any of us can afford health care anymore. That's what's happening with 80 percent of the nation. Maybe more.

Are you seeing those people reflected at all? No.

Instead, both parties are doing their best, just trying to get reelected. This is all about 2018 and 2020. This isn't about anything else. This isn't about you. This isn't about real problems. This is about 2018 or 2020. Period. That's all this is about.

Dividing and spreading lies about 50 percent of the population -- well, I want to make sure you understand: If you're watching the left media, they're lying about 50 percent of the population. And if you're watching the right media, they're lying about the other 50 percent of the population. The truth is, there's probably 10 percent of those freaks on the right and 10 percent of those freaks on the left. And the rest of us want nothing to do with them.

It's why I reject both parties, and I reject the media. Both right and left. I want nothing to do with you.

I will remove myself from the game happily before I lose my soul. Can I just ask -- I don't need to ask you because I know the average American gets this. Can I ask those who are engaged in this insane death game, how does this end? Play it out, how does it end? Does it end in race riots, civil war, global war? Your side winning in 2020, whichever side that is? And then -- and then we really get them? What do you do with the remainder of the people, the 40 percent that just will not go along?

Well, first you have to demonize them. Oh, we've already done that. Then what do we do? You shove and then you shoot.

Now, maybe 20 percent of the United States is effing out of their mind. Maybe the country has gone out of its mind crazy. But I am sorry. I do not believe, because I have too many friends on both sides of the aisle and the issues, that disagree, who are afraid of their own side. They are seeing where this is leading, and they want nothing to do with it. So maybe it's 20 percent that's crazy. But that leaves 80 percent of us who want nothing to do with it.

We all want our children to have health care, food. We all want our children to have a good education. I believe we all want our troops to come home. We want an end to the endless wars.

I want justice for the wronged. I want an end to racism. It's never going to leave us. Because that's a human trait. But we can do better than we are.

I want an end to poverty. It's never going to leave us. But we're the most charitable people that have ever lived. I want freedom for people who are enslaved today. There are more people enslaved today than in the entire history of western slavery, combined.

I want an end of oppression. I want an end to government and banking and corporate corruption.

I want the truth of American history to be known. I don't think there's been anybody on the right, perhaps in the history of the right, that has tried to do more to expose the bad parts of our history. To expose how racist, how dangling, how ugly we have been.

But you can't just tell that part of the story. That makes the glorious parts of our history better. We reached beyond the slime. We reached above ourselves. We saw something better.

I want history taught. I want the bitter. I want the sweet. I want the bad cops to go to jail. I want them to go to jail. But I want the good cops to know, "I can't begin to understand your job. But as long as you're on the right side of the law, as long as you're on the right side of human decency, I got your back." I want compassion on the border. But I also want justice and law and order. I want you to live as who you want to live as, love who you want to love, worship God, don't worship God, and we can live side by side.

How do we not agree on some of these big things? I want you to know, I'm going to say some things today that are going to make both sides uncomfortable. Good. Good.

Then I've done my job. And no more.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The dangerous lie: Rights as government privileges, not God-given

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When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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