Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
What is it about Katie Couric that reduces populist conservatives to babbling idiots? It's not as if she's a particularly tough interviewer. I mean, Mike Wallace she's not. But here she asks a perfectly reasonable question to Beck and he babbles and poses and tries to distract. He does anything but actually answer the question.
The question is simple and reasonable: When he said that he thinks Barack Obama hates "white culture," what does he mean by "white culture"? The full range of his defense mechanisms are on display here - sarcasm, subject changing, persecution complex (you're out to trap me!), and the ubiquitous "I'm just asking questions" pose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKZ1qbDyKOM&feature=player_embedded
Politics
Comments
I can't view YouTube from work. So I can't comment on the video yet. But I just wanted to point out that may not be Katie Couric that turned Beck into a babbling idiot. Exposure to oxygen seems to have the same effect on him.
Posted by: Abby Normal | September 29, 2009 9:35 AM
Well stated Abby Normal. And since "exposure to oxygen" is a well-documented feature of "white culture", there is some sense of tragedy to Beck's embracing his own undoing.
Posted by: Odie | September 29, 2009 9:44 AM
How pathetic is it that Katie Couric is being portrayed as a "gotcha" journalist by the far right? I've always thought she asked too many softball questions. I mean, seriously, "What newspapers do you read?" That's a "Gotcha"???
Posted by: Wes | September 29, 2009 9:50 AM
I'm pretty sure "white culture" equals NASCAR and pro wrestling. At least that's how his audience sees things.
Posted by: kehrsam | September 29, 2009 9:53 AM
Just watched it, and is it just me or did his answers sound a lot like the former Iraqi Information Minister?
(As US tanks are on the outskirts of Baghdad): "There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!"
Eventually truth will catch up to you, Glenn.
Posted by: Umlud | September 29, 2009 9:53 AM
"I mean, seriously, "What newspapers do you read?" That's a "Gotcha"???"
Absolutely. It's not an interviewer's job to take sides in politics. They have to be fair and objective, and part of that is making certain that their interview doesn't accidentally damage the candidate's image and reputation. That means that Couric's job was to ask the questions Palin wanted to answer, and - especially when dealing with national politics, where even a tiny slip can hurt the candidate - you always, always research the questions (even the dumb, casual, chatty questions) you're going to ask, cross-checking with the interviewee's people, to make sure the interviewee is ready with a prompt and competent answer. Couric simply, and unprofessionally, didn't do her research before interviewing Palin, and her 'gotcha' questions were an embarrassing violation of journalistic objectivity.
Posted by: mad the swine | September 29, 2009 10:02 AM
Hilarious -- he knows damn well the "obama hates white culture" comment is absurd race-baiting and doesn't make any sense. And he doesn't care -- what upsets him is that he is being questioned at all. This is what time in right-wing echo chamber does to you -- you become convinced that irrationality is a virtue to be defended.
Posted by: JRQ | September 29, 2009 10:09 AM
MtS,
Fair questions for the likes of Paloon would preclude all subjects except, possibly, hunting and speaking in tongues. This would, regardless of the thoroughness of Couric and staff, never fill an hour of airtime. Palin and Beck are idiots with huge followings of rabid dog, right wing loons. When you spout shit professionally, you must allow for some splash back.
Posted by: MikeMa | September 29, 2009 10:09 AM
The only white people I've heard use the term "white culture" were skinhead nazis
Posted by: rpsms | September 29, 2009 10:20 AM
Watching Glenn Beck (again) would be as sensible as stepping in something left by a dog and then sticking my finger in it and after sniffing it, lick it, to make sure it really IS dogshit.
Posted by: democommie | September 29, 2009 10:22 AM
Okay, everybody, Mad the Swine is officialy my favourite commenter!
Posted by: Valhar2000 | September 29, 2009 10:23 AM
Oh, by the way, did you know Palin's new book, 'Going Rogue', comes out Nov 17th? I'm looking forward to seeing her interviewed by Glenn Beck. Hilarity and many Manly Tears will doubtlessly ensue.
Posted by: mad the swine | September 29, 2009 10:23 AM
What level of confidence should we have that conservatives will not develop the cognizance that Couric was merely asking Beck to explain his own position and utterly failed?
I vote they'll instead go with the "we're being persecuted" reaction rather than facing the fact they can't defend many of their own positions in public when those positions face even the mildest form of scrutiny like we see with Couric's open-ended question.
I'm cognizant I'm extending this anecdote to be reflective of the entire movement. That's because my observations find the exceptions are far rarer than behavior like Beck's. Bruce Bartlett continues to be the rare respected conservative challenging the Right to grow up and develop rational arguments. I.e., I don't find David Frum to be very respected within the conservative movement and I see no reason for non-conservatives to respect him. I also reject Andrew Sullivan's argument that southern populists aren't conservative, an astonishing claim he made a few days ago, or that he's a true conservative. Sullivan's 'no true Scotsman' argument is absurd.
Posted by: Michael Heath | September 29, 2009 10:24 AM
mad the swine: Absolutely. It's not an interviewer's job to take sides in politics. They have to be fair and objective..."
Which is it? Are they to be fair and objective, or are they to not take sides? Because sometimes "one side can be wrong."
Posted by: Herod the Freemason | September 29, 2009 10:27 AM
MtS @ 6:
Exactly. That's why we should create a law where one can't become a journalist until they pass a class taught by Sean Hannity.
Posted by: Michael Heath | September 29, 2009 10:32 AM
George Bush says "my grandmother was a typical African American women who had her values bred into her"??? No wonder Beck has difficulty defining white culture.
Posted by: Drekab | September 29, 2009 10:47 AM
I can take a guess at what Beck meant by "white culture": white people, conservatism, "family values," capitalism, freedom, American culture, etc. Of course, if Beck said anything of those things, then his assertion would be falsifiable (and subsequently falsified), which makes it so much harder for him to pose as the scapegoat and martyr.
Posted by: Mr. B | September 29, 2009 11:04 AM
Democommie, this experiment you describe has been carefully evaluated by the esteemed scientist, Cheborneck, and detailed in the journal Los Cochinos, side 2, line 5, co-authored by a pair of enthusiasts.
Posted by: trog69 | September 29, 2009 11:11 AM
How much longer do we consider Katie Couric a light-weight when she scores real points against the neo-cons like Palin and Beck? I think that she is effective because she doesn't come off as being too aggressive so that people like Beck can't scream at her. I think that she is really trying to channel the excellence in journalism of her esteemed predecessors at CBS. She has a way to go, but she is showing promise.
Posted by: DobyGS | September 29, 2009 11:15 AM
At one point in the interview Beck said we should turn over all of the rocks (paraphrasing). Unfortunately I think we did and he was able to crawl out and into society.
Posted by: mess | September 29, 2009 11:20 AM
I really have no problem with the term "white culture" anymore than I have a problem with Black culture.. or Asian culture. My problem with Beck is his claim that Obama has a deep resentment of the white culture.. meaning I suppose he must hate half of who he is.
It is the combination of all our various cultures that makes the US the diverse nation it is. When we try to lord one over another is when the problems arise. Beck IMO is a very frightened man. Sad and pathetic.
Posted by: Lise Stanley | September 29, 2009 11:34 AM
you say that as if it were a difficult thing to achieve.
Posted by: Nomen Nescio | September 29, 2009 11:47 AM
I'm a little bit surprised, to be honest. As we all know, the only whites who could be said to have anything approaching culture are the ones who never left Europe. I would have guessed Beck would be far too myopic to ever be worried about anyone outside the USA being hated by Obama, but it looks like I was wrong.
Posted by: pough | September 29, 2009 11:50 AM
MTS-
Is it biased for an interviewer to be on the side of reading? I'm pretty sure most of America wants their politicians to be well-read and informed.
Actually, now that I look at most of Palin's fan-club, I can see why they champion a hero that is not cultured or aware of reality.
Posted by: Michael | September 29, 2009 12:00 PM
@Lise Stanley: Well, "white culture" could mean a few different things depending on context, some of them pretty objectionable, and some of them benign. It's absolutely fair to ask Beck to define it.
On the other hand, I do have to agree with Beck on one narrow point: There was no way to answer that question that would not have been total sound bite fodder. But that's not Couric's or the questioner's fault, that's Beck's fault. If you make a statement, and then you find there is no way to clarify that statement without coming across like a racist asshole... maybe that should tell you something about the wisdom of sticking by such a statement, hmmm?
Posted by: James Sweet | September 29, 2009 12:45 PM
"and the ubiquitous "I'm just asking questions" pose."
Ah, the 'Just saying' of pundits.
Posted by: t_p_hamilton | September 29, 2009 1:05 PM
Give the man a break. Beck got all confused only because he didn't fully understand the question. Couric had inadvertently, and perhaps, being the rabid media liberal she is, even purposefully, left out the one word describing that culture, trash. So of course, not wanting to appear critical or disrespectful of this poor, addled women in front of his adoring minions, he's that type of guy don't you know, he let her down lightly for the gaffe, as only a white trash gentleman could, by playing stupid. Bravo Beck!
Posted by: Stew | September 29, 2009 1:26 PM
Did I say playing stupid, please excuse me, it should read, "by being stupid", Sorry Beck.
Posted by: Stew | September 29, 2009 1:29 PM
Why didn't she ask him about the incident in 1990?? I kid, I kid...
Posted by: Jack Reacher | September 29, 2009 1:29 PM
Lise Stanley, #21: I really have no problem with the term "white culture" anymore than I have a problem with Black culture.. or Asian culture.
I do. It's the same as Couric's. What the hell is "white culture"? Or for that matter, what is "black culture" and "Asian culture"?
Posted by: Chiroptera | September 29, 2009 1:49 PM
"I do. It's the same as Couric's. What the hell is "white culture"? Or for that matter, what is "black culture" and "Asian culture"?"
Most people would probably answer with sterotypes.
Posted by: Jack Reacher | September 29, 2009 1:52 PM
Watching Beck duck and weave Couric's questions is really no surprise. He lives in a tower made of crap, and grows nervous when some people (meaning those other than his proudly ignorant fans) stop to comment on the smell.
My interpretation of Beck's behavior?
By squirming under the mildest direct questioning, Beck knows he's full of shit, and is afraid that once other people finally catch on all he's worked to build in his career (including his lucrative Fox News salary) will suddenly go away.
Posted by: CHV | September 29, 2009 2:07 PM
white culture: candida albicans
black culture: mucormycosis
Posted by: David | September 29, 2009 2:08 PM
I don't know if she is channelling CBS' excellence in journalism, but I do know that this clip is vintage Couric, and you're totally right - she uses her gender and "perky" reputation to completely disarm interview subjects, and then just lets them bury themselves.
Anyone who saw her impromptu interview with King George I (George HW) during a fluff Today piece on the Christmas decorations at the White House learned this quickly. George showed up at what was supposed to be an interview with Babs Bush and thought he could score a little low-stress face time. Instead Couric nailed him (with a series of questions on Iran-Contra, IIRC) and would not let him go, all the while using that "I'm not being mean, I'm just a little dumber than you and don't get it" attitude; I believe she had him on the spot for 11 or 17 minutes. It's freakin' brilliant on her part, because she takes what could be a liability and turns it into an asset.
She does the same thing here with Beck, knowing full well he cannot answer that question, but refusing to allow him the quick out that many journalists would.
Posted by: CPT_Doom | September 29, 2009 2:14 PM
Y'know what, guys? It just hit me...Glenn Beck is a real-life embodiment of Nathan Thurm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOLBQxk72NY
Compare the clip above with Beck and Katie Couric, and tell me I'm wrong.
Posted by: CHV | September 29, 2009 2:17 PM
James Sweet @25,
I think you nailed it beautifully. Beck used a term, white culture, that could be spoken and understood by his racist followers to mean just what they want it to mean while not overtly racist until confronted with defining it by Couric.
Another reason that long term living in the echo chamber makes it difficult to venture out.
Posted by: MikeMa | September 29, 2009 2:19 PM
Mike Ma @36/ James @ 25:
Very well put, especially Mike's comment about living in an echo chamber for so long. When one gets used to being surrounded by your own nonsense, and having your fans enable every word I suppose it's easy to get caught up in oneself.
Not that it excuses Beck regarding his inability to defend his own statements, mind you.
Posted by: CHV | September 29, 2009 2:32 PM
I think this book review is relevant:
http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/bamboo_review_searching_for_whitopia/
Posted by: gwangung | September 29, 2009 2:44 PM
Heh, 'white culture' is a thoroughly silly concept. I suppose any cultural tradition of any country in Europe could be said to be 'white culture'. This makes me want to combine English Morris dancing, Icelandic fermented shark, Swedish herrings, German boiled sausages, the French love of food (my parents visited Marseille a few years ago just before a riot started. Both the protesters and the police stopped for 2 hours for lunch), Gloucestershire cheese rolling (every year on a hill in gloucestershire in england they throw a double gloucester cheese down a steep hill then race after it, with a high injury rate among participants. The winner gets the cheese), Finnish heavy-metal music and any other outlandish food/tradition into some kind of unholy ritual that could be inflicted on someone who tries to talk seriously about 'white-culture'.
Posted by: Arkady | September 29, 2009 2:47 PM
I think rather than referring to the cheese rolling culture Arkady mentions (I love those videos), Beck really means the American Ruling Class which he perceives as a whites-only enclave. Bastard.
Posted by: MikeMa | September 29, 2009 2:53 PM
@33
Well played sir!
Posted by: Lorax | September 29, 2009 2:57 PM
MikeMa @40
Beck really means the American Ruling Class which he perceives as a whites-only enclave. Bastard.
Actually, no. People like Beck like to rail against the "elites" and supposedly "ruling" types who exemplify the supposedly effete SWPL culture of the coasts: organic-produce-buying, pro-recycling, NPR-listening yuppies (and guppies) living in the 'burbs.
That type of white culture *is* largely Obama's culture, I would think. But people like Beck hate that form of "white culture".
The "white culture" Beck referred to is the heartland less sophisticated white culture exemplified by the NASCAR-watching, gun-loving, evolution-denying, country-music-listening, and regularly churchgoing white crowd. These are the "small town" types that Palin referred to as authentic Americans.
Part of Bush II's appeal was that he could cast himself as this sort of "white" dude: a down-home cowboy from flyover country...despite the fact that W came from a very elite wealthy blueblood family and attended Ivy League universities.
Posted by: Adrienne | September 29, 2009 3:26 PM
Arkady @39:
Heh, 'white culture' is a thoroughly silly concept. I suppose any cultural tradition of any country in Europe could be said to be 'white culture'.
Yes, exactly.
What strikes me about the white nationalist sites out there is really how little the participants/posters really talk about or even attempt to define "white culture".
They are really more anti-everyone else than they are pro-white "culture".
It's clear that not all whites are equal, even. The few times I've read WNs try to define "white culture", they inevitably refer to discussing Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Scandinavian culture, with a sprinkling of Mediterranean stuff. I have yet to see *anything* by a WN extolling the virtues of white Slavic history and culture, for instance.
One of the few times I happened to browse Stormfront's "ladies forum", there was a woman there talking about how great her neighborhood was. No Jews, no blacks, etc., and "no Eastern-European types either." Clearly, even among those who cry the loudest about preserving "white culture", not all whites are created equal.
Posted by: Adrienne | September 29, 2009 3:33 PM
Time for a joke (told to me by an Ozzie colleague, so it's OK. Really.)
Q: What's the difference between Australia and a pot of yoghurt?
A: Put a pot of yoghurt in the sun for 250 years and it will develop a culture.
Does anyone really group Palin and Beck with the neo-cons? They surely belong to the isolationist WJ Byran tradition, not the mirror-image Leninism you get from Strauss and the rest of that gang of thugs.
Posted by: Amadan | September 29, 2009 3:51 PM
I think in some situations those terms could have meaning and be used non-offensively, but only if context provided more specificity than the terms imply by themselves.
For example, I don't think it's "stereotypical" or "racist" to say that, for example, blues originated as a part of African-American culture in the late 19th and early 20th century. Note I was being more specific than just saying "black culture", since blues was a distinctly American thing, but if someone spoke imprecisely and said "black culture" instead, I think most of us would give them a pass on that.
By the same token, one would also be correct to say that one outgrowth of blues was rock 'n' roll, which was co-opted into mainstream American culture by artists such as Elvis Presley. In the preceding sentence, if someone said "white culture" instead, I think we would still know what they meant, even though it's clearly not the most desirable term.
Putting it all together, if somebody wanted to say that "In America, white culture got all of its modern pop music ideas from black culture," while I would have some major issues with the imprecision of that statement, I think I could pretty easily make a defensible clarification.
So yeah, while it's obviously absurd to say that a particular skin color has a culture, it could at times be used in conversation as a shorthand for referring to an actual culture that does exist. Not ideally, but I wouldn't crucify someone for using the words that way.
Beck, on the other hand, was clearly referring to skin color only. What an ass.
Posted by: James Sweet | September 29, 2009 3:52 PM
The sly eagle hides its claws
Posted by: Etcetera | September 29, 2009 4:01 PM
Am I the only one getting tired of watching Glenn Beck JAQ off?
Posted by: Benjamin Geiger | September 29, 2009 4:08 PM
Adrienne @42 & 43
I take your point on the ruling class = elites idea. The white culture Beck espouses has nothing to do with that certainly. I was thinking more in terms of making the rules: Segregation, whites-first, master race kind of thing. Inherited authority without the need to work for or earn it.
Posted by: MikeMa | September 29, 2009 4:16 PM
Adrienne @ 42:
>>>>Part of Bush II's appeal was that he could cast himself as this sort of "white" dude: a down-home cowboy from flyover country...despite the fact that W came from a very elite wealthy blueblood family and attended Ivy League universities.
Very true, which made it even more odd during the '04 presidential election when conservatives grumbled suspiciously about John Kerry's Ivy League education while Bush went to (uh, oh!) Yale and Harvard.
The double standard will never die.
Posted by: CHV | September 29, 2009 4:29 PM
He can't explain it because there's nothing to explain. He just pulls stuff out of his backside in order to whip his base into a frenzy. Nothing he says has any meaning or makes any sense. It's only a dog whistle to the pit bulls.
Posted by: Buffy | September 29, 2009 4:35 PM
"White culture"? That's code for Jewish culture, like Woody Allen movies and bagels and lox. You got your Black Christians and your Black Muslims, but how many Black Jews do you know? Well, outside of Sammy Davis Jr. and Jesus himself.
Posted by: Slaughter | September 29, 2009 5:04 PM
"Americans should ask themselves tough questions." Um..should they answer them like Beck did?
Posted by: James | September 29, 2009 5:51 PM
Beck is a stupid ass. He has drunk deeply of the kool-aid.
And as many have said before...WTF is white culture anyway?
If you had asked me as a young man, I would have been thoroughly confused by the question! Growing up in Scotland it was very clear (to me and my peers)that Culture == Establishment == Rich, University-educated, Gentry or Professionals. i.e. reading Greats at Oxbridge, patronising Opera or Ballet, having a job in "the City".
So far as I was aware, that culture was simply wealthy/professional. Color was not a factor! (Except that there were *very few* non-white entrants to that club in those days!) Politicians (with a very few exceptions) were 'cultured'. Hosts of TV shows were (generally) cultured. Newscasters were almost always cultured.
If you had suggested that anyone from my largely Irish/Celtic background was cultured, you'd have been mocked (deeply)! And would have been mocked for suggesting our 'folkways' were in any way similar to 'culture'.
But Beck is simply talking in code to his 'base' - and they are all of the same opinion. "Whayit Kultyoor" is Nascar, Hunting, Fishing, being saved, loving the baby jeebus, getting pregnant before your 18th birthday, being a grandparent by the time you are 40, listening to country music, living in the same town your entire life, distrusting intellectuals (anyone with a college degree), and being pissed at 'furriners' who are 'stealing' their jobs, and at 'urban blacks' who are either getting 'educated' or are 'living on welfare'.
Disclaimer: I live in Georgia, and meet many of these people on a regular basis. I am not being 'elitist' here - merely 'realist'
Posted by: tonyc | September 29, 2009 5:54 PM
here's the thing: I do think that there is something like a "black culture", at least in the US. After all, most (and until recently all) African-Americans share a single cultural background, i.e. slavery and later 2nd-class-status of segregationism. that's one single shared history from which culture has developed, and it's a decent basis for a single "black culture". And ironically, Obama would only tangentially belong to it, since he doesn't share this heritage; kinda like being married into an Irish-American family :-p
OTOH, there's indeed no such thing as a "White Culture" or an "Asian Culture", since the historical/cultural background of European-Americans and Asian-Americans is as varied as the dozens of nations and ethnic groups from which they are descended.
Posted by: Jadehawk | September 29, 2009 6:33 PM
Amadan @44: as an Australian, I am deeply offended by your post which impugns the cultural dignity of all Australians.
... it's "Aussie", not "Ozzie".
As in that renowned and elegant turn of phrase "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!"
Posted by: Cath the Canberra Cook | September 29, 2009 8:32 PM
Cath - so it's Aussie Osbourne? :)
Posted by: Badger3k | September 29, 2009 9:53 PM
Bagder - Hmm... let's see...shambling, alcohol-damaged, mumbling incoherent wreck, yep. sure sounds like it to me! :) - DJ
Posted by: DingoJack | September 29, 2009 10:06 PM
The entire interview is like this too--he favors gay marriage, thinks GWB was in bed with large corporations, and that most people are tired when they get home from work.
Posted by: Rich | September 30, 2009 2:22 AM
Cath@55: My apologies. I took the spelling phonetically from your distinguished former Minister for th' Yarts, Sir Les Patterson.
Posted by: Amadan | September 30, 2009 4:01 AM
I never watch Beck, he's a huge jerk. But he sounds really gay.
Posted by: Owen | September 30, 2009 7:36 AM
Owen @ #60:
But if Beck is gay, how do you account for the rumors all over the Internet that he raped and murdered a young girl in 1990? Why would a gay man do such a thing?
Well, I suppose there's no proof it was a GIRL...
Posted by: phantomreader42 | September 30, 2009 9:07 AM
To the people responding to mad the swine... did your sarcasm detector break, or what?
Anyway, that's a good point about Couric. She might not ask the tough or antagonistic questions, but she also won't let the interviewee off the hook with a quick subject change. And the approach she uses to frame her questions make it harder for the person to respond with an angry evasive rant or play the persecution card, and it just ends up making them look *more* stupid.
Posted by: Sparks | September 30, 2009 1:32 PM
To be fair, he does have a history of trolling (especially when it comes to marriage equality). I was actually surprised that he wrote a good comment this time.
Posted by: catgirl | September 30, 2009 3:15 PM
The point of a dog-whistle is that only dogs can hear it. If Beck explains what he means by "white culture," then it's not a dog-whistle anymore.
Posted by: BaldApe | October 1, 2009 12:13 PM
I cancelled my subscription to The Wall Street Journal online recently and specifically told the representative over the phone it is due to the fact that the Journal is now owned by News Corporation, which provides Glenn Beck a television program to spew his noxious b.s. Of course, my actions only cost the company about $177, though the figure is higher if you factor in future renewals that I might have made.
Posted by: Tommykey | October 1, 2009 1:03 PM
I've recently developed an appreciation for MtS's schtick. Just imagine him/her as the cyber version of Stephen Colbert. Granted, there is a very fine line between subtle satire and abject trolling...
Posted by: James Sweet | October 1, 2009 1:13 PM