(FNC)
This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," March 4, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GLENN BECK, HOST: Joining me now is Sam Webb, national chair of the Communist Party USA.
Sam, how are you are?
SAM WEBB, COMMUNIST PARTY USA: Very good.
BECK: Very good. You've been a communist — well, let me ask you the right way. Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?
WEBB: Forty years.
BECK: Forty years you have. Your family must be so proud.
WEBB: Well, I think, and by the way, I don't think you have to be quite so apocalyptic about the future, quite so hysterical. Chill out a little bit.
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BECK: Now I know, you're a happy man.
(CROSSTALK)
WEBB: It's socialism. Socialism isn't yet on the agenda.
BECK: You are right.
WEBB: The main thing is to improve the lives of working people in this country.
BECK: You are so right. America, well, listen, I want you and I mean this sincerely. Listen to this man. He just gave a speech in Cleveland, Ohio, what, at the end of January?
WEBB: About that, yes.
BECK: And you said, I read it today. It's fantastic. You talked about how the communist agenda is being fulfilled by Barack Obama. Why don't you talk a little bit about that?
WEBB: I said that the new president, the new Congress, does represent something quite different from what we have had over the past eight years.
BECK: Yes, I mean, let's be specific here. You said that not only is he a friend, but an ally.
WEBB: I don't think I said that. I think I said people's advocate.
BECK: No, you said "an ally."
WEBB: No, I don't think I did. I made the speech. You didn't.
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: No, I've read it a lot. I mean, I really — I reveled over that. That was beautiful.
WEBB: But the point I was making is this: that I think Obama represents the same kind of spirit that other reformers did in this country, like Lincoln, like Teddy Roosevelt, like FDR, even Lyndon Johnson.
BECK: Like Lenin?
WEBB: No, not like Lenin. Just...
BECK: Like Marx?
WEBB: No, not like Marx.
BECK: Why not like Marx?
WEBB: Because...
BECK: Why do you distance — why do you distance...
WEBB: He's not a socialist. He's not a Marxist.
BECK: Why do you push yourself away from Lenin and Marx?
WEBB: I don't myself but...
BECK: Right.
WEBB: . Barack Obama does. He's not a socialist. He's not a communist. You know, you bandied that about during the campaign. And now, people are bandying it about now.
BECK: I know. And, America, let me tell you something...
WEBB: And the answer is no.
BECK: Hang on just a second.
Let me tell you something, I did say that Barack Obama was — had Marxist tendencies. That he has surrounded himself with Marxists his whole life. It's an absolute fact. You can look that up.
I did say that I thought we were in for massive socialism. I did say, also, that if Barack Obama was elected, you would wake up one day in our country, and it would be vastly different than the country that you were sleeping, you went to sleep in.
Well, I'm sorry that I have been so wrong on that?
WEBB: Well, you've been wrong, but the American people in the majority did elect Barack Obama to the White House.
BECK: Yes.
WEBB: They elected a different Congress. And what they wanted was change.
BECK: OK. So...
WEBB: Change after the disaster of the Bush years.
BECK: So, you agree with Barney Frank...
WEBB: I mean, you seem to forget...
BECK: No, no, no.
WEBB: ... that this country has been brought to its knees, its economic knees because of the policies of the Bush administration and Wall Street.
BECK: Yes. You — Barney Frank is also in there. Which one is he, Wall Street or — Barney Frank and the Democrats have said that they were going to get rid of Fannie and Freddie, they would relinquish them, but now they're holding on to them. And they're saying, no, we're going to hold on to them.
You actually are for nationalizing the banks, you — as the leader of the Communist Party here in America, you say nationalizing the banks is a good thing. How come?
WEBB: No I say this — by the way, the idea of taking over the banks is not such a wild idea. Even Alan Greenspan...
BECK: I know.
WEBB: ... who headed the Fed...
BECK: Alan Greenspan has been a friend of the worker, hasn't he?
WEBB: No, he hasn't.
BECK: Oh! Well then why would you use him?
WEBB: I'm just saying.
BECK: Oh!
WEBB: It's part of the mainstream now. This is not a wild communist idea.
BECK: No, but Alan Greenspan...
(CROSSTALK)
WEBB: But the point I would make is this, I would be for taking over the banks and democratizing them — let me take Alan Greenspan. He headed up the Fed for about 15 years.
BECK: He's one of the main culprits in this whole...
WEBB: He's one of the main architects of this financial crisis.
BECK: Yes, he is.
WEBB: Why should he make these decisions solely by himself? Why shouldn't be the Fed be democratized?
BECK: Right.
WEBB: Why shouldn't workers make those...
BECK: So, you're for the stimulus, except that it's not big enough for you?
WEBB: It's not big enough and the composition is wrong. Too many tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans who have been at — who've been pigs at the trough over the past 30 years since Reagan.
BECK: Oh, wait. Hang on just a second. We've been pigs at the trough?
WEBB: I guess you'd be included in that category, yes.
BECK: Really? How much do you give for charity?
WEBB: How much do I give for charity?
BECK: What percentage of your income do you give to charity?
WEBB: I give my money to the People's Weekly World newspaper.
BECK: How much?
WEBB: How much?
BECK: How much percentage of your salary?
WEBB: $500. I make — my pay is $26,000 a year. I give $500 a year to our paper. What's your salary?
BECK: You can read about that in The New York Times. I give 20 percent of my salary.
WEBB: You can't tell me now?
BECK: I give 20 percent of my salary — 20 percent. You give $500. What percentage is that?
You know, the people who are calling for the most compassion are the...
WEBB: You do the math.
BECK: Yes — the people who are calling for the most compassion are the least likely to part with their money. Now, I'm not saying that there aren't greedy rich people, but there seem to be some greedy communists, too.
WEBB: Glenn, let me take this point.
BECK: Yes.
WEBB: If we think that philanthropy, you know, by good soldiers like you, can begin to solve the problems that this country is facing, joblessness...
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: Tell me about solutions here. And I mean this sincerely.
WEBB: ... pension meltdown...
BECK: You tell me about the problems and — you tell me about the problems that Stalin solved. I mean, I know he solved it for about — between 50 and 100 million people, and he did that nicely and they were all buried in shallow graves. Tell me about the problems that they solved. It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare — agree or disagree?
WEBB: We don't embrace, I've said this many times before.
BECK: Of course, not. You were — 40 years ago, were you not a fan of the Soviet Union?
WEBB: We condemn...
BECK: Were you not a fan of the Soviet Union 40 years ago?
WEBB: A fan of it?
BECK: You were a member of the Communist Party. Were you not saying "I love Russia"? Weren't you saying we love Russia and the Soviet Union?
WEBB: We're not saying we love Russia, we did say that the Soviet Union ...
BECK: You know what, Sam, why can't you have a real — why can't you have a real conversation?
WEBB: Well, the problem is, whenever we have a real conversation about what's going on in this country...
BECK: Because your policies that you are...
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: ... the policies that you are advocating and out president is now advocating don't work.
WEBB: You gallop after the Soviet Union and Stalin.
BECK: OK. All right. Let's go for another communist country. OK, let's go for Cuba. Tell me about the — tell me about Venezuela.
WEBB: Won't you admit that the country is an economic mess because of the policies of Bush...
BECK: Because we haven't...
WEBB: ... and Ronald Reagan that you supported?
BECK: No! Because starting with Woodrow Wilson, my friend, you want to go back, Teddy Roosevelt? You want to go back? Let's go back.
It's the policy of the big banks and yes, I will agree with you, big business that no longer look at people as anything other than consumers, what, businesses that look at countries only as markets, that's the problem, sir. And that started with the progressives. Look it up, do your history.
Now, let me ask you something. You tell me the communist country — that's my water. I mean, you can have it. The communists...
WEBB: We're comrades!
BECK: No, he's just taking my water. This is what communists do. Now, I was going to offer you a peep. Would you like a peep?
WEBB: After the show, I'd love to take one, or two.
BECK: I was only offering one.
WEBB: Well, one is good enough then.
BECK: All right, you may have one because I offer it, not because you're going to take it.
WEBB: And your question?
BECK: Here's my question: Name the communist country that worked?
WEBB: The communist that worked; the socialist countries...
BECK: No, give the communist — you're a communist. Give me the communist country.
WEBB: They've had achievements and they've had difficulties.
BECK: Difficulties! They have killed hundreds of millions of people.
WEBB: I don't agree with that.
BECK: OK. So, wait. All right. So Stalin didn't kill a bunch of people?
WEBB: Glenn, I'll take responsibility for it.
BECK: China doesn't drown their people in rice paddies?
WEBB: I'll take responsibility for Stalin and Soviet Union...
BECK: China...
WEBB: ...if you take responsibility for Hitler who emerged out of capitalist society.
BECK: Wait. Hitler, let me see, the nationalist socialist party, the nationalist socialist party. Look it up, I hate to break it to you, nationalized socialism. That's what the Nazi Party was.
WEBB: Oh, that's not true.
BECK: Gresh, Gresh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
BECK: Could you please look that up and try to do something a little more respectable than Wikipedia, which apparently he's on. Could you look up "nationalized socialism" and tell if that is not the Nazi Party, please?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
BECK: Thank you very much.
WEBB: Glenn, let me just answer the question. Whenever we get talking about the difficulties in this country, the economic crisis, which is affecting tens of millions across this country...
BECK: I understand that. I understand that. That's why I give 20 percent of my salary to charity.
WEBB: You don't seem to talk about, what caused it and how to solve it; instead you want to blame Barack Obama and...
BECK: No, I want to solve it. I want to solve...
WEBB: ... Stalin...
BECK: You and I can build a bridge on one thing. You and I can build a bridge on one thing.
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: You and I can build a bridge on one thing, sir, and that is the Fed is behind this. Your Fed is behind this.
WEBB: Did Bush have any role to play?
BECK: Absolutely he did.
WEBB: The Republican right.
BECK: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the Nazi Party.
BECK: It is the Nazi Party. What's your source? Is it some crazy thing or what?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Google with 6 million hits (INAUDIBLE).
BECK: Google, yes. OK, nationalized socialism. Read your history on the Nazi Party.
Sam, I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I do — I do invite you, please — what is the name of your Web site?
WEBB: Communist — CPUSA.org.
BECK: C.P. — is it? It's a .
WEBB: That's an abbreviation.
BECK: No, I mean, the "dot-org" though, it's tax free.
WEBB: It is.
BECK: Shouldn't you be paying more money into the government so they have can have their social — their social programs? Why not?
WEBB: We're a political party. We defend from people like you.
BECK: I know. But wouldn't you give more money so they can have money for their...
WEBB: As I said, over the past 30 years, there's been a transfer of wealth, redistribution of wealth from the working people to the wealthiest people in this country.
(LAUGHTER)
WEBB: Including you probably.
BECK: I know. I grew up poor, I worked hard to make money and I'm now giving it away. Sam, thank you very much.
WEBB: Redistributionist policies.
BECK: I know.
WEBB: You benefited from them...
BECK: No, I haven't, but thank you very much.
WEBB: ...during the Reagan and Bush years.
BECK: Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it. You don't have to leave yet. We're going to go for a second.
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