Glenn Beck: Election of Clinton is ‘moral, ethical choice’
Conservative media mogul stops short of explicitly endorsing Democratic nominee but says Trump an ‘immoral man who is absent decency or dignity’
Glenn Beck, the Conservative American TV and radio host and media entrepreneur — and a darling of the American right-wing — has given his implicit support for a Hillary Clinton presidency, calling her the “moral, ethical choice.”
Beck follows a slew of Republican stalwarts who distanced themselves from — or outright denounced — GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in recent days following the release of a 2005 video showing Trump making lewd comments about women. Some have called on him to withdraw from the race. Trump’s own running mate, Mike Pence, was said to have been deeply disturbed by the remarks and there was brief talk about him leaving the candidacy. On Monday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that he would not defend Trump or campaign for him, further roiling the extremely divided Republican party. Ryan stopped short of rescinding his tepid endorsement of Trump
Beck, the former extremely popular Fox News host who left the conservative network in 2011 to establish The Blaze, a right-wing multi-media platform, took to Facebook Monday to say that Trump is “an immoral man who is absent decency or dignity” and that “if the consequence of standing against Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it.”
“At least it is a moral, ethical choice. If she is elected, the world does not end,” Beck said, explaining that her actions as president could be countered.
Once elected, Beck said, “Hillary can be fought. Her tactics are blatant and juvenile, and battling her by means of political and procedural maneuvering or through the media , through public marches and online articles, all of that will be moral… Her nominees can be blocked, her proposed laws voted down.”
“The alternative does not offer a moral person the same opportunity. If one helps to elect an immoral man to the highest office, then one is merely validating his immorality, lewdness, and depravity,” Beck wrote, adding that Trump’s resignation would help save the Republican party.
“Trump stepping down does not guarantee a Clinton win, but it does guarantee that the Republican party still stands for something, still allows its members to maintain thier [sic] own self respect and that it still has a future,” he wrote.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PM9kwFwnc
Beck had endorsed Senator Ted Cruz for the presidency when Cruz was still in the running. He had previously called Trump a “boorish, narcissistic bully” and a “psychopath” and said that the controversial businessman would lead the country to civil war if elected.
Trump has been battling to rescue his campaign just four weeks before Election Day after the release last week of a video in which he is heard bragging about how his fame allowed him to “do anything” to women, including grabbing their genitalia.
Ryan said Friday that he was “sickened” by the revelation, and cancelled a joint appearance scheduled for the following day.
In a Monday conference call with GOP lawmakers, Ryan said he wouldn’t appear with the Republican presidential candidate for the rest of the campaign. Several people on the call said the most senior Republican explicitly told House members, “You all need to do what’s best for you in your district.”
Ryan said he will “spend his entire energy making sure that Hillary Clinton does not get a blank check with a Democrat-controlled Congress,” one such person said. Ryan added that he was “willing to endure political pressure to help protect our majority.”
AP contributed to this report.
