Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson warn conservatives about Bundy ranch dispute

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last updated 8 January 2015

Glenn Beck is warning conservatives not to get too caught up in the controversy over Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who has been illegally grazing his cattle on federal land for more than 15 years. (Read more about the case here.) Yes, the federal government controls too much land out west — and yes, federal rangers went too far with their heavy-handed tactics — but Beck cautions that extremists are using this incident as an excuse to fan the flames of violence.

"We did some research online with PsyID today," Beck said on his show, "and found that there's about 10 or 15 percent of the people who are talking about this online that are truly frightening."

There are many "decent, small-government proponents from groups like the Tea Party" supporting Bundy, Beck continued, and they should be aware this controversy has drawn "violent, anti-government groups" who constitute "the right's version of Occupy Wall Street."

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Tucker Carlson (my boss at the Daily Caller) made a related point on Fox News' Special Report Monday night:

I have a lot of sympathy for the Bundys. I think they were completely mistreated by the federal government. But I still think it's important to point out that this land does not belong to them and that's not a minor distinction, it's the essence of private property.

It's good to see conservatives are finally learning to eschew the knee-jerk impulse that assumes the enemy of my enemy is always my friend.

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Matt K. Lewis is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com and a senior contributor for The Daily Caller. He has written for outlets including GQ Politics, The Guardian, and Politico, and has been cited or quoted by outlets including New York Magazine, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Matt co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.TV, and also hosts his own podcast. In 2011, Business Insider listed him as one of the 50 "Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To Between Now And The Election." And in 2012, the American Conservative Union honored Matt as their CPAC "Blogger of the Year." He currently lives in Alexandria, Va.