|
|
| All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
|
|
|
Guests: Daniel Bober and Lisa Boesky
"One of the problems America is currently having is that many of us believe we are special, that society owes us respect and prosperity. That's why so many Americans support the entitlement system. Public schools are very concerned about student 'self-esteem,' and there are even schools that say national testing is biased if some of the students fail. Well, you may have heard of historian David McCullough, who wrote a best-seller on John Adams. His son, also named David, has been teaching high school for 26 years, and last week he said this to the graduating class of Wellesley High in Massachusetts: 'You're not special, you're not exceptional ... if everyone is special then no one is.' Talking Points believes students need to hear Mr. McCullough's stern message. In the private sector you must compete and prove yourself to be special. Sadly, many American students are not prepared for the real world - they have been pampered by parents and the public school system. The old saying is, 'Life is hard and then you die.' But in America, slow death is becoming very common because some of us don't want to compete, don't want to work hard, don't want to be honest and sober. Those things are absolutely necessary if you are to prosper in this country. So David McCullough should be applauded and his message should be echoed by our nation's leaders."
The Factor invited reaction to David McCullough's speech from psychiatrist Daniel Bober and psychologist Lisa Boesky. "I think we have a problem with teen entitlement and narcissism," Boesky said, "but this was not the time nor the place. This was the one day they could celebrate their four years of achievement. If he made that speech to the parents I would have no problem; tell them to stop keeping their kids from failing." Bober, who treats adolescents, heartily endorsed the tough commencement speech. "We're sending them the wrong message to tell them they're special, we need to be much more realistic. We're living in an 'eggshell generation' and, unlike Humpty Dumpty, we have to teach our kids that they're going to have to put themselves back together again." The Factor criticized the public school system for failing to stress what is needed to succeed: "We are becoming a dependent people, and the reason we are is because of the public school system failing to tell Americans what is necessary, not only for their own personal success, but for the success of their country." |
|
|
Guests: Laura Ingraham
President Obama, while telling audiences that our massive deficits and debt are President Bush's fault, challenged the press to "take a look at the numbers." The Factor did exactly that, and discovered that $4.9 trillion was added to the total public debt during President Bush's eight years in office, while President Obama has added $5.1 trillion in just three-and-a-half years. Radio talk show host Laura Ingraham ridiculed President Obama's blame deflection. "The numbers on this are devastating," she asserted, "however he parses his words. We have added more money to our national debt in his three-and-a-half years than we had during the first 219 years of our republic. That is a staggering figure. He's right that Bush and the Republicans overspent, but President Obama has one-upped that, and I haven't seen any proposals on the table that take any serious approach to the deep spending cuts that are necessary." |
|
|
Guests: Dick Morris
The Factor asked political strategist Dick Morris to gauge President Obama's economic performance. "When Obama took office," Morris stated, "there were 70-million working-age adults who did not have jobs, but now it's 100-million. This is a very important statistic - when Obama took office two-thirds of us worked for a living, but now it's only 56%. We are rapidly approaching the point where a majority of us pay no income taxes and a majority of us don't work." Morris also theorized why Mitt Romney would be wise to pick Senator Marco Rubio as his running mate. "Start with the electoral college - Romney's ability to carry Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico hinges on his ability to get Latino votes. The idea of having a vice president who is Latino is transcendent." |
|
|
Guests: Deborah Kenny
In another example of public school turmoil, a California high school valedictorian delivered his graduation speech in Spanish. The Factor spoke about the school crisis with educator and author Deborah Kenny. "Absolutely the schools are in chaos," Denny said, "and we need a revolution in how we teach our children and what we expect of them. We need an absolute transformation and the only way that's going to happen is if we elevate the teaching profession, so we need to get rid of anything that stands in the way. That includes all the union work rules that get in the way of teachers being treated like professionals. Right now teachers are treated like factory workers, but you have to have an incredibly passionate, dedicated and smart teacher in front of every kid." |
|
|
Guests: Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller began his observations with Attorney General Eric Holder, who is under fire on various fronts. "I've been saying for months that this is a 'Kardashinan presidency,'" Miller said, "and I think you should think of Eric Holder as Fredo Kardashian. At this point Holder is like a lanky piñata - I don't think I saw Ken Jennings on Jeopardy as much as I see Eric Holder in front of the Congressional committee. They're coming for you, my friend." Miller also opined on the new Burger King ice cream sundae topped with a strip of bacon. "Somebody finally gets it that there's nothing to top off a sweltering hot mid-August day like some crispy, deep-fried hog fat. Like the Muslim world needs another reason to hate us!" Finally, Miller disagreed with the Massachusetts town that has decided to levy a fine on anyone using profanity, saying, "The government is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and we're letting them get in on everything." |
|
|
Guests: Juliet Huddy
Fox News correspondent Juliet Huddy watched footage of former Secretary of State Colin Powell admitting to college grads that he was a terrible student. "I was a horrible student too," Huddy confessed, "but I worked hard at the subjects I enjoyed. Like Colin Powell said later in the speech, 'it's not where you start, it's what you do along the way and how you finish up.' And he's a guy who should know." The Factor reached a different conclusion, saying, "The dumb kids that I grew up with in my neighborhood are still dumb." |
|
|
Margaret Koonts, Lexington, NC: "As an independent, I say Jeb Bush is right. Republicans are losing ground because some of them want a theocracy."
Ron Fillmore, Centerville, TX: "The GOP has been a party of spineless wimps for too long. We need some backbone to save the country."
Larry Veasman, Ann Arbor, MI: "How does cursing harm children? No word is good or bad. Thoughts make them so." |
|
|
| Wednesday's Patriot: Comic actor Bill Murray, who owns a minor league baseball team and put on a show for the crowd when rain delayed the start of a game. |
|
|