Monday, January 27, 2014
On The O'Reilly Factor...
Segment Summaries
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.
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Civil war in Washington D.C.
Guest: Brit Hume
"The President will give his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday and Talking Points predicts that many Americans will not pay attention. That's because the USA is stuck, little is getting done in DC, and the folks are getting sick and tired of the logjam. Mr. Obama has promised that if Congress does not cooperate more with him, he will sign a bunch of executive orders getting things done by fiat. Barack Obama hasn't been crazy with the executive order business, but now he is under siege. All the polls show that his approval rating is low and his credibility has been damaged. The President has the very difficult task of trying to convince Americans that his administration will solve vexing problems going forward. One of the big concerns with the President's tenure so far has been his inability to persuade Congress to give him a break. Even if he uses executive orders, his presidency will not be successful until he reaches some kind of detente with Congress. That is an exceedingly difficult task because Republicans smell blood in the water and are in no mood to expand the federal government the way the President wants. Barack Obama is not in a good place and his job Tuesday night is to begin to turn it all around."

The Factor was joined by FNC's Brit Hume, who also looked ahead to Tuesday night's State of the Union address. "He has a tall order," Hume began, "and I don't know how much he can really do in a speech. These State of the Union addresses tend to make news for a few days but then are quickly forgotten. The President is talking about what he can do with a pen and a phone, but the cold reality is that there is not much he can do. Presidents must go to Congress to get the authority to do anything big, you can't do much without legislative authority."
Impact Segment
Tough Political Talk
Guests: Juan Williams & Mary Katharine Ham
In defending his Republican Party against charges that it is anti-woman, Senator Rand Paul brought up President Clinton and accused him of "predatory behavior" in the Monica Lewinsky affair. Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams opined on Paul's accusations. "Rand Paul is a loyal Republican," Williams said, "and his party is facing devastation in 2016, a tsunami of women voters who will vote for Hillary Clinton. And the Republicans are pressing for invasive ultrasound and saying Obamacare shouldn't deliver on contraception for women." Ham accused Democrats of manufacturing a phony controversy. "The allegation is that if you disagree with Democrats on policy and whether everyone should pay for everyone else's birth control, that's a 'war on women.' Hillary Clinton's allies will say that everything is a 'war on women.' If you're attacking her over Benghazi or disagree with her on health care, that will be a 'war on women.'" The Factor agreed that the so-called "war" is a political device, saying, "The 'war on women' is a successful propaganda campaign, but it's a contrived situation.""
Personal Story Segment
Presidential Politics
Guest: Karl Rove
The Factor asked Republican strategist Karl Rove to analyze Hillary Clinton's emerging campaign organization. "She is sucking up all the money and attention," Rove said, "but there may be a price to be paid for that. Democrats are saying, 'Shouldn't she be focused on 2014, is this all about her, or is it about our candidates for the Senate?' If there's a big loss for the Democrats this year, they're going to point fingers and say she didn't help us." Rove also insisted that he is not leaning toward any Republican hopeful. "I don't have a guy and the Republicans don't have a guy, we have a large field of contenders. Republicans want the potential candidates to help re-elect the House, grab the Senate, and keep the governorships we have."
Unresolved Problems Segment
Young Girls at Risk
Guest: Elayne Bennett
The Factor welcomed Elayne Bennett, whose new book "Daughters in Danger" lays out some of the problems facing American girls, including the use and abuse of technology. "85% of middle school students have cell phones," she said, "and they're on them constantly. That gives rise to some negative behaviors - if someone wants to say something negative about another girl, it gets into the network and everybody knows about it. There's also the anonymity when girls start smear campaigns, and we know of girls who have committed suicide because of the trauma. Young girls are not prepared to deal with the kind of negativity that can come through the use of texting and social media that is so prevalent." The Factor lamented the fact that technology has led to so much suffering: "The cruelty level among teenage girls has been there forever, but it's a lot harder to be cruel face-to-face with someone."

Get more info about the book here on BillOReilly.com
Weekdays with Bernie Segment
Big Super Bowl Interview
Guest: Bernie Goldberg
A far-left writer named Steve Almond wrote an article saying Americans should eschew the Super Bowl, which he calls a "proxy" for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Factor invited Bernie Goldberg to opine. "I watch a lot of football," Goldberg began, "and I have never thought of it as a proxy for the wars. My guess is that unless you reside on a liberal college campus, you haven't thought of it that way either. But he makes the interesting point that football players have suffered catastrophic brain injuries from playing in the NFL. This is not a crazy position, but if you follow his logic it means you can't watch college football or high school football or boxing or mixed martial arts. His position is fine for him, but I and millions of others get too much pleasure from watching." Goldberg also suggested a question for the upcoming interview with President Obama. "I would suggest that you ask him this: 'Mr. President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs told you that the attack in Benghazi was a terrorist attack while it was going on, yet for weeks you and people who report to you misled the American people. Why did you allow the people to be misled?'" The Factor concluded, "That's a good question but it's long and I only have 15 minutes."
Watters' World Segment
Bridgegate Follow Up
Guest: Jesse Watters
With New Jersey Governor Chris Christie under fire because his aides ordered lanes closed on the George Washington Bridge, Jesse Watters headed across that very bridge to interrogate some Garden State residents. Some of their reactions: "It took me two hours to go six miles" ... "I wanted to rip the steering wheel out of the car" ... "Everybody's all bent out of shape over a little bit of traffic, they're making a big issue out of nothing." Watters concluded with some poll data involving Governor Christie's presidential prospects. "In December Christie was leading Hillary Clinton, but after the scandal he's down eight points, so it has taken a toll. He's lost a lot of political capital, but he can still get it back."
Tip Of The Day
Reflecting on the Rear View Mirror
We should always respect our past, both the good and the bad, and the people who have shaped our lives.
Factor Mail
Viewers sound off
Pastor Ric Swaningson, West Allis, WI: "Mr. O'Reilly, your Talking Points memo entitled 'Why Americans don't want to be told what to do' was the most powerful commentary you have ever delivered. That memo should be reported over and over."

Tom Mulligan, Chatham, NJ: "Bill, you're half right. Perhaps the silent majority don't want the government to interfere in their lives. However, the Obama era has demonstrated that many people are eager to be dependent on government."

Jim Edison, Superior, MT: "When was the last time we heard a fat joke about a woman or a person of color? Political correctness says you can only attack white men."

Ray Younker, Spokane, WA: "Any fat joke aimed at one person is an insult aimed at every overweight person."
Books Mentioned


Daughters in Danger: Helping Our Girls Thrive in Today's Culture
by Elayne Bennett

Read more...