The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
The Factor Rundown
Thursday: Analyzing the Fight Against ISIS
Why the Presidential Campaign Is So Difficult to Cover
"The latest polling has Donald Trump's unfavorable number at about 70%. Hillary Clinton clocks in at just under 60 percent unfavorable. That's why I believe we may have a low voter turnout in November. In the meantime, I have to cover this race in the fairest way possible. That means no cheap shots, no gotcha stuff, no personal attacks on either candidate. But it also means skepticism about what Trump and Clinton say and do, and challenges to their positions. But with so many Americans not liking the candidates, the concept of fair-play is hard to pull off. The left wants to demonize Trump, and if you don't do that, you are in the tank for him and a very bad person. The right wants to hammer Secretary Clinton on everything, and if you don't do that, you are selling out and a very bad person. Also, if you don't openly root for a candidate, you become suspect in the eyes of their followers. This year it is very personal. Right now politics in the USA is dysfunctional. And here's a big headline today - shortly after the Orlando terror attack Mr. Obama said 'we are making significant progress' against ISIS. But today CIA Director John Brennan said this: 'Our efforts have not reduced the group's terrorism capability and global reach.' Mr. Brennan is absolutely correct in his assessment and Mr. Obama is far too short-sighted on ISIS. That is the truth, but the truth will not be accepted by Obama devotees. Same thing with Hillary, same thing with Trump. Prove all of them wrong, and they are at times, and you will be attacked as a false messenger. Summing up, no longer does the truth set us free. In the current political climate the truth gets you hammered."

FNC's Eric Bolling and Geraldo Rivera entered the No Spin Zone with their analyses. "I take exception with one thing you said," Bolling objected. "I don't think it will be a low turnout election, I think it will be a record high. The primaries proved that people are incensed on both sides and I've lost more friends in this election cycle than ever before." Rivera turned to the discrepancy within the administration regarding ISIS. "The president has a rosy view about his efforts on behalf of the nation in terms of fighting terrorism. But the bigger picture is the bitter partisan divide. After Orlando you've got people like Bolling saying this is about radical Islam, while you have the left saying this is about guns. I agree that the existential threat to our open society is radical Islam's mass killings, but someone on the terror watch list should not be allowed to buy a weapon and 300 rounds of ammunition." Bolling ended the segment with a criticism of President Obama, saying, "John Brennan said today that ISIS is coming in through the refugee program, but President Obama wants to increase the refugee program!"
Why Sanders' Campaign Failed
Despite his massive rallies and widespread support among young voters, Bernie Sanders was finally vanquished by Hillary Clinton. The Factor theorized, "Sanders could have won had he developed any kind of anti-terrorist strategy." But Sanders supporters Nina Turner and Angie Morelli insisted that he actually had a viable plan. "Senator Sanders talked about building coalitions with the Arab nations in the Middle East," Turner said, "and he stated very clearly that the United States can not do it alone." Morelli vigorously defended Sanders' diplomatic and multi-national approach. "We have seen both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton agree that we should continue bombing these countries as a solution. But violence begets violence, this is doing nothing other than making the entire situation worse."
U.S. Ineffective in Fighting ISIS
As mentioned in the Talking Points Memo, CIA Director John Brennan paints an ominous picture of the ISIS threat. The Factor spoke about that with Hassan Hassan, who wrote a book about ISIS. "The problem with the left in general," Hassan declared, "is that they like slogans more than policies that work, they don't have the stomach necessary to fight the kind of war that would defeat ISIS. They pulled out of Iraq and they allowed ISIS to take over two-thirds of Syria. There needs to be a campaign to defeat ISIS, but the Obama administration undersold the threat of ISIS and now they are overselling the progress being made." The Factor concurred, saying, "There is a movement on the left to downplay the ISIS threat."
Spinning the Orlando Terror Attack
Fox News anchor Eric Shawn joined The Factor and examined some of the more outrageous post-Orlando editorials. He began with the far-left publication Think Progress, which blamed Christianity for the attack. "They said that radical Islam is not more violent against LGBT people than conservative Christians," Shawn groused. "Another article in Teen Vogue claims that 'American culture fuels homophobia,' and a writer named Amanda Marcotte at Salon also blamed Christianity." Turning to another subject, FNC's Shannon Bream reported on a new study involving rodents and mobile phones. "If you are a male rat who overuses your cell phone, there is a chance that you could develop a tumor. They exposed rats to cell phone radiation for nine hours a day for two years. But the interesting thing is that the rats who were not exposed to the radiation died sooner!"
Did Donald Trump Exploit the Media?
Some political observers complain that Donald Trump played the media like a fiddle, using wall-to-wall coverage to garner the Republican nomination. The Factor asked Bernie Goldberg to opine. "In the early stages of the campaign," Goldberg said, "Donald Trump got more positive coverage because he was new and different and a reality TV show guy. He also got coverage because he was so entertaining. But now he's not new or different and the coverage will be relentlessly negative. Whenever the Republicans pick their nominee, the Democrat always gets much better coverage than the Republican."
Gutfeld and McGuirk Greatest Hits
With Bernard McGuirk and Greg Gutfeld both MIA Thursday, The Factor introduced one of their more memorable exchanges, when the boys opined on Hillary Clinton's victory: "This should be a great moment for her, but nobody really cares. It's like you finally go to Club Med and you get a cold sore. That's how it is for her, the joy is out of it. Meanwhile, Sanders has almost become the nominee, which is like the Unabomber becoming the president of Tinder." McGuirk eagerly referred to Hillary Clinton's legal problems. "She's the first presumptive nominee to be under FBI investigation. And is it a surprise that 'crooked Hillary' won in New Jersey, the state that gave us The Sopranos?"
Viewers Sound Off
Factor Words of the Day
Jon Hermstad, Los Alamitos, CA: "O'Reilly, after all your big hype about how you would quiz Paul Ryan, you were a failure."

L. Taylor, Palm Harbor, FL: "Bill, great job interviewing the Speaker. After listening to him answer your questions, I see all talk, little action."

John Thomas, Bakersfield, CA: "Bill, you interrupted the second person in line to become president."
The Revolutionary Second Amendment
If you have studied American history, you understand that the Revolutionary War and the need for patriots to arm themselves led directly to the Second Amendment.