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| 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.
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"Congratulations to President-elect Obama and to Senator McCain, who was gracious in defeat. Obama defeated the Clinton machine and the Republicans largely because the hard left supported him with money and workers on the ground. Now the far-left is going to want payback, which puts President Obama in a very difficult position. If he further escalates the enormous federal deficit by massive funding of entitlement programs, Talking Points believes the dollar and the economy will completely collapse. But if Obama does not try to institute an entitlement culture, the far left will scream very loudly. And if Obama begins to work against traditional values, he'll lose support fast. Talking Points believes America is still a center-right country, even though the folks voted left last night. Our focus now is to report on exactly what President Obama is doing and what it means to you. However, we are not going to nitpick or demonize Obama because that's not fair. We will report on him with a clear voice and a clear head."
The Factor asked former Bush advisor Karl Rove about the prospect of greater national unity under Barack Obama. "I love my country and I want my president to succeed," Rove began. "I was there when President Bush came in and a lot of people said we'll never accept him as president. When Barack Obama takes the oath of office, it's the obligation of every American to give him a chance." Rove added Barack Obama will face tremendous challenges immediately. "A new president gets pushed and pulled in so many different ways. For 21 months we've heard the 'poetry' of change, and now it's time for the prosaic phase of governing." The Factor reminded Rove that Barack Obama remains an enigma. "I've been covering this guy for a couple of years, but I don't know who he is or what he's going to do. And I do know there's a lot of pressure on him from far-left kooks." |
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| Political analyst Dick Morris entered the No Spin Zone with his take on Barack Obama's first move, the reported selection of Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff. "It's a horrible choice," Morris pronounced. "He is the sharpest, most aggressive partisan in the Democratic Party. He's a take-no-prisoner partisan who has always been far more interested Rahm Emanuel than in the fate of the president he serves. Obama will find he has a chief-of-staff who is far more loyal to his journalistic sources than to the president." Morris added that Obama will be forced to govern as an economic centrist. "He's taking office like a conservator in a bankruptcy. His liberal ideology won't have any check in Congress, but it will in reality." |
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| Ultra-liberal Congressman Dennis Kucinich predicted that Obama will not waste time on ideological struggles. "We've got to focus on this economy," Kucinich said. "Investors are having trouble getting confidence because you have the government picking winners and losers, and the bailout was wrong to begin with. Millions of Americans' homes are in jeopardy and we have to direct loan modifications to keep people in their homes. This isn't about left-right, the party's going to have to unite behind Barack Obama." The Factor pointed out that even economic issues have ideological divisions. "You are going to have tension because there are a bunch of promises by Barack Obama that he is going fund all kinds of programs and add another trillion dollars to the deficit. A lot of Americans are very uneasy about his governance - he's got to prove to the American people, to the markets and to the world that he's up for this." |
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| Taking his turn in the No Spin Zone, Democrat and FNC analyst Howard Wolfson suggested that Barack Obama will eagerly reach across the aisle. "We're going to give middle class tax cuts," Wolfson said, "and Senator Obama is going to invest in roads and bridges and the infrastructure that has been neglected. They are not going to make the mistakes Democrats made before, this is going to be a progressive administration that governs from the center and reaches out to Republicans." The Factor urged Democrats not to overreach on social issues. "I'm not going to be down with 'San Francisco values,' I'm not going to be down with quasi-socialism." |
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| John McCain and Sarah Palin have denied reports that there was tension between them. But FNC correspondent Carl Cameron, who followed the McCain campaign, reported that problems began soon after Palin was added to the ticket. "Some people in the McCain campaign," Cameron said, "say were gaps in her knowledge. She didn't know the nations involved in the North American Free Trade Agreement, and we're told she didn't understand that Africa was a continent. All of these things caused great doubts." Cameron added that, according to his sources, Palin was difficult to handle. "She refused preparation for the Katie Couric interview and that's when the rift developed. There were times she was so nasty to staff that they were almost reduced to tears. They've suggested that she was a bit of a shopaholic and bought a lot of extra clothes. There is a lot of backbiting going on here." |
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| Finally, The Factor invited Bernie Goldberg to dissect the coverage of Barack Obama's victory, including the black network reporter who fought back tears. "I understand the historical significance of what happened," Goldberg said, "and I think that was a very touching story. But if this reporter has to cover Obama at any point, how can we trust him? I don't want to hear reporters tell me they're thrilled that Obama won the election." Goldberg indicted the media for its overall coverage. "This was the campaign where reporters 'jumped the shark' and became advocates for one of the two candidates. Over 60% of Democrats and independents say the media was in the tank for Barack Obama. If they don't have credibility with Democrats and independents, who do they have credibility with?" The Factor agreed that media bias hit an all time high, but defended the ABC reporter. "I didn't think that correspondent did anything wrong. It was genuine emotion and you can understand where he's coming from. But the values you and I were trained with are gone and they're never coming back." |
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| Wednesday's Patriots: San Francisco voters, who refused to legalize prostitution, rejected a call to name a sewage treatment plant after President Bush, and said 'no' to a proposed ban on ROTC recruiting in schools. And the Pinhead: Al Franken, who apparently lost a squeaker to incumbent Senator Norm Coleman. |
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Bill McNamara, New Britain, CT: "Mr. O'Reilly, when you told Brit Hume and Chris Wallace that no one liked you, guess what, you were right."
Cindy Banzhoff, Hagerstown, MD: "Bill, the Factor reported the Presidential race in a thorough and unbiased manner. We're counting on you to continue that with President Obama."
Fernando Hertlein, Highlands Ranch, CO: "Mr. O, when the Fairness Doctrine is signed by Obama, will you call your program the 'Half Factor?'"
Delores Ratzburg, Springfield, MO: "O'Reilly, when I watch you and Dennis Miller together, I feel like I'm eavesdropping on two 16-year-olds."
Liz Bio, Naples, FL: "I want to thank you and Miller for the laughs. Boy, do we need them." |
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