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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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"I have supported the Tea Party because I believe it empowers individual Americans, always a good thing. Also, the Tea Party wants fiscal responsibility and a smaller federal government. But now the Tea Party has come to a crossroads - some of its members simply do not want to raise the debt ceiling and that could be catastrophic. There is a way to raise the debt ceiling while drastically cutting federal spending and reforming the tax code, so the Tea Party should reassess the issue. 19% of voters consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement, which is not enough to carry the day on anything. If the Tea Party is perceived as unreasonable, it will not grow any larger. In fact, if a compromise on the debt is not reached and the economy gets even worse, the Tea Party will be blamed. The Tea Party could become a tremendous force for good, but it could also evaporate. Most Americans do not like extremism in politics - we need a sane compromise and tough economic reform. I hope the Tea Party will be a part of it."
The Factor was joined by conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, who evaluated the Talking Points Memo. "You seem to be buying into the elite talking points on the Tea Party movement," Ingraham scolded, "which is the idea that the Tea Party is being radical or unreasonable merely because it believes the government should live within its means and we should have visible, real and meaningful cuts in spending. The Tea Party is the only reason we're even discussing raising the debt ceiling in conjunction with cuts." The Factor reiterated that some Tea Party-supported legislators "are saying they're not going to vote for a compromise, no matter what it is, but 66% of Americans say they want a compromise." |
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| Returning for a second segment, Laura turned to her feud with some rappers, which began when she chastised the Today Show for featuring profane girlfriend-beating Chris Brown. "We decided to take on NBC for showcasing Chris Brown," Ingraham reported. "We know he's a popular recording artist, but it's a useful conversation to look at what his music represents, especially after he beat up his girlfriend Rihanna. His lyrics continue to echo this very negative and depraved attitude towards women." The Factor contended that the controversy has been good for book sales: "He did you a favor because your book, 'Of Thee I Zing,' is all about what you see as a cultural decline." Ingraham also revealed that some of her jewelry was recently stolen from her luggage. "What we found out," she reported, "is that once that baggage goes down that conveyor belt there are no cameras. So if criminals are taking stuff out of bags, then someone could introduce something into a bag, which is obviously a security issue." |
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| President Obama has presented himself as the voice of moderation on the debt crisis, but under his watch the national debt has increased by $4.1 billion a day. The Factor asked Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney for his prescription. "I say compromise," Varney declared, "and avoid at all costs a downgrade of America's financial reputation or any chance of a default on our loans. What is really worrisome is the pace at which we're expanding our debt, which makes a downgrade more likely. The deficit today is 10 times bigger than it was in 2007!" Varney also reported on his interview with Republican Congressman Allen West, who called Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz "vile, unprofessional, and despicable." "Congressman West responded very forcefully," Varney said, "because I think he felt his honor as a human being had been impugned by Wasserman Schultz. He is a military guy and a very blunt guy and I don't think he should have apologized. I'm sick and tired of politicians apologizing, which is meaningless." |
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| Casey Anthony is in hiding, but widespread fascination with her case endures. The Factor was joined by FNC's Geraldo Rivera, who has taken heat for sympathizing with Anthony's defense team. "Of all the reporters in this nation and this world," Rivera stated, "I think I have been the fairest and one of the few not to exaggerate the prosecution's preposterous claims or to denigrate all of the defense allegations. She never should have been accused with capital murder, and I had it right! People are so shocked because they listened to the cable mongers on other networks who drummed up a lynch mob." But Rivera stopped short of proclaiming Casey Anthony's innocence. "I have said that her behavior was reprehensible and I have said that it is probable that she had something to do with the death of that child, either by accident or by her own hand. I hope she retrieves her life and can put it together." |
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| Culture Warriors Leslie Marshall and Margaret Hoover reacted to a report showing that one in four Americans engages in binge drinking. "The numbers actually aren't that bad," Hoover said, "and drinking and drug use among young people is actually going down. But I agree that medical marijuana is the biggest ruse that we've got going in this country." Marshall theorized that Americans have always done things, even negative things, in a big way. "As much as I love my nation and my fellow Americans, we have a society of excessiveness. We drink to excess - in college people were drinking until they passed out or threw up." Marshall also endorsed the idea that the federal government should provide free birth control to every woman who wants it. "The cost up front," she said, "is very little compared to the savings in the long run. There are going to be fewer abortions, fewer people on welfare and Medicaid." Hoover promptly and forcefully disagreed. "I am all for lower priced birth control, but I don't think the government should pay for it. Liberals always want to throw money at a problem to fix it." |
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| Steve Doocy and Martha MacCallum, both inarguably incorruptible, tested their knowledge of some less-upright folks. Among the questions: "Kenneth Starr, who investigated Bill Clinton's actions in the Lewinsky scandal, is president of which college?" ... "Bernie Madoff victimized which actor in his Ponzi scheme?" ... "President Kennedy's father Joe had a lengthy affair with which actress?" McCallum answered the final question correctly, if painfully slowly, to salvage a tie. |
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Debbie Schoene, St. Charles, MO: "If Michele Bachmann raised five children and 23 foster children, the headaches couldn't be too debilitating."
Sam Aloisi, Plymouth, MA: "A president who gets migraines is better than one who gives them."
Crystal Newsome, New York, NY: "Bill, I just saw two wealthy guys, you and Lou Dobbs, whining about what those living under the poverty line have in their homes. Please continue with the elitist viewpoints." |
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| Thursday's Patriot: Juan Williams' wife Delise, who complained that NPR staffers treated her shabbily in social situations and added that she has been treated far better by the good folks at Fox News. |
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