Monday, January 4, 2016
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
The Biggest Political Story In America
"Both political parties are helping Donald Trump dominate the polls. The Democrat and Republican establishments may propel a tough-talking political novice into the White House. On the GOP side, our pal George Will epitomizes what's going on. He concludes that if Trump wins the nomination, the Republican Party will be destroyed. Will fashions himself a Republican intellectual, dishing out conservative theory and using as many big words as possible. But when it comes to solving problems that drive right-leaning Americans nuts, he offers little. He is not alone. The Republican establishment in Washington has not dealt effectively with the vexing problems that are causing great anger among some GOP voters. On the Democratic side, things are even worse. Since President Obama took office, the party has moved sharply left. The party supports anarchy by promoting sanctuary cities and fails to confront ISIS in ways that would crush the savages. While Mr. Obama and the Democratic establishment seek to contain the mass murderers, intelligent people understand that evil cannot be contained, it must be destroyed. While Democrats embrace a phony war on women in the USA, thousands of innocent women are being raped and tortured by ISIS fanatics. Therefore, a guy like Trump gains support from voters fed up with the obvious failings of both parties. It really doesn't matter if his rhetoric is far-fetched, some folks simply want confrontational talk. Watchful Americans know the economy is shaky, the jihad is on the march and illegal immigration continues without restraint. The country is in trouble. The establishment has failed. And here comes Donald Trump."
Top Story
Trump in the Zone
The Factor welcomed Donald Trump and invited him to look ahead to 2016. "The election is obviously going to be very important," Trump began, "and hopefully I'll get in and we will straighten a lot of things out. The economy is important, but above all it's security. Wherever I go, people want to hear about safety and security. They want to hear about the border and building the wall to keep the drugs and the bad dudes out. They also want to hear about how we are going to destroy ISIS." The Republican front-runner then opined on the escalating tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia. "Iran wants Saudi Arabia's oil and money and a lot of other things. The Saudis don't survive without us, and the question is at what point do we get involved? I would protect Saudi Arabia, but they will have to help us economically."
Impact Segment
Both Parties in Chaos
Charles Krauthammer, who has engaged in a verbal feud with Donald Trump, joined The Factor to opine on Trump's enduring popularity. "This has been a feckless presidency," Dr. K began, "and I don't think it's so much anger that is behind the Trump phenomenon, it's a sense of drift and decline. The anger is on the Democratic side with the Bernie Sanders phenomenon. His anger is that we are being swindled, that the system is rigged, and that the rich are robbing you. That's raw anger. But Trump is reacting to the fact that the country has become weak and has lost respect around the world." The Factor concurred, saying, "A lot of voters, mostly Republicans, perceive the country as weak, and they look to a guy like Trump."
Factor Followup
Marco Rubio Speaks Out
Another Republican hopeful, Senator Marco Rubio, entered the No Spin Zone and spoke about his escalating feud with fellow Senator Ted Cruz. "Ted Cruz is in favor of a budget that undermines defense spending and intelligence gathering," Rubio groused, "and that means we can't destroy ISIS. There is a difference of opinion in our party about how much money we should spend on the military. We are on the verge of having the oldest and smallest Air Force in American history, and it is beyond me how any Republican can support these defense cuts. I like Ted Cruz as a person, this is nothing personal." Rubio also stressed the vast importance of the impending primaries and general election. "We have had seven years of a president who has tried to fundamentally change America and we can not afford to get this election wrong."
Impact Segment
Factor Analysis
The Factor asked Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham to assess the Rubio interview and the state of the campaign. "Marco Rubio has a lot of things that are very appealing in a traditional political year," Ham said. "He has natural political ability, he's a likeable guy, and he's being specific. But this is not a traditional year and so Rubio is plugging along but not quite getting the springboard effect. It doesn't feel like he is tapping into the same thing that Donald Trump is." Williams averred that the GOP is in a state of utter chaos. "The Republican base has divorced the Republican establishment. The voters are overwhelmingly with the rebel force. People are angry, but you don't see Democrats reject their leading candidate Hillary Clinton." But The Factor reminded Williams that some Democrats are also in open rebellion, saying, "Bernie Sanders is a socialist nut and he has 35% of the Democratic vote."
Hume Zone
Executive Action on Guns
As soon as he returned from vacation, President Obama announced that he may use executive action to enact some restrictions on firearms. Fox News analyst Brit Hume scrutinized the president's goals. "These measures that he will try to put into effect just don't amount to very much," Hume asserted. "This certainly doesn't even come close to the kind of gun control he would really like to do and which he tried to do. He failed because Congress wasn't buying it." The Factor took aim at the ideas proposed by gun control advocates. "This is perhaps the most politicized issue in the country today. The president is so anti-gun and he thinks these kind of measures will stop mass killings, but they won't. Criminals won't go through background checks, they'll buy guns on the black market."
Watters' World
The Force Awakens
Jesse Watters headed over to a local cineplex and talked with some moviegoers who had just seen the latest mega-hit in the Star Wars franchise. "It was amazing, by far the best one," one amateur critic said, echoing what was a common point of view. Unfortunately, one Star Wars fan claimed our galaxy revolves around the earth and others had absolutely no idea how many planets are in our solar system. Even worse, a couple of folks were pretty darned sure that the first man to set foot on the moon was Lance Armstrong. Apparently those steroids really work!
Factor Mail
Viewers Sound Off
Darold Schnell, South Korea: "I am a 53 year old white man who is angry. I believe that if you are not angry with the way the government is run - you are part of the problem."

John Manley, San Jacinto, CA: "My Christmas present was two tickets to see the 'Who Wants to be President' show in Los Angeles. Best present ever!"
Tip of the Day
Tweets For The Sweet
Follow Bill on Twitter because he has resolved to pump out more tweets in the coming year. @OReillyFactor is the place to go.