Thursday, January 29, 2009
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
Are you worried about your financial future?
"There are Americans who simply can't help themselves, and the nobility of this country is that we help people in need. Enter the massive federal stimulus spending bill. Talking Points believes the government must step in and provide some temporary relief - the domino effect of massive unemployment is simply too destructive. But the left wants to use the massive spending bill to drastically increase entitlements and to shift away from fossil fuels. Those things may be worthy, but shouldn't be part of a recession-busting plan. All the Republicans in the House voted against the package, and we hope the Senate will strip the bill of all theoretical spending. Talking Points believes that many Americans are rapidly losing faith in the political system because it is full of deceit like this. President Obama is rolling the dice with his future right now, so for self-preservation he must insist the money allocated go for jobs and the stability of the financial system, not for a liberal utopian vision."
Top Story
Blagojevich defends himself at impeachment trial
Despite his personal appeal to the Illinois State Senate, Governor Rod Blagojevich was voted out of office Thursday afternoon. The Factor asked veteran Chicago journalist Walter Jacobson about the state's political morass. "Having watched Rod Blagojevich very carefully for six years," Jacobson said, "I can say that he wasn't much good at what he did because the state is in a mess. There is a culture of corruption here that is due in part to the media's failure to pin politicians down." But Democratic strategist Marj Halperin argued that Illinois is no different from most other states. "Our politics are a lot like politics around the country - people are presented with candidates, we have a media campaign, and the people vote." The Factor vehemently disputed that assertion. "If I had to bet, I'd say Blagojevich is going to prison, so that's five governors in the state of Illinois who have been jailed. There is a culture of corruption that began with Al Capone and prohibition and continues to this day."
Week in Review Segment
Laura Ingraham: GOP votes against stimulus bill
The Factor welcomed FNC contributor Laura Ingraham, who applauded House Republicans for unanimously opposing the stimulus package. "We need to increase consumer spending and business spending," Ingraham said, "to create jobs and economic growth. The fastest way to affect this economy positively would be for Barack Obama to say there needs to be an immediate freeze on capital gains and dividends taxes. If businesses and individuals knew that for the next two years the government was going to get serious about trusting them with their own money, that would shoot the market up overnight. This 'stimulus' bill is a fraud and the people are beginning to realize that."
Personal Story Segment
Identifying major economic villains
The Factor asked Fox Business Network anchors Cheryl Casone and Dagan McDowell to identify America's most villainous business leaders. Casone began with former Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld: "The guy who was running their commercial real estate business warned Fuld that real estate was heading south, so Dick Fuld fired him. But he has plenty of houses and tons of money." McDowell singled out former Federal Reserve boss Alan Greenspan: "He kept interest rates too low for too long and fueled the housing bubble." Casone moved on to former Citigroup exec Robert Rubin: "He pushed them into mortgage backed securities and risky stuff, and Citigroup is down 85%. But Rubin made almost a $500 million." McDowell then named former Countrywide Financial boss Angelo Mozilo: "He turned it into the biggest mortgage lender in the country by making loans that turned out to be toxic, but he made a half-billion dollars over five years." Former Bear Sterns CEO Jimmy Cayne and notorious fund manager Bernie Madoff were also mentioned, after which The Factor summarized the gross malfeasance: "These guys hurt everybody by their incompetence and corruption, yet they took out baskets of money. We're going to deal with these guys."
Impact Segment
Is meat a good idea?
The animal rights group PETA has created ads claiming that vegetarians have better sex lives than meat-eaters. The Factor asked two experts whether meat is actually deleterious to one's health. "PETA has lost its way," accused nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot. "They are trying to say that eating meat leads to erectile dysfunction, but that is completely unfounded. Many vegan diets lack essential nutrients that increase sexual drive." But diet book author Rory Freedman urged everyone to eschew meat and chew vegetables. "I have problems with eating animals, and the first one for me is the ethical issue. Animals killed for food are killed in ways that we can't even show on TV." The Factor criticized PETA for employing bullying tactics. "I eat meat and I resent being told by PETA that I'm some kind of savage for doing it."
The Kelly File Segment
Court rules that school can eject lesbians, more
Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly opined on a private school in California that expelled two teen girls who were reportedly in love with one another. "The students sued the school," Kelly explained, "claiming discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. They lost because the California law that governs this only applies to businesses, and a private school is like a private club." Kelly also denounced Britney Spears for thinly disguising a four-letter word in her song "If U Seek Amy." "I find this pathetic," Kelly declared. "She's spelling out the 'f' word, it's an obvious cry for attention and an attempt to be provocative. It's not even clever."
Back of Book Segment
Reality Check: US Airways clarifies
Former President Jimmy Carter has declared that Hamas, which is often considered a terrorist organization, is trustworthy. The Factor's check: "If Hamas were shooting rockets into Plains, Georgia, I bet Mr. Carter would have a different take." On another subject, US Airways maintains that "the compressor stall on January 13th is not related to the failure of both engines on January 15th." The Factor's check: "We hope that is true and we thank US Air for the statement." Finally, The Factor offered this check on January's cable news ratings: "Fox News prime time was ranked third in the whole cable world, beating everybody but USA and TNT. The Factor was #1 in our time slot for the 98th straight month - we beat CNN by 143% and the failing MSNBC by 121%."
Pinheads and Patriots
Sylvester Stallone & Obama impersonator
Thursday's Patriot: Sylvester Stallone, who championed Bill as the "next president." And the Pinhead: The Obama impersonator whose Internet video portrays the president gyrating to a Beyonce tune.
Factor Mail
Viewers sound off
Scott Riebel, Colorado Springs, CO: "PETA now stands for 'Promoting Explicit Tasteless Ads!'"

Sam Aloisi, Plymouth, MA: "Bill, you missed the irony. PETA is pandering to people's animal instincts."

Patricia Demase, Richmond, VA: "I just want to make sure no vegetables were harmed in the making of that ad."

Audrey Stearns, Erie, CO: "Mr. O'Reilly, I am 11 and think you should not quit your radio show. I saw my mom was upset."