Friday, March 22, 2013
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 political rhetoric gets crazier
"Earlier this week we chastised Michele Bachmann for not being accurate about her lifestyle criticisms of President Obama. Her general point was correct, but valid points are much stronger if you have the facts to back them up. Enter our pal Congressman Charles Rangel, one of the oldest members of the House at age 82. This week he claimed that 'millions of kids' are being shot down by assault weapons. The fact is that in 2011, 8,500 Americans were killed by gunfire, 565 of them children. So Rangel weakens his own argument by being irresponsible. He well knows that millions of children have not been killed by assault weapons, and another far-left zealot, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, knows that 170,000 jobs will not be lost because of the sequester, despite her assertion. Want to win the debate? Wise up, be honest!"
Top Story
How much should we be taxed?
As The Factor reported earlier this week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is calling for a 49% marginal tax rate on ultra-wealthy Americans. David Callahan of the liberal think tank Demos entered the No Spin Zone and endorsed the CPC's proposal. "The idea here is that Donald Trump and his dermatologist shouldn't be paying the same tax rate," Callahan said. "Right now, everybody who makes more than $400,000 a year pays the same rate. It doesn't make sense that somebody making $425,000 pays the same rate as somebody making $400 million. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is only suggesting that we go back to the top tax bracket of the 1980's, which was a pretty good period." The Factor disagreed by asking a rhetorical question: "Does the federal government in a free nation have the moral right to take half your stuff, no matter how much money you make?"
Lou's the Boss Segment
Are heavy taxes an issue of morality?
Fox Business anchor Lou Dobbs entered the No Spin Zone with a view of tax policy far different than David Callahan's. "One example is Obamacare," he began, "which has $700 billion in new taxes over ten years, in addition to the $1.3 billion cost, and these taxes are rolling out on everybody, not just on high earners. David Callahan is a smart guy, but he is really saying, 'I'm entitled to your damned money!' The top 25% of taxpayers are now paying 90% of taxes in this country, which is screwed up. I keep asking the administration and Democrats in Congress what is the percentage they want. They won't answer."
Impact Segment
The Philadelphia abortion doctor trial
Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell is charged murdering seven babies after they had been born alive. The Factor was joined by Horace Cooper of the conservative organization 'Project 21,' who provided the grisly details. "This individual is accused of taking babies late in their term," Cooper said, "and taking sharp instruments and cutting their spines and their throats. This was something worse than 'Silence of the Lambs' - he kept body parts as trophies. We were just outstandingly offended that any person would be this depraved and dark of heart." Cooper also reported that the media, both in Philadelphia and nationally, have been largely silent. "This is another example of how the media is disserving the country. If this were the Trayvon Martin case, we would be given every single aspect, but the media consistently says abortion is good and there are never any problems. This house of pain and torture makes clear that too many people in the abortion industry live off the backs of innocent people."
Fridays with Geraldo Segment
Will Jodie Arias be executed for murder?
The Factor asked Geraldo Rivera for an update on Jodie Arias, the Arizona woman accused of brutally stabbing her boyfriend to death. "The biggest news," Rivera reported, "is that defense psychologist Richard Samuels has just completed one of the longest expert testimonies on record. He suggests that Arias can not remember stabbing her boyfriend because she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and has partial amnesia. The prosecutor in the case wasn't having any of that and suggested that Samuels has kind of fallen in love with Jodie Arias and is not being objective. I think the defendant and the psychologist have laid the foundation for at least one or two jurors to see her as the damsel in distress. I don't think they're even going to get a first-degree murder conviction and there is no way they will put this woman to death!"
What the Heck Just Happened Segment
Upcoming shakeup at NBC?
As is their Friday custom, Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk chimed in with their observations of the week gone by. They began with the news that Jay Leno is being booted from The Tonight Show, to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon. "Leno is 62," Gutfeld pointed out, "which is 134 in TV years, so they're trying to look for a younger demo. They should even go for a 13-year-old host or perhaps Honey Boo Boo because that's the way our culture is going." McGuirk lashed out at NBC. "Leno is about the only thing I like on NBC, which harbors this nexus of smug and sneaky liberals. That includes the news division with Brian Williams and David Gregory and entertainment with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. So I don't like these people and this is a disaster in the making and it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch." The Factor criticized NBC for turning this episode into an embarrassing debacle. "I like Leno, who has always been fair to us, and I don't think they're handling it well. Gutfeld is right that they don't care about ratings anymore - they want little kids to watch and Fallon gets the younger demo."
What the Heck Just Happened, The Sequel
Pinhead of the week!
The boys returned to name the week's most ridiculous buffoons. McGuirk chose Hillary Clinton, who performed an acrobatic 180-degree backflip on the issue of same-sex marriage. "This looked like she was making a hostage tape," McGuirk quipped, "and Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres were off to the side pointing shotguns at her. It just looked so phony and cheesy." Gutfeld went with Bobby Brown, former husband of late Whitney Houston. "He's a washed-up singer, a drunk, a druggie, and a loser. He got his third DUI and was supposed to serve 55 days but got out in 9 hours! They claimed it was because of overcrowding, but this only happens to celebrities." And The Factor singled out convicted murderer and former music producer Phil Spector, who is now the subject of an HBO movie. "This guy was guilty and he's serving 19 years to life. I haven't seen the movie, but I understand that it doesn't really criticize Spector that much. C'mon!"
Factor Mail
Viewers sound off
Howard Powders, Sun City Center, FL: "Bill, there is no campaign against Christians. The reason why 'Easter' is being replaced by 'spring' is to welcome non-Christians who feel left out."

Sergio Wolberg, Miami, FL: "I am a Jew and wish all my Christian friends a Happy Easter."

Easter Collier, Cedar City, UT: "I was born on Easter Sunday and my parents named me Easter. I want to keep my name. Thanks for sticking up for me, Bill."

Harry Taylor, Swannanoa, NC: "O'Reilly, you of all persons should know that Satan exists!"
Tip Of The Day
Speakin' to the former Speaker
The Factor offered some personal advice to Nancy Pelosi: When the press asks you a question that you don't have any idea about, just say that. Don't do what you did this week when you were asked about college basketball and seemed confused.