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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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Guests: Monica Crowley & Alan Colmes
"A new Gallup Poll shows that just 41% of Americans approve of President Obama's job performance, while 53% disapprove. Some on the far left are disappointed because President Obama is not radical enough. They despise the war on terror, do not want any meaningful surveillance, and generally oppose the capitalistic system. While their numbers are small, they get a lot of attention because there are some very wealthy people behind the movement. Does President Obama care a whit about what the far left thinks? I don't think so, because it has little to do with his quest for 'social justice.' Barack Obama understands the terror threat and has been aggressive in using drones to neutralize it. He also understands that a robust surveillance apparatus is necessary to stop terror attacks. One side note: The far left doesn't really care if we're attacked because they believe the USA is the root cause of worldwide terrorism. But the majority of Americans are not ideologues - they just want some security and prosperity. But for the zealots, economic problems are not important. They want an entirely different America, and it is clear that President Obama is not going to deliver that."
Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley joined The Factor to assess the Talking Points Memo. "I disagree with your characterization of the 'far left,'" Colmes protested. "I'm on the far left on certain issues, but that doesn't make me a radical. Nor does it mean that everyone on the left doesn't care about America being attacked or doesn't believe in capitalism. That's not a fair characterization. But we do live in a surveillance state and we shouldn't." But Crowley characterized many on the left as true radicals. "Those on the extremist left are essentially revolutionaries. Their frustration is not that Barack Obama is sort of a moderate, their frustration is that Barack Obama is engaging in this revolutionary activity a little too slowly for their timeline." The Factor took both Colmes and Crowley to the proverbial woodshed, saying, "You're both locked into an ideology that you justify no matter what the facts are." |
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Guest: Dr. Stephen Cohen
On Monday's program Charles Krauthammer skewered former Princeton professor Stephen Cohen, who accused the American media of misrepresenting Vladimir Putin. Cohen entered the No Spin Zone and explained why, in his view, Putin is not a tyrant. "He is an authoritarian leader," Cohen conceded, "but I see the issue differently. I see the United States having more dangerous problems in the world than we had during the Cold War, and I see Russia as a potential partner in alleviating those dangers. I see the Putin-bashing that's going on, by Charles Krauthammer last night for example, as an obstacle to American national security. National security requires our president to cooperate with the Russians." The Factor took issue with Cohen's benign description of Vladimir Putin: "He throws journalists in jail, he passes anti-gay legislation. What does it take in your mind to be a tyrant? He is a murderer that you don't get in bed with because he might be able to lessen tensions someplace else." |
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Guest: Anna Saladin
There are more than 2-million active Girl Scouts, and more than 50-million American women are former Scouts. The venerable organization has lately been accused of promoting some far-left causes. The Factor pursued the issue with Ann Saladin, founder of a group that monitors the Scouts. "The organization claims it does not take positions on birth control, human sexuality, and abortion," Saladin asserted, "but there is a preponderance of examples of advocacy on these issues. For example, the Girl Scouts recommend that girls study a list of 13 speeches by 'elegant women.' One of those speeches is by Margaret Sanger, who advocates for birth control. They also have a book for girls that thanks Gloria Steinem for her 'visionary contributions' as a women's rights activist." The Factor suggested that Saladin and her allies may be overstating the problem: "One out of thirteen speakers being liberal doesn't seem to be over-the-top, I don't know if that's enough to pull my daughter out of the Girl Scouts." |
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Guest: John Stossel
Fox Business host John Stossel laid out some of his libertarian views on opportunity in modern America. "We ought to be equal under the law," he proclaimed, "but otherwise we are not going to be equal. And when government tries to make us equal, the politically connected become more equal than others. What's evil is when government takes our money by force and gives it to the politically connected, and what matters is that we have income mobility, and we still do in America. Pew Research shows that most kids eventually move out of the income bracket they are born in." The Factor concurred that America is still the land of opportunity, saying, "The country's structure allows you and me and everyone else to achieve tremendous things." |
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Guests: Kimberly Guilfoyle & Lis Wiehl
Legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle surveilled the spy cameras that are being put up in American airports. "You don't have an expectation of privacy in an airport," Wiehl said, "which is a public forum. They can put video cameras or sensors anywhere and you can not go back and say you expected to have some privacy. But if you're in a bathroom stall you can argue that you're in a private place, not a public place." Guilfoyle warned that security cameras are only going to become more prevalent. "You're going to see a lot more of this. They have a compelling reason to justify it and it's going to be difficult to make a case against this." |
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Guest: Bernie Goldberg
LAs Jimmy Fallon takes over for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, FNC's Bernie Goldberg examined the political ramifications of late night talk shows. "There have been academic studies about the political influence of late night comedy," Goldberg reported. "If you or I are watching and a late-night host slimes a political figure, it doesn't have much much influence because we follow the news. But if the viewer is young and doesn't follow the news, then it can have a very negative effect. There's no question that the slime can seep into the bloodstream of American culture." The Factor lamented that the hosts tend to pick on the same targets: "They all gang up on a politician, usually a conservative, and then it goes out on all the websites. It's all over the world that this person is a moron! The impact can destroy." |
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Brad Fregger, Austin, TX: " Bill, you're so over the top about the Internet that you can't even see it is a boon to humanity. The ignorant and lazy will always be with us, and if they didn't have the Net to abuse they'd abuse something else."
Ken Cousson, West Columbia, SC: "Mr. O, to bolster your point, here's a quote from Albert Einstein: 'I fear the day when technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."
Beth Jochen, Puyallup, WA: "There is a difference between being well-informed and well-educated. I hope my generation wakes up. The Net is a great tool, but it is easy to become enslaved." |
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| If you want to perform under pressure, find a way to banish the fear that may be holding you back. |
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