The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Factor Rundown
The Truth About the Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
"23-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina, arrested by ICE earlier this month in a Seattle suburb, says he is being brutalized by the Trump administration. Mr. Ramirez-Medina came here at age seven, the son of an illegal alien criminal named Antonio Ramirez-Polendo, who spent a year in a Washington state prison for felony drug trafficking. In the ICE raid, he was picked up, along with his son, but get this: Ramirez-Polendo has been deported eight times yet still was residing outside of Seattle. Would you want someone in your neighborhood deported eight times? We have not heard one liberal voice comment on that. Instead they are focusing on Daniel, calling him a 'dreamer.' Daniel Ramierz-Medina was part of that DACA program, but the Department of Homeland Security says he has admitted to having gang affiliations. His attorney denies that, but he has a tattoo on his forearm that some people believe signifies gang membership. That gang allegation was enough for ICE to hold Daniel, who has a three-year-old son. But the left has now taken the case and made it a centerpiece of attacks on President Trump's crackdown on criminal illegal aliens. The anti-Trump crew totally ignores the father, indicating they do not care very much if a foreign national is deported eight times. So one part of the country, led by President Trump, wants to deport criminal illegal aliens and secure the borders so they can't get back in here. Another part of the country does not want strict border enforcement and does not seem to care that criminals can defy deportation as many as eight times. What side are you on? One final thing. Every time the subject of criminal illegal aliens arises, the Democratic Party will not engage. Instead, they fall back on the ruse that the illegal immigration crackdown is aimed at chambermaids and house painters. In the case of Daniel Ramirez Medina, there is certainly enough in play to investigate him further. In the case of his father, who was deported eight times, if Kate's Law were passed he'd be serving decades in a federal penitentiary."

The Factor invited Charles Krauthammer to opine on the troubling situation. "This is a case that is pretty clear-cut," Krauthammer said. "The guy was deported eight times, he should have been out of here. The case of the son is more difficult and it's a matter of facts - either he is a gang member or he is not, and the fact is that we don't quite know. We should bring in some experts to examine the tattoo and question him. If he's a gang member, he should be out of here! This is not Solomonic." The Factor again denounced the far left for enabling criminals to remain in the USA: "The Democratic Party is invested in allowing Daniel's father, a convicted dope dealer, to stay here despite eight deportations. That's anarchy!"
Deporting Criminal Aliens
For another perspective on Daniel Ramirez Medina and the anti-Trump protests, The Factor turned to former Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee. "Democrats are not wrong in protesting the Trump policies," he said, "because Trump started by saying he wanted to deport criminals but he is now trying to re-define what is a criminal. They issued an executive order that re-defined what it is to be a criminal. You're taking one instance and trying to conclude something about what every Democrat thinks. You're fighting a straw man!"
A Free Press: Does the USA Really Have One?
President Trump has upped the ante in his feud against the mainstream media, describing some as 'enemies' of the American people. The Factor expounded on the issue with a second Talking Points Memo: "With President Trump taking on the national media, saying much of it is 'fake news' and corrupt, a major controversy has erupted. He has been criticized by both the left and the right. Many Americans believe the national media has become an arm of the Democratic Party, that their sympathies are with the party. On television, the overwhelming number of newscasters are liberal. Now that President Trump has taken office, the attacks on him are withering, so it's not a stretch for any fair-minded person to believe that the national media despises President Trump and is not willing to give him a chance. The Founding Fathers gave the press specific freedoms so that we can tell you how people in power are behaving. But when the press aligns itself with a political movement, then it is no longer objective or free. Some believe the Fox News Channel is not fair and free, but I dispute that based on an analysis of our on-air personnel. We put forth both sides. I don't have an agenda other than giving an honest presentation. If the American press wants to regain respect, it has to ditch its outwardly leftward bent."
Assessing the National Media
The Factor invited Katie Pavlich and Mary Anne Marsh to put forth their perspectives on the American media. "Much of the press is just liberals parading around as objective journalists," Pavlich declared, "and I actually think they would do the country a favor by admitting they come at the news from a liberal perspective. The vast majority of journalism professors are liberal and the journalists they produce are liberal." Marsh, not surprisingly, denied that there is widespread bias. "Are there some progressive reporters? Sure. But is that true of all the media and are they all carrying the Democrats' water? No. There are plenty of reporters out there who were tough on President Obama and are tough on President Trump."
Trump's Accomplishments So Far
Fox News analyst Brit Hume entered the No Spin Zone to evaluate President Trump's first month in office. "He's done a number of things," Hume said, "that are important. He has put into place at the EPA and the Education Department people who will make major differences. He has cleared the way for the Keystone and Dakota pipelines, he has lifted some of the regulations affecting people's medical care, and he has started to undo regulations that were imposed by the Obama administration. That's not to mention the widely acclaimed Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch. To say that he has accomplished very little is absurd."
Watters' World: Presidents' Day Edition
When Jesse Watters asked a few young New Yorkers about past presidents, most of them were simply unable to identify George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Franklin Roosevelt. One young man, however, did confuse Archie Bunker and President Lyndon Johnson. The best line came from a young man who excused himself to go to work, saying, "I'm trying to earn some dead presidents."
Viewers Sound Off
Factor Words of the Day
Paul Anthony, Buffalo, NY: "It's probably true that President Trump is a little thin-skinned, but the media is undermining the political process. It has a right to be free, but being in lock step with Democrats is a potential threat to democracy."

Gordon Rathwell, El Dorado Hills, CA: "Bill, you are the only rational person in the media today. You call the president out when he is wrong and give him credit when he is right. He will always accept that assessment."

Melanie Dawson, Eugene, OR: "President Trump is thin-skinned! He should ignore the media and go about the task of making the country great again."
No, It's Not All About You!
America is becoming a place where way too many people go by the motto, 'It's all about me!' But it's not all about you, so always remember to look at the big picture and how your actions affect other citizens.