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.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The Factor Rundown
What kind of country do you want?
Guests: Ben Stein and Monica Mehta

"As Talking Points has been saying, the presidential vote this year is about what America will become. Here are the two choices: We will go back to traditional capitalism and self reliance, or we'll stay with President Obama, who is using the federal government to impose 'social justice.' The problem is that 'social justice' costs a lot of money and some European countries like Greece are now exploding in violence because the government can no longer pay the huge entitlements, so these people are angry and want to destroy the establishment. With the USA currently owing more than $16 trillion, it could happen here. President Obama has not addressed the issue; his theme is that if you tax wealthy Americans and corporations more, the debt will get under control. But the figures don't back that up. The USA spent $746 billion last year giving people stuff. That's more than Medicare, more than Social Security, more than the non-war Defense budget. President Obama wants to increase entitlement spending, while Governor Romney says he'll reduce most domestic spending by 5% right off the bat. So, that's what we'll be voting on come November 6th. Self-reliance with safety nets or social assistance for more than half the population. You make the call."

The Factor was joined by economist Ben Stein, who has endorsed President Obama's call for higher taxes. "We are going to go bankrupt without them," Stein lamented, "and I don't see any means of avoiding national bankruptcy way down the road if we don't raise taxes. The government will waste a lot of it, which is the nature of government and the nature of human beings." Entrepreneur Monica Mehta specifically called for an increase in the capital gains tax rate. "We spend so much time," she said, "talking about increasing ordinary income tax rates for the top 1%, but the amount of money you would collect from that is a drop in the bucket. If you were to tax a dollar made in the stock market or in real estate the same way you tax a dollar made in a factory, the U.S. government would raise $250 billion a year." But The Factor warned that a higher capital gains rate could be counterproductive: "I'm an investor and if the capital gains rate goes to 25% or 30%, I'm not going to invest in stocks."
Mitt Romney and the Binder of Women
Guests: Wendy Murphy and Erica Payne

Some liberal organizations are mocking Mitt Romney for saying he received "binders full of women" when he was seeking qualified females to fill his gubernatorial staff. Attorney Wendy Murphy, who helped Governor Romney recruit women in Massachusetts, jumped to his defense. "We really did put binders together," Murphy recalled, "and what he said is exactly true. He could have just sat back, but he sent his lieutenant governor to our meetings. Why would anyone object to what this man did?" Liberal activist Erica Payne explained why the "binder" comment was offensive. "It conjured up the view of an Arab sheikh flipping through to find women for his harem. But what I find more offensive is that he created a smokescreen by saying he did a great job hiring women in his administration." The Factor ridiculed the groups who claim to be offended: "When you have a president who is in trouble, as President Obama is right now, his supporters are going to find anything to denigrate and diminish the opposition."
Body Language: Debate Edition
Guests: Tonya Reiman

Tonya Reiman focused her trained eye on Tuesday's contentious presidential debate, beginning with the candidates' heated exchange over the size of their mutual pensions. "This was a much more primal debate," Reiman said, "with a lot of chest-thumping and dominance displays. Where Obama won this exchange was when he did self-deprecation, saying, 'Oh, I don't watch my pension because I don't have as much as you do.' Although it was a submissive type gesture, it increased his likability." Reiman then observed the candidates' arguing over the deadly attack in Libya. "Romney was using a downward pointing motion, so you know he feels very strongly. Then you get Obama giving him an intense glare and saying 'proceed.' It threw Romney's game off and he started shuffling a little more and he stuttered."
Democrats are still hyping the war on women
Guests: Gretchen Carlson and Jeanine Pirro

The Obama campaign is using famous actresses to warn women of the dire consequences of a Romney presidency. The Factor asked Culture Warriors Jeanine Pirro and Gretchen Carlson, females both, whether they feel under attack. "This is a bunch of hogwash," Pirro declared. "This election will probably be decided by women because there are more women, and this is fear-mongering. So if you don't die of breast cancer because there won't be breast cancer screenings, you'll be barefoot and pregnant and you won't have any clothes! The fear-mongering and the misstatements of facts are an outrage." Carlson suggested that the actually war on women is being waged by the left. "It's an attack on women to think they only vote on a single issue, which is reproductive rights or contraception. Women are going to vote on the exact same issues as men, which are jobs, the economy, debt, health care, and their children's future."
Appeals court strikes down Defense of Marriage Act
Guests: Megyn Kelly

A federal court has ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional. Fox News anchor and attorney Megyn Kelly analyzed the decision. "The court is opening it up to marriage between a man and a man or a woman and a woman," she explained. "The court was simply striking down a law that the Obama administration has refused to defend. The law had no forceful government advocate." The Factor questioned whether the ruling is an invitation to even broader interpretations of marriage, asking, "How about two guys and a girl, or three girls and a guy?"
Controversy over a list of the 15 most over-rated white people
Guests: Marc Lamont Hill

Professor Marc Lamont Hill has penned a provocative article listing the "most overrated white people," among them Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Babe Ruth, and Sarah Palin. "Christopher Columbus epitomizes overrated white people," Hill declared. "He thought they were in one place and they landed somewhere else. We give him credit for creating something in a way that ignores indigenous people." Hill explained why his list includes Elvis Presley and Ronald Reagan. "I'm not saying Elvis is not good, he's just overrated. He's not the 'king of rock and roll.' Reagan expanded prisons and shrank public assistance for the most vulnerable people." The Factor posed the obvious question: "What if I wrote an article, 'The 15 Most Overrated Black People?' There's a double standard."
Newsweek's lesson
After years of pushing a left-wing agenda, Newsweek magazine is ending its print edition. So the tip: Ideology can hurt you in business and in your personal life, so be fair and reasonable.
Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
Ghosts of Manhattan
by Douglas Brunt

Read more...
Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Steve Bettinger, Leeds, AL: "O'Reilly, Governor Christie will not come on the Factor because you are too sophomoric and ill informed. You are a Harvard graduate with no common sense."

Tom McCray, Corpus Christi, TX: "Very disappointing, Bill, your saying that the word 'little' and the governor can never be used in the same sentence. What say you?"

Harold Lopez, Arizona State University: "Bill, you should send the governor a 'No Pinheads' mat."