O’Reilly Responds to Danny Glover, Cites More Aid from US Than Other Countries

On Friday’s The O’Reilly Factor, FNC’s Bill O’Reilly responded to left-wing actor Danny Glover’s recent comments blaming Haiti’s problems on the U.S., invoking America’s failure to reach an agreement at the Copenhagen summit on climate change. In his show’s "Talking Points Memo," O’Reilly recounted the relatively small amount of aid pledged so far by a number of nations, in comparison to the $100 million America has already pledged to Haiti.

Later, during a segment with Columbia University Professor Marc Lamont Hill, after Hill had made his best guess at interpreting what Glover meant in his remarks, O’Reilly took particular exception with the liberal actor praising Venezuela in the same statement in which he condemned America, reminding viewers that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had only pledged one plane full of aid to Haiti. O’Reilly: "I got a kick out of Glover, who's a big friend of Hugo Chavez, saying that Venezuela is one of the countries on the point of attack. As you may have heard in the ‘Talking Points Memo,’ Venezuela has sent exactly one plane full of stuff – one – one plane to Haiti."

During the show’s "Talking Points Memo," after relaying that President Obama had so far pledged $100 million in aid, O’Reilly informed viewers of aid pledges at that point made by several other nations:

China has pledged little more than $5 million in cash and aid. I mean, how generous is that? Russia pledging one mobile hospital and 20 doctors. Putin's another Mother Teresa, isn't he? That great humanitarian Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, sending one plane full of relief supplies. You know what, Hugo? Keep your stupid plane. Iran sending 30 tons of food and medicine, a pittance. So far, Saudi Arabia, a very wealthy nation, has pledged nothing. So you can see who the good guy in the world really is. Without America, this planet would really be in a shambles.

Below is a complete transcript of the "Talking Points Memo" and the interview with Professor Marc Lamont Hill, from the Friday, January 15, The O’Reilly Factor, on FNC:

BILL O'REILLY: Once again, the Great Satan comes to the rescue. That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." As you may know, anti-American people overseas call the USA the "Great Satan," even though America's record would shame the devil. We have done more good on this Earth than any other nation in history. And once again, the USA has responded big to a disaster taking charge in Haiti, as the American military tries to save as many lives as possible. President Obama has pledged $100 million to help the Haitian people. That's in addition to the almost $3 billion we've already given that nation since 1992. The Heritage Foundation estimates that before it's all over, the USA will pour another billion dollars into Haiti. That counts military expenditures and infrastructure rebuilding.

By comparison, the benevolent nation of China has pledged little more than $5 million in cash and aid. I mean, how generous is that? Russia pledging one mobile hospital and 20 doctors. Putin's another Mother Teresa, isn't he? That great humanitarian Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, sending one plane full of relief supplies. You know what, Hugo? Keep your stupid plane. Iran sending 30 tons of food and medicine, a pittance. So far, Saudi Arabia, a very wealthy nation, has pledged nothing. So you can see who the good guy in the world really is. Without America, this planet would really be in a shambles. But don't tell that to the far left. In just a few moments, you'll hear Danny Glover, who could be a nut, accuse the USA of actually harming Haiti. Unbelievable.

And on the right, there are still people pounding President Obama for reacting quickly to the Haiti earthquake. That's dumb as well. There is no question that we Americans are the most generous people on Earth. "Talking Points" will predict that private donations from us will top $100 million. That's in addition to our tax money that's being sent. Also, American corporations like Google and Microsoft have already contributed almost $45 million. And that will go up.

Now if you want to give money to the Haitian people, I suggest the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, or the Haitian Health Foundation. That's the charity the Factor has contributed to for years. Information about the Haitian Health Foundation is on billoreilly.com. So, all in all, the great Satan has come through again. I remain very proud of my country. And I will challenge anyone who doesn't feel the same way. We're coming for you, Danny Glover, in a few moments. And that's the Memo.

...

O'REILLY: "Personal Story" segment tonight, Danny Glover is one of the most extreme far left actors in America. He made his name in the Lethal Weapon movies starring along with Mel Gibson. And Mr. Glover has had a very successful acting career, even though he despises his country. Here's his take on Haiti:

DANNY GLOVER AUDIO: I believe this is going to be a defining moment for this administration. What we lay forth in a new relationship, in a partnership with Haiti, not one of dominance, not one in which it tries to extract even more from the pain of the Haitian people, but a new relationship, and I think that other countries in the region, I think Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba and other countries have already stepped to the point of that. There's all this hell because of global warming - all this hell because of climate change and all this. ... When we did what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response. This is what happens, you know what I'm saying?

O'REILLY: I have no idea what you're saying. Joining us now from Detroit to translate, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, who teaches at Columbia University. I have no idea. Let's start with Copenhagen. How does Copenhagen, in your opinion in Mr. Glover's mind, equate to Haiti?

MARC LAMONT HILL: Well, you know, I listened to the tape, the audio at least ten times to make sure I understood exactly what he was saying. And I think what he was trying to express is a failure of leadership in the global community towards the Third World and particularly the Caribbean. So what he was saying is the leadership dropped the ball in Copenhagen. And this is an example of what happens when leadership drops the ball. I don't think he was saying that Copenhagen caused this. If he was, it's completely crazy.

O'REILLY: Okay, but would you concede that the point was a bit murky?

HILL: Yeah, absolutely.

O'REILLY: Okay, because I have no idea. You had to listen to it 10 times and you came up with something-

HILL: Right.

O'REILLY: -and you're a brilliant PH.D., a man of letters and extreme knowledge. I, just a regular pedestrian person, have no idea what he's saying. But okay.

HILL: You get no argument from me.

O'REILLY: The failure of leadership in Copenhagen on warming equates somehow to Haiti and a failure of leadership. All right, now I got a kick out of Glover, who's a big friend of Hugo Chavez, saying that Venezuela is one of the countries on the point of attack. As you may have heard in the "Talking Points Memo," Venezuela has sent exactly one plane full of stuff – one – one plane to Haiti.

HILL: I think it was potato chips.

O'REILLY: Yeah, I don't know if they're really in the forefront, you know what I'm talking about, doctor?

HILL: Yeah. The Venezuela Cuba comparison is a bit curious. Again, if he's suggesting that we should follow Venezuela's and Cuba's lead in terms of philanthropy and humanitarian aid.

O'REILLY: Yeah, then there’d be three planes.

HILL: Right, there’d be three planes.

O'REILLY: If we follow their lead, there'd be one from Venezuela, one from Cuba, and one from the USA. That would be swell. Okay, then he says-

HILL: That would be trouble.

O'REILLY: -then he says that he doesn't want a relationship of dominance between the United States and Haiti. I guess we should be equals. And we're not going to extract anything from the Haitian people. Now I have studied Haiti. I've been there a couple of times. We've given Haiti $3 billion since 1992. I'm not sure what we've extracted from them. Do you know what we've extracted from them?

HILL: Well, Bill, quite honestly, that's where Danny Glover, I think, makes the most sense. I think what he's saying is that over the last 15 years, there's been a set of arrangements and circumstances that have driven the Haitian people further into poverty. Now, of course, there's internal corruption. There's absolutely no doubt about that. In fact, much of the money that they got from the IMF and the World Bank went to the pockets and the coffers of Pappa Doc and Baby Doc. So we know that there's corruption. But there's also this issue of an embargo. You know, there was an embargo in the '90s that really drove more people into poverty. You know, when they opened up Haiti to U.S. resources and U.S. agriculture, many Haitian, you know, farmers and such were driven into deeper and deeper poverty. And that's an issue. And so while we're giving them money and America's done a great job of supporting them, Danny Glover is saying that we can no longer have sweat shops in Haiti. And we can no longer continue to take things out. We need to have a more mutual relationship.

O'REILLY: Okay, but if he doesn't want the United States to dominate the nation, we can't then tell them whether they can have sweat shops, whether they can grow this or that, because he doesn't want dominance. Look, the bottom line on Haiti is this. We've tried. Bill Clinton, you know, America's first black President, President Obama's the second one?

HILL: He had a Negro dialect, but he wasn't black.

O'REILLY: Bill Clinton devoted time and time and money and effort for eight years, couldn't get through. Couldn't do it. Couldn't improve.

HILL: But Bill, many people on the left, particularly Danny Glover, would argue that Bill Clinton is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

O'REILLY: Okay.

HILL: If you were to ask Danny Glover, he would say Bill Clinton is engineering a whole range of processes.

O'REILLY: That's why I think that Danny is crazy. See, in Danny's mind, Hugo, he's part of the solution, but Bill Clinton, who tried his hardest and gave them hundreds of millions of dollars over there, part of the problem. But doctor. you know what? I appreciate you translating because-

HILL: That's what I'm here for.

O'REILLY: -I had no idea what Danny Glover was talking about. And now I have a little bit of an idea.