Bill O'Reilly Plays Nice On NPR About Obama, But Calls Press 'A Bunch of Guttersnipes'
Everyone was well-behaved when Fox's Bill O'Reilly came on NPR's Morning Edition Tuesday to promote his new book Killing Lincoln. NPR anchor Steve Inskeep was no hardball-throwing Terry Gross, and O'Reilly was wearing his pox-on-both-houses centrist hat and tried to say nice things about Obama. He denounced the media as a "bunch of guttersnipes," but when Inskeep nudged him about whether he was also guilty of slamming people, O'Reilly insisted "I'm trying to do the right thing."
This sounded odd after all the NPR-Fox News crossfire in the wake of NPR firing Juan Williams over an interview on O'Reilly's show. But by far, the oddest part came when Inskeep tried to suggest our current "broken" politics could lead to another civil war and massive death. Speaking of Lincoln's time, he said: "They tried to deal with it. They couldn't deal with it over time, and in the end, it led to a war and hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Do you wonder if the political system is breaking now?"
Before that, the NPR anchor asked if the press in Lincoln's time might have been a bit overwrought:
INSKEEP: What did you think when you went back and read the media in those days, you know, it would say that Lincoln's a dictator, that Grant's a drunk, that General Sherman is insane? Everybody was ripped up at one time or another.
O'REILLY: Well, that's what the media is today. The media remarkably hasn't changed since Benjamin Franklin was - written "Poor Richard's Almanac." The media is a bunch of guttersnipes and, you know, low - what can I tell you? I mean, look. I'm in the media. I've been doing it for 35 years. I know the media as well as anybody in the world knows it. And there are always going to be people who try to make money by slamming other people and by, you know, creating all kinds of stuff that doesn't really get us anywhere.
INSKEEP: Do you think you add to that sometimes?
O'REILLY: You know, I try not to do it personally. I think that we bring a robust debate to the nation every night. I think we try to stay away from the personal stuff. We try to back up our opinions with facts. So, yeah. I mean, you can accuse me of anything you want, but, you know, I'm trying to do the right thing.
INSKEEP: What do you think when you hear people complain about the quality, not just in the media, but of political discourse today, that it's departed from reality, for example?
O'REILLY: Well, I mean, if it's departed from reality, then we have to isolate the people who are doing that. President Obama was right in his Arizona speech, that he said, look, you know, you can't enflame to the point where you hate each other. That's not what America is supposed to be. But what can he do? I don't see him, his rhetoric, he doesn't do that. I don't see personal attacks coming from Mr. Obama.
But some of his acolytes, they just can't help themselves. And on the other side, there are people who just hate him, and everything he does is bad. And I criticize those people just as much.
For his part, George W. Bush felt that the media's "first draft of history" on his time in office was far too angry and overwrought, casting him as a dictator who was far too stupid to earn two Ivy League degrees. Then came the weird new-civil-war stuff:
INSKEEP: You're also writing, Bill O'Reilly, about a period in history where I think it's fair to say the political system broke. There was this great issue facing the country. They tried to deal with it. They couldn't deal with it over time, and in the end, it led to a war and hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Do you wonder if the political system is breaking now?
O'REILLY: Well, I don't think it's breaking. I mean, I think we have a robust two-party system in the United States. We have a media that, while flawed and irresponsible in many levels, does keep an eye on what's going on, and that the people really get both sides of the story and most Americans overwhelmingly love their country.
So I don't see any fracture along those lines. I do see that zealotry, probably, is way higher than it should be. Dishonesty in the media is almost at a scandalous level. But there's so much media now, with the PCs and all of that social network. There's so much, that I think Americans, if they really try and they think, they can get the real story.
By the end, O'Reilly was almost sunny about everything: "I think Abraham Lincoln would be proud of his country today. He would certainly be proud that it elected a man like Barack Obama of mixed race, certainly Lincoln would be proud of that. And I don't see it as dire as some other people see it. I'm fairly optimistic that if we can get this economic stuff under control, America will make a stunning comeback."
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Comments
CCW
Submitted by Chris Norman on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 10:49pm.
"Inskeep tried to suggest our current "broken" politics could lead to another civil war"
I insist that we're already in a Cold Civil War. No shots fired, but the division is that wide and deep - and our side has to win to keep the country from the ash heap of history.
O'Reilly's a dork and an
Submitted by killa37 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 1:28am.
O'Reilly's a dork and an Obama knee-pad wearer..................there isn't much difference between him and the MSM, except that he adopts a few views from 'the other side', once in a while, and he's on Fox News..............which seems to have a much more sinister reputation than it deserves - given the direction that it seems to be heading. Did anyone read about the 'behind the scenes' goings-on between Roger Ailes and the Fox people with regards to that pathetic debate the other night??? I don't think that we can sit here and slam the MSM, with all of their idiots, and totally leave out what is going on at Fox....................and O'Reilly is the 'big dog' over there.
O'Reilly not seeing personal attacks coming from Obama is one of
Submitted by Rush Fan on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 1:34am.
the reasons why Rush Limbaugh described Bill O'Reilly to a tee when he called him Ted Baxter
"I think Abraham Lincoln
Submitted by big.league.slider on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 3:31am.
"I think Abraham Lincoln would be proud of his country today. He would certainly be proud that it elected a man like Barack Obama of mixed race, certainly Lincoln would be proud of that."
O'Reilly is a drooling moron.
Here's what Lincoln had to say about those like Obama who belittle "bible clingers":
"I do not think I could myself, be brought to support a man for office, whom I knew to be an open enemy of, and scoffer at, religion."
And here's what Lincoln had to say about conservatism:
"What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?"
And finally, confiscatory taxation rates:
""Whenever I hear any one arguing for (high taxation rates), I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
Grow up Bill.
You're right about O'Reilly being a drooling moron...
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 4:31am.
but I am having some difficulty with a couple of your quotes. I don't doubt Lincoln's positive words about religion. And the quote about conservatism may very well be accurate, but I haven't been able to track it down. The quote concerning taxation is somewhat suspect inasmuch as he apparently uttered the identical words except that he used the term "slavery" instead of the phrase "high taxation rates".
Also Lincoln's views on capitalism and banks, corporations, and the concentration of wealth are illuminating:
"These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert, to fleece the people." [source]
"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, and more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the Bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe.. corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powers of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed."
[source]
Jer
Everyday he pitches his
Submitted by tombaker on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 6:22am.
Everyday he pitches his books, every day he reads letters to him about his books, every day he pitches people to pay him in his "tours" Then he tries to redefine words like patriot and pinhead. Anyone who dares put out a view different than Billy, gets labeled as an anti- patriot (pinhead).
Somehow OReilly is so dim a bulb that he does not understand that the number 1 cable news channel, is part of the media, and it being number 1, is certainly mainstream. While I dislike both CNN and MSNBC, its now laughable to see Billy claiming that FOX is balanced. Every show is hosted by conservatives, period. All the "hard news" is done from the perspective that FOX is in a bunker against the other networks.
Ted Baxter was at least genuine, BOR is lining his pockets by calling people morons and idiots, getting people to believe they need to go to his pay per view tour to be part of the club. Cult tactics 101
The only saving grace is that all this propaganda serves his ego, he could careless about anything else.
Back to Huff blo Mrs Baker
Submitted by Tomorama on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 11:44am.
So genius, are you willing to bet your next gubment check that Greta, Shemp Smith and Geraldo are Conservatives?
After all, the three of them host shows on Fox?
Juan Williams and the lovely Kirsten Powers have hosted the O'Reilly factor, Conservatives?
Again, "people like you" post stupidity without facts.
Carry on.
Actually,Tomo..........Greta
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 12:49am.
Actually,Tomo..........Greta has been going in the 'right' direction for some time, as far as I can tell - and she's usually pretty straight-forward. As for the other ones........you're right. Shemp Smith gives me the heebie--jeebies.............
tombaker.....I agree with your comments on Bill O'Reilly.
Submitted by Rush Fan on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 8:05pm.
But I disagree with your comment that Fox News is not balanced. Bill O'Reilly, who has Fox News #1 show, is certainly not a conservative. Even right-leaning programs like Hannity's have guests like Leftist Bob Beckel.. Most of the other Fox News programs, such as Megan Kelly's popular show, always have Leftist spewing their lies and obfuscations.
As for Fox News hard news, the primary hard news guy is Shepard Smith, an out and out Leftist. Smith provides two hours of "hard news" each day. That is, Shep has two hours of opportunity to push his Leftist agenda. Take the recent union uprising in Wisconsin. As you know, Gov. Scott Walker decided to make changes in public unions contracts due to Wisconsin's $40 Billion debt.
Shepard Smith and Juan Williams discussed Gov. Walker's decision, and the subsequent union protests. As expected of Leftist, Smith and Williams were in agreement that the Wisconsin issue was not about a fiscal crisis in Wisconsin, but rather just about busting unions. Here is the VIDEO of that discussion.
In summary, Fox News may not be perfect, but it is significantly more fair and balanced than any other television network.
"But by far, the oddest part
Submitted by Rovin on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 7:51am.
"But by far, the oddest part came when Inskeep tried to suggest our current "broken" politics could lead to another civil war and massive death"
The only "civil war" that's developing is the total meltdown of the liberal left and their media facilitators. Reality is not a word for either of them. Current polling shows Democrats across the country getting swept out of office on pace with the 2010 results, and yet their pathetic narrative of class warfare is not resonating with the general voting public, (or the 14 million unemployed). Meanwhile, the liberal media would like everyone to forget that Scott Brown, (a true rino), took “Kennedy’s seat” with the promise of defeating ObamaCare. They would like us all to forget that while Americans said “no thanks” to the backroom deals, Cornhusker kick-backs, the Democrats shoved the worst piece of legislation in decades down our throats with the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, which has turned out to provide neither protection or an “affordable” policy---see 3000 + waivers. It’s been reported this morning that health care cost has risen 9% this year alone. Further, the liberal media would like to completely ignore the results of NY-9 or NV-2 that were direct referendums on Obama’s failed policies, as a sign of things to come in this next election cycle.
Bill O’Reilly can sit on his “fair and balanced” fence until the splinters in his butt begins to fester, but this nation will wait no longer to recapture the conservative right direction the country is heading. I believe Progressive liberalism will be buried in the political graveyards of U.S history as the most disastrous social experiment of the 21st century, while the liberal media and O’Reilly scratch their collective heads, wondering what hit them. As to the “civil war” analogy Inskeep is suggesting, we can all hope that Obama and the liberal progressive Democrats remain as civil in their defeat as Republicans did in 2006. But don’t hold your breath.
I watch him alot, but,,
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 9:56am.
Hes been VERY soft on O'Bozo, he plays the conservative card only when it can curry him some favor or piss off some lib, but hes got ALOT of liberal qualities, like being against the war-hes still whining about that! Did you see him try to goad Lynn Cheney about it in an interview he did with her last week? And begging her to blame her father for "The Invasion:! Really, BOR? Get a clue, cause Ive about had it with you! And STOP PEDDLING THAT LAME ASSED BOOK! BTW, who buys books anymore, you old fossil?
He's Left-of-Center...
Submitted by Conservator on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 1:29pm.
...and probably voted for Obama. 8 PM happens to be the time I usually watch cable news, so I watch The No Spin Zone were O'Reilly demonstrates his spinning ability. He will often come down on the side of conservatives, but that's more about ratings than anything else. He attacked Rush Limbaugh in one of his columns last year and Rush ate him for breakfast when he responded. Bilbo never tried that again...
If O'Reilly is left of center, then Michael Moore is a far right
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 7:04pm.
winger, or else BOR has shifted his political philosophy significantly since I watched him almost nightly for about nine years up until 2-3 years ago. His pre-election McCain interview consisted of the most softball series of questions I have yet witnessed other than his embarrassing love fests with GWB.and Condi Rice.
He has NEVER endorsed a Democrat for high political office, while endorsing at least four Republicans that I know of. His vote for the most dangerous organization in America: the ACLU...his vote for the most dangerous individual in America: Soros
He identifies himself as a "traditional warrior" which is his code for conservative [and the same label he applied to Bush], as contrasted with the "secular humanists" which is his code for liberal [and the same label he applied to Kerry and Gore[.
BOR left-of-center Obama voter? Absolute nonsense.
Jer
Jer, I think that O'Reilly is
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 12:52am.
Jer, I think that O'Reilly is whatever he feels like he needs to be to stay on top and keep 'looking out for us'...........but I'll give you the last word - what say you???
Question... killa....
Submitted by USMC8411 on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:08am.
Who is the only other FOX commentator to secure an interview with obama?
Bret Baier.
How did the liberal media define both interviews? Combative.
I thought obama would roll FOX with his vastly superior intellect and recently discovered superpowers, as well as bringing his gun to the knife fight, and punishing his enemies by focusing on them like a laser because he thinks about it before he goes to sleep at night and it is the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning.
Ted Baxter. Looking out for me....
killa...
Submitted by Jer on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:10am.
Well, as I alluded to in my post, I pretty much weaned myself off of BOR a couple of years ago. So my assessment is a little bit dated. And occasionally I will read about something he has said which redeems him a little in my mind and I'll think well, maybe he's not QUITE as bad as I thought. And I have noticed that when he appears on non-Fox shows, his opinions are generally a little more moderated.
I do think he's smart, and I think he is capable of being a very good interviewer if he can stifle the urge to interrupt and talk over people. But I agree with you that he tends to be an opportunist and also suffers from inflated ego syndrome. I REALLY couldn't stand the guy at one time, but maybe I should give him another chance.
Jer
Be my guest,
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:10pm.
Be my guest, Jer.........personally, I don't watch him, unless I happen to stumble across his show and somebody is on who I might want to listen to, or if Laura Ingraham is hosting...........or maybe Dennis Miller, if I'm in the mood to try and follow his circuituous sentences.
Whenever the people rebel
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 12:11pm.
Whenever the people rebel against democrap/socialist/progressive/antiamerican policies, the libs state that the "system is broken" which translated from doublespeak means the "jig is up" and a tsunami is headed towards the democraps. Anyone with an inkling of history knows that the founders set up the government to be inefficient as a constraint on government tyranny and transitory passions of the day. The fact that the system is working as planned two hundred twenty years ago is a miracle.
Bill (Hear no evil) O
Submitted by greydawg on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 1:47pm.
O'Reilly doesn't hear "personal attacks from Mr. Obama?" Then take off your earphones and stop listening to your own babble for a few minutes. You will hear plenty of vile, class warfare hatred coming from Obama. But as usual, O'Reilly is hawking something (always a book, a pen, a doormat, a shirt, any kind of trinket that would do well in the streets of Tiajuana), and he's careful to sound fair and even-handed. It's all for the sake of having as wide a customer base for his trinkets as possible. Guy needs the money, you know?
OMG-can this dude HAWK!
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 1:51pm.
I havent seen this much peddling since I strolled the boardwalks of Atlantic City and saw first hand the street vendors, lol! And Im IN sales! EVERY damn show, and of course, EVERY damn pinheads and patriots segment, he starts it out with his latest book, show, cause, charity, etc. And isnt it such a "coincidence" that at least a few letters mention going on his site, or his book, of whats in it, or how they can find it, etc? Give me a break, lib-ertarian!
He donates all the money
Submitted by stunned on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 8:06am.
BOR is annoying but don't slam him for hawking goods that fund charities such as the Wounded Warrior Fund and other good charities. All the money from the books and other stuff is donated to established charities, he did not set up the BOR foundation like other wealthy folks I know to self promote themselves and run a lot of personal expenses through or to give high paying no show jobs to relatives. (You'ld be surprised how many of those there are) He did excellent work after 9-11 holding the Red Cross and the Haitian Charities feet to the fire when they didn't account for where the money was going.
tired of liberal lies
it is campaign time
Submitted by Agnostic on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 2:00pm.
O'Reilly is just trying to make sure is the go to guy on FOX for the Obama Administration
I have no trust what so ever
Submitted by TerryWest on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 2:15pm.
I have no trust what so ever in Mr O'Reilly.
The perception that he attempts to send out of himself as a centrist is just as much as a pose as Obama's.
Bill Oboring
Submitted by Edward Cropper on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 11:42pm.
If you want to read a great book about Lincoln's Killing get a used or old copy of Manhunt by
James L. Swanson (2006). A historically factual account of John Wilkes Booth killing the President and the 12 day.manhunt for for the killer..
Don't waste your money on O'reilly's latest effort to become meaningful
O'really was a liberal...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:19am.
before he went to work for a non-liberal network.
Is it true that O'really was the one that shouted out "I love you" during the obama campaign speech so that he could get another interview?
Me-Cain was a centrist too, and the NYT loved him, until he got the nomination. How'd that work out for Johnny-boy?
O'really is the "maverick" of FOX News.