On his Thursday night show, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly observed that Hillary Clinton was not very well liked by the liberal base of the Democratic Party or the media: "I'm not sure that liberal Americans really like Hillary Clinton, alright? And I know that even though most of the liberal national press wants her to win because they hate Republicans, they don't much like her either. Am I wrong?"
Media critic Bernie Goldberg argued that her likeability was irrelevant:
...it doesn't matter either whether they like her or not. What does matter, what is important, is that they like her a lot more than they like any of the Republican candidates. And when she has a real candidate who she's running against, a real person on the Republican side, the press will revert to form....They will cover Hillary the way they covered the last historic candidate.
He acknowledged that "there won't be as much slobbering" as there was for Barack Obama, "but whether they love her or not, whether they like her or not, when it matters, they will like her enough."
O'Reilly predicted: "They're not going to cover Hillary Clinton in the same affirmative way that they covered Barack Obama, with the tingle up the leg....But they'll come after the Republican harder....they'll demonize the Republican as being anti-woman or whatever."
Goldberg agreed: "...you're right, they're not going to treat her with the same loving affection that they treated Obama, but they will treat her better than they treat the Republican candidate. And that's what matters."
Here is a transcript of the April 16 exchange:
8:48 PM ET
(...)
BILL O'REILLY: I'm not sure that liberal Americans really like Hillary Clinton, alright? And I know that even though most of the liberal national press wants her to win because they hate Republicans, they don't much like her either. Am I wrong?
BERNARD GOLDBERG: Now first of all, I think you are a sexist for even asking this question.
O'REILLY: Of course, everyone knows that.
GOLDBERG: You're only asking it because Hillary's a woman, a member of an oppressed group, and you're a chauvinist pig and you ought to be ashamed of yourself for even bringing this up. Having said that-
O'REILLY: I have to challenge you, I would ask – if Martin Van Buren were running, I would ask the same question.
GOLDBERG: You probably did when he was running.
O'REILLY: I know.
GOLDBERG: Listen, as far as some liberals are concerned, leftists actually, like Bernie Sanders, they don't like her, obviously, because she isn't left-wing enough for them. But it doesn't matter because they're not going anywhere. They're going to vote for her on election day.
And as far as the press is concerned, it doesn't matter either whether they like her or not. What does matter, what is important, is that they like her a lot more than they like any of the Republican candidates. And when she has a real candidate who she's running against, a real person on the Republican side, the press will revert to form.
They will cover Hillary the way they covered the last historic candidate. There won't be as much slobbering, for two reasons. One, Barack Obama was a fresh new face and Hillary, as your pal Dan Rather might say, has been around since Moses was in short pants. And two, liberals, even though they'll never admit this, realize that race trumps gender. So there won't be as much slobbering.
But whether they love her or not, whether they like her or not, when it matters, they will like her enough.
O'REILLY: Alright, this is what I think is going to happen. They're not going to cover Hillary Clinton in the same affirmative way that they covered Barack Obama, with the tingle up the leg. They're not going to do that.
GOLDBERG: I agree.
O'REILLY: But they'll come after the Republican harder. Harder than they did with Romney or McCain. So they'll demonize the Republican as being anti-woman or whatever.
GOLDBERG: That's precisely my analysis. Precisely....As far as the press and the media, how they will react, yeah, you're right, they're not going to treat her with the same loving affection that they treated Obama, but they will treat her better than they treat the Republican candidate.
O'REILLY: By far.
GOLDBERG: And that's what matters. That's what matters.
(...)
