Appearing on Fox News’s O’Reilly Factor Monday night, media analyst Bernie Goldberg ripped President Obama’s address to nation on terrorism and argued that even members of the liberal media would start to abandon the commander-in-chief: “There are people in the media who have a lot invested in Barack Obama and they're not gonna throw him under the bus. But when Barack Obama makes you look foolish by defending him, that's another story.”
Host Bill O’Reilly wondered: “Do you think we've reached that point? Do you think it’s the eye-roll point?” Goldberg replied: “I think we're at a tipping point. The American people know...that ISIS isn't the JV team, and so do journalists, including liberal journalists. The American people know that ISIS isn't contained, and so do liberal journalists. The American people know that terrorists aren’t on the run, and so do liberal journalists.”
He concluded that if journalists “think they're going to look like idiots defending the indefensible, you know, we could see that – we could see things changing for the first time in a long time.”
O’Reilly predicted: “I think the poll numbers now coming out this week are gonna show Barack Obama in a free-fall, and people are just going to go, ‘You know what? He doesn't live in the same world that we live in.’”
Goldberg pointed out: “That's absolutely correct. The word that comes to mind is ‘delusional.’ You can't believe the things he believes and not think of the word ‘delusional.’ He is the man who thinks the world is the place that he wants it to be.”
Here is a transcript of the December 7 exchange:
8:49 PM ET
(...)
BILL O’REILLY: Joining us now from Miami, the purveyor of BernardGoldberg.com, Mr. Goldberg. So before we get into analyzing the reaction from the pundits. What did you think of the speech?
BERNIE GOLDBERG: Well, you know, I watched it and I came away saying I can't believe there are very many Americans out there who are saying after this speech, “Now I feel better. I listened to the President and now I feel better about how he’s taking on ISIS.”
And then I thought, whether you like President Obama or not, whether you agree with him or not, this is a man who has rhetorical skills. This is a man who came to office with very, very rare qualities in a politician. He had charisma and he had magic, that indefinable something, and they’re gone. He squandered them because you can't say things like ISIS is the JV team, ISIS is contained, one day before they kill 130 people in Paris. You can't say terrorists are on the run and maintain your credibility. You can't maintain that magic and that charisma. So I looked at it and I said, you know, it's over. This is not the man who came into office.
O’REILLY: But you had a guy like Juan Williams, you know, a liberal man who thinks it was a good speech. And that's what I was trying to get at. There's a hardcore crew that's gonna support Barack Obama to the end, no matter what happens.
GOLDBERG: That's absolutely right. There are people in the media who have a lot invested in Barack Obama and they're not gonna throw him under the bus. But when Barack Obama makes you look foolish by defending him, that's another story. And the American people know –
O’REILLY: Do you think we've reached that point? Do you think it’s the eye-roll point?
GOLDBERG: I think we're at a tipping point. The American people know – to use the examples I just gave – the American know that ISIS isn't the JV team, and so do journalists, including liberal journalists. The American people know that ISIS isn't contained, and so do liberal journalists. The American people know that terrorists aren’t on the run, and so do liberal journalists. If they think they're going to look like idiots defending the indefensible, you know, we could see that – we could see things changing for the first time in a long time.
O’REILLY: I think, as I said in one of the leads, I think the poll numbers now coming out this week are gonna show Barack Obama in a free-fall, and people are just going to go, “You know what? He doesn't live in the same world that we live in.”
GOLDBERG: That's absolutely correct. The word that comes to mind is "delusional." You can't believe the things he believes and not think of the word “delusional.” He is the man who thinks the world is the place that he wants it to be.
O’REILLY: Right, and a lot of people like that.
GOLDBERG: Yeah, yeah. Except, you know, Mike Tyson had a line about something like that. Mike Tyson, the boxer, Mike Tyson said, “The fighter goes into the ring with a plan – until he gets punched in the mouth.” Well, Barack Obama's plan, whatever it is, to fight ISIS has taken more than a few punches to the mouth. Mike Tyson would have changed his strategy, Barack Obama doesn't.
(...)
