With that in mind, she was Bill O’Reilly’s guest on Wednesday’s “Factor.” The pair discussed and analyzed the unabashed hatred that Hollywoodans like Bill Maher and Danny DeVito have for President Bush (video available here courtesy of our friend Ms Underestimated).
After O’Reilly played a recent clip of Maher slamming Bush on the “Tonight Show” as reported by NewsBuster Brent Baker, Bruce offered the following analysis:
Well, it certainly isn't politics. It's -- I'm a liberal. It's not about even disagreeing with the president. I disagree with him on many issues, including the immigration issue and the abortion issue. But I still respect the man.
You can disagree with people. Your audience does not always agree with you 100 percent of the time. This is personal.
And what my reflection is, having been on the left, is these are people who look at the president in a way as like a father figure. That they are projecting their issues that are unresolved in their past onto the stranger.
And the issue has to be for everyone who hates President Bush. But you got to ask yourself a question. How can I hate so much a stranger, a veritable stranger? We can disagree, but hate is an entirely different framework.
And my work has revolved around something called malignant narcissism. The idea that the damage in your childhood that may be inflicted by your own father, perhaps, is -- affects the way you view the world now. It is based in paranoia. You heard it with Bill Maher.
It is litanies, an orgy of personal attacks, name calling that have nothing to do with logic or reason. And I think people like Danny DeVito and Bill Maher are envious of the president. And they remind him of their father perhaps. And they resent that.
That set up a very interesting exchange:
O'REILLY: Here's -- look, you can make an argument that the Bill Mahers of the world think that this guy has screwed up the country in a policy way and then take that personally and transfer it.
I think he's wrong, Maher, in doing what he does, but I understand that there's passion against President Bush. I understand that.
However, I think it has to do with his religious beliefs. Bill Maher is a very anti-religious person. And I think Hollywood, a secular community. Would you agree?
BRUCE: In general, those who are people of faith or conservative remain hidden. But generally, yes.
O'REILLY: OK. So Hollywood very secular.
Bush comes in with a, quote/unquote, "faith based" approach, and right off the bat they hate him.
Look, I've got -- look, let me just read you. Jennifer Aniston, "Bush is an F-ing idiot." Martin sheen, "Bush is a moron." Cher, "Bush is stupid."
BRUCE: A little projection with Cher, right?
O'REILLY: I don't know if Cher has a Ph.D. or not. George Clooney, "Bush is dim." Julia Roberts, "Bush is embarrassing." Jessica Lange, "I hate Bush."
BRUCE: It speaks for itself. And yet Bill Maher a couple years ago in explaining why he thinks Christianity has ruined the world, essentially, is he said he reflected on his own childhood about what his father what he essentially inferred jammed down his throat.
I think these issues about faith -- these are people who perhaps, growing up in a generation where faith was important in their family, and that that, too, is an issue.
O'REILLY: So you agree with me that there's a linkage to the faith thing?
BRUCE: Absolutely. And faith is a dynamic, also, that asks things of you. It is the thing that the president asks as faith does, that you sacrifice something, that you exercise discipline in your life, that we want you to be a better person as conservatives. That is the thing that gets rejected.
And those values that have made this nation great, that allows Bill Maher to say what he said, is based in a Christian ethic.
O’Reilly then asked Bruce why Bill Clinton received attacks from the right, and what the difference was. Bruce, who later admitted that she had voted for Clinton twice, responded:
Bill Clinton being a sexual predator in the White House? I mean, when your behavior is personal, and that was the difference between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. George W. Bush is being attacked and being called names and being hated for a policy with which you can disagree.
Bill Clinton's behavior, what he was being chastised for, was personal behavior that did destroy people's lives. And in fact, almost destroyed this nation, with him being distracted from the nation's business.
The final question O’Reilly asked of Bruce was whether Bush is being attacked more than Clinton was. She responded:
Absolutely. You're looking at least with the attacks on Clinton at what conservatives do, what I respect immensely, are the details. They give the details. With Bush's attackers they don't.
Interesting perspective from a “lifelong Democrat” who in the ’90s “worked to help elect Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and aided the Clinton for President campaign.”
What follows is a full transcript of this segment.
BILL O'REILLY: "Back of the Book" segment tonight. As you know, many Hollywood people hate, with a capital "H", President Bush. Danny DeVito made my point a few weeks ago. And Bill Maher said this about the president last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: We're defending him. We're saying, well, he's just inarticulate. But inarticulate doesn't explain foreign policy. I mean, it's not that complicated. The man is a rube. He is a dope. He is a yokel on the world stage. He's a Gilligan who cannot find his (expletive deleted) with two hands.
He is a vain half-wit who interrupts one incoherent sentence with another incoherent sentence. And I hope I'm not piling on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: All right. With us now syndicated radio talk show host and FOX News analyst Tammy Bruce. Actually going to have Bill Maher on in a couple of weeks.
TAMMY BRUCE, FOX NEWS ANALYST: Should be interesting. Good.
O'REILLY: You know, it's way beyond policy differences here with these people. I have a list of people who have attacked President Bush personally. What do you think that is?
BRUCE: Well, it certainly isn't politics. It's -- I'm a liberal. It's not about even disagreeing with the president. I disagree with him on many issues, including the immigration issue and the abortion issue. But I still respect the man.
You can disagree with people. Your audience does not always agree with you 100 percent of the time. This is personal.
And what my reflection is, having been on the left, is these are people who look at the president in a way as like a father figure. That they are projecting their issues that are unresolved in their past onto the stranger.
And the issue has to be for everyone who hates President Bush. But you got to ask yourself a question. How can I hate so much a stranger, a veritable stranger? We can disagree, but hate is an entirely different framework.
And my work has revolved around something called malignant narcissism. The idea that the damage in your childhood that may be inflicted by your own father, perhaps, is -- affects the way you view the world now. It is based in paranoia. You heard it with Bill Maher.
It is litanies, an orgy of personal attacks, name calling that have nothing to do with logic or reason. And I think people like Danny DeVito and Bill Maher are envious of the president. And they remind him of their father perhaps. And they resent that.
O'REILLY: So you're psychoanalyzing these people?
BRUCE: We have to, I think.
O'REILLY: Here's -- look, you can make an argument that the Bill Mahers of the world think that this guy has screwed up the country in a policy way and then take that personally and transfer it.
I think he's wrong, Maher, in doing what he does, but I understand that there's passion against President Bush. I understand that.
However, I think it has to do with his religious beliefs. Bill Maher is a very anti-religious person. And I think Hollywood, a secular community. Would you agree?
BRUCE: In general, those who are people of faith or conservative remain hidden. But generally, yes.
O'REILLY: OK. So Hollywood very secular.
Bush comes in with a, quote/unquote, "faith based" approach, and right off the bat they hate him.
Look, I've got -- look, let me just read you. Jennifer Aniston, "Bush is an F-ing idiot." Martin sheen, "Bush is a moron." Cher, "Bush is stupid."
BRUCE: A little projection with Cher, right?
O'REILLY: I don't know if Cher has a Ph.D. or not. George Clooney, "Bush is dim." Julia Roberts, "Bush is embarrassing." Jessica Lange, "I hate Bush."
BRUCE: It speaks for itself. And yet Bill Maher a couple years ago in explaining why he thinks Christianity has ruined the world, essentially, is he said he reflected on his own childhood about what his father what he essentially inferred jammed down his throat.
I think these issues about faith -- these are people who perhaps, growing up in a generation where faith was important in their family, and that that, too, is an issue.
O'REILLY: So you agree with me that there's a linkage to the faith thing?
BRUCE: Absolutely. And faith is a dynamic, also, that asks things of you. It is the thing that the president asks as faith does, that you sacrifice something, that you exercise discipline in your life, that we want you to be a better person as conservatives. That is the thing that gets rejected.
And those values that have made this nation great, that allows Bill Maher to say what he said, is based in a Christian ethic.
O'REILLY: Well, Judeo-Christian philosophy. That's what "Culture Warrior" is all about.
BRUCE: Exactly.
O'REILLY: Now, you're a liberal and you know the world. And Bill Clinton was attacked personally. Not as bad as Bush, but almost. What was it on the other side that drove the personal attacks toward Bill Clinton?
BRUCE: Bill Clinton being a sexual predator in the White House? I mean, when your behavior is personal, and that was the difference between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. George W. Bush is being attacked and being called names and being hated for a policy with which you can disagree.
Bill Clinton's behavior, what he was being chastised for, was personal behavior that did destroy people's lives. And in fact, almost destroyed this nation, with him being distracted from the nation's business.
O'REILLY: But Lewinsky -- Ms. Lewinsky was an adult.
BRUCE: Sure.
O'REILLY: You know, Ms. Lewinsky, you know, made her decision. And to me -- see, that never really factored in. I couldn't really understand...
BRUCE: Listen, I vote for Bill Clinton twice. And on the second time it was whatever form it was, whatever is his life is his business. The moment it moved into the Oval Office, that's the only...
O'REILLY: I'm with you. That's the moment it distracted him from protecting us.
BRUCE: Yes.
O'REILLY: Al-Qaeda, hello.
BRUCE: Exactly.
O'REILLY: And the moment he abused the Oval Office by using that as his platform, then it got into the policies.
BRUCE: Yes. That's when you look at the attacks and what the differences are.
O'REILLY: Do you think that the attacks on Bush are worse than Bill Clinton?
BRUCE: Absolutely. You're looking at least with the attacks on Clinton at what conservatives do, what I respect immensely, are the details. They give the details. With Bush's attackers they don't.
O'REILLY: All right. Tammy Bruce, thanks very much as always.
BRUCE: Thank you.
