Discussing the media’s reaction to Tuesday’s presidential debate during Thursday’s O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly and The Five co-host Dana Perino blasted the liberal press for their pandering to Hillary Clinton after pushing for Vice President Joe Biden to run that’s now turned into calls for him to stay out of the race.
In addition, the pair chastised the media for failing to cover the failures of President Obama’s foreign policy and not giving enough attention to the horrifying plight of Christians and Yazidis being held hostage and murdered by ISIS.
The purveyor of the No Spin Zone began the segment by explaining that “Hillary Clinton was the clear winner of the Democratic debate” while “Bernie Sanders came across as extreme,” but it doesn’t give the media cover for how they conducted themselves in their own analyzing of the debate: “Almost immediately after the debate, the left-leaning media went wild.”
O’Reilly then played a series of clips from members of the liberal media fomenting over Clinton’s performance that all happened to have been chronicled by members of the Media Research Center, as a clip of CNN’s New Day was reported by Matthew Balan, while this writer covered the reaction on October 14's NBC Nightly News, plus CNN’s Van Jones comparing Clinton to Beyonce not long after the debate ended.
With members of O’Reilly’s staff breaking out into laughter off-camera, O’Reilly brought in Perino and joked with her that: “So, unless Joe Biden gets in and he has to do it next week. She doesn't have to campaign anymore, right?”
Perino first pointed out that it’s largely been “the media” who have been “pushing the Joe Biden line so long because they were just desperate for some drama, but what they really want to do is be able to help mostly Hillary Clinton.”
The former White House Press Secretary admitted that the media “could have written” their softball takes on Hillary “on Tuesday morning before the debate” but made the caveat that “unless she had totally flopped, this was going to be the outcome.”
Late speaking of the troubles on the world stage, O’Reilly opined that the lack of a spotlight on this reality is “partially the fault of journalism in America because we don't bring this to the people in ways they can understand.”
Giving a specific example, Perino alluded to the Yazidis (to which O’Reilly declared that the Americans are unfortunately apathetic to this awful situation):
PERINO: And barely anybody covered a report out of the State Department yesterday that talked about atrocities across the board. What is happening especially to the Yazidis and the women and children being held and assassinated by ISIS.
O’REILLY: Americans don't care. They don’t care.
PERINO: Well, I think they would care.
O’REILLY: Do you really you? I don't think they are going to talk about the Yazuidis. I don’t think Americans care. We are too self-absorbed. Last word.
PERINO: I think if the President of the United States and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cared enough to talk about it, the American people would care.
O’REILLY: They don't cause it's their fault the Yazidis are in trouble because they had a chance to wipe ISIS out early and they passed.
PERINO: And the media doesn't cover it.
The relevant portions of the transcript from FNC’s The O’Reilly Factor on October 15 can be found below.
FNC’s The O’Reilly Factor
October 15, 2015
8:13 p.m. Eastern
BILL O’REILLY: In the impact segment tonight, as we analyzed last night Hillary Clinton was the clear winner of the Democratic debate this week. Bernie Sanders came across as extreme. The three others candidates have no chance whatsoever. Almost immediately after the debate, the left-leaning media went wild.
CHRIS CUOMO [on CNN’s New Day, 10/13/15]: What a night-
ALISYN CAMEROTA [on CNN’s New Day, 10/13/15]: What a night!
CUOMO [on CNN’s New Day, 10/13/15]: We said the Democratic race would change after this debate. It certainly has. You got to see Hillary Clinton at her best.
NBC’s LESTER HOLT [on NBC Nightly News, 10/14/15]: Hillary Clinton appears to have retaken control of the conversation.
NBC’s ANDREA MITCHELL [on NBC Nightly News, 10/14/15]: Hillary Clinton commanding the stage last night.
CNN’s VAN JONES [after the CNN Democratic presidential debate, 10/13/15]: Basically tonight, Hillary Clinton was Beyonce. She was flawless
O’REILLY: Alright, with us now here in New York City Dana Perino, co-host of The Five. So, unless Joe Biden gets in and he has to do it next week. She doesn't have to campaign anymore, right?
DANA PERINO: Well, the media was pushing the Joe Biden line so long because they were just desperate for some drama, but what they really want to do is be able to help mostly Hillary Clinton. They could written these stories on Tuesday morning before the debate. I mean, unless she had totally flopped, this was going to be the outcome.
O’REILLY: She was good. I have tell it you she was good.
PERINO: I have to tell you, she dispensed of her competition. Now, interestingly though, the focus groups like Bernie Sanders. The folks like Bernie Sanders but the media be Hillary Clinton declared Hillary Clinton the winner and I think that’s because they realize he is not electable nationwide.
(....)
O’REILLY: 10,000 troops plus CIA personnel in Afghanistan that should be enough to stabilize the areas they need stable because of the air power, but to say that the United States government is doing anything overseas that's winning, we're either holding firm, alright, or losing. Alright? That's not a foreign policy and it's partially the fault of journalism in America because we don't bring this to the people in ways they can understand.
PERINO: And barely anybody covered a report out of the State Department yesterday that talked about atrocities across the board. What is happening especially to the Yazidis and the women and children being held and assassinated by ISIS.
O’REILLY: Americans don't care. They don’t care.
PERINO: Well, I think they would care.
O’REILLY: Do you really you? I don't think they are going to talk about the Yazuidis. I don’t think Americans care. We are too self-absorbed. Last word.
PERINO: I think if the President of the United States and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cared enough to talk about it, the American people would care.
O’REILLY: They don't cause it's their fault the Yazidis are in trouble because they had a chance to wipe ISIS out early and they passed.
PERINO: And the media doesn't cover it.
