The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo
Top Story
Campaign 2016
Impact Segment
Personal Story
What the Heck Just Happened?
Tip of the Day
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Is The Supreme Court Compromised?
"The Supreme Court is the ultimate power in America. What the justices on the high court say goes, even in matters of life and death. The Court has one major limitation, however. It can not make laws from scratch, it can only uphold or strike down what Congress and state legislatures have already passed. Enter President Obama, who is trying to re-define immigration law by ordering a quasi-amnesty for about 4-million illegal aliens. The president is changing immigration law, something only Congress has the power to do on paper. So, led by Texas, 26 states have sued, saying the president has exceeded his authority under the Constitution. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Monday and, sadly, it is a foregone conclusion that the four liberal judges will decide the issue based on their own political beliefs, not on what the Constitution says. This has been a pattern of behavior for decades, and Talking Points urges all Americans to figure this out because we now have a Supreme Court that is activist, political, and not unbiased. There is no question that Justices Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan will rule in favor of President Obama because they like his view on illegal immigration, even if it goes against the separation of power. That is flat-out dangerous!"
Tracking the NY Primary
As Tuesday's live special continued, polls in New York State were about one hour from closing. The Factor invited analysis from Martha MacCallum, who had been scrutinizing exit polls. "The indications are that it's a good night for Donald Trump," she began, "but he is not doing as well as you might expect. And it looks like his weakest area is New York City, the center of his business and where he lives. But he does appear to be doing well in Long Island and western New York. It's fascinating that this very wealthy man does well with middle class voters, he speaks to them more strongly than Mitt Romney did." Turning to the Democrats, MacCallum commented on the yawning racial divide between the two candidates. "Hillary Clinton is doing well in the Bronx and areas where there is a large Hispanic and black vote. Bernie Sanders is doing better in the white areas, as he has throughout these primaries. It's astonishing how many people hate Wall Street, so this anti-Wall Street rhetoric has really seeped in."
Contested Convention?
The Factor asked two political observers whether there will indeed be a floor fight at the GOP convention in Cleveland. "The Republican establishment," said Washington Post reporter Philip Bump, "is trying to set the expectation that there could be a contested convention. Most Republicans think that whoever comes in with the most votes should be the nominee, but if Donald Trump does not have the votes that he needs, the Republican establishment is trying to set the expectation that a contested convention could happen." Tom Bevan of RealClearPolitics.com described the GOP as a party in chaos. "The Republicans have a mess on their hands. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell despises Ted Cruz and he would certainly like to get to a 'fresh face scenario' to protect his majority. If Donald Trump gets the most votes and comes out of the convention without the nomination, this will be a very divided party. But while Trump has very high negatives, this is the year of the outsider and Hillary Clinton is the antithesis of an outsider." The Factor theorized that Donald Trump actually has a chance to do well with black and Hispanic voters. "Minorities were really motivated to vote for Barack Obama, but I don't see that surge of voting for Hillary Clinton."
Convention Concerns
Some major corporations, apparently worried by Donald Trump's anti-immigrant message, are cutting back on their sponsorship of the Republican convention. The Factor invited analysis from Republican Andrea Tantaros and Democrat Mary Anne Marsh. "A lot of corporations are fearful that Donald Trump will be the nominee," Tantaros said, "and they are getting pressure from activists and cutting back on their donations. Activists are working behind the scenes to threaten these corporations." Marsh added that companies always try to avoid showing favoritism. "Most corporations try to be bipartisan, so if they are not going to spend money on the Republican convention, they probably won't do it on the Democratic side either. The problem for many of these corporations is that there has already been such incendiary rhetoric." The Factor added another reason for corporate reticence: "If Donald Trump does not get the nomination, he may blow the whole thing up. I don't think there will be riots, but it will get pretty nasty and that scares corporations."
Illegal Immigration and the Wall
A new survey shows that about 62% of Americans oppose a wall at the southern border. The Factor asked Fox Business News anchor Lou Dobbs to analyze that poll. "Republicans support border security," he began, "while Democrats favor a wide-open border. The surprise to me is that people have such adamant positions. To me it is irresponsible and immoral of us to not stop the methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin that come across the border and destroy people." The Factor agreed that building a wall is in many ways the morally correct thing to do: "The wall would save thousands of lives because it will eliminate the 'coyotes,' the human smugglers who rape these poor migrants. If Trump is elected he will build a wall, but Mexico won't pay for it."
The Boys on The Empire State
Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk entered the No Spin Zone with their analysis of the New York vote. "Donald Trump will win big because this is his city," Gutfeld declared. "He is like the Harlem Globetrotters, except that instead of five black guys he's one orange guy. He's as New York as catcalls, scaffolding, and stepping in some liquid you can't identify." McGuirk, an unabashed Trump fan, predicted that his guy is well on his way to the nomination. "This is the beginning of his march to victory. The insufferable Ted Cruz won some voter-less victories, but between now and June 7th it will be like Sherman's march to the sea. Anything that gets in Trump's way will be trampled." McGuirk couldn't resist adding a dig at the two Democratic finalists. "When you see Hillary and Bernie, you think they shouldn't be running for president, they should be working at the polling booths."
A Great and Enduring Band
The remarkable band Earth, Wind & Fire has been touring the USA. After being together for 45 years, they continue to produce music that is fun, uplifting, and undeniably great.