"The far-left magazine Mother Jones has put out another old video of Mitt Romney, in which he says Bain Capital 'was formed to invest in start-up companies and ongoing companies ... then harvest them at a significant profit.' Even though Mother Jones is appalled, that's what capitalism is! You grow companies, you make them more profitable, then if you're lucky you sell them for lots of money. Sometimes the free market is brutal, but it does provide vast opportunity for those willing to work hard and take chances. Capitalism has made the USA the most powerful nation on Earth; it's the primary reason people all over the world are desperate to come here. But apparently some who support President Obama don't much like capitalism. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who criticized Romney's comments, doesn't like the fact that some American companies maximize profits by limiting compensation to workers and controlling their hiring. Reich wants guaranteed wages, salaries, and tenure, all the things that happen in socialistic countries. The question is, does President Obama believe the same things that Dr. Reich and Mother Jones magazine believe? The answer to that question is ... maybe. The President certainly wants to control economic outcomes, but so far he has not seized assets. President Obama wants to run the entire US economy from Washington, which has gotten him into big economic trouble. Here are the facts: Median income for American households is down by about $5,000 in five years; health insurance premiums are up 18% in the past three years and going higher under Obamacare; gas prices are up 106% since Mr. Obama took office; and the national debt is up by $5.4 trillion under the President. It used to be that economic stats like those would doom an incumbent, but that's not happening this year. President Obama is not even conceding that his policies haven't worked; he's essentially saying they will work if you give him four more years. Millions of Americans seem to be on board with that. Governor Romney has the economic stats on his side, but it's clear that he and Paul Ryan have not convinced the casual voter that they can improve the economy. Mr. Romney's moment will come Wednesday in the first debate; he must win or he will not recover. He has to show that he cares about the folks and that his expertise can return the nation to prosperity while more of Barack Obama would be a disaster. It's quite a challenge for Governor Romney and the media is heavily rooting for his opponent, but the folks are generally fair, they will be watching, and they will make up their own minds. So the Governor does have a chance as the drama builds."

According to a new Fox News poll, 38% of Americans feel President Obama's policies have actually helped the economy; the same percentage say his policies have done damage. The Factor asked Fox Business host Lou Dobbs to evaluate. "Things are not going well for the American people," Dobbs said, "and that's one of the most confounding parts of this race. People don't want to deal with reality and that $16-trillion debt is repeated so often that it becomes a cliché. They are taking the responsibility for their own lives and putting it on their children. It's up to Mitt Romney to galvanize the public's attention and he can't do that by saying we both care about the middle class. The fact is that the middle class has been torn to pieces!"

Author, columnist and economist Ben Stein, who has called on Hillary Clinton to resign after terrorists killed our Ambassador to Libya, entered the No Spin Zone to explain. "She was being briefed all the time," Stein said, "and they had warning after warning. They did nothing to protect the Ambassador, plus there was a cover-up immediately afterwards. It was clear that well-armed and well-organized terrorists did this, but the State Department and President Obama were still saying it was a 'spontaneous' uprising. Hillary Clinton is a fine woman, but she screwed up very badly in this case." The Factor wasn't ready to call for the Secretary's dismissal: "I agree with you that we could have done a better job of protecting our people, but I'm not sure Hillary Clinton is directly responsible. You can make the argument that she's all over the world, she's not micro-managing what's going on in Libya."

During a special Thursday edition, the folks at Saturday Night Live skewered President Obama's economic performance. The Factor asked Geraldo Rivera to evaluate the skit and its possible impact. "I think the Saturday Night Live parody of Sarah Palin helped destroy the Republican chances in 2008," Rivera began. "I don't think this humor is quite as personal, but there is no doubt that it reached many people who don't watch Fox News or CNN or MSNBC. My sons, who are in their 20's and 30's, don't watch the cable news outfits." The Factor challenged Rivera to bring one of his sons into the No Spin Zone next week to be quizzed about current events. Rivera agreed, but no doubt his progeny will also have a say in the matter.

Friday regulars Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk looked ahead to next week's Romney-Obama debate. "Everybody's talking about likability," McGuirk said, "but it's desperation time for Mitt Romney and all that 'likability stuff has to go by the wayside. He's got to go 'street,' he has to rattle 'Mr. Cool,' and he has to break through to the common denominator nitwits who live and die by football. He also needs to be honest and be himself. If they ask a stupid pop culture question about Snooki, be honest and say you wouldn't let her clean the toilet bowls at Bain Capital." Gutfeld, in turn, had some advice for the President. "President Obama needs to win over guys like me, the married, middle-aged dude who has unicorn pajamas, the guy who isn't interested in getting anything free. That means enough with Sandra Fluke, stop going on The View, and visit Monday Night Football. No more beach vacations, go fishing. Be a guy!"

Gutfeld and McGuirk turned to the new Obama campaign video in which actor Samuel L. Jackson urges Americans, "Wake the F - - - Up." "This is how the left works," Gutfeld declared. "Everything he says was not true, but it was charming. Politics in Hollywood is like high school, you have to vote for the cool kid and if you are not cool they come after you." McGuirk denounced the spot as ineffective and profane. "This ad is offensive, he's cursing in front of children. If some guy came into your house like that, you'd go upside his dome. I used to like Samuel L. Jackson, but this is about as effective as Madonna endorsing Obama."

Adnan Habib, San Ramon, CA: "Mr. O'Reilly, the gist of your Talking Points was that if the president wins - the voters are dumb."

Marilyn Butler, Orlando, FL: "We are voting for Romney but agree that he must show more compassion for people like us who have been injured financially."

Sherri Clark, Quitman, MS: "O'Reilly, your assessment of the awareness of issues that Americans have is spot on. I compare us to Rome under Nero."

John Rattray, Melbourne, Australia: "Our family just got an Irish Setter puppy and named it O'Reilly. Its bark is worse than its bite."

With mortgage rates incredibly low, this is the best time ever to buy a house.