Thursday, February 7, 2013
On The O'Reilly Factor...
Segment Summaries
All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
The debate over guns ramps up
Guests: Robyn Thomas

"There is a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which went to Washington this week to make its case for stricter gun control. To get attention for their cause, the mayors needed some high-powered folks backing them up. Enter a few celebrities, including Chris Rock, who said, 'The President of the United States is our boss, the President and First Lady are kind of like the mom and dad of the country.' Wow! Mr. Rock is supporting tighter gun control because that's what President Obama and Mrs. Obama want. And then there's singer Tony Bennett, who also wants stricter gun control and compared gun ownership to Nazi Germany. Mr. Bennett might want to consider that Hitler imposed the strictest gun control on earth. We asked Tony Bennett and Chris Rock to come on The Factor, but they declined. We need intelligent debate on the gun situation, not ridiculous posturing. Talking Points has clearly stated that gun registration is needed and all gun crimes should be federalized. Trotting out vacuous celebrities gets us nowhere."

The Factor welcomed gun control advocate Robyn Thomas, who defended the use of celebrity spokespeople. "The press conference included a lot more people than just Chris Rock and Tony Bennett," she said. "There were survivors and faith leaders, we had a lot of interesting people with different perspectives. A lot of people spoke and they made some interesting points. We support the President and he has come out with strong leadership on how we might be able to address this issue." The Factor told Thomas that ill-informed celebrities do not help her cause: "You need to persuade most Americans that tighter gun control is necessary, and you couldn't get two worse guys than Chris Rock and Tony Bennett to persuade anybody."
Impact Segment
New ad targets Ashley Judd for possible Senate run
Guests: Leslie Marshall and Zerlina Maxwell

Karl Rove's political action group has created an Internet ad that eviscerates actress Ashley Judd, who has spoken about challenging Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky Senate seat. The Factor analyzed Judd's potential candidacy with Democratic strategist Zerlina Maxwell and liberal Fox News contributor Leslie Marshall. "People love celebrities and name recognition is huge," Marshall stated. "There are people in Kentucky who are not of the mind of Senator Mitch McConnell and this ad makes him look bad. Why is he worried when she hasn't even announced that she's running?" Maxwell theorized that Judd could actually be a contender in the Bluegrass State. "Most people in Kentucky know Ashley Judd is probably the biggest Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan on earth and she's connected to Kentucky in a real way. She may live in Tennessee now but she could do well if she moves back to Kentucky." The Factor lauded Ashley Judd's seriousness and invited her into the No Spin Zone: "She is not Chris Rock or Tony Bennett, she's very smart. But she won't mix it up and she won't come on this program."
Week in Review from the Ingraham Angle Segment
Chaos at John Brennan's CIA director confirmation hearing
Guests: Laura Ingraham

At his confirmation hearing Thursday, prospective CIA boss John Brennan defended the Obama administration's widespread use of drone attacks against suspected terrorists. Radio talk show host Laura Ingraham warned that drones can have unintended negative consequences. "There's been a 700% increase in drones since George W. Bush," she said. "But we've had people like General Stanley McChrystal say the problem with the drone strikes is that they cause an enormous amount of resentment because of the collateral damage. President Obama came into office saying we're going to get rid of Gitmo and stretch out our hands, but drone attacks have all kinds of other repercussions in the Middle East." The Factor endorsed the drone attacks, saying, "I support the drone strikes because they eliminate Al Qaeda people and protect American civilians and armed forces."
Are We Crazy Segment
Survey: 30% of teenage girls meet with online strangers
Guests: Bonny Forrest and Wendy Walsh

A new study indicates that nearly one-third of teen girls report meeting face-to-face with people they meet on the Internet. The Factor scrutinized the study with psychological experts Wendy Walsh and Bonny Forrest. "I read the study in detail," Walsh said. "There were only 250 girls in the study and half were on children's services radar because they had suffered some abuse, and all of them had a public profile on MySpace back in 2008. So it's hard to generalize this for the entire population." Nevertheless, Forrest warned that many young girls use the Internet as a social crutch. "It facilitates interaction and communication in a whole different way and other studies have shown that young girls meet older men in online chat rooms. It's easier to chat on line than have a face-to-face conversation, it's easier to hide behind a computer and be anonymous. I am worried about how much time kids are spending on the Internet."
Personal Story Segment
Why are radio talk show conservatives going after Karl Rove?
Guests: Karl Rove

The Factor welcomed Fox News analyst Karl Rove, who has been embroiled in a war with some Tea Party activists. Rove explained that his political action committee is under fire for stressing the need to find more electable candidates. "We have been spending a lot of money on behalf of Tea Party candidates," Rove stated, "we spent more money on behalf of Tea Party candidates than any other group in America, but now there are groups calling us 'fake conservatives.' But our donors, to whom we have a responsibility, want us to do a better job of getting better conservative candidates. This is not about ideology, this is about getting better candidates." Rove also explained why his group has gone after actress Ashley Judd, who might run for Senate in Kentucky. "We're making fun of her by using her comments. This is a woman who called herself 'deliciously radical,' and a woman who said such effusive things about President Obama. She is way out on the left wing of the Democratic Party."
Watters' World Segment
Watters' World: The Nudist Edition
Guests: Jesse Watters

Jesse Watters, all dressed up with somewhere to go, visited a nudist resort in Florida to get the straight skinny on the frolickers' political leanings. A few comments from the fleshy Floridians: "The spending and deficit really need to be under control" ... "I do believe we have a president that is steering the nation in the right direction" ... "We're down right now as a country but we'll come back." Watters returned to the New York studio to recap his adventure. "I kept the eye contact high, but it was not easy. This was one of the friendliest groups of people I've ever met in all of these Watters' Worlds." No surprise there, The Factor replied, because "they had nothing to hide."
Factor Mail
Viewers sound off
Leah Gingery, Honolulu, HI: "Bill, couldn't agree more with your Talking Points about the epidemic of disrespect in America. I work at a college, and freshmen often have a strong sense of entitlement. I think they get it from indulgent parenting."

Ken Mitchell, Mount Laurel, NJ: "O'Reilly, you bullied Kirsten Powers when she did not see the disrespect issue your way."

Julia Stacy, Bedford, IA: "Ms. Powers should have shown more respect to you, Mr. O'Reilly."

Carl Clark, Theif River Falls, MN: "Bill, don't blame the public school system. Respect starts at home!"

Stephanie Raines, Simpsonville, SC: "I am a high school senior and know there are few consequences for students who are disrespectful."
Tip Of The Day
Avoiding loon-acy
Unless you absolutely have to, steer clear of ideological loons, whatever their political leanings.