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.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Personal Story Segment
Factor Follow Up Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Miller Time Segment
Did You See That Segment
Factor Mail
Tip Of The Day
Want KILLING REAGAN Free?
Get the book free when you become a Premium Member. Join up today!
Comments
U.S. Priorities
Guests: Kirsten Powers & Kate Obenshain
"A new Gallup poll asks Americans what they worry about. 88% of Americans are worried 'a great deal' or a 'fair amount' about the economy, which is followed by federal spending, health care, and unemployment. At the bottom of the list are illegal immigration and climate change. As usual, money issues dominate and theoretical situations like 'climate change' are way down. To be fair, every American should support a cleaner environment and U.S. industry should be given tax breaks to develop alternative fuels and more efficient cars. But liberal America wants to impose restrictions that hurt all Americans in the theoretical battle against 'global warming.' President Obama buys into that. He should have approved the Keystone Pipeline a long time ago - it would help the U.S. economy, damage OPEC and Russia, and not hurt the environment. The poll again proves that the economy is the big dog. America is getting weaker because we are not able to generate enough good jobs in the private sector so workers can move up. The next election is big, with the main issue being whether the country wants to return to a robust, private business climate or stay with the nanny state philosophy. That's what's at stake in November."

Republican Kate Obenshain and Democrat Kirsten Powers reacted to the lack of concern about climate change. "It has never shown up in polls as a top concern," Powers said, "and in recent polls it has decreased. People are more concerned with the immediate, while climate change is a long-term problem. Also, it's become an ideological issue and you're seeing Republicans less concerned than Democrats." Obenshain lauded Americans for scorning climate hysteria. "The public has not bought into the leftist myth, in large part because the myth has been debunked. Even the United Nations council on climate change said it has no idea whether the climate will change in the next 15 years, and no idea about the impact of man on the climate."
What to do with Russia
Guest: Ed Henry
President Obama met Wednesday with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, whose Crimean peninsula has been overrun by Russian troops. Fox News correspondent Ed Henry reported the latest. "It doesn't look like there's going to be much U.S. action," he said, "and it doesn't look like there is much the U.S. can do. Officials have told us privately that as long as Putin doesn't extend beyond Crimea, he's not escalating the situation. So the U.S. has already sent a tacit signal that Putin can have Crimea." The Factor warned, "If President Obama does nothing, he looks very weak in the eyes of Americans."
Legalizing Marijuana
Guests: Patrick Kennedy & Christopher Kennedy Lawford
With marijuana legal in two states, The Factor analyzed the push for further legalization with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy and author Christopher Kennedy Lawford. Both men, scions of the Kennedy family, are recovering addicts. "Another drug is being commercialized," Kennedy protested, "and it is one that actually has the for-profit motive of 'hooking' new consumers. They're going to target teenagers and they're going to target people like me. I don't think this is the kind of thing that makes our country or our families stronger. It jeopardizes the public health and it should frighten people." Lawford also warned of the potential damage to young Americans. "The two most dangerous drugs on the planet - alcohol and nicotine - are legal. We don't need another legal drug, which will just increase prevalence. Studies show the addictive nature of marijuana and the difficulty of treating people who are addicted." The Factor pointed out an irony in the political affiliation of both men: "You guys are Democrats and it's the liberal wing of your party that is driving the legalization."
Harming Young Girls?
Guest: Eboni Williams
As reported previously, the ultra-popular singer Beyoncé has a new video that portrays her having sex in the back seat of a limousine. The Factor asked Eboni Williams to decipher the message being sent to impressionable young girls. "I believe Beyoncé is releasing this type of hyper-sexual music and imagery," Williams said, "because she believes she's actually empowering young girls to own and take control of their sexuality. Where I think she's misguided is that she's not really giving any context to this. Adults can look at this and say she's a married woman talking about sex within her marriage, but to millions of young girls who idolize this woman, particularly young girls of color, I feel this is problematic." The Factor accused Beyoncé of shirking her responsibility: "She's talented and she could put out uplifting songs, but she chooses not to. I just don't understand why."
Best of the D-Man
Guest: Dennis Miller
The Factor aired a few of Dennis Miller's greatest hits. This was Miller's advise to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie: "If you weigh 350 pounds, why not throw your weight around? If I was him, I'd say, 'Listen, if you don't shut up I'm going to park my formidable rear end on lanes 1 and 2 of the George Washington Bridge again.'" And Miller on marijuana legalization: "When you have 112 weeks of unemployment benefits, mix in health care on your parents until you're 26, and 50-million people on food stamps to buy munchies, this whole country is about to turn into 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 3.'" Miller also ripped into Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the architects of ObamaCare: "This guy somehow manages to make Willy Loman look like Ron Popiel, and he's got quite a saliva flume going. You could run the log ride at Disney in that spittle, for God's sake! The simple fact is that when you're the architect for a house of cards you go down in the records with the architect who built the Tacoma Narrows Bridge."
2016 Preview
Guest: Martha MacCallum
Now that Texas Governor Rick Perry has implied that he will again run for the presidency, The Factor asked FNC's Martha MacCallum to survey the potential GOP field. "Rick Perry had a very powerful speech at CPAC," she reported, "so he's testing the waters. But he's not high in the polling right now - Mike Huckabee is at the top of the Real Clear Politics average, Rand Paul won the straw poll at CPAC, and Chris Christie continues to rank number 2 or 3 in these polls despite what he's been going through. But nobody beats Hillary Clinton in these early polls." MacCallum also watched footage of an Internet drinking "game" in which young people find inventive ways to consume vast quantities of alcohol. "Five people have died playing this game," MacCallum lamented. "This is the perfect lethal concoction of social media and the 'drink to get drunk' culture. It is a very dangerous trend."
Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Heather Oliver, Western Australia: "The image of the U.S. President on a comedy website was a bit demeaning. What's next - Dancing with the Stars?"

Gerald Vernagilia, Cliffside Park, NJ: "President Obama on Funny or Die about national health care is the equivalent of FDR being interviewed about the New Deal by Abbott and Costello."

Don Foley, Hollywood, CA: "After his interview with you, O'Reilly, the president had nowhere to go but up. Hence Funny or Die."
The Benefits of Sacrifice
Whether or not you are a practicing Christian, whether or not you observe Lent, occasional sacrifice can purify the body and the soul.