By Bill O'Reilly
Monday night we had a very lively debate with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, whom we respect. She said there's no way she's voting to raise the debt ceiling, no matter how many spending cuts are put forth. That puts her at odds with Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and other GOP politicians who are trying to get a deal.
Now, opinion on Mrs. Bachmann's rigid stance was divided, but many of you support her despite being warned by Brit Hume and others that no debt deal will have severe economic consequences. If you buy stocks, you know that the market hates uncertainty. You also know that foreign investors may look elsewhere. If no debt deal is reached, the U.S. market becomes risky.
Nevertheless, the anti-government mail poured in:
Mike Windham, who lives in Madison, Georgia: "Bill, you do not understand that the U.S. Imperial Government will just have to prioritize. I am floored you actually believe there would be a financial crisis."
All I can say Mike is that I don't know of one financial analyst who believes not getting a deal done would be a good thing for the economy. Not one.
And then there's Tom Sheahan, who lives in Butler, Pennsylvania: "O'Reilly, Geithner and the president are wrong! We don't need to raise the debt limit. You can't prove TARP saved the financial system."
I can tell you this, Tom. I've spoken to President Bush face-to-face about the TARP deal and he absolutely said financial ruin was avoided. I've got to go with that.
A lot of the anti-deal business is anti-Obama driven. Here's what the president said on Tuesday:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS: Can you tell the folks at home that, no matter what happens, the Social Security checks are going to go out on August the 3rd?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Fox News financial experts like Stuart Varney do not believe that. Varney says the checks will go out in August, but that other federal functions will have to be cut back. Brit Hume made the same point Monday night.
The unintended consequences of no debt deal will be felt by all Americans, even if some folks will not accept that. My job is to look out for you, not to pander to you.
President Obama and the Democratic Party must drastically cut spending and put it in writing. They also must hold the current tax rates in the face of the faltering economy. But if the Dems do those things, responsible Republicans must raise the debt ceiling one more time for the good of everyone.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
Here's a very unusual story. Marine Sgt. Scott Moore, currently serving in Afghanistan, set up a YouTube page asking 27-year-old actress Mila Kunis for a date.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. SCOTT MOORE, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Hey, Mila, Sgt. Moore, but you can call me Scott. I just wanted to take a moment out of my day to invite you to the Marine Corps Ball on November 18 in Greenville, North Carolina, with yours truly. So take a second, think about it, get back to me. All right. Bye now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
When the video was relayed to Miss Kunis, who's promoting a movie with Justin Timberlake, here's what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, SINGER/ACTOR: I'm going to work on this for you. I'm going to work on this for you.
MILA KUNIS, ACTRESS: Will you explain to me what this is?
TIMBERLAKE: He invited you to the Marine Corps Ball.
KUNIS: When is it? When is the Marine Corps Ball?
TIMBERLAKE: It's in November or something.
KUNIS: November what?
TIMBERLAKE: I don't know.
KUNIS: I'll go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Excellent. Miss Kunis is a patriot. Obviously so is Sgt. Moore. We hope they have a good time.
— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com.
