|
|
| 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.
|
|
|
"A new Rasmussen poll is simply astounding: The survey says 75% of American voters are angry at the federal government. What is the why behind this? Here's what Talking Points believes is going on: On the right there is tremendous disenchantment with President Obama. Conservatives and many independents feel the President is far too liberal, spends far too much money, and is way too lenient on captured terrorists. On the left, the health care fiasco is galling - many liberals are furious that President Obama's signature issue remains in chaos. Also, some liberals do not like the Afghan war or Mr. Obama's aggressive posture toward Al Qaeda. In the middle, Americans remain skeptical that Congress and the President can solve health care, the huge debt, and the economy in general. Simply put, most Americans are nervous about the state of the union. President Obama inherited many problems and it will take time to sort them out, but the President has not shown great leadership ability so far. It is not all over for the President. If the economy improves, if fiscal responsibility is restored, and if he gets a big win on the terror front someplace, the anger will most likely subside. But those are big 'ifs.'"
The Factor asked former Speaker Newt Gingrich to assess the national mood. "People are genuinely worried," Gingrich said. "They're worried about terrorism, their jobs, and the future of the country, and they've seen a growing pattern of the government not being able to deliver. There's a deep anger at the system in general and the country is sending a message." Gingrich theorized that Americans' anger is also aimed at the traditional media. "Only about 30% of the country is represented by CBS News, MSNBC and CNN, while 70% of the country naturally resonates with Fox. So you have folks covering the news and people just turn them off." The Factor measured the depth of discontent, saying "not since the Vietnam War have I seen anger at this level from the American public."
For another view, The Factor welcomed Chris Metzler, associate dean at Georgetown University. "Speaker Gingrich completely missed the point," Metzler declared. "The point is that America is really sick and tired of the fact that both parties are putting politics before country. The leadership on both sides absolutely stinks. The Democratic leadership can't lead themselves out of a wet paper bag - we listen to the same old politics over and over." The Factor played the hypothetical role of presidential advisor: "I'd tell President Obama that the first thing you have to do is stop the massive spending. And then I'd say if you really believe in the health care bill, you have to go out and explain why it's good for the folks." |
|
|
| Obama observers Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley evaluated the President's past week. "You can define Obama by the people who oppose him," Colmes asserted, "and he's lucky to have the kind of detractors who were at the Tea Party convention. Sarah Palin's speech was nothing but an attack speech and Tom Tancredo talked about a literacy test for voters, which was despicable. They help President Obama because they're so uninformed." To no one's surprise, Crowley defended the Tea Partiers. "This is a massive grass roots movement that is based on legitimate concern about out-of-control spending, high taxes, and debt. The majority of Americans are siding with the Tea Party movement, but President Obama doesn't seem to be listening to what they're saying." Crowley also disparaged the President's call for a bipartisan health care meeting as "a trap or a stunt." |
|
|
| Fox Business anchor John Stossel revealed precisely how he got a shiny new red golf cart, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers. "It wasn't hard," Stossel reported. "Dealers ran ads saying there's a big tax credit on golf carts and you could get one totally free. Our bloated government subsidizes everybody, and this was part of a Charles Rangel bill to support electric vehicles. The tax credit for that golf cart amounted to the full price, and these are the endless subsidies that are taking us on the road to serfdom." Stossel added that electric vehicles may not even have an environmental benefit. "They have to get the electricity from somewhere, and it comes from coal. It may be worse than driving a natural gas vehicle." To dissuade viewers from trying to get the same deal, Stossel pointed out that the tax credit expired at the end of 2009. |
|
|
| FNC legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle discussed the Oregon woman who is suing McDonald's after spilling hot coffee on her lap. "This is not a frivolous suit," Guilfoyle said. "The lid was not properly positioned, the coffee scalded her and she has scarring on her leg. She only wants $7,500." Wiehl advised McDonald's, no stranger to similar suits, to settle. "Why don't they learn a lesson? The woman who won a $2.8 million judgment in 1994 initially said she would settle for $20,000, but McDonald's wouldn't do it." The duo turned to the NFL, which claims it has rights to the "who dat?" phrase popularized by fans of the New Orleans Saints. "This is crazy," Wiehl pronounced. "The NFL said this is a trademark and told merchants they can't make t-shirts with 'who dat?' on them." Guilfoyle added that "the NFL is very powerful and usually can crush you like a bug," but in this case the league backed off. |
|
|
| The Chinese government, which has urged President Obama to avoid meeting with the Dalai Lama later this month, also refuses to join any sanctions against Iran. The Factor asked FNC analyst Charles Krauthammer to explain China's overt antagonism. "The Chinese get 15% of their oil from Iran," Krauthammer reported, "and Chinese state enterprises have over $100 billion invested in Iran. The Chinese have also pushed us around on other issues - we sold arms to Taiwan and they responded by suspending military cooperation with us. Even worse, a couple of top Chinese generals have advocated that they start dumping dollars as a way to injure the economy of the United States. This is rough stuff - the Chinese are playing hardball with us." The Factor was stunned by the Chinese demand that President Obama shun the Dalai Lama: "The audacity of telling an American president who he can talk to is really pushing it." |
|
|
| Tuesday's Patriots?: Possibly the female U.S. Olympic athletes who braved the snow to pose for Sports Illustrated in bikinis. And the Pinhead?: Perhaps the Baltimore weatherman who went slightly berserk during his wintry forecast. |
|
|
Gary Myers, Bartlett, IL: "As a member of the Tea Party movement, I agree we have about 10% in the wacko category. But all groups do."
Sean Sullivan, Weymouth, MA: "Bill, it's not that Politico is not telling the truth, it's just that liberal journalists will never identify with average Americans, much less the Tea Party."
Sean O'Bryant, Sandy, UT: "O'Reilly, that Politico guy frustrated me. Good job keeping things fair."
Mary McElyea, Koenigstein, Germany: "Get ready America, the green police are coming. The Audi commercial during the Super Bowl may have been humorous but over here we do penalize for environmental violations." |
|
|