November 14 at 3:13AM
Bill O'Reilly Appears on The Daily Show
Bill O'Reilly doesn't have to be fearful in Jon's safe zone, complete with hot cocoa and Mr. Snuggles. He explains that he's not just afraid of Barack Obama, he's frightened of the entire federal government.
How do you think he did?
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Jon and Bill are some of the most intelligent guys I've seen on T.V. together. I can't stand Bill O'Reily but I would love to see a whole hour long debate between these too guys. Now that would be some serious entertainment. I'd pay to watch them go at it.
Bill is an entertainer and Jon is an entertainer. Let's not forget that. They each make a truckload of money pandering to their target audiences, and they each do a damn fine job of it. This was a subtext which made clear the respect that they have for one another. The real, subverted argument was about which of them is the most successful in their respective venues. It's a draw.
O'Reilly is among the least of the idealogues at FOX, and that's saying something. I think he's mellowed with age and I'll give him props on his conviction if nothing else. He is also snide and condescending even when attempting to be the opposite. Sparks flew. It was great.
Well, I've actually read a column by Bill O'Reilly, and it's actually well-written, not quite coming across as the egotist he appears as in person. The whole hot chocolate and Mr. Snuggles thing made me crack up, though. I couldn't help myself. That was AWESOME.
I'm constantly amazed when people take diversion as good argument. Jon starts to ask Bill a question that Bill doesn't want to answer straight, so he accuses Jon of "wandering". And then, Jon is trapped into arguing about wandering, instead of just saying let's stay on my question and answer it please.
Another diversionary tactic was accusing Jon of not getting out of New York. That is not proof Jon was wrong, but was a way to argue out of answering the real question. And made Bill seem to be right.
Just about every question Jon asked was avoided in this manner. Pretty much standard republican methodology.
Um… I still don't really know for sure, but…
O'Reilly isn't seriously serious, is he?
I distinctly remember him saying he seriously wasn't serious, but I couldn't tell if he was joking or not…
So I suppose the real question is if he was seriously seriously serious. You know, he talks about not knowing who Obama is, but he himself is a bit of an enigma. Not that that is an argument against him, but it still kinda makes you wonder…
I think that when people watch things like this they always seem to miss a few key points.
The first thing that many people forget, or don't realize when they watch shows like the O'Reilly Factor and The Daily Show is that all newsmen are entertainers at least on some level. There are hundreds of news shows on hundreds of channels in the US, and if they can not maintain good ratings they will perish. There are a multitude of sources for people to get their news through.
Folks like John Stewart, Bill O'Reilly, Bill Mahrer, and even Howard Stern are all cut from the same cloth. They create a public persona that needs to be especially entertaining (whether you love them or hate them) so that people turn in, and they don't get canceled. O'Reilly's persona is 'Big Mean Grouchy Old Guy' and Stewart's is 'Cute Youthful Funny Sly Guy.' Both of them are enjoyable
Number two is that the ideas presented by both O'Reilly and Stewart for the most part are OPINIONS, not facts. When you watch two people debating with different opinions and you agree with one side over the other most people be inclined to feel that whoever's opinion they agree with is winning the debate. However can never truly be truly right or wrong. Only things are presented as factual information can be correct, or incorrect, and therefore are not open to debate.
That said watching O'Reilly and Stewart together was amusing. They had a great rapport through their banter, and was incredibly entertaining (as it was meant to be).
Bill O'Reilly is the most dominant news voice on TV without question. He is great. The Daily Show is so liberal it's ridiculous. O'Reilly wipes the floor with that big bore Olbermann every damn night… and then Hannity flattens out the others after O'Reilly. Fact of life. And Fox will rule even more with Glenn Beck coming in January. MSNBC should go "all sports" or anything but what they do. Hell, they would get better rating if they ran the show "cops" 24/7. O'Reilly runs the show. Just the way it is.
I don't agree with Bill O's views on almost anything. However, as an interviewee on the show he was good and made Jon look very ordinary during the discussion. Jon was wandering a little while trying to pin some of the right wing stereotypes on Bill. I actually kind of liked the Bill O' Reilly who showed up to the Daily Show.
Is this the same deal as lawyers who can walk away after a trial and go play golf with the lawyer they tried to annihilate in the courtroom?
As far as Alabama is concerned, Colbert send a crew down to Colbert County, AL for a segment. Why not do a segment for Jon Stewart down here? There are wackos everywhere… at least the wackos in AL would have good manners!