"The O'Reilly factor" tagline is the "No Spin Zone." A perfect marketing gimmick that easily seduces a section of America that is highly aggrieved, uneducated, and firmly believe that a liberal devil lurks in the alleys of America.
Bill O'Reilly sees liberals everywhere. In his soup, toilet, closet, mailbox, and in the fridge. He is highly qualified to take the place of the late Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, who didn't go a day without seeing Communists in his life.
Many instances on his radio, TV shows, and columns, O'Reilly purposely loses a firm grip on reality. There have been many where I've laughed, cried, and spit a fire of anger at my television set which always tips to the right when Fox News is on.
There was one that signal to me whether Mr. O'Reilly has a clue on what is going on in the world, or in his surroundings.
5 months ago, the Syracuse Post-Standard made the mistake of mentioning the Mackris scandal, and, I say mistake because it meant the wrath of "Hurricane Bill." Bill-O went on the attack like a lion on its prey, claiming that publisher Stephen Rogers and Editorial writer Mark Libbon were both "unprofessional" and "incompetent."
There was one tiny problem with O'Reilly's rant.
Publisher Stephen Rogers died on November 12, 2002, at the age of 90.
Now, I could give Bill the benefit of the doubt and say, "hey, it was an honest mistake."
However, when one has been successful on a diet of lies, incompetence, and paranoia, there's plenty of room for smearing individuals who don't agree with your views. Even if that person has been dead for nearly 4 years.
On this Labor Day, I wonder if Mr. O'Reilly knows the definition of reality. He seems to think that us Liberals don't have a clue of the dangers that these times bring us.
Then again, if he can use his show to smear a dead man who gave to his community until the age of 90, what makes him an expert on the troubles that plague the world at this particular moment.
It didn't surprise me one bit that just a few days after the annual TV Emmy awards, that Bill O'Reilly would waste words in ranting column about, to quote him, "a bunch of smug, self-satisified showbiz types parading their liberal views in front of an adoring audience."
His Aug 30 column, "Put up or shut up" is a rush of unneccesary vemon towards a community that poses no threat to the fabric of this country:
"When George Clooney can tell me exactly how the Pakistani secret police broke a captured al-Qaeda big shot who then gave up the London terrorists arrested for planning an attack on American airliners, then I'll rent "Syriana."
"When the pouty Dixie Chicks, who are having big trouble selling concert tickets this summer, can tell me the origin of the Islamic Brotherhood, then I might go to one of their shows."
"So I say this, Bill Maher. You're a witty guy, but you're out of your league on complicated matters like national security. When you and Whoopi Goldberg can tell me what Ansar al-Islam was doing in Northern Iraq, then I might watch your HBO show"
Relax Bill. Take a deep breath, have a few falafels and maybe the air in your head will shrink.
To give a glimpse into his paranoia, O'Reilly believes that the fix was in on John Stewart's Emmy victory, because he preaches to choir. And, of course, how can I forget that O'Reilly sees himself as an Independent who sees fault on both the left and the right.
Reality check for Bill.
There was no fix in the John Stewart victory. His show is simply better. You're just jealous because his audience is highly informed, while your is nothing but a bunch of aggrieved old white males who seethe at anything that deals with change.
Second, to say you're an independent is like saying George Bush is a brilliant leader.
You only see fault with those on the left, because, your traditionalist views make it hard for you to even grasp the idea of progression.
Bill O'Reilly has the right rhetoric to hold leaders accountable for their actions.
Yet, he sees the danger in actors and singers who express their views under the right of Free Speech.
O'Reilly, like Bernard Goldberg sees Hollywood actors as the real enemies of America.
Hollywood, like Washington D.C., is the same insular community, with the same assholes that walk around preening and posing for the cameras.
The only difference is, Washington D.C., has all the power and Hollywood doesn't.
The politicians in Washington control are destinies, not George Clooney.
O'Reilly, the Culture warrior that he claims to be, will sweep the wrongs of the Bush Administration underneath the rug, in order to help the Neo-Cons, who in turn, protect O'Reilly's traditional views. What better way to divert attention from Bush's follies than to focus on Hollywood, a community where some feel are out of touch with what's happening in the country.
But, it's those at Haliburton, INC. (A.K.A. the White House) and in the Republican controlled Senate, House, and Supreme Court, are out of touch with the people in this country.
I don't need to make a list. The answer lies in that incredible documentary that Spike Lee made about Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath. The Politicians were willing to pat themselves on the back for a job well done, knowing that people in the Gulf Coast were dying.
Yet, Bill O'Reilly sees the problem in a bunch of actors who play dress up for one night.
The paranoia from this man is absolutely amazing. And, it was paranoia that drove Senator McCarthy to a drunken demise. So it makes me wonder what outcome will fall to Bill O'Reilly.
The last 2 years have seen O'Reilly's reputation take a massive hit. He's not Mr. Traditionalist anymore, just ask Andrea Mackris. Ratings have gone down, and O'Reilly has resorted to smear tactics, fear-mongering, personal attacks, and lies.
His rant and rave about Hollywood shows that this man is nothing more than a fraudalent political commentator who uses his position to protect the guilty rather than championing the truly needy.
The views expressed by O'Reilly and other Right-Wing opinion-mongers, have eroded the political debate in this country, and have made it much easier for the powerful in Washington to run wild in this country.
But in the mad, paranoid world of O'Reilly, George Clooney is public enemy no 1.