British Expatriate Network

Saw this late last week. The crusty old liberal Phil Donahue is one of the first people I've seen on Bill O'Reilly's FOX News show really managed to challenge him point-by-point.

O'Reilly's technique is to interrupt, wave his finger and shout the person down. (In the case of one interview referred to here with Jeremy Glick, a left-wing activist who lost family in 9/11 O'Reilly simply cut his mic after berating him) These techniques frequently work to O'Reilly's advantage.

But Donahue, who was on as a Sheehan supporter is a wily old ex-talk show host himself and wasn't having any of it. Whatever you think of either man's views it was great for once on the show to see a lively debate and for O'Reilly to be held in check.


http//www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170195,00.html

Nice. He got a right kicking on his own show. smile

Why hadn't anyone done that before? I don't enjoy either but it's still nice to see O'Reilly get shoved off his smart arse.

Speaking of which - anyone watch the Hitchens versus Galloway debate? 2 extremely arrogant socialists using as many big words as they can remember. Great stuff. Hitchens kicked his ars ein my opinon.

Apparently they were on telly last night again for Bill Maher. Is he a masochist or what?

Just watched that this morning, I think Bill Maher was hoping for a few more laughs and what he actually got was (approaching) and intelligent debate by people who were not into soundbites (well actually Galloway was, a bit) and were careful to ensure to put all actions of the President and other nations in a historical context, doesn't make funny TV for Bill Mahr but it does show that the subject can be analysed with a load of emotional caterwailing (I have no idea if that is spelt right).

I enjoyed it, good show.

Just watched that this morning, I think Bill Maher was hoping for a few more laughs and what he actually got was (approaching) and intelligent debate by people who were not into soundbites (well actually Galloway was, a bit) and were careful to ensure to put all actions of the President and other nations in a historical context, doesn't make funny TV for Bill Mahr but it does show that the subject can be analysed with a load of emotional caterwailing (I have no idea if that is spelt right).

I enjoyed it, good show.

I kind of patted myself on the back for that!! smile
That has got to be the longest Ive ever watched O'Reilly nevermind Fox News!! wink
Al Franken and O'Reilly have another very 'special' relationship. I was watching them on C-Span a while ago and whatever book tour it was for turned into a slanging match between them shock
O'Reilly's idea of debate is to intimidate and shout "shut up" at his opponent roll
Still whatever works eh? wink

He's a big baby. Did you see him threaten to throw Donahue off his show for being 'rowdy', while at the same time he's doing exactly the same thing. On Air America, they take the pi$$ out of him completely. Its hilarious.

I watched it and thought Donahue thoroughly put him in his place while not buying into his intimidation technique which he was pushing. The guy is a modern day borderline Nazi and disguist me with his views.No I'm not liberal or conservative but he overwhelmingly supports death, concentration camps and big brother.I would love to debate with him about 9-11 absolutely positively no doubt high ranking ( Bush I don't know) individuals were behind the scenes of 9-11 I support Glick all the way.There is a mountain of evidence to support this.Contempt prior to investigation is ignorance. I know this is off topic of Donahue and apologize but the Glick interview really irriated me and it was O 'Reilly in that that is why I'm writing this.Mango husband not mango.

(Mr. Mango -it's perfectly OK for you to have a separate account here too, if you would like to ) -we have several couples and several Americans on here -you're more than welcome!)

The Jeremy Glick "interview" was certainly (IMO) one of the lowest points of "The O'Reilly Factor".

To continually browbeat a victim's family member, simply because he had an alternative viewpoint to the few O'Reilly probably stumbled across in Lexis-Nexis was inexcusable.

The irony was though that again, O'Reilly came out of it looking like a pillock and had to insult and then cut short his shaken interviewee, in order to regain control.

I imagine Phil Donahue is now added to the infamous Fox blacklist of folks not to be asked back on discussion shows.

OK have to do it.

Cosidering we're tyring to move to "the motherland" and I'm going to be "giving allegiance to the queen".

Is that a new euphemism for You-Know-What?

This is a pretty good example of why O'Reilly is a twat. It's a hilarious segment that lots of Fox News anchors are pushing right now, the angle being that "secular progressives" (scary right?) are "attacking christmas" in order to "take over."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,140742,00.html

(so first, give the impression that a few isolated incidents equals an intentional movement - like communism was)
O'REILLY: All over the country, Christmas is taking flak. In Denver this past weekend, no religious floats were permitted in the holiday parade there. In New York City, Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg unveiled the "holiday tree," and no Christian Christmas symbols are allowed in the public schools. Federated Department Stores -- that's Macy's -- have done away with the Christmas greeting "Merry Christmas."

(Next show who is responsible so Americans can defend themselves - possibly with guns. Don't forget to mention a truly evil haven of communist thought. Such as Canada)
O'REILLY: Secular progressives realize that America as it is now will never approve of gay marriage, partial birth abortion, euthanasia, legalized drugs, income redistribution through taxation, and many other progressive visions because of religious opposition. But if the secularists can destroy religion in the public arena, the brave new progressive world is a possibility. That's what happened in Canada.


Well I'm convinced. You know, one of the worst arguments I've ever heard is the one that America at its root is a christian country, and yet that christians are persecuted. Persecuted yet pre-eminent? Well done! Of course, to win a culture war you need to do be fighting something - as God's soldier/warrior presumably. It gives you that sanctimonious moral authority. Which O'Reilly sees himself as having - the righteous warrior!

God bless us all! I really wish O'Reilly would "give-his-allegiance-to-the-queen" off.

Forgive the double post, but I found this nice post on Slacktivist called The Art of Rant from Merlin Missy (and I got up absurdly early and have nothing else to do) -

http//slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/evangelicals/index.html

Of course Christians are persecuted in the United States. After all, everyone knows Christians can't marry other Christians (except in one state but nobody recognizes Christian marriages anywhere else and it's not like those are real marriages anyway), can't adopt ot become foster parents after they truthfully answer the "Faith" question on the questionnaire, can be denied housing and jobs for being Christians, and are regularly the butt of jokes where practitioners of other religions (especially Jews) are portrayed as kind and giving. In many parts of the country, Christians are afraid of walking down the street because they know people will shout at them for being Christian. They don't dare walk into some bars, knowing that their conservative clothing or a slip in conversation might make them a target for "beat the Christian in the backroom." When a Christian commits an act of terrorism against an abortion clinic, Christians lock their doors in fear of retaliation by complete strangers. Doctors who practice and promote Natural Family Planning are listed on websites with "Wanted" posters and regularly receive death threats. Halloween and Beltaine are paid days off regardless of a person's faith; anyone who asks to take a vacation day for Christmas or Easter is grilled suspiciously by coworkers and managers. Schools for other faiths are everywhere; there are only one or two Catholic schools per state and they don't advertise after three were firebombed in one year. The ruling party and all three branches of government have dozens of people who have made public statements that Christians are destroying this country and that the practice of Christianity should be banned by the Constitution. Christians are barred from military service. Every Christian has a friend or relative who was killed or imprisoned during the last world war because they were Christian. When Christians complain about the treatment they receive, they're told to move to another state / country with their own kind. People regularly picket the funerals of Christians with signs that read "The nameless forces that randomly shaped the cosmos into an appealing pattern hate Christos!" The word "christian" is used as an independent adjective to describe something stupid and/or undesireable. Christian girls who ascribe to Paul's teaching that women must keep their heads covered when they pray are suspended from schools for violating the "no hats" policy. The only movie most people have even heard of that features Christianity is "The Faith," a horror film that shows teenaged girls praying for bad things to happen to their classmates and committing cannibalism (using a phrase made trendy by the movie "Body and Blood of Christ"). Politicians regularly end statements with "And Allah bless America," and when called on it, they claim they mean all gods when they say Allah. "In YHWH We Trust" is written on our money. Teenagers who tell their parents they're interested in Christianity, or believe they might be Chrisrians, are told they're "going through a (rebellious) phase" and are often sent to counselling to "fix" them. The first response people often make when they hear someone's family member is a Christian is to say "I'm so sorry." Christian clubs at colleges don't advertise their meetings because atheists regularly show up and hand out copies of "On the Origen of Species."

Or you know, not.