O'Reilly meltdown a new low

Fox News talker comes unglued

By Joanne Ostrow
Denver Post Television Critic
The Denver Post

When Bill O'Reilly nearly came out of his chair and across the desk at Geraldo Rivera on his Fox News show this week, he marked a new low in what passes for modern political discourse. Even by the shallow standards of cable news--and "The O'Reilly Factor" in particular--it was a stunningly foul performance. The clip quickly became the talk of YouTube (click here to see the video).
When a girl was killed by a drunk driver in Virginia, a driver who happened to be an undocumented immigrant, O'Reilly seized the moment to turn the issue into a tirade against illegal aliens. O'Reilly spewed racist bile; Rivera objected forcefully. When Geraldo is the voice of reason driving home solid points, you know things are out of hand.
Today's cable chat shows encourage this kind of overwrought exchange, shedding more heat than light and putting the star opinion-meisters front and center. The fact that the clip drew traffic on the internet only enhances its value. You don't see thoughtful analyses from BBC World News or the PBS NewsHour attracting clicks on YouTube.
As the election cycle ratchets up, the provocateurs of cable will be angling for more attention. But they shouldn't be allowed to steer the conversation. Let's take it as an encouraging sign that the O'Reilly outburst is being laughed at in cyberspace more than it's being seriously considered.

When Joanne Ostrow writes about the incident on the O’Reilly Factor where Bill O’Reilly and Heraldo Rivera both nearly come out of their chairs and across the table at each other over the issue of the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant who, with prior convictions for drunken driving, killed a girl with his car while intoxicated (Bill taking the conservative line that this menace should be deported), she marks a new low in what passes for analysis of open and free debate.

Even by her shallow, left-bent standards, it was a stunningly foul and agenda driven investigation.

Who wants to be the star opinion-meister now?

The fact that analyses from the BBC and PBS aren’t highlighted by YouTube, should be a clear sign that you are not getting anything valuable in the way of a cross-section of societal values and perspectives. Opposing positions fuel debate and debate clarifies and unifies understanding.

What should be clear to sensible consumers now living in the 21st century, having access to all manner of opinion, conjecture and sentiment, not to mention good hard data, is the fact that the format of televised debate, which Ms.Ostrow decries as unrefined modern political discourse, today’s cable chat, and overwrought exchange, actually gives consumers a fuller spectrum of ideas and views; a more colorful palette with which to hue the depths of the socio-political canvas.

Thanks to Fox News, and this debate format, intelligent consumers of news no longer need rely on somber studio diatribes with edited positions.

The fact that this ‘critic’ feels it necessary to comment on this ‘laughable’ episode, shows that she is not beyond her own shallow standards, and is no better than her counter parts at avoiding debate.

Joanne Ostrow is clearly partisan and her comments reflect the need to tear down conservative perspective. She has no intention of shining any light of her own, but prefers, or rather, her intellect will not allow, further inspection of the issue at a level beyond her craven hatred of what are rational and sensible principles of justice.

Apparently, male passion, exhibited in the heated exchange of ideas and opinions, is valuable for entertainment, but worthless, perhaps even frightening, at the level of what this female perceives as thoughtful analysis. Of course, the progressive opinion of Heraldo was only “forceful objection” to Bill’s “spewed racist bile.”

From the dissection of this last sentence alone, I see clearly the attitude and poorly guarded ideology of this hateful leftist.