The Most Ridiculous Neoconservative Item of the Day #1
In a brilliant display of satire, Al Franken initially named his radio talk show "The O'Franken Factor", borrowing liberally from the Fox News Show's title, "The O'Reilly Factor". Franken claimed that he named the show after Bill O'Reilly's in an attempt to bring on a lawsuit, which would provide free publicity to the fledgling radio show. You can appreciate this humor further when you realize that Franken was previously threatened with legal action for using the Fox News Byline - "Fair and Balanced", in his comical look at the neoconservative noise machine in his book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them - A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. Borrowing from this line of thinking, I would like to name my new segment The Most Ridiculous Neoconservative Item of the Day, after the similarly named segment on the O'Reilly Factor.
I have to admit that I am liberally cribbing from a recent segment on the Al Franken Show, featuring David Brock. Primarily, I am just transcribing content directly from the O'Reilly Factor. If you'd like to listen to the original segment as presented on the Al Franken Show, download this episode of the Al Franken Show, and fastforward to 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Segment #1 - January 25th, 2005 - O'Reilly Show:
Guest Caller: Let me explain the Springer contrast....the Springer comparison. You can talk about Tom Brokaw; You can talk about Russert; You can talk about Kronkite - everybody else that works for the liberal media - but you don't see these guys calling people idiots on the air; you don't see them calling others nuts on the air; You don't seem them calling them names on the air.
O'Reilly: The last time I called somebody an idiot was?
Caller - But you did Bill...and, you know you did it?
O'Reilly: When?
Caller: You did last week with Barbara Boxer - you called her a nut. You called the voters who voted for her looney. Is that not true?
O'Reilly: That's not true...I mean, what I do is what I say is that "there are looney left-wing people", or "this is nuts", but I never say, "She's a nut"
Caller: Bill, I suggest you pull your tape....You did call Barbara Boxer a nut.
O'Reilly: Her position is nutty on certain issues...I did not call her a nut. And, you know, we'll pull it, and we'll show that you're wrong.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bill O'Reilly, on his radio show, the week before:
O'Reilly: She sponsored a bill to, um, have jet airlines be equipped with missile defense systems. It didn't pass because, um.. I mean look...this is a nut. This is a nut.
-----------------------------------------------------
Next Day, on O'Reilly Factor:
O'Reilly: Last night on the factor, Sylvestor Brown demonstrated his anti-Fox News Bias right here. Mr. Brown is generally misguided, in my opinion, and he did challenge me at what one point, saying that I had called Senator Barbara Boxer a quote, "Nut". Now, I denied doing that, and I didn't do it on television, but on the radio....uh oh..I forgot that I did indeed apply that word to senator Boxer while analyzing her strategy or lack thereof to fight terrorism. So, Brown was right, and I was wrong, which makes me the MOST RIDICULOUS ITEM OF THE DAY....I hate that.
-----------------------------------------------------
Fast Forward, Barbara Boxer at Condeleeza Rice's Senate Confirmation hearing:
Barbara Boxer: and, I personally believe, my personal view, that your loyalty you were given to the mission to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth...
-----------------------------------------------------
Next day, on The O'Reilly Factor
O'Reilly: I don't have any problem with Boxer grilling Rice, but when she says to Rice, "You allowed your loyalty to the president to overwhelm your concern to the troops, for the troops...that's over the line.
Caller: Did she say for the troops, or for the truth? O'Reilly: No, for the troops. That's when she went over the line. That's when she tried to say, "Hey, you're a craven politician and you don't care anything for the guys dying in the sand. Which is what she was saying.
Caller: Okay, I thought she said, for the truth, because... O'Reilly: No, she said for the troops, and then you saw Rice say "Don't you impugn my concern for those troops over there...da da da da da da....
---------------------------------
This entire series of segments speak for themselves. Brock and Franken did a great job putting this segment together. I literally could not stop laughing through this segment, and I have still not stopped laughing about it several days later. That is why I felt the need to share this with you.
I have to admit that I am liberally cribbing from a recent segment on the Al Franken Show, featuring David Brock. Primarily, I am just transcribing content directly from the O'Reilly Factor. If you'd like to listen to the original segment as presented on the Al Franken Show, download this episode of the Al Franken Show, and fastforward to 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Segment #1 - January 25th, 2005 - O'Reilly Show:
Guest Caller: Let me explain the Springer contrast....the Springer comparison. You can talk about Tom Brokaw; You can talk about Russert; You can talk about Kronkite - everybody else that works for the liberal media - but you don't see these guys calling people idiots on the air; you don't see them calling others nuts on the air; You don't seem them calling them names on the air.
O'Reilly: The last time I called somebody an idiot was?
Caller - But you did Bill...and, you know you did it?
O'Reilly: When?
Caller: You did last week with Barbara Boxer - you called her a nut. You called the voters who voted for her looney. Is that not true?
O'Reilly: That's not true...I mean, what I do is what I say is that "there are looney left-wing people", or "this is nuts", but I never say, "She's a nut"
Caller: Bill, I suggest you pull your tape....You did call Barbara Boxer a nut.
O'Reilly: Her position is nutty on certain issues...I did not call her a nut. And, you know, we'll pull it, and we'll show that you're wrong.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bill O'Reilly, on his radio show, the week before:
O'Reilly: She sponsored a bill to, um, have jet airlines be equipped with missile defense systems. It didn't pass because, um.. I mean look...this is a nut. This is a nut.
-----------------------------------------------------
Next Day, on O'Reilly Factor:
O'Reilly: Last night on the factor, Sylvestor Brown demonstrated his anti-Fox News Bias right here. Mr. Brown is generally misguided, in my opinion, and he did challenge me at what one point, saying that I had called Senator Barbara Boxer a quote, "Nut". Now, I denied doing that, and I didn't do it on television, but on the radio....uh oh..I forgot that I did indeed apply that word to senator Boxer while analyzing her strategy or lack thereof to fight terrorism. So, Brown was right, and I was wrong, which makes me the MOST RIDICULOUS ITEM OF THE DAY....I hate that.
-----------------------------------------------------
Fast Forward, Barbara Boxer at Condeleeza Rice's Senate Confirmation hearing:
Barbara Boxer: and, I personally believe, my personal view, that your loyalty you were given to the mission to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth...
-----------------------------------------------------
Next day, on The O'Reilly Factor
O'Reilly: I don't have any problem with Boxer grilling Rice, but when she says to Rice, "You allowed your loyalty to the president to overwhelm your concern to the troops, for the troops...that's over the line.
Caller: Did she say for the troops, or for the truth? O'Reilly: No, for the troops. That's when she went over the line. That's when she tried to say, "Hey, you're a craven politician and you don't care anything for the guys dying in the sand. Which is what she was saying.
Caller: Okay, I thought she said, for the truth, because... O'Reilly: No, she said for the troops, and then you saw Rice say "Don't you impugn my concern for those troops over there...da da da da da da....
---------------------------------
This entire series of segments speak for themselves. Brock and Franken did a great job putting this segment together. I literally could not stop laughing through this segment, and I have still not stopped laughing about it several days later. That is why I felt the need to share this with you.
posted by markh100 at
8:41 PM
