O'Reilly

[strandinthewind]

A Visit With the President

Thursday, September 23, 2004

By Bill O'Reilly

My conversation with President Bush (search).

It happened this morning in a New York City hotel. There were no ground rules. The president sat across from me for about a half an hour, answered all my questions. I hoped they weren't too dopey, but you can decide that for yourself next Monday.

We will divide the interview into three sections. On Monday, we'll concentrate on foreign policy. On Tuesday, on domestic policy. And on Wednesday, I have some personal questions for the president.

This is a second time I've interviewed Mr. Bush and I consider myself lucky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'REILLY: First of all, I want to thank you for talking with me since so few people will.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's a big gamble on my part.

O'REILLY: No, it isn't, not really though. I mean, we talked 4.5 years ago.

BUSH: I'm teasing.

O'REILLY: Yes, when...

BUSH: I enjoy how you interview people. And I appreciate you giving me a chance to come on and have what we say in Texas — it's just a visit.

O'REILLY: Yes, we're going to have a visit here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And it is my opinion that you will find that visit very interesting. I believe you'll learn something about Mr. Bush you don't know. And even people who don't like him will be surprised how he answered some of the questions.

I asked him about Iraq, WMDs (search), Saddam (search), Iran, swift boats, the National Guard, entitlements, the Mexican border and many other subjects. The president was straightforward and I enjoyed the conversation.

One final note — the reason we are holding the interview until next week is purely promotional. It's like opening a movie. We want to get a lot of buzz so that people who don't ordinarily watch the news, even the mall people will watch this.

I understand I'm going to take some heat from all sides. In fact, I got a letter today that told me the interview was dumb, even though nobody's seen it yet.

But that's fine. It's my job to show you exactly who the powerful people are and what they think in this country. You'll learn something from that upcoming interview with President Bush. I promise. And that's the memo.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Our pal Janet Jackson (search), a big fan of The Factor, I may be overstating that, will not be happy to hear that the FCC has fined CBS more than a half million dollars for her, "wardrobe malfunction," at the Super Bowl (search). We have been very consistent in our analysis of this story.

We believe Ms. Jackson made a huge mistake when she allowed CBS to broadcast her antics instead of coming here to The Factor for a private showing. Janet, with all due respect, that was ridiculous, and please don't let it happen again, half a million bucks.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133290,00.html

[strandinthewind]

So the question is, should Kerry go on O'Reilly's show as well. Like him or not (and let's PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE not go there :) ) - O'Reilly's show is a ratings favorite and even more so when he has big name guests. I also, die hard R's and D's have already chosen their candidate - but I think many people of the few who have not yet decided, which are the most important in this and any election, would be the types to watch O'Reilly's show as, to anyone not a die hard R or D, O'Reilly is not blindly partisan like, say, Hannity. And - I have seen O'Reilly give it to the R's just as much as the D's - btw those who do not watch him would have way of knowing whether I am wrong here :laugh: (a joke people). Plus, Kerry has been on it before, said he would go back if he had time, etc., and he and Bill apparently know each other and they got along very well. So, I think Kerry should, as a tactical thing, go on the show - I think it could swing some badly needed votes his way. And - I think Kerry has nothing to lose by doing it in that he will say the same things he has been saying over and over again - O'Reilly is not going to get something uncanned out of anyone :laugh: It is the audience potential I am thinking about.

Again, I am not commenting on the intergrity of O'Reilly or asking for a gratuitous and off topic bash on Fox News - Lord knows that horse has been beaten to death :laugh: I am asking solely from a strategic pint of view is you think Kerry should do the interview and reach these possible swing votes.

Again, I do.

[DrummerDeanna]

I understand I'm going to take some heat from all sides. In fact, I got a letter today that told me the interview was dumb, even though nobody's seen it yet.

[/url]

Hmmm...interesting that this quote was used...just because the other day Terry Gross was on the Diane Rehm show - and well Terry and O'Reilly had an interview "incident" last year....

Terry said pretty much exactly what the above quote said about her interview with O'Reilly....

Not terribly important - I just found that amusing...

Speaking of Terry Gross and O'Reilly...she is apparently going on his show...should be interesting....

[strandinthewind]

Hmmm...interesting that this quote was used...just because the other day Terry Gross was on the Diane Rehm show - and well Terry and O'Reilly had an interview "incident" last year....

Terry said pretty much exactly what the above quote said about her interview with O'Reilly....

Not terribly important - I just found that amusing...

Speaking of Terry Gross and O'Reilly...she is apparently going on his show...should be interesting....

THAT will be interesting!!!!!!!!! I will mark my calendar!!!! :laugh:

[strandinthewind]

While I get this, these states were important - e.g. all his eggs in the same basket :cool:

Kerry pulls campaign ads from four states

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing to political realities, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has canceled plans to begin broadcasting television commercials in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana and the perennial battleground of Missouri.
The decision to shrink his political playing field reduces Kerry's strategic options — at least for now — in the homestretch of the campaign. George W. Bush won all four states in 2000, and Kerry can't win the White House without taking a state or two from the Republican incumbent.

While pulling back from some states that Bush carried, Kerry is still strongly competing in several GOP-leaning battlegrounds, including Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

Ads were scheduled to begin airing Oct. 5 in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri as part of a $5 million investment through Nov. 2, but campaign advisers concluded Kerry isn't doing well enough in the states to justify the cost.

The campaign, which has reserved commercial time in 20 states through Election Day, notified television stations in the four states that Kerry would not follow through on his plans for the first week of October.

Plans are still in place to air ads starting the second week of October, campaign officials said, but those will likely be tabled, too.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana are unlikely to see Kerry ads unless there is a major shift in the campaign's dynamics. Missouri is still the subject of debate inside the campaign, with some advisers pushing to advertise in the traditional swing state.

With its burgeoning exurbs and rural areas turning more Republican every day, Missouri cannot be won by Kerry in a close race, some advisers have concluded. But some think it's important for the Democrat to spend money there, forcing President Bush to defend the GOP turf.

Bush and the Republican National Committee have been advertising moderately in Arizona and Missouri. With Kerry chased from those states, Bush can shift their budgets — $330,000 this week alone — to states that Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore won four years ago.

Kerry spent about $15 million in the four states, half of it in Missouri, trying to put them in play. It was part of a strategy to stretch the battlefield into GOP territory, from Virginia and North Carolina in the South to Arizona in the Southwest and Nevada in the West.

Constantly shifting their strategies, both campaigns recently increased their ad budgets in West Virginia and Colorado. Bush has boosted his ads in Minnesota, Maine and Oregon — all states won by Gore that Kerry can't afford to lose.

Ohio and Florida, with a combined 47 electoral votes, offer Kerry his best hope of claiming territory won by Bush in 2000. After that, the options dwindle to a few small states: New Hampshire, Nevada, West Virginia and Colorado.

Kerry ads are running in 14 of the 20 states in which he reserved commercial time. His schedule calls for ads to begin airing next month in Washington state and North Carolina.

Because of population shifts since 2000 that favor Republicans, Kerry could win every state taken by Gore in 2000 and would have just 260 electoral votes, 10 short of winning the presidency. Gore lost to Bush by five electoral votes, 271-266.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-23-kerry-ads-out_x.htm

[Patti]

Yes I think Kerry should go on there. I think he should get out there as much as possible. His message is not sticking, apparently, so he needs to get in the public more. And frankly, I don't think he could do a worse job than Bush. But then, I'm biased. ;)

[dissention]

I don't watch O'Reilly because he doesn't know how to conduct himself. He is not an interviewer and he is not a journalist, and he has never been either. He's a bully who lies to his audience and then lies to cover his tracks. I ahven't watched more than fifteen minutes since he had that kid on whose father died in the WTC, only to tell him his father would be ashamed of him and that he better get out of the studio before he beat the **** out of him. He's an idiot and serves no journalistic purpose.

So, I will not be tuning in, Jason. :woohoo:

[gldstwmn]

A Visit With the President

Thursday, September 23, 2004

By Bill O'Reilly

My conversation with President Bush (search).

It happened this morning in a New York City hotel. There were no ground rules.

Yeah right. I'll wait for the debates.

[estranged4life]

Speaking of Terry Gross and O'Reilly...she is apparently going on his show...should be interesting....

interview last night, Terry Gross seemed reserved during the part of the interview I watched, Before I turned it to MORE IMPORTANT things to me, ie-Baseball.

Brian j.

[strandinthewind]

I don't watch O'Reilly because he doesn't know how to conduct himself. He is not an interviewer and he is not a journalist, and he has never been either. He's a bully who lies to his audience and then lies to cover his tracks. I ahven't watched more than fifteen minutes since he had that kid on whose father died in the WTC, only to tell him his father would be ashamed of him and that he better get out of the studio before he beat the **** out of him. He's an idiot and serves no journalistic purpose.

So, I will not be tuning in, Jason. :woohoo:

I know you think that - but would it serve Kerry to go on because although you despise him, his show is VERY popular :shrug:

[strandinthewind]

Yeah right. I'll wait for the debates.

Again, more people (swing voters that is) probably watch O'Reilly - sad but probably true :shrug:

[irishgrl]

I myself dont watch O' Reilly, so I am only marginally aware of his reputation, BUT I think it behooves Kerry to get his face anywhere he can as OFTEN as he can. He needs to saturate the airwaves as much as possible. Its said that people dont know much about Kerry, therefore, its his duty to change that if he wants to WIN.

[dissention]

I know you think that - but would it serve Kerry to go on because although you despise him, his show is VERY popular :shrug:

I think it's a fact that O'Reilly lies and then lies to cover up his lies. :laugh:

I fail to see how it would benefit or serve Kerry in any way. The only people who watch it and believe what he says are Republicnas. He does nothing but sizzle Republican steak. The Democrats/liberals that watch it know that it's trash and that he lies about most everything. The independents who watch it (probably 5% of the audience on a good night) listen to what he has to say, but forget about it by the next day and usually don't take any stock in it, just as they don't with liberals. For a cable show, O'Reilly's is popular (number one), but nowhere near as popular as Bill O'Reilly likes to say it is; he does not get 2.5 million viewers a night like he claims.

So, while it sounds like a good idea to have Kerry on, he would not benefit by it, especially with an audience of under two million that is made up mostly of Republicans. :shrug: If Shrub's interview with Diane Sawyer is any indication, he will not answer any questions, even on O'Lielly's show.

I'll wait for the debates, thankyouverymuch, which is guaranteed to have at least 50 million viewers.

[dissention]

Again, more people (swing voters that is) probably watch O'Reilly - sad but probably true :shrug:

Not true. Go look at ratings statistics and polls, his audience is almost always 60% Republican, 25-30% Democrats, and 5-10% independent/swing.

[cliffdweller]

I don't watch O'Reilly because he doesn't know how to conduct himself. He is not an interviewer and he is not a journalist, and he has never been either. He's a bully who lies to his audience and then lies to cover his tracks. I ahven't watched more than fifteen minutes since he had that kid on whose father died in the WTC, only to tell him his father would be ashamed of him and that he better get out of the studio before he beat the **** out of him. He's an idiot and serves no journalistic purpose.

I couldn't agree more. Why engage the idiot in a debate when it's only on his terms? The show is a total wash, I would LOSE respect for Kerry if he went on. And as far as George W. Bush is concerned: he is an idiot, I can't wait to run the f**ker out of office come November.

[strandinthewind]

Not true. Go look at ratings statistics and polls, his audience is almost always 60% Republican, 25-30% Democrats, and 5-10% independent/swing.

I tried to find some numbers on his show and came up with he gets about 2 to 2.5 million viewers a night in Aug. 2004 - Comparativly, I found that in August 2004, Hannity and Colms got about 1.7 million, Greta VS got about 1.5, Larry King got about 1.4, etc. These numbers fluctuate and have been higher and lower, but that is the general idea. So, The Factor is huge by comparison. And - even if those demographics are an accurate representation of the political leanins of The Factor's audience, if Kerry could swing some of that population of swing voters and maybe one of two R's (hey I can wish :laugh: ) likely to vote that watch The Factor, I say it is worth it. It also is a safe bet O'Reilly will not be rabid as he can be because he has never been with Kerry in the past. So, I say Kerry appearing on The Factor cannot hurt him in any way because I think no one who is set on voting for Kerry is going to change their vote because they hate O'Reilly and Kerry went on his show (again, Kerry has been there bfeore and more than once) - So, I think it can only help him.

[dissention]

And - even if those demographics are an accurate representation of the political leanins of The Factor's audience, if Kerry could swing some of that population of swing voters and maybe one of two R's (hey I can wish :laugh: ) likely to vote that watch The Factor, I say it is worth it. It also is a safe bet O'Reilly will not be rabid as he can be because he has never been with Kerry in the past. So, I say Kerry appearing on The Factor cannot hurt him in any way because I think no one who is set on voting for Kerry is going to change their vote because they hate O'Reilly and Kerry went on his show (again, Kerry has been there bfeore and more than once) - So, I think it can only help him.

I think it would be a stretch to say that his appearance on O'Lielly could help him in any significant way. 5-10% of a 2 million audience, spread out across the country? Nah, it would make no difference for John Kerry.

So, his appearance would really do nothing for him and, as Cliffdweller said, I'd lose even more respect for him if he went on that show. It's tabloid trash and serves no journalistic purpose, it's akin to going onto Entertainment Tongiht, only this time it would be for a majorly Republican audience. His appearance on it could not hurt, but it could not help enough to make any difference. So stay off of it, I say. :wavey:

[amber]

Like him or not (and let's PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE not go there :) ) -
Again, I am not commenting on the intergrity of O'Reilly or asking for a gratuitous and off topic bash on Fox News - Lord knows that horse has been beaten to death :laugh: I am asking solely from a strategic pint of view is you think Kerry should do the interview and reach these possible swing votes.

.
Looks like this didn't work out for you :rolleyes: :laugh:
amber

[strandinthewind]

Looks like this didn't work out for you :rolleyes: :laugh:
amber

well, its been civil if not pleasant - so why ask for the moon when we've got the stars!!! :laugh: