By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Videos | Comments (29)
Part II
Each Time You Like, Share, Tweet or Stumble a Pajiba Post, An Angel Does the Paul Rudd Dance
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Posted by: Paul Southworth at May 17, 2011 8:44 AM
Yeah I remember when O'Reilly seemed extreme. Funniest part here is when he said Fox had diverse opinions. *snort*
Posted by: pickled tink at May 17, 2011 8:56 AM
I don't know Paul, I don't think Jon Stewart really respects Bill O'Reilly all that much. Well, I know that I sure as hell don't. He only *looks* reasonable these days because of Glen Beck's unhinged, crocodile-tears-crying, conspiracy- obsessed, racist ass. As soon as Beck's contract is up and he goes off and does whatever, we'll see again how turnt up O'Reilly has always been.
Posted by: Rest In Peace at May 17, 2011 9:00 AM
Great television. Kudos to both.
Stewart was great until he mentioned "banning assault weapons" which makes zero sense in support of "protecting police officers".
Still, the Bono/Dylan arguments were strong, even if O'Reilly was correct that Bono and Dylan didn't go far in their defense of the convicted murderers as Common did (by visiting Cuba).
The bottom line is O'Reilly would've been better off saying that the as bad as Common's music was, his turns in "Flopping Aces" and "Just Wright" were criminally more offensive and hurtful to our tone deaf President.
Posted by: Chris at May 17, 2011 9:01 AM
The remarkable thing is that O'Reilly seemed genuinely surprised about Stewart's arguments regarding Bono and Dylan. Not that this is a shocker, but I guess they don't do this little thing called "research" over there at Fox News so they can make potent "arguments" based on more than selective outrage.
That is, of course, blatantly obvious if you have ever listened to Fox News, but that is exactly why I don't think Stewart really has any respect for O'Reilly. He might like him, but that doesn't mean he respects the guy.
Posted by: BalladofMaxwellDemon at May 17, 2011 9:11 AM
@Chris
Didn't Bob Dylan meet with Hurricane Carter in prison several times and collaborate with a group of his supporters when writing The Hurricane? Is the distinction just that he didn't have to travel to a foreign country to do it?
This whole controversy is profoundly silly. When Fox News starts throwing a hissy fit about Common, of all people, it's clear they just don't want any performer of this newfangled "rap music" to visit the White House.
Posted by: thegardenhead at May 17, 2011 9:26 AM
@thegardenhead
*slow clap*
Posted by: arib at May 17, 2011 9:43 AM
CURSE YOU WORK BLOCKER!
The one time, THE ONE TIME, I go to bed early...
::wanders off muttering, then squawking, then, almost inaudible from this distance, shouting alliteratively::
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at May 17, 2011 9:45 AM
Eazy-E had dinner with George Bush at the White House. Just sayin'.
Posted by: TSF at May 17, 2011 9:55 AM
I've made the argument here before that Fox news is biased, but I'm pretty sure they are not the devil, and that highly partisan hack journalism exists on both sides, and that Bill O is a bully but not really a wacko (relatively sane among the Fox anchors, and I imagine Jon Stewart would agree). These arguments along with my stubbornness and contrarian nature sometimes leave me as 'the guy defending Fox News on Pajiba'. (and I don't even like Fox news)
So let me just say that these clips are excellent and Stewart completely owns the debate. Some issues have a lot of complexity and grey area and you can effectively argue in circles from different sides. In this case, there really is no reasonable, logical, or defensible position that Fox can argue from. Their position is blatantly hypocritical, the "controversy" is incredibly trivial, and their insistence on making this an issue belies a slanted agenda if not outright racism.
There are only a handful of reasons to take the position Fox & Bill have taken, and none of them are good. It's either an attempt to nitpick and complain about anything the President does (or, anything done on his watch or tangentially related to him and his administration) or it is bigotry, prejudice, ignorance, or outright racism in response to a rapper being invited to the white house (exacerbated, no doubt, by the fact that the president is black).
It is stupidity, narrow mindedness, and agenda. It's indefensible, and it's nice to watch Bill O. squirm as penance for perpetrating it. I hope this viral video humiliates everyone affiliated with that story and maybe causes some people to stop and think.
Posted by: Yossarian at May 17, 2011 10:00 AM
This is what television news journalists are discussing? Whether or not the president is allowed to invite a rapper into the White House who visited a convicted cop killer? There is nothing else to talk about? Is it a particularly slow news cycle? Because I thought our nation was in a rather tricky foreign relations situation with Pakistan after Osama Bin Laden was killed in their nation. I thought our congress and senate was debating how to fix the economy. I thought the Republican party was trying to choose their presidential nominations. I thought many elected officials were trying to start a debate about reproductive rights and whether or not individual states or even the nation has jurisdiction over a regulated medical procedure.
But I guess I'm wrong. No, let's discuss whether or not one of the most positive rappers to achieve sustained mainstream success is a cop killer because he supports two people convicted of killing cops. Let's discuss how our President attending service at a controversial minister's church means he just has to believe everything the minister ever said. Let's discuss how that woman who shook his hand at the train station once stole a piece of candy from a baby and therefore Obama supports theft and child abuse. Because there is clearly nothing else broadcast news journalists can be discussing other than how for one person in the country, everyone who ever walked in front of him defines his every opinion and philosophy in life.
Posted by: Robert at May 17, 2011 10:03 AM
Well ... yes.
Posted by: , at May 17, 2011 10:11 AM
Robert,
Let me try to explain it this way: The country is something like $14 trillion in debt and is looking at defaulting on its obligations and very few people recognize the seriousness of the situation, much less are riled up about it. People simply can't wrap their brains around it. But let the price of gas go up another 10 cents ...
Posted by: , at May 17, 2011 10:13 AM
I want to just stay happy that Stewart once again debated O'Reilly under the table but it's still disheartening that it even needs to be debated. I can't stand Bill O'Reilly but even he's usually at least above this kind of non-issue BS. Don't get me wrong. He's always been a fear mongering ass-licker. But even he thought the birther thing was ridiculous and that is essentially all this Common thing is. The next step in the anti-Obama slight of hand. Distract the hordes with mundane crap while they throw the budget in the wood chipper.
As far as Stewart respecting Bill; I think he does just because he's the only person on Fox that has the balls to be debated by Jon. He will oft times even say the words "Ok, you got me there" or "Point taken" etc. Show me one other person on Fox News that wouldn't just trip over their own tongue or cut to commercial the second Jon started beating them. I don't think Stewart should respect him but I can see why he does.
Posted by: Paultera at May 17, 2011 10:25 AM
Gawd I love Jon Stewart.
Free the West Memphis 3. Guess I don't go to the White House either.
Posted by: kirbyjay at May 17, 2011 10:32 AM
Ok since everybody is beating around the fucking bush about the real reason FOX News is upset with the Whitehouse, it is because the Whitehouse invited a black man to come and read poetry. I don’t know why some of you are so goddamn afraid to call O’Reilly and FOX News out for being the shit-bag racist that they are. In my goddamn opinion anybody that watches FOX News is a goddamn shit-bag racist. FOX News has done everything but call the President a n****r, and trust me if they could they would.
Posted by: Pookie at May 17, 2011 10:42 AM
This is just silly, but it's a "controversy" and people eat this shit up. Stewart and O'Reilly have had some pretty good back n' forth's over the years and Bill O' has softened quite a bit, but again, it's silly to even be raising a fuss over this.
I could really care less, if Common did this or that when there are people in the White House now and in the immediate past that have raped our nation, sold us out, and lied to us with impunity. So again, Common visiting the White House is really the least of our worries.
Posted by: That Guy at May 17, 2011 10:47 AM
FREE HAT!
Sorry. Had to.
Didn't Ted Nugent get an invite to the White House sometime in the past decade or so? And didn't he make statements about shooting Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton with the firearm he was holding? I seem to recall that video.
Posted by: The Wanderer at May 17, 2011 11:04 AM
As far as Jon Stewart rants go, this was a lot more in tone with him taking Mad Money's Jim Cramer to task for being irresponsible, than the verbal fisting he gave Tucker Carlson on the air. With Tucker, you could tell he was disgusted; with Cramer, he was dissappointed since he know the guys capable of doing better. I think he sees the same intelligence and bad decision making in O'Reilly.
Posted by: Markus at May 17, 2011 11:13 AM
Beyond irritating. Even though Jon's spoken word bit was hilarious, the erroneous nature of all of Fox News' arguments makes me sick. I can't even find it funny anymore, I'm just so fucking disgusted with the network and all the bs they try to get away with.
Posted by: beet salad at May 17, 2011 12:14 PM
Maybe I just hate Fox News bc it reminds me of my racist Grandma, who doesn't seem to understand that using a racial slur in Japanese is still a dick move.
Posted by: beet salad at May 17, 2011 12:24 PM
I would make out with Jon Stewarts ENTIRE FACE.
Also in reference to the banning assault weapons, I'm assuming he means ban particular types of gun from being commercially available? So they can't be used to kill cops?
I don't know, I aint no Murican.
Posted by: Nadine at May 17, 2011 12:28 PM
I'm with Pookie. This whole affair is founded on racism. Some people just like their politicians to be white, their bosses to be male, and their neighbors to be christian; and nothing will stop them from throwing a fit over any instance to the contrary.
Posted by: superasente at May 17, 2011 12:32 PM
Jon Rules!
Posted by: Magiel at May 17, 2011 12:50 PM
Fox News! *shakes fist* Those pettifogging racist motherfuckers!
Sometimes I feel sorry for Bill O'Reilly, trying to defend something so stupid. But he just hangs on, insisting that he's right. Ridiculous.
Posted by: Chickaboom at May 17, 2011 2:47 PM
I'll echo those who say Jon respects Bill O. (relative to other Fox News people at least) because Bill isn't so much crazy or stupid as he is a big jerk.
And don't worry Mrs. J, he'll still be a jerk when you get a chance to watch this.
Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at May 17, 2011 4:34 PM
Yeah, I love these clips in a lot of ways, I like J.Stew a lot, this whole Common "controversy" is a bunch of racist-ass BULLshit. Wish more people were willing to say it as it is.
Posted by: koj at May 18, 2011 3:09 AM
Brilliant.
Jon Stewart got Bill O'Reilly to say that musicians who supported convicted cop killers COULD go to the White House, so long as they didn't visit another country for "inspiration" or whatever.
An absolutely ludicrous standard.
Posted by: Chris JL at May 18, 2011 11:43 AM
I'm as white as can be, but I can say it: most of the criticisms about the current president coming from Republicans are racist in nature. They're not phrased that way, of course (usually), but that doesn't make them less racist.
Kinda like those grandfather clauses the southern states passed to make sure no black people could vote. They didn't have to say "no non-white people need apply" for everybody to know that would be the effect.
Posted by: Slash at May 18, 2011 1:49 PM
I love how O'Reilly has become "the reasonable one" in the last year or two at Fox. I could seriously watch these guys argue all day. I mean, Jon Stewart "won", of course, but you can tell they have a grudging respect for one another.