HOST UNHINGED AFTER SALES FIGURES REVEALED; CALLS DRUDGE 'THREAT TO DEMOCRACY'

(c)DRUDGE REPORT 2003 ^ | THU DEC 18, 2003 09:25:08 ET | Drudge

[.cnI redruM]

TalkerAuthor Bill O'Reilly lashed out against this space during his popular FOXNEWS O'REILLY FACTOR Wednesday night -- just hours after closely guarded book sales figures were splashed over the internet.

Sales figures show how, contrary to his claims, O'Reilly lags far behind rivals Al Franken and Sen. Hillary Clinton for nonfiction props!

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Responding to an exclusive yearender DRUDGE dispatch, which presented NIELSEN's Top 20 BOOKSCAN list of 2003 sales, O'Reilly called the DRUDGE REPORT a "threat to democracy."

"I mean you can't believe a word Matt Drudge says," O'Reilly told the cameras. "Now you've got the Matt Drudges of the world and these other people, Michael Moore and all of these crazies, all right, no responsibility... that is a threat to democracy, I think." O'Reilly warned: "They'll just spin it and twist it and take it out of proportion every which way."

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Last year, the host of Cable TVs most-watched newscast became unbuckled and turned unstable after this space first revealed how O'Reilly was plotting a new radio program to air opposite Rush Limbaugh [who had just lost his hearing] and how WOR-AM in New York would receive cash compensation from VIACOM to carry the program. [The broadcast launched several months later.]

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"There is no other cure than to kill Matt Drudge," O'Reilly charged on the IMUS in the MORNING radio show.

"I just want to tell everybody that Matt Drudge is smoking crack - right now, in South Miami Beach on Washington Avenue... And the authorities should know it."

[Final Authority]

Bill now has his big house on Long Island, married a women much younger (did his $millions have a function in this?), has a child at an age when many have grand children, makes millions when once he made thousands and now we wonder why he acts like Imus? He was never about "no spin" he has always been about the almighty dollar. I can't stand him anymore. It is only a matter of time before he is all over.

[Burkeman1]

Not the bigggest fan of O'Reilly by any measure. But I have listened to the Imus show off and on for years. It is a cheek and mouth show. The guests and host say outrageous things but everyone knows they are just kidding. O'Reilly is a pompous self important ass- but I think he was going with the shock jocky spirit of the Imus show when he said those things.

[Burkeman1]

It is funny. When O'Reilly first came on the air he was good. Measured and tough and wouldn't let people give non answers. That was what was fresh about his show. He would ask a question and demand that it be answered clearly and he wouldn't let his guests get away with a stock non answer. Somewhere along the line (for me it was well over a year ago) he didn't just stop at asking for a direct answer for his questions but started to insert his own 2 cents on every subject as if he were an expert! I think O'Reilly "jumped the Shark" for me was when he had Robert Bork on his show and thought he would prove his "I am not a conservative" bonafides by attacking him. He was so out of his league that Bork had this look on his face that he was talking to a retard. And after O'Reilly had demonstrated what a complete fool he had made out of himself and Bork was gone- then preened and praised himself for not putting up with Bork's "spin".

I was saying O'Reilly was a phoney a year ago. Then it was 50/50 on this forum about O'Reilly. Now- it seems all Freepers can't stand the ignorant blowhard.

[Revel]

I won't listen to ofagy any more. He is obnoxious and just won't shut up about how he supports gay unions. And he supports that they should receive all of the benefits of married people. When he comes on the station(Radio or TV) get changed. Now it appears that he is a phsyco as well.

[Revel]

"Well, I'll cancel your vote."

Somehow that does not surprise me.

[Burkeman1]

I like the Drudge site for it's very simplistic and easy on the eyes format and links. I rarely read his own stuff however and place little value in it. I could care less why O'Reilly hates Drudge or Drudge hates O'Reilly. But O'Reilly is just over the top and all over the map. He is a phoney. Drudge? Eh. Still have some respect for him over the Monica story. But hardly think he is Uber Cyber Journalist that is going to bring down the establishment media that he makes himself out to be.

[.cnI redruM]

I reached my O'Really Factor tipping point about 4 months ago. I forget why. I really don't care. He's Osauma Bin Reilly as far as I'm concerned.

[Burkeman1]

O'Reilly had a good thing going. He was once good. But he is now so consumed with himself it is all over.

[.cnI redruM]

I think that's it. He's now Big-Head Bill.

[arasina]

I still watch The Factor with Bill O'Reilly, even though his attempt to be non-partisan/independent about absolutely everything gets on my nerves. He frequently states that his show is opinion-based, a sort of video interactive editorial. I think someone just needs to remind him of that old adage "If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything."

On the other hand, he has stood up for some positive things like the Boy Scouts and the 9/11 Victims Fund. He opposes organizations that I detest like NAMBLA and the so-called ACLU. I'll continue to watch his program as long as there are positives like those. I find Drudge a little too quirky for my tastes and have never listened to Don Imus.

Just thought I'd share my point of view. Obviously there are others out there who agree with me because O'Reilly's show still gets the highest ratings for FNC.

[Publius6961]

I used to watch O'Reilly regularly, until he self-destructed for me, caught in an endless loop ranting about "white only" school proms, seemingly oblivious to the "black only" proms existing at least for two decades previously.
Sounded like the clueless pinheads and blowhards that he is always condemning.

[SUSSA]

Oprah, Jerry Springer and Survivor have great ratings too. I’m sure BOR shares many viewers with these shows. His credibility ranks right up there in their league.

[Fintan]

I'll take PJ O'Rourke over either.

 

You and me both. His voice is sorely missed...

[sinkspur]

Oprah, Jerry Springer and Survivor have great ratings too. I’m sure BOR shares many viewers with these shows.

I doubt it. O'Reilly draws a much hgher-IQ audience, as is evidenced by some of the letters he publishes.

His credibility ranks right up there in their league.

O'Reilly never has to retract anything he says. His accuracy and facts are trustworthy.

BTW, I just heard Savage in the car, and he said that Drudge cannot be relied on to tell the truth, as his book (which Neilsen ranks as #10 this year) wasn't on Drudge's list either.

[Yeti]

..O'Reilly..Bill Clinton..The smug "smart people".

Yes!

Fake-smart. Smart-acting. If they were anywhere near as smart as they thought they were, we wouldn't all be so annoyed by their pretense, because it would be over our heads.

[Calvin Locke]

...what he alleges is very shoddy treatment of staff and associates by BOR.

I listen to Howie Carr. He worked with BOR at a TV station in Boston.
(Maybe I should say worked at the station at the same time...)

Any way, Howie said that the camera crews hated to go out on assignment with BOR.

Although he will have BOR on his show as a guest for a book or Boston thing, he say that when the phone don't ring, he knows its Bill.

I heard the Drudge jab last night. To be fair, Drudge [Radio] plays the "Drudge is on drugs/Drudge should be
killed" sound byte at least once per Sunday night.

[SUSSA]

Jerry and Oprah never retract anything either. Drudge isn't perfect but he is way above BOR.

O'Reilly is a populist blowhard on the order of Morton Downey Jr but with much less talent.

[sinkspur]

Drudge isn't perfect but he is way above BOR.

Drudge is a webmaster, a recycler of what other people say. O'Reilly is a debater, requiring much more dexterity and intellectual acumen than a database manager.

O'Reilly is a populist blowhard on the order of Morton Downey Jr but with much less talent.

Your opinion; obviously his viewers and listeners disagree with you.

[Lazamataz]

O'Reilly is losing it.

I used to like the guy and argue with my soon-to-be wife that he was better than Cavuto.

Now I would like it to be the No Spin Zone with Cavuto.

[Lazamataz]

It's curious that I had a political life before I joined FR?

Yes.

Yes it is.