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Bill O'Reilly: The End of Obama Mania
Townhall ^ | February 28, 2009 | Bill O'Reilly

Posted on 02/27/2009 9:56:25 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

The TV ratings for February have been tabulated, and in the world of cable news there is weeping on the left. Fox News Channel, which is generally tougher on the president, hammered the two networks that most favor President Obama -- CNN and MSNBC. In fact, Fox News was the third-highest rated prime-time cable network in America, behind USA and TNT. CNN was 15th; MSNBC, a dismal 23rd.

Also, unique visitors to the Obama-loving website Daily Kos have declined a whopping 73 percent since last fall -- a disaster. What's going on?

It all has to do with fear. While Obama retains a high approval rating, many Americans are flat-out scared about the economy. The recession is bringing massive pain to America, and responsible citizens want the truth about public policy, not partisan cheerleading.

Thus, many news consumers do not trust news operations and websites that have a vested interest in seeing Obama succeed in the White House. One look at NBC News, for example, and you know the company line is to help Obama, not report the unvarnished truth.

Spinning the economy does not help people whose jobs may be in jeopardy. They need solid information about what is actually happening in order to make difficult decisions on personal spending and, perhaps, seeking new employment in a more secure industry. Self-protection dictates they secure the most reliable sources of information available.

On the other side, Obama bashing doesn't do the folks much good, either. Why waste time on attacks when information is what the folks need? I think it's fair to say that this brutal economic downturn took most Americans by surprise. It certainly shocked me. Even though I'm a journalist, I had no idea that mortgage companies were gaming the system by bundling risky loans and selling them to dunces at Lehman Brothers. I was clueless. In hindsight, I should have been more skeptical of the housing bubble.

The point is that concentrating on ideology instead of accumulating information can lead to a distorted view of reality. Many among the media these days are in business to promote a political philosophy rather than to protect the folks by exposing dangerous situations. Ideology has corrupted the watchdog press that our Founders envisioned.

Left to fend for themselves, the folks are gravitating toward news agencies that seemingly tell it like it is. Committed left-wing newspapers are folding in Seattle, Minneapolis and, perhaps, San Francisco. The New York Times had to borrow money from a Mexican guy at 14 percent interest, and far-left TV news operations are sinking fast.

President Obama still has wide support, but not fanatical support. Most of the folks simply want the truth, even though, these days, the truth can be hard to handle.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bailout; bho2009; bho44; billoreilly; drivebymedia; economy; first100days; foxnewsratings; hopeychangey; obama; obamamania; obamamaniamedia; oreilly; talkradio; television
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The Rocky Mountain News was the more conservative of the two CO newspapers.

CO being a state filled with reasonably young people, just couldn’t sustain two newspapers. Most of the younger generation get their news from the Internet, if they bother at all.


21 posted on 02/28/2009 12:39:46 AM PST by Carley (President Obama ~ Leaving No Tax Cheat Behind)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Is O’Reilly “tight on” on this?


22 posted on 02/28/2009 12:47:18 AM PST by Salvation ( †With God all things are possible.†)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Is O’Reilly “right on” on this?


23 posted on 02/28/2009 12:49:26 AM PST by Salvation ( †With God all things are possible.†)
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To: techno

Liberals have a mental sickness, they harbor intense dislike of conservatives. They can’t get themselves to show respect.


24 posted on 02/28/2009 12:51:05 AM PST by ajay_kumar (Elections have consequences. Socialist Liberals are in charge, sadly.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The Rocky was the more conservative of the Denver newspapers.


25 posted on 02/28/2009 1:06:58 AM PST by Mom MD (Jesus is the Light of the world!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
They voted for it, they are going to get it. Good and hard.

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

26 posted on 02/28/2009 1:53:53 AM PST by Bon mots
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To: DemforBush

I absolutely refuse to watch MSNBC and CNN, and I cannot stomach Campbell Brown and others over there.


27 posted on 02/28/2009 2:26:38 AM PST by hsmomx3 (GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!)
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To: hsmomx3

Its Oreily that was clouded by party loyalty. There are some ppl on the right e.g Peter Schiff who wasn’t clouded by party loyalty who saw the truth, but still stuck to his ideology


28 posted on 02/28/2009 2:43:04 AM PST by 4rcane
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To: 4rcane

I also think its a mistake to treat ccn/msnbc/ daily kos traffic numbers seperately. You need to add them all together and overall they’re still much larger than right wing outlets

e.g ccn - 2 mil, msnbc - 2mil, nbc - 2 mil, fox news 3 mil
On ranking it looks like foxnews is winning but if you add ccn/msnbc/nc, thats 6 mil vs fox news of 3 mil


29 posted on 02/28/2009 2:50:47 AM PST by 4rcane
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To: Lancey Howard

Does he still have that “body expert”? I stopped watching him after one two many appearances by that liberal fraud. If he got rid of her I might tune back in.


30 posted on 02/28/2009 2:54:33 AM PST by Radl (rtr)
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To: Lancey Howard

I like when he went onto the view and made fun of that Joy b*tch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6rR2OwaY1c


31 posted on 02/28/2009 3:00:30 AM PST by death2tyrants
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

bookmark


32 posted on 02/28/2009 3:00:50 AM PST by GOP Poet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’ve gone to Daily Kos a few times,
I think the majority there are insane.
obamma lamma kool aide drinkers all.


33 posted on 02/28/2009 3:14:29 AM PST by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: Darkwolf377

I agree. “The folks” is really getting very tiresome. Another thing I don’t like about O’Reilly is his running on and on, constantly interrupting his guests, particularly Dennis Miller. I view this as a feeble attempt to appear clever and to show us how “hip” and knowledgeable he is. He simply doesn’t know when to get out of the way.


34 posted on 02/28/2009 3:25:18 AM PST by donaldo
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Ideology has corrupted the watchdog press that our Founders envisioned.

This line gets repeated almost daily, but for the life of me, I can't recall where the Founding Fathers said, "We are trusting in a watchdog press."

Someone help me here. The existence of freedom of the press in the Constitution does not equal "we are trusting in a watchdog press" any more than the existence of freedom of religion has them saying "We are trusting in watchdog religious denominations."

35 posted on 02/28/2009 3:50:27 AM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain, Pro Deo et Patria)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
In hindsight, I should have been more skeptical of the housing bubble.

Perhaps in hindsight, Mr. O'Reilly should have read at least one book about bubbles and their disastrous consequences. Dr. Charles MacKay's classic Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds has been available for over a century --- he could find a copy at Amazon or you can download for free from Project Gutenberg. Many other books, including the well-written and highly appropriate The Moneymaker by Janet Gleeson, have also been published more recently.

Every time the cry is "Oh, this bubble is different!" No, they are all the same: the bigger the bubble, the bigger the bust. This bubble was vast, so now we are trying to navigate through what could be very turbulent waters, and unfortunately the captain and the crew are dangerously ignorant and incompetent.

36 posted on 02/28/2009 4:47:21 AM PST by snowsislander (NRA -- join today! 1-877-NRA-2000)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I think it's fair to say that this brutal economic downturn took most Americans by surprise. It certainly shocked me. Even though I'm a journalist, I had no idea that mortgage companies were gaming the system by bundling risky loans and selling them to dunces at Lehman Brothers. I was clueless. In hindsight, I should have been more skeptical of the housing bubble.

Bill, you pinhead...you forgot to mention how the federal government invited private lenders into this fiasco, instigating, aiding and abetting the entire disaster. Probably just an oversight on your part.

37 posted on 02/28/2009 5:14:44 AM PST by floozy22 (El Presidente: "Ten pounds of sh*t in a five pound bag.")
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To: Lancey Howard

Didn’t Bill just drop his radio factor or was it dropped?


38 posted on 02/28/2009 5:47:02 AM PST by Marysecretary (.GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL)
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To: Lancey Howard
> O’Reilly ... shows the ability to continue to educate himself and improve. ... he’s getting better all the time

Sorry for the mixup. This other O'Reilly, of whom you write, sounds like a pretty good guy, but this thread is about Bill O'Reilly, who has a program on Fox News Channel.

39 posted on 02/28/2009 5:49:40 AM PST by NewJerseyJoe (Rat mantra: "Facts are meaningless! You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Ted O'Baxter should just STFU until he tells the truth about the lies he told about FReeRepublic.

Until then, he is a liar, a fraud, and a coward who is hiding under his desk (as he claims others are doing when they duck HIS questions).

40 posted on 02/28/2009 5:59:33 AM PST by PalmettoMason ("an empty limousine pulled up in front of the White House, and Barack Obama got out")
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