Posted on 07/13/2010 1:17:51 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
When former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin signed a contract in January to become a regular guest on Fox News, many of her critics said it was part of a strategy by the Republican to avoid tough or skeptical questions and engage only with friendly members of the media.
But Bill OReilly appears to have missed that memo.
The larger-than-life Fox News host with the top rated cable news show on TV has a history of challenging Palin. You dont have that much experience, he told the former governor last fall, though he has also defended her performance as governor.
But Palins two most recent appearances on The OReilly Factor have drawn notice for the unusually testy exchanges between the TV titan and the most famous conservative political figure in America. This past Friday, OReilly interrupted Palin numerous times and pushed her to give an answer on how she would solve the nations immigration problem after securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Well, again, first let me go back to the importance of securing the border, Palin said.
No, no, but we got that, we got that governor, OReilly interjected.
Mm mm, no we dont, Palin countered.
Yeah, the people watching this program have it. We have it. We assume that you as president would secure the border, OReilly said. But now you have to look inward, and youve got 12 million people staring at you. What are you going to have them do?
Palin talked generally about not giving illegal immigrants a free pass and said, Were not going to reward the bad behavior. She even, when asked what to do with immigrants who dont register with the government, responded: You deport em.
But when OReilly pressed her to outline what to do with those who do register for normalization, Palin was either unable or unwilling to answer the question: Bill, it makes me uncomfortable that were even going down that path so far when
You have to go, OReilly interrupted. You have to go down that path because its going to come up.
This is where it gets very complicated governor, OReilly said to Palin, who wore an expression that could be described as irritated or bemused.
Jere Hester, a former New York Daily News City Desk Editor who now teaches at CUNYs School of Journalism, called it an extraordinary exchange.
OReillys quizzing of Palin on how to plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, during a June 15 interview, was not as tense as the most recent appearance. But OReilly did express disbelief at Palins argument that Obama was not doing everything he could to stop the gusher.
I kind of have a big beef with you too though, Bill, if you dont acknowledge that President Obama is wrong on his call for a need for energy policy, Palin said.
A spokesman for Palins political action committee, SarahPAC, declined to comment. But partisans on both sides of the Palin divide those who love her and those who hate her have taken notice.
Whatever shes for or not [on immigration], Bill OReilly doesnt seem to have much respect for her insights on the subject, wrote the liberal website Newshounds.us. For the second time in a few weeks, he virtually destroyed her credibility when she was poised to use his show to boost it.
But a website with a close association to Palin Conservatives4Palin.com lashed out at OReilly.
Mr. OReilly prides himself on being fair and balanced. OReilly regularly proclaims that when he interviews Governor Palin hell be fair without asking her gotcha questions. Well, on Friday night OReilly broke his own rule, said the website.
Had OReilly stopped interrupting her and allowed her to answer his question we would actually have heard what she had to say. Twice the Governor begun explaining her position and OReilly rudely interrupted her, said a post author at Conservatives4Palin named Sheya. To Bill OReilly: Can you PLEASE let Governor Palin finish her sentences so you actually get the ANSWER to your questions. You know, you may learn something in the process.
Conservatives4Palin.com was started in part by a woman, Rebecca Mansour, who left the site to become a paid Palin consultant. SarahPAC paid Mansour $22,000 from April to June of this year for help with grassroots organizing and with managing Palins online presence, largely through her very active Facebook page, according to Federal Election Campaign filings.
A veteran Republican operative, however, said the OReilly sessions are good for Palin.
Bill and Palin make for good TV. He gives her a run for her money and she feels free to give it right back to him, the GOP official said. The dynamic is a good one for the network, and it also helps stretch her on policy questions she would not otherwise feel obliged to answer.
The biggest profiteers on illegal behavior are likely to be contributers to the Democrats. Tory Democrats who when they slide into the Republican camp become liberal Republicans, and their kids use their inheritances to support liberal causes.
After another look, I did mis-read your post. Thanks for setting me straight.
Leni
Bill is doing her a favor. First of all Bill is an idiot on capitalism and the constitution. But hard interviews in public are what toughens conservative up and where the libs fail.
Because they never have to defend their blathering bullsh@t they spout off about using fake statistic, false premises and faulty logic.
You make steel hard with fire and you sharpen a blade with heat, pounding and grinding with rough surfaces. He should interview her daily
Haha I have no doubt she would. Your Grandma sounds alot like my Great,great grandmother. They both sound like they would get along fine.
She was a midwife and she would stay up late at night caring for her family and the unfortunate poor, black or white. Feminist had nothing on her. If the roof on the barn needed repairing, she put on her late husband's(my great, great grandfather) old britches got up on it and fixed it herself ....when she was in her seventies. She was not one to tolerant foolishness yet always allowed for redemption. All she needed was her dipping snuff and her bottle of Four Roses on her bedside table next to her Bible and she was good to go.
My mother is proudly named after her and Mom does her namesake proud. America was made by such people as both our ancestors, male and female.
No sweat... It’s a tough issue.
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