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Rachel Maddow mocks Bill O'Reilly's big ratings. Bazinga!
Don't get Rachel Maddow started.
Bill O'Reilly fired off some dismissive comments on his show earlier this week about Rachel's take on the Tea Party, the "fake" ACORN scandal, and the edited video of Shirley Sherrod. He reminded her that he gets higher ratings than she does and even referred to Rachel Maddow sarcastically as "Madam."
On her Thursday (July 23) "Rachel Maddow Show," Rachel calmly took aim and hit the bull's eye with what really matters.
You may have already seen this but if not watch the video as she deftly skewers Bill with the truth about the meaning of ratings: "Deadliest Catch," "The Closer," "WWE Wrestling," "SpongeBob" and "Hannah Montana" beat both her show and O'Reilly's show.
But that's not really the point, is it? She says bring up ratings is just Bill's way of deflecting the truth. The real point is racism and what happened to an innocent Shirley Sherrod. And here's what she said about that:
"They are more watched than "The O'Reilly Factor," my lord -- which is totally immaterial to the discussion at hand, because when you got all kicked your network's butt, and madam on me, you weren't really trying to tout your network's ratings. You were trying to take the attention off me saying that your network, FOX News, continually crusades on flagrantly bogus stories designed to make white Americans fear black Americans, which FOX News most certainly does for a political purpose even if it upends the lives of individuals like Shirley Sherrod, even as it frays the fabric of the nation, and even as it makes the American Dream more of a dream and less of a promise."
"You can insult us all you want about television ratings, Mr. O'Reilly, and you'll be right that yours are bigger for now and maybe forever. You are the undisputed champion. But even if no one watches us at all, except for my mom and my girlfriend and people who forgot to turn off the TV after Keith, you are still wrong on what really matters and that would be the facts, your highness."
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Maddow doesn't go after the truth like O'Reilly does. Look at all of the stories that he's broken. O'Reilly apologized and clarified the Sherrod story, just like he has any other time that he's been wrong. What more could you want?
That same night Rachel had a discussion with someone (book writer and MSNBC contributor) that presented a counter argument that Obama (as President) can't get into fighting all petty racial issues like he did when running for president.
Although she didn't agree, she let the guy say his piece and even praised him for it.
That's why I like shows Rachel, Rick Sanchez - even Keith.
I like it when the host will allow a person to present their argument in a respectful, educated way and even if they ultimately won't agree - they will agree to disagree.
This is BEYOND O'Reilly and Hannity's or even Beck's capabilities.
They are ALWAYS right even when proven WRONG and it's that kind of intellectual dishonesty that makes me shun their programs - even though I want and need to hear both points of an argument or I will become that which I hate the most - a close minded individual.
That - I get more ratings - by O'Reilly was the most childish way to 'win' a serious argument about race, cooking evidence to tarnish an innocent person's reputation since "My dad can beat your dad."
O'Reilly and all the other Fix News talking heads have major God complexes. They have literally come to believe they speak for a higher power. Talk about self-righteous.
She mocked his BIG ratings? Why would you mock someones ratings that are beter then your's?
After seeing Ms Sherrod on NBC's Today show, I watched to see how Fox would handle everyone's rush to judgement. Now I know not everyone wants to read this but they were upfront about not having requested a full transcript. They apologized and offered Ms Sherrod the opportunity to come on the network.
As for Maddow's assertions. --- BULL. I occasionally watch Fox and though I do not always agree with the commentators or their guests (Lberal or Conservative) never have I felt an urge to HATE a Black American because of any comments. FYI I have Black relatives, American Indian too.
What is most disturbing is that most Democrats if you disagree with them take offense. If you dislike Obama's policies they accuse you of being a racist and if you object to the out of control spending by Congress they blame Bush
O'Reilly apologized and clarified the Sherrod story, - Katrina
Seriously. You may cut and paste exactly what he said and after reading it - I'm sorry but it's the classic "Non-apology" where you focus on something else to still get a dig in. A classic move by a person who can't admit they are wrong from the get go.
Why would you mock someones ratings that are beter then your's? - Alex
Like Rachel said, "...you are still wrong on what really matters and that would be the facts..."
If you can't understand that what happened was wrong - from the beginning - just try to imagine how you would've felt if what happened to Mrs. Sherrod would've happened to any member of your family or to you and how you would've felt.
End of the day if all that happened to Mrs. Sherrod would've happened to any person regardless of any age, sex or color -- it would still be wrong.
None of these talking heads really go after "truth." They go after polemics, because that means fireworks, and that means ratings, because people don't really want truth. They want to root for their team and be reinforced in what they already want to think...
Maddow is only interested in facts, and she just goes where it leads her, unlike FOX News which only wants to talk about (or even creates) facts to further their own right-wing agenda. Right-wing media bias at its best!
"Maddow doesn't go after the truth like O'Reilly does. Look at all of the stories that he's broken. O'Reilly apologized and clarified the Sherrod story, just like he has any other time that he's been wrong. What more could you want?"
Please get a clue and then come back and chat with the big kids.
Oh I get it Rachel. "The fox and the grapes" Your ratings are better so who wanted them anyway. Waa, Waaa, Boo Hoo.
All she does is spew her hate for people with different ideologies...