The Factor' Goes Inside Far-Left Media 'Reform' Conference
ROBERT "BIKO" BAKER, LEAGUE OF YOUNG VOTERS: The truth of the matter is America, if you turn on the TV, is a racist, sexist, xenophobic society when you turn on the TV. We're afraid of Muslims, we're afraid of gay people, we're afraid of African-Americans, and we're afraid of working-class white folks.
This is a rush transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," June 9, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET and listen to the "Radio Factor!"
BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Impact" segment tonight: the far-left party in Minnesota.
The public opinion descent of the Bush administration has corresponded with the rise and the profile of the radical left in America. Shortly after 9/11, these people had gone to ground taking their stridently anti-American message with them. But now they are back big time, led by the media, Hollywood, and big money-backers like George Soros.
Now I document the danger from the radical left in my book "Culture Warrior," if you want specifics. But this evening, we'd just like to give you a sample of what the lunatic left was up to this past weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bad media hurts real people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill O'Reilly, kiss my (EXPLETIVE DELETED). ROBERT "BIKO" BAKER, LEAGUE OF YOUNG VOTERS:
The truth of the matter is America, if you turn on the TV, is a racist,
sexist, xenophobic society when you turn on the TV. We're afraid of
Muslims, we're afraid of gay people, we're afraid of African-Americans,
and we're afraid of working-class white folks. ROBERT GREENWALD, DIRECTOR OF THE FILM "XANADU":
We do have two visitors from FOX News right there down front here. We
do need to make life in terms of their communicating these images back
to the liars, distorters and people at FOX News. REV. LENNOX YEARWOOD, HIP-HOP CAUCUS PRESIDENT:
So either you are FOX News or fake news. It is time to step up now and
to reveal yourself. And I hope that you print this, because you should
know the madness that you have put forward, the people who have died,
that FOX News is complicit in this madness. (END VIDEO CLIP) O'REILLY: By the way, our crew felt they were in physical danger at that conference. Joining us now from Washington to assess the situation, FOX News analyst Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham. All
right, Mary Katharine. Now the key question here is: Are these just
loons to be ignored? And you know, obviously they're unstable people.
There's no doubt about it. But I think that they're a threat. I think
that they can do a lot of damage to America and they are doing a lot of
damage on the Internet, in the media, and with George Soros and his
billions of dollars. I mean, they want to take over power here in this
country. Am I wrong?
MARY KATHARINE HAM, POLITICAL ANALYST:
No, I don't think you're wrong. They do want to take over power. This
conference this weekend was specifically about taking power within the
media. This is a group of people living in an alternative universe and
apparently studying in the Reverend Wright school of oratory,
discussing the fact that conservatives have entirely too much control
over the media, and that the media is sort of consolidating at this
frightening level. They seem to think, despite the fact that you can
get any kind of information on the Internet at any time and that the
Huffington Post is regularly breaking stories, and that there's all
kinds of things out there for you to access. I think they're pretty
wrong on this point. And the fact is that when
you get — if you get liberals in office who are willing to listen to
these folks, and they do drive a lot of money to the party and to
liberal candidates, you're going to get things like the Fairness
Doctrine and these very sort of status policies that want to make sure
that liberals have their say in the media, even when the market doesn't
want them to. O'REILLY: Well, bottom
line is they want, Juan, they want to shut FOX News up. And you said
that many times. And you used to work for The Washington Post. You used
to work for NPR and PBS. And they don't want any dissenting voices.
It's ridiculous to assert that conservatives control the media because
it's 10 to 1 liberal to conservative. And FOX News, this is the
interesting thing, Juan, both the Clinton campaign and the McCain
campaign say that we're the fairest of all the networks so far in the
primary situation. I mean, you have hardcore Democrats like Terry
McAuliffe saying that publicly. These people don't care about that.
They don't want any dissent. They're fascists, right? JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR:
Well, you know, that's the problem. I mean, if you look at the numbers,
not numbers done by FOX News, but numbers done by independent
pollsters, what they come back and say is that conservatives,
conservative news consumers are the ones who think the media is the
most biased. Liberals, for the most part, don't think that. I mean,
they have some problem, you know, but I think it's now more — it's
about 50 percent of the liberals say oh, it's unbiased. It's no problem. But
if you went to the conference this weekend, they have such anger and
fury. Anybody who has anything good to say about America is a dupe, is
a non-critical thinking person, lacking faculty. Just as that guy said,
America is xenophobic, racist, sexist… O'REILLY: And that's all you hear. WILLIAMS: …that's the reality. O'REILLY:
There are no dissenting voices in that conference, Mary Katharine,
because if you do, you feel threatened. I mean, actually threatened.
Look, all you've got to do is look at what Hillary Clinton got from the
far left. Hillary Clinton's a liberal woman, correct? Liberal woman? HAM:
It's true. I mean, and I think that's why Republicans to some extent
warmed up to Hillary during the Republican process. She became the
Republican of the Democratic primary. She was badly treated by the
media. She was tragically unhip according to all the ultra left. And
you know, that's what we're talking about here. These guys make up the
tiny percentage of people in that Rasmussen poll that came out this
week that actually think Obama got the worst treatment in the primary.
O'REILLY: Let me just say... HAM: I mean, it's just... O'REILLY:
...the Rasmussen poll says only 17 percent of Americans believe that
the media today offers unbiased coverage. Seventeen percent.
Eighty-three percent of Americans believe the fix is in in the media. But
the hatred, Juan — you're an African-American. I mean, you know this
much better than I do. The hatred level at that conference, not just
toward FOX News, but everything about America, traditional America, was
just off the chart. I mean, I know you've got right-wing nuts that are
haters. I got it, but not at this level. WILLIAMS: Yes. O'REILLY: Not at this level. WILLIAMS:
Well, see, they believe that it is at this level, Bill. And they
believe that they are, in fact, matching the heat and the bitterness
that comes from the far right with their own anger. You know, they
remember swift-boating. And so they're out there and they're saying,
oh, FOX News is part of this right-wing conspiracy. Remember that
language from Hillary — all that — and so, they think by heating it up
and distorting to their ends, that they are somehow providing balance. As
I said, the polls don't indicate that even when it came to coverage of
Obama and Clinton. What most Americans say is the press is universally
almost favorable towards Obama. They don't expect that they're going to
be too favorable to John McCain. O'REILLY: Except FOX News. FOX News wasn't favorable... WILLIAMS: Exactly. O'REILLY: ....toward Obama. WILLIAMS: But you know what? O'REILLY: We played it straight. HAM: They're not willing to admit that. WILLIAMS: But you know, Bill, you should know this for yourself because you've been victimized, vilified, demonized. O'REILLY: Yes, I'm public enemy No. 1. Last question... WILLIAMS: That's what I'm saying. O'REILLY: Yes, I mean, but look... WILLIAMS:
So if you're talking about the future of this country, you got to
realize they're making it difficult to have a civil, logical
discussion... O'REILLY: And you know what they're doing, Juan?
WILLIAMS: ...unless you put... O'REILLY: We're making it difficult for them because we're outing them every time they do it. Mary Katharine, one last question. WILLIAMS: That's good. HAM: Well, what they want eventually is to use the government to shut down conservative messages. O'REILLY: Absolutely, that's what they want. HAM: That's exactly what they want to do. O'REILLY: And they're trying... HAM: It's totally fascist. O'REILLY:
I don't think that'll happen. But what do you think about Moyers and
Rather showing up at this? I mean, talk about — these two guys were
actually powerhouses a few years ago at CBS News. And here they are
among the lunatic fringe. Go ahead, Mary Katharine, real quick. HAM:
I think, yes, there's some, you know, cognitive dissonance going on
here, where they're talking about a new media paradigm. They've got two
of the oldest dinosaurs of old media talking. But what they have in
common is that they do want to shut down conservative messages. They
give these Orwellian speeches about how they want to improve diversity
and media. They don't. They want to shut it down. And they were getting
all sorts of cheers about it. O'REILLY: OK. Mary Katharine, Juan, thanks very much.
Copy: Content and Programming Copyright
2008 FOX News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription
Copyright 2007 Voxant, Inc. ( www.voxant.com),
which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material
except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only
one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial
purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network,
LLC'S and Voxant, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or
interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes
of litigation.

