Bill O'Reilly: "I Don't Want To Go On A Lynching Party Against Michelle Obama Unless There's Evidence"

From Media Matters:

In a discussion of recent comments made by Michelle Obama, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who stated that, according to "a friend who had knowledge of her," Obama " 'is a very angry,' her word was 'militant woman.' " O'Reilly later stated: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

Read the entire Media Matters post about the comment, made on Bill O'Reilly's radio show yesterday, here, or listen to the audio below:

Update: Portfolio.com's Jeff Bercovici reports that David Tabacoff, O'Reilly's executive producer, has defended the remark:

"What Bill said was an obvious repudiation of anyone attacking Michelle Obama," he said, according to Fox spokeswoman. "As he has said more than ten times, he is giving her the benefit of the doubt."

Comments

[the964kid]

Its silly how a person cant make an obvious statement without the media jumping all down that person's throat - obviously she meant that she's never been more proud of this country then she is right now. Why do people really want to believe the worst? It's no wonder good people stay away from politics - I hope experiences like these don't change the Obamas, and other people in public life that try to speak directly and honestly and without putting their words thru focus groups and political consultants.

[whadiyano]

I think I know what Michelle meant. You remember how in the sixties Black Americans, would stand up and say, “I’m Black and I’m proud.” Well, now forty years later, after the enthusiastic support Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy has received from Americans of all colors and creeds, it’s finally possible for a Black American to stand up and say, “I’m AMERICAN and I’m proud!” with the same heartfelt conviction. And that makes me, a White American, damn proud as well.

[BOfever]

I thought it was kind of funny the Olbermann covered this "story" tonight and even questioned "Why does the guy still have a job?"

Well, probably the main reason would be the ratings he brings in for Fox News compared to Keith:

1. The O'Reilly Factor (Fox)
7. The O'Reilly Factor (Repeat) (Fox)
19. Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/01/oreilly-headlines-fox-ne_n_84502.html

Maybe the better question is why does Keith still have a job? Lou Dobbs beats him by a lot.

[nellie]

That is a sad statement about cable news. Fox has the top 8 out of 10 news shows. The audience must be overwhelmed by dead enders.

[Sisyphuss]

Fox News and CNN is available in FAR more households than MSNBC, which has a much more limited distribution. So of COURSE the viewership of FNC and CNN is greater than MSNBC. The relative ratings do not imply that one is "better" than the other, for pity sake.

[BWonka]

Those ratings just show how many pathetic, sad fools there are who can't think for themselves and need an O'LIElly to tell them what to think an say. People like BO....

[anniernc]

Keith still has a job because some people would like to hear the truth-very simple. Some of us don't buy into the propaganda arm of the Republican party-Faux News. They pander to the worst in all of us-fear,bi­gotry,xeno­phobia.
Unkind,immoral and just generally no damn good.

[jasjohn128]

So who made the phone call?

Who was the listener that called the O'Reilly show and claimed to have a friend who had knowledge of Mrs. Obama, and who told him (the listener) that Mrs. Obama is a "very angry ... militant woman"?

Someone whose identity nobody knows - a voice on the phone on a radio call-in show - repeats a claim about Mrs. Obama allegedly made to that caller by someone *else* whom we do not know, and apparently that is substantial and newsworthy enough to get past the call screeners on Fox News radio.

Fox ought to follow up with this guy and bring him out into the light, because I really think they owe it to us to let us have a look at him, give him a chance to tell us the "story behind the story" here.

It shouldn't be hard to find him, right? What with the station's call records and maybe some follow-up with the listener's telephone service provider it ought to take no time at all to find out where to send the camera trucks and news crews.

Hell, this story isn't about some half-assed lynching comment by O'Reilly, it's about the still-unidentified listener who called in and got the day's message out to the faithful on Republican talk radio.

[noamjunior]

IF YOU eat Cheerios call them and tell them your switching to generic until they publicly pledge to stop advertising on fox news

1-800-248-7310 between (7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. CT, weekdays)

[HakimKutta]

O'Reilly, Imus, the Savage Nation jerk, they're the America common denominater, crude, clever barbarians with a quick tongue and a penchant for tearing at the jugglar. If children are around when these guys are on the air you want to turn it off for fear of contamination, they're dirty, dirty vibrations, dirty auras This is who we are as a people, shameful to be an American these days. I applaud Michelle, I know just what she means. We kill and manipulate, lie and cheat, are hated the world through. Our ideals are wonderful but we Americans are fearful hypocrites in following through. When I see Barack and Michelle speechifying with the light and the hope radiating out from these two special people I get a thrill like I've never had before and think Wow! the time has finally come....

[Neocon187]

This from the same douchebag who's surprised to see black people eating with knives and forks in a restaurant.

While it's time to abandon the False News network to the mouth-breathers who make up the republican party, I think I'll watch Bill-O this week so I'll know what products not to buy.

[dogman44]

Yes! Please make a list of the sponsors of all
these reich wing media pieholes. Somebody that's good on these things,(computers), should
be able to pull it off in no time. Then post
it here. I'd gladly boycott the products. I just couldn't stand listening to the shows to
find out what they are.

[HuffingPuffing]

It's insidious, but slowly and surely it's starting to ooze out of the maw of the foaming right... loaded words like "lynching" and any terms that contain the word "spade" are starting to be bandied about with careless abandon when addressing the Obamas. Oh, to watch someone put racist *holes like O'Reilly, Tush Limbaugh and their ilk FIRMLY in their place the next time they sully the airwaves more than usual with this coded, thinly-veiled word vomit.

[guntotinganglion]

Here's the reality of lynching..­.look at your own peril, it is a horror show.

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/african/2000/lynching.htm

This is true American terrorism, plain and simple, and it went on for hundreds of years, and I'm sure, in some areas, goes on to this day. Remember Emmett Till, that Bob Dylan wrote of...he was lynched, but he was tortured first. He was wonderful, innocent young man who made the terrible mistake of whistling at a pretty white woman in the wrong place, and the animals that inhabited that place, eviscerated him for it. They did unspeakable things to him before they murdered him.

LYNCHING IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!!!! IT IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE! ANYONE WHO REFERENCES IT IN THIS SORT OF OFFHAND CASUAL WAY, SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE JOB WHERE THEY SAID IT. BULLY O'REILLY HAS NO PLACE ON THE AIRWAVES. THIS IS NOT A JOKE...THI­S WAS INSTITUTIONALIZED MURDER, MAYHEM, CRUELTY AND INHUMAN SAVAGERY! AND O'REILLY IS TOO STUPID TO EVEN UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF WHAT HE SAID BEING AS REPUGNANT AS IT IS!!!! FIRE BULLY O'REILLY NOW. TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO BOYCOTT HIS SHOW, AND FOX NEWS, UNTIL THEY'VE REMOVED HIM. ENOUGH ALREADY.

Remember this about O'Reilly's words, the word lynched is the same as murdered, no difference, except that lynching implies far more cruelty than simple homicide. It wasn't enough for these animals to kill people of color, they toyed with them like a cat does with a mouse, torturing and tormenting their victims to make their deaths as painful and long lasting as was inhumanly possible.

[anniernc]

Thank you-couldn't have said it better myself! Lynching = murder. Period, Unconscionable.
If this is the taste of things to come all decent people have to find the voice to stop this horrible vitriol.

[robeson]

It is quite normal for Bill O'Reilly to use 'lynching' as his attack mode on Blacks. Bill is a racist.

[nellie]

Time to file a complaint with the FCC.

[WIpatriot]

Go ahead, Bill, take her on, she'll slice and dice you like a carrot.

[fourex]

Bill O'Reilly is a racist. His employer sees a monetary profit to be gained. His supporters see a political gain in using racist language.

Both his supporters and employers need to pay for their bigotry.

[Christo2020]

I don't normally watch ANY FOX programs, but I will be watching and recording each of the following FOX programs so that I can get a list of their advertisers. I will then write to each advertiser to tell them I will never again buy their product unless they force FOX to fire O'Reilly immediately. I hope everyone who reads this will do likewise. Here is a partial list of their shows:


24
American Dad
American Idol
America’s Most Wanted
Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader
Back To You
Bones
Cops
Don’t Forget the Lyrics
Family Guy
Hell’s Kitchen
House
King of the Hill
Kitchen Nightmares
K-Villa
MADtv
The Moment of Truth
Nashville
New Amsterdam
Prison Break
The Return of Jezebel James
The Simpsons
So You Think You Can Dance
TALKSHOW with Spike Feresten
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
‘Til Death
Unhitched
Creative Writer Development
Diversity Development
FOX All Access
FOXCAST
FOX Extras
FOX Fan Club
Etc…

[CGrace]

Rev. Al, where are you? Get down there and start picketing. Get this slime off the air. You did it with Imus, now step up and go after Bill and Faux news. There are words in this country that should never be used and lynch(ing) is one of them.