Jon Stewart And Bill O'Reilly Debate Common's White House Appearance (VIDEO)

Bill O'Reilly and Jon Stewart had a lively debate on Monday's "O'Reilly Factor" about whether it was right of the Obama administration to invite rapper Common to the White House for a poetry event last week.

O'Reilly was one of several Fox News anchors to take umbrage at the invitation. Stewart was equally incredulous that the outrage existed at all, and even called out Fox News in a rap of his own on his show. After that, O'Reilly challenged Stewart to a debate, and Stewart accepted. The first part of the debate aired on Monday night.

O'Reilly's position was clear. He told Stewart he was "shocked that you don't understand why people like me and millions of Americans are upset, said that Common supported "cop killers" and that anyone who went to the White House should be "unimpeachable."

Stewart said Common was actually supporting people who he believed were unjustly convicted of killing—something that musicians such as Bono, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan had also done.

O'Reilly was dismissive of this line of reasoning. "Is this Perry Mason we're talking about?" he said.

"Why are you drawing the line at Common?" Stewart asked. "There is a selective outrage machine here at Fox that pettifogs only when it suits the narrative that suits them. This guy is in the crosshairs in a way that he shouldn't be."

(By the way—pettifog? That means "to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters.")

O'Reilly said he thought Common's past statements were "enough for a sitting president to say, 'you know what? This guy might be radioactive!'" Moreover, he said, someone like Obama with "a history of associating dubious people" should have been more cautious. He asked Stewart what he would have done in Obama's place.

"If I'm the president and I'm booking my own poetry slams, throw me out of office," Stewart said. He asked O'Reilly to do something that would really honor police officers and push to reinstate the ban on assault weapons instead of "wasting your time" on Common.

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Comments

[Wyattspoppa]

12:30 AM on 06/21/2011

Stewart is an interesting guy, for an entertainer he's intelligent and well spoken but many of you overstated his "victory". O'Reilly never lost his cool and had clear replies to all Stewarts painfully obvious rehearsed rhetoric "well Bob Dylan sang this, Bono sang about that", Stewart putting the two most famous anti-war musicians in history in the same class as Common? Please!

[Ron Diaz]

04:41 PM on 06/18/2011

Because of Jon Stewart's intellect he will always have the advantage over Bill O'Reilly in any argument.

[Akhet]

11:01 PM on 05/22/2011

Assata isn’t a black hero…Shes and American hero. She is every thing the tea party pretends to be. She fought government over reach. Not b.s., not to high taxes, or forced medical care. She fought that real life fatal government over reach that the right always trys to put on communist countries. The over reach of life or death. When government agents can come into your community, beat, lock up, and kill anyone. That whole economic over reach that the right fears and so often have been willing to secede over is nothing compared to the ground level, life and death struggled that she fought. I guess its kind of personal to me. I named one of my daughters after her. Shes the kind of person that has always made America better, that fought, and put themselves in harms way to make this country what it always boast to be. Her and every one like her help move this country forward. With freedom fighters like her there wouldn’t be a President Obama.
No one who knows anything about her case believes shes guilty of the crimes shes on the run for. No one who not being intellectually dishonest, can argue that at the time of her conviction, that framing, murder, and beatings weren’t s.o.p in black communities. I

The song just for the record.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2xddaL6Ey0

[Jill Pole]

04:50 PM on 05/20/2011

So Stewart defends a wrong with another wrong (his take: Springsteen is as bad as Common, and Bruce has been to the White House, so ha ha O'Reilly what's the big deal?) That was so LAME I can't believe O'Reilly didn't call him on it. Of course the Huffington Post says Stewart "demolished" O''Reilly, but one doesn't expect logic or fair judgement from such a rag.

[DoubleD8007]

11:26 PM on 05/20/2011

I dont believe he ever said Springsteen and Common are bad. I think he is saying that Bills argument does not hold up. If Common shouldn't be invited because he supports convicted criminals, then other artists should be held to the same standard.

[Timothy Casey Smyth]

03:19 PM on 05/21/2011

He doesn't even come close. Not within a thousand miles of it. He's saying that Fox is, as has been made clear a thousand other times, chronically selective about what is outrageous or absurd. HUckabee had, on his show, Ted Nugent, who had so very recently suggested he would shoot Obama in the face with a machine gun. How is that not outrageous and disgusting?

Because it's about Obama. If it were Bush, it would be headlines across the country with a demand of a boycott. Something about decency or some tripe.

Jon is saying it's not wrong. Jon is saying that if Common is a bad guy for having this opinion, the sheer number of people who--based on Fox's logic--can't visit the White House just expanded by a thousand times. Fox is being arbitrary and inconsistent/hypocritical.

Based on their logic - the president of the United States--commander in chief, leader of the US armed forces, both domestically and internationally, which I will interpret to include firefighters and police officers--did just have a threat (joking or not) made against his life by a man who was a guest on Fox's Huckabee program. That sounds like it could be interpreted Fox is housing a domestic terrorist--certainly someone who could be, I don't know, "radioactive." I suppose the White House should forbid these protectors of terror from having FCC clearance. They're dangerous, after all.

Sound crazy? IT IS. But it's their kind of logic.

[Eagleman]

11:14 AM on 05/20/2011

BO getting BK'd (Butt Kicked ?)

[mch321]

10:25 AM on 05/20/2011

That "shot of Levittown" line is hialrious.

[real1234]

09:46 AM on 05/20/2011

O'Reilly got owned.

[Amanda Prasuhn]

01:52 AM on 05/20/2011

That was so hilarious. I don't understand how some people can be so oblivious!

[Bubbas]

12:43 AM on 05/20/2011

I think it would be AMAZING to have these two have their own talk show together.

[kfdan]

03:42 AM on 05/20/2011

It should be called ... 'Nuts&Bolts.'

[Dbos]

12:30 AM on 05/20/2011

People like me sneers orly, thats the problem billo people like you.

[hawntransplant]

11:34 PM on 05/19/2011

O'Reilly's statement "you don't understand why people like me...are upset" says it all to me. He's included himself in the group he panders to (rich, white, old enough to remember Jim Crow) that feels superior to and yet fears African-American men, especially when their weapon of choice is words. The way he treated President Obama during his interview was disrespectful and contemptuous. His opinions on who the President invites to the White House are meaningless. Well done, Jon Stewart.

[gjackson]

10:58 AM on 05/20/2011

booyah

[Banghouse]

01:37 PM on 05/20/2011

Faved & Fanned couldn't have said it better.

[MikeWebster]

10:33 PM on 05/19/2011

At least noone from FOX was invited - that's bad company right there.

[politisophical]

10:29 PM on 05/19/2011

lmao.. "im like a shot of B-12 right on your **** " - John Stewart... i feel an internet meme coming on

[Raw Ron]

09:03 PM on 05/19/2011

What I just say was a paid partisan try and justify his networks slanted narrative against a well rounded, thoughtful human being.

[giant1]

08:57 PM on 05/19/2011

Stewart wins the debate 71% to 29% on the FOX News callin poll !!!!

HA !