Bill O’Reilly on Economics: Greedy or Populist Pinhead?
RANT!
O’Reilly’s Economic Spin Zone
“Populist Pinhead”
Bill O’Reilly has a Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism and another in Public Administration, but apparently, he got thrown out of Economics–because he appears functionally illiterate about the subject.
Anyone who’s watched The O’Reilly Factor knows that if the host were paid a nickel every time he spouted an economic inanity, he’d be a multimillionaire.
He is, so that’s no spin.
His favorite economic target is greed. Greed explains everything for O’Reilly. Gasoline prices go up? Greed. Gasoline prices go down? Greed again. Banks pushed into making loans to people who might have had a hard time paying them? Greed. No one told O’Reilly? Greed.
His failings on economic matters are an embarrassment–except to William Jennings Bryan aficionados.
There’s no spinning that Bill O’Reilly is a populist pinhead. That’s how Conservative Punk sees him–and that may be giving O’Reilly the benefit of the doubt.
Those on the right and left who are feigning righteous indignation at the “evil corporations†or “heartless Wall Street†are taking the otherwise complex issue of the financial meltdown, and simplifying it in order to appeal to their audience…or so they think. In fact what they’re doing is treating their viewers and listeners like simpletons and idiots. American’s are grown ups, they can take a little bit of truth now and again.
On today’s Radio Factor, Bill O went on a tirade against other talk show hosts who don’t share his one sided and simplistic assessment of our current financial crisis is dishonest. Check out the audio at Johnny Dollar’s Place. During his nearly three minute long screed, O’Reilly goes on to blame rich, cigar chomping, private jet flying talk radio hosts of misleading and lying to their audiences about the bailout and the financial meltdown. Ironically, it’s rich, cigar chomping, private jet flying talk show host Bill O who’s misleading and lying to you.
O’Reilly’s tactic is to bring someone knowledgeable about the mysteries of how the market works on his show and then attack them if the guest doesn’t buy into the host’s towering ignorance.
The market has determined that O’Reilly’s lack of economic knowledge is worth almost a million dollars a year. That’s what some sources estimate is O’Reilly’s compensation. We’ll not attack the market for determining his worth: that’s what markets are supposed to do.
O’Reilly is entertaining, whether he’s economically informative or not. It’s likely that O’Reilly thinks he earns every penny he’s paid. We don’t think that Bill O’Reilly is greedy for taking the money.
Guess that would disqualify us from ever hosting the No-Spin Zone.
by Mondo
images: dbkp; ideagrove
Pinhead. for sure. And I have a degree in economics. Bill is a pinhead. A bloviating pinhead. And stubborn. Stubborn and Stupid are really bad traits.
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You had me at the degree in Journalism. The number of journalists that understand even the basics of Economics can probably be counted on one hand.
It always cracks me up that leftists think he’s some super-conservative when in reality he’s just a blowhard populist. I’ll give him credit for covering some stuff that no one else does, but in several areas all he can do is make a fool of himself.
BTW, I read somewhere awhile back that he makes a lot more than a million a year.
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pat,
Right!
Don Miguel,
I’ll give him credit for covering some stuff that no one else does, but in several areas all he can do is make a fool of himself
Exactly, as do I. Your take mirrors my own. The guesstimates of O’Reilly’s income were $900,000 to 1 million+….
Thanks guys for taking the time to stop by and comment!
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He is a blowhard, bullshit artist, and good for him for making a success of himsellf, but I’m pretty sure Bill O’Reilly likes money almost as much as everyone else.
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One of the things lacking in the second presidential debate this week was anger. With the economy brutalizing millions of Americans, I expected both candidates to be furious that, once again, the government failed to warn us about impending disaster. Before the 9/11 attack few Americans had ever heard, Yeah!!! send those greed bastards to us and we’ll exploit them! http://www.greedypeople.com
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I think Neil Cavuto should ask Keith Olbermann the same questions.
Watch Olbermann become the only angry asshole. At least he knows how numbers work!
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