http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,417282,00.html

Yes, Lynne Spears is a pinhead! I stand by it.

Guys, I think by now you might realize that I am playing devil’s advocate here, at least a little bit. The reason I got started on this was when I watched the Stewart clip, I had just watched the full O’Reilly clip and I thought to myself, “That’s not what he was saying, though.” O’Reilly is divisive and an easy target. That is part of why I watch those clips sometimes though. It gets me fired up and thinking. I knew coming out on his side would spark discussion.

JJH2, I will concede that you did not quote me, but using the word “dismiss” when I did not, and then quoting me out of context is doing EXACTLY what Stewart does for a laugh, and politicians do so often. Example:

You used the word “dismiss” in regards to Stewart when I did not and then quoted me as saying “don’t form your opinions on The Daily Show… its a comedy show”. Taken out of context, it makes it look like I said to disregard The Daily Show. Please re-read post #28. That quote that you attributed to me came RIGHT AFTER I talked about getting your news from various sources. Now, I could have been clearer in that one sentence and said “don’t form your opinions SOLELY on The Daily Show”. I did not, but that comment was to be taken in context of what I just said.

So, that is how things get “spun”. You very easily attibuted dismissal to me, when I did no such thing. I am not attacking you in any way, just using that as an example to support my argument that you must see things in context and you must form your opinions based on various sources.

So anyway, I have done the one thing that I avoid like the plague… arguing on the internet. So I’ll just end by saying that, sure, O’Reilly sets himself up for this kind of scrutiny by being so divisive. But I don’t hate him or dismiss his words just because I don’t always agree with him. One thing I’ve learned is, you and I don’t have to agree to get along. You can learn from people that are wrong, or hold a different opinion. I do try to get the whole story though. Jon Stewart is very good at making these quotes funny. However, looking at the big picture, I have no problem calling the Spears’ parents pinheads because that whole situation is digusting when you include the Britney scenario and over-covered in the media (admittedly, not the parents fault for media coverage). However, I truely do NOT think Palin deserves the pinhead label… at least not yet! Palin should spark policy discussion (#36), while Spears is an out of control pop star with a pregnant little sister… vastly different and deserves different coverage. Therefore, even though he sounds like an idiot, I have no problem with O’Reilly treating it different.

Well you’re right that the two situations don’t deserve an equal response. Palin is a public political figure who supports policies that make teenage pregnancy more likely (”abstinence only” sex education vs. comprehensive sex education), and a person for whom one’s ability to keep people in line is suggestive of their ability to govern a whole country if necessary. Whereas the Spears’ family is… not. Despite O’Reilly’s statement at the end of the full clip that he hopes that the media buzz about Palin’s daughter would die down soon because America “doesn’t need a soap opera,” he’s perfectly happy to beat up on politically irrelevant targets to pander to his shame-mongering viewer base.

Until O’Reilly calls Palin and her husband “pinheads,” he’s not being consistent.

I agree with you that it is a parental and private issue, and that one should always avoid toeing the party line, but O’Reilly has a long history of hypocrisy and this strikes me as just another example of it.”

So Palin’s situation and and the Spear’s situation is identical and deserves an identical response? Well it is not and it doesn’t.

Until O’Reilly calls Palin and her husband “pinheads,” he’s not being consistent.

I agree with you that it is a parental and private issue, and that one should always avoid toeing the party line, but O’Reilly has a long history of hypocrisy and this strikes me as just another example of it.

“don’t form your opinions on The Daily Show… its a comedy show”

and

“I don’t see any particular reason to dismiss information gleaned from a “comedy show” as the basis for forming an opinion. ”

is

I just love how comments on the internet get horribly mis-quoted. I never once used the word “dismiss”, nor did I even make that implication. What you should get from my post was that you have to look at a lot of different sources to get the whole story.

Also, as far as the Spears thing, he was talking about the whole family situation… including Britney. Again, you have to take the whole comment into consideration. Also, you have to admit that Britney is pretty messed up. Adding to that the other daughter is pregnant at 16. I consider it a parenting problem… or at least part of the problem.

And for the record, John Stewart deserves a lot of blame for the “don’t take us seriously, we’re just a comedy show!” cop-out, which he used on his (painful) Crossfire appearance. That was a bad faith dodge.

The disparity in treatment should be obvious. Even though the Spears’ have more than enough money to make sure the taxpayers don’t have to support Jamie Lynn’s baby (thus making it, in O’Reilly’s eyes, a “personal” and not “policy” issue), her parents are pinheads who get the blame for their failure to control their daughter. Yet the fact that Palin’s daughter got pregnant doesn’t make Palin a pinhead, nor does O’Reilly suggest that her inability to control her own daughter casts doubt on her ability to say, be the VP of an entire country. Rather, when he acknowledges that people are going to judge Palin for her daughter’s pregnancy anyway, he is quick to comment that there’s “nothing that anyone can do about it” — which certainly suggests he thinks the criticism is unfair.

I don’t think anything significant is excised from the full clip to make O’Reilly’s comments out of context. But the full clip is worth watching for his hand-waiving dismissal Mary Mitchell’s article.

Let’s hope this is a chance for them to rethink their posistions and learn

Dave, have you considered writing for the Daily Show?

The libertarians here should support both points, though, that it is a parental problem as well as a family issue. That is NOT contradictory.

I am glad to see my posts are rated (albeit low) and are getting attention. I am no troll, nor am I sticking up for O’Reilly. I like to see broad issues and try to see the truth behind them. That does mean watching O’Reilly clips sometimes. I read conservative and liberal stuff. If you live in the middle, like most of us do, you have to. If you just toe the party line, you will never see the whole truth.

Oh yeah, and don’t form your opinions on The Daily Show… its a comedy show which was my argument from the very beginning.

Well, he said that “It’s true that some Americans will judge Governor Palin and her family,” and he was saying that they shouldn’t because it’s a personal matter and nobody’s being asked to foot the bill.

Then he said that the “blame” for Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy “falls primarily on the parents,” who then referred to as “pinheads.”

I’m not sure how that’s not contradicting himself.

I’m sure many here hate O’Reilly, so all the better.

Hypocrite, bigot, ignoramus, liar. What’s not to hate?

He’s saying it’s a family issue while broadcasting it on national TV and criticizing the parents. Not exactly compatible actions.”

In both instances it was also a commentary on how it has been covered in other media. I have seen the full clip of each. My comment had a lot to do with the fact that a comedy show can make anyone look like an ass. I’m sure many here hate O’Reilly, so all the better.

The Daily show returned after Jay Leno crossed the picket line.

Yes, without writers. Jon Stewart proved himself capable of writing his own material.

He’s saying it’s a family issue while broadcasting it on national TV and criticizing the parents. Not exactly compatible actions.

I’m far from a Democrat (most of Radley’s readership is, I bet), but it’s exasperating to read and watch this crap. These pundits are full of shit and will make whatever argument is immediately and politically expedient. Their audience, desperate to be on the right side, internalizes and adopts it as truth, even though they were spouting the opposite 3 months ago.