Having been raised on the Walter Cronkite school of news, I have certain expectations of decorum in an interview broadcast on a major network. I cannot recall ever watching one that devolved to the level of Bill O’Reilly’s interview of Rep. Barney Frank. It is outrageous.
Putting aside the issue of whether Barney Frank was right, wrong or otherwise about Fannie and Freddie, the manner in which Bill O’Reilly addressed a guest invited onto his show, who is a member of Congress, was beyond disgraceful. The vitriol was beyond anything I’ve ever seen before, making this the single lowest point in political discourse with the media. Ever.
Initially, O’Reilly is the host of a television program that purports to present the news. As the host, he has a great deal of control over how the voice of his guests are presented, both by way of normal courtesy as well as the dials on the microphones. A host does not scream at a guest that he’s a coward and a liar.
Understand, this does not mean that a host cannot pursue things he believes to be untrue, disingenuous or deceptive. But pursing these matters does not mean that the host gets to act like an animal. Bill O’Reilly behaved like an animal.
Barney Frank, whether you love him or hate him, is a Congressman. Remember those who railed about respecting the presidency even if you don’t like the President? That would be, uh, O’Reilly? Well, the same is true for a member of Congress as well. Who is O’Reilly to speak this way to anyone?
The level of public discourse took a damaging blow with this exchange. Perhaps “Joe Sixpack” thinks O’Reilly a hero, for screaming like a lunatic at Barney Frank, since that’s the way Joe makes his point. But it’s a mere few steps from Joe getting all riled up over this sort of public exchange with an elected official, pulling out his shotgun and blowing a hole in this lying coward.
I’ve written in the past that I believe that physical attacks on judges are a direct reaction to the neocons ripping the judiciary off the bench and vilifying them for decisions they don’t like. Once the cloak of respect has been ripped away, they are fair game for every nutjob with a weapon.
This is one of the most dangerous attributes of the media, and the influence of the media on public perception cannot be understated. O’Reilly plays to an audience that is already frothing at the mouth, looking for any opportunity to justify the seething hatred they have for those whom they blame for their miserable existence. His conduct is intolerable. He is a danger to democracy, not because of his beliefs but because he is a despicable animal.
As a postscript, I found this O’Reilly video at Crime & Federalism. Mike has taken a rather bizarre view of politics lately, closer to anarchy than anything else. It seems that he believes everyone in government is a liar. Not merely wrong, but sociopathic. This is what Mike has to say about the video:
Barney Frank is amazing. He’s makes great points – if only he were telling the truth. His lack of shame and ability to remain clam while lying is strong evidence of his sociopathy.
Mike’s conclusion that Frank is lying is an article of faith lately. He has fallen under the spell of the American Enterprise Institute, which has become his primary source of credible information. I don’t know who is lying, or if anyone is lying. But regardless, O’Reilly’s conduct is inexcusable. Mike didn’t seem to be troubled by it at all.
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Well – all I can say about Bill O’Reilly’s tirade is – I am glad he is not a cop.
As a matter of clarification, who do you define as “Joe Six-pack” or how do you define “Joe six-pack?” Do you mean the “average citizen” or something else?
Not that I think there can be a clear cut definition but if you use the term “Joe six-pack” to mean the average citizen, do you really believe, as you said, “…since that’s the way Joe makes his point. But it’s a mere few steps from Joe getting all riled up over this sort of public exchange with an elected official, pulling out his shotgun and blowing a hole in this lying coward.”
For the record, I don’t watch O’Reilly’s show and I don’t know who his audience is but I am with you on his behavior. It was uncalled for and did nothing to benefit anybody.
I don’t think “Joe Sixpack” is the average citizen at all. This is the redneck, the ignorant, the fellow sitting in his secondhand recliner swilling Pabst Blue Ribbon (note the “6 pack part of Joe Sixpack”) and screaming at all the people he hates on TV, the fellow who believes that his life of misery is all because of “bad luck,” and has nothing to do with his soiled t-shirt with beer and barbecue stains on it.
No, this is not the average citizen at all.
Just horrible. O’Reilly is utterly correct on the lying part — Frank is either hallucinating or knows what he’s saying is untrue and misleading; I’ll call that lying — but screaming at him has nothing whatsoever to recommend it.
Among the many other bad things about it, it’s unpersuasive, and encourages people to put aside the underlying issues, and focus on the yelling and screaming.
At least when Olbermann froths about with pretty much the same sort of namecalling, he does so without quite yelling, and in one of his Special Comments, rather than to the face of his guests.
There are numerous personalities who rant and rave, spit and curse, in the pursuit of their agenda and audience. But this was an interview. An INTERVIEW.
I couldn’t care less what side you’re on. No television talking head talks to a member of Congress this way to his face.
He should talk that way behind his back? I’m no O’Reilly fan, but at least he had the courage to say it to Frank’s face.
Barney Frank and his ilk are the ones who are pushing us towards another Great Depression. We should be nice to those people? Why? Because they hold office?
Frank is scum bag. He was treated with all the respect he deserves.
“Mike’s conclusion that Frank is lying is an article of faith lately”
Huh? There are articles dating back to at least 2003 quoting Barney Frank and describing his efforts to resist Fannie-Freddie reform and oversight:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D6123BF932A2575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
He also resisted the 2005 reform efforts, which would have prevented Fannie and Freddie from gouging itself on subprime mortgages.
So, yeah, when Frank says that he supported oversight, he’s lying.
Oh Michael. A one sentence attribution at the very end of an article is not proof of anything. Without all the sentences surrounding, without any number of other things said as politicians are wont to do, you can’t conclude anything. Without context, it means nothing, and neither you nor I was there.
And regardless of whether Barney Frank is accurate or not, no one gets to behave that way.
To ensure that no one can hear Rep Frank’s repsonse, he screams at the top of his lungs, “I LISTENED TO EVERY WORD YOU SAID”.
I found that part oddly amusing.