O'Reilly: No escaping "the similarities between what Hitler ... did back then and the hate-filled blogs, what they're doing"
SUMMARY: On The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly responded to a viewer's letter -- criticizing O'Reilly for a "lapse of judgment" regarding his statement that he did not "see any difference between [Huffington Post founder Arianna] Huffington and the Nazis" -- by defending the statement. O'Reilly said: "If you look back at what happened in Germany, you cannot escape the similarities between what Hitler and his cutthroats did back then and the hate-filled blogs, what they're doing now."
During the February 28 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly responded to a viewer's letter -- criticizing O'Reilly for a "lapse of judgment" regarding his statement that he did not "see any difference between [Huffington Post founder Arianna] Huffington and the Nazis" -- by defending the statement. O'Reilly read the letter from viewer Israel Gopstein, who wrote: "Mr. O'Reilly, I'm surprised at your lapse of judgment comparing the tactics of the Nazis to The Huffington Post. I lost many members of my family to the Holocaust, and the meaning of their deaths means more than a comparison to a meaningless blog." O'Reilly then said: "Now, first of all, I appreciate your letter very much, sir, and I've thought about it. If you look back at what happened in Germany, you cannot escape the similarities between what Hitler and his cutthroats did back then and the hate-filled blogs, what they're doing now."
O'Reilly continued: "From the late 1920s to 1933, when Hitler became chancellor, the Nazis used vile propaganda to demonize Jews and others in the eyes of the German people. They used newspapers, radio, leaflets, and rallies to build up enormous hatred towards your family." He added: "Today, we are seeing the same thing on the Net here in America. There's no difference. When Arianna Huffington allows people to say that Nancy Reagan should suffer terribly and then die, that is completely unacceptable and no different than what Dr. Joseph Goebbels and others were putting out way back then."
During the February 27 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly attacked Huffington over comments (since removed) that readers posted to an item on the website reporting the hospitalization of former first lady Nancy Reagan after a fall. O'Reilly asserted: "[Y]ou know, I'm not going to call her a name. Arianna Huffington, I have no respect for the woman. I think that she is hurting the country. I wish everybody felt the way I did." Townhall.com managing editor Mary Katherine Ham, a guest on the show, then stated: "[T]his happens frequently, unfortunately, on the left-wing blogs," adding, "[E]very time a conservative gets injured, dies, has something threatening them -- whether it's [former White House press secretary] Tony Snow with cancer or Mrs. Reagan falling down -- there is often on [the website] Democratic Underground or Huffington Post, a celebration thread." O'Reilly then called The Huffington Post a "sewer" and later asked: "[W]hat's the difference between the Ku Klux Klan and Arianna Huffington? What's the difference?" When Ham replied: "I think there's difference," O'Reilly said: "I don't see any difference between Huffington and the Nazis. ... I don't see any difference." Ham responded: "[O]h, my gosh. I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one." O'Reilly replied: "They both want people to die, Mary Katherine. Don't they?" Ham noted that Huffington "was not the one making those comments" and later stated: "I still don't think she's a Nazi." O'Reilly then said: "I didn't say she was a Nazi. ... I said there's no difference between what the two do. I want everybody to know that."
O'Reilly frequently attacks those with whom he disagrees, comparing them to the Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan. During the July 17, 2007, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, for example, O'Reilly claimed that the blog Daily Kos is a "hate website[]" and opined: "There's no difference between the KKK and the Nazis, who have websites, than the Daily Kos."
TVNewser.com and Portfolio.com blogger Jeff Bercovici also documented O'Reilly's February 28 comments defending his previous statement about Huffington and the Nazis.
From the February 28 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Now, the letters.
Israel Gopstein, Silver Spring, Maryland: "Mr. O'Reilly, I'm surprised at your lapse of judgment comparing the tactics of the Nazis to The Huffington Post. I lost many members of my family to the Holocaust, and the meaning of their deaths means more than a comparison to a meaningless blog."
Now, first of all, I appreciate your letter very much, sir, and I've thought about it. If you look back at what happened in Germany, you cannot escape the similarities between what Hitler and his cutthroats did back then and the hate-filled blogs, what they're doing now.
From the late 1920s to 1933, when Hitler became chancellor, the Nazis used vile propaganda to demonize Jews and others in the eyes of the German people. They used newspapers, radio, leaflets, and rallies to build up enormous hatred towards your family.
Today, we are seeing the same thing on the Net here in America. There's no difference. When Arianna Huffington allows people to say that Nancy Reagan should suffer terribly and then die, that is completely unacceptable and no different than what Dr. Joseph Goebbels and others were putting out way back then.
Again, I thank you for your thoughtful letter.
"From the late 1920s to 1933..."
You do realize, don't you, that Hitler didn't LEAVE power in 1933; he TOOK power in 1933. It makes a big difference, what with all the war and genocide you're leaving out of your comparison.
O'Reilly must be reading Jonah Goldberg or in some way be influenced by him.
The Amazon site for Goldberg has lots of "wing nuts" praising him in their reviews.
Goldberg's book is a joke. Here's what the *neo-conservative* Michael Leeden said about it:
"The issue is 'the same goals,' not just the methods of rule, and here’s where Jonah’s eccentric thesis, for all its provocative value, leaves history behind and strides into…vision, I suppose. Just a few lines later, he claims that 'Woodrow Wilson was the twentieth century’s first fascist dictator,' and that’s just silly. I am second to no one in my antipathy for Wilson—I once wrote a book that lambasted him for his stupid politics after the War—but he wasn’t a single-party dictator, which fascism always was.
...
"The best that can be said about this is that it’s imaginative."
link
Oh my God... It's so amazing how you people didn't even read the book
Would you read a book titled "Conservative Communist" or would you dismiss it?
Greatjob, I'll admit to not having read Goldberg's book. I have caught several interviews with him on tv and radio,none with overly aggressive interviewers, and the man is unable to even explain the basic premise of his book without glaring inconsistencies and contradictions.
The inability to defend his "ideas" even for the duration of a short conversation, doesn't really sell most people the book.Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Were you high?
except what they "did back then" was listen to a popular anti roosevelt priest on the radio called father charles coughlin, who was avidly anti-semitic.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02EEDB1139F933A25754C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
Yeah they really do. If you write a negative review of the book they will accuse you of not reading the book and attempt to get your review deleted by Amazon as the rules are you can't write a review of a book you haven't read.
Also there is someone there debating on the comments page who sounds suspiciously like Goldberg himself.
Jonah certainly took a page from Coulter, you can get wealthy by saying outrageous things.
O'Really? gets more unhinged every day. And now routinely projects his own traits onto others.
I find it hard to believe that anyone can take him seriously.
"goebbles global news" = 5 syllables
"Murdoch's news channel" = 5 syllables
Coincidence? Don't think so...
SNOOPY,
That is the kind of linking (or is it thinking?) that might get FOX Noise to offer you a job!
:)
*No Snoopy, I don't equate you to a lowly right-wing tool like Jonah or BillO.... I know where you stand as far as your posts are concerned. I know you don't believe it yourself. I'm simply stating that your link is the kind that could make FOX proud*
...you cannot escape the similarities between what Hitler and his cutthroats did back then and the hate-filled blogs, what they're doing now.
Um, unlike what you do, Billy-boy?
The lack of self-awareness is stunning. A forum that freely allows private ordinary citizens to post anything they want- even comments highly critical of the party in power and the huge corporate media that serves that party, is criticized as being similar to the Nazis.
The comparison is made by a major spokesman for that mainstream media, a man who has paraded his ignorance and dislrespect of gays , women and non-whites, his hatred of those whose beliefs in secular and religious matters differ from his own, and especially for those who question the government when it starts to forget who it's working for.
Amazing.
I guess BillO misses the one big difference in his analogy – one is the voice of the oppressor and the other is the voice of the oppressed.
I don’t usually say this about anyone – but I’m happy to add weight to his rant – I HATE Bill O’Reilly. The fact that there are dozens of websites expressing these same feelings – one even named “I Hate Bill O’Reilly”– you can understand his defense. As shallow and transparent as this defense is, it’s all he has – he can’t change the history of his past comments and hate-rants, so all he can do is create more hatred by comparing anyone who exposes him for the scumbag he is, to “evil-doers” of days gone by. It’s not like BillO is the only wingnut to use these defense tactics – they all do – it’s all they’ve got.
Another big difference in “hate” expressed by liberals and “hate” expressed by the right-wing – our hate is usually directed at the individuals who “make up” and promote hatred to others – where their hate is frequently directed at people who can do little or nothing about their “condition”, they hate people for who they are, not for what they have done.
I really tghink this guy is on meds. He is getting old fast and for a 60 some guy to appeal to the 25 plus demographic, he has to be as immature as his audience.
The Freepers alone account for more disgusting hatred than all the left-wing blogs combined. I remember a few years ago there was a rather misguided girl who went to help Palestinian refigees, got sucked into some radical action and ended up killed by an Israeli tank. You should have seen the celebrating on Free Republic - all kinds of PhotoShopped images and nasty commentary.
O'Reilly also conveniently forgets that the Nazi propaganda was GOVERNMENT-sponsored, not privately engaged.
SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!
Here is some smoke for your pipe there Billo! Nancy Reagan was the snotty fool that condescended upon millions of men and women to tell the world "Just Say No" to drugs instead of funding any meaningfull drug treatment, and rehabilitation.
This is a woman that spoke in support of her husbands willfull ignorance of the AIDS epidemic, and made any government involvement including from the CDC almost impossible to pursue fighting the disease that cost thousands of American lives for no better reason than simple homophobia! Years of denial that held up any serious effort to contain the disease.
Did we ever hear any apology for there failure to act, their willingness to pigeon hole this plague as a Act Of God against homosexuals, as penance! Never mind all the heterosexuals, and people whom died because of blood tranfusions while the Reagan's behaved like Evangelical Fanatics about the disease.
Happy Thoughts;
Dan Grady
Oh my God... It's so amazing how you people didn't even read the book and don't even realize how you are the archetype of sheep that he profiles in it. It's deftly argued and well-researched; at least engage its arguments honestly if you're going to at all.
I don't need to eat a piece of dog poo to know it tastes like dog poo.
If you really want to see a hate-filled rant from Huffington Post. Check this out about Ann Coulter's memorial to her recently-deceased father. This is NOT from the public comments. It is from Chris Kelly; One of Huff's regular columnists.
I'm sorry but no main-stream conservative talk show host, commentator or columnist would be as mean-spirited as Mr. Kelly about the death of a family member. No one!
Ann Coulter herself has been as mean spirited as Mr Kelly on several occasions. First of all Ann Coulter herself almost advocated blowing up the New York Times building. If I remember correctly she said after the Timothy McVeigh/Oklahoma City bombing she wished it had been the New York Times that had been bombed. Seondly after 9/11 she insulted a group of the widows of those men killed in 9/11 the so called Jersey Girls because they criticized Bush and the Republicans. Thirdly Coulter herself comes across as rather unfeeling in her comments about her father.
Coulter herself comes across as rather unfeeling in her comments about her father.
Which was the point of Kelly's piece. Goodfella seems to have missed it.
Let's all praise O'Reilly
He is our go-to-guy
Although he is quite clueless
And doesn't really try.
He tells us in so many ways
That he is always right
The rich are quick to start a war
When it's the poor who fight.
He claims we lost in Vietnam
Because we had no guts
This coming from a creampuff
Who wouldn't risk his butt.
It's up to us true patriots
Against this knave and fool
Who strives to kill our liberty
We'll never be his tool!
I love the fake look of over concern in that screencap. This is beyond the ridiculous. I've had my life threatened on Gathering of Eagles and Michellemalkin.com. I saw a post on Michellemalkin recently regarding an African-American convict, who a poster compared to a monkey and tossed out the old standby about sending him (them) back to Africa. I used to see threats of violence and hatespeech daily by "Iluvfreebeer" on the old Conservative Life forum that has been absorbed by another blog that I never followed the forum to. He was a very popular poster there and had the highest post count. On Townhall a few days ago, in response to Mr. Hurt Feeling's article, a poster named 'lilly' reposted vitriolic, hate-filled quotes from commenters there. Several regulars still didn't understand or accept the sad, sorry irony in all this. And of course, that civil band of debaters over at FreeRepublic.
After several years of witnessing his petulant, petty, overly offended behavior I guess I can't really consider Bill O'Reilly a man. He's a male, I suppose. But he possesses traits so prevalent in 2-5 year olds that the only reason I take him seriously is due to knowledge of his wide audience of ill-informed, illiterate voting viewers.
They will never go away but at least there are now weapons to frustrate this dope silly.
"you cannot escape the similarities between what Hitler and his cutthroats did back then and the hate-filled blogs, what they're doing now."
I'm sorry but did I miss it when LW "blogs" began deporting people to concentration camps?
Or was that Gitmo?
"From the late 1920s to 1933, when Hitler became chancellor, the Nazis used vile propaganda to demonize Jews and others in the eyes of the German people. They used newspapers, radio, leaflets, and rallies to build up enormous hatred towards your family." - Bill O'Reilly
Sounds to me like what the right-wing in this country is doing to anyone and anything attached to the word "liberal"
O'Reilly's got it backwards. It's the right-wing who uses "newspapers, radio, leaflets and rallies to build up enormous hatred...". Liberals, for the most part, steer clear of using this kind of propaganda.
Yeah, OK Bill. Whatever you say there big fella...
Jeesh. Last I knew, Nazis weren't too much about free speech, and were all about taking people down, making them all think alike, you know, fascism and things like that they they were famous for. Letting everyone speak, or in this case, write what was on their mind, not high on the Nazi's list of to do items methinks.
Last I knew, Huffpo readers and or commenters have not been rounding folks up, and sending them to death camps just because "they're different", or of a different religion.
Jesus H Christ Bill. Get a grip will ya? Do you ever read the comments on your own site? They're just as bad, if not worse.
______always______ fail to point out
is that it is ____they____ who have been the Vanguard of this era of this
demonizing, hateful, trash-talking Noise-Fest.
Sometime it matters which one of the chicken or egg came first.
I dare Mr. O to own up to it.
Apparently this country has not tired of the enabling these jerks...
the only rational response to them is "Get a Job"