On the July 21 broadcast of his radio show, FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly previewed his coverage of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, calling Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) “no good” and urging voters in South Dakota to “vote for the other guy.” He also called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “a nut” and “a fanatic” and insulted various other prominent Democrats.
O'Reilly's preview came just two days after his admission that FOX News Channel “does tilt right” but that “they” do not “actively campaign or try to help Bush-Cheney”; it came six days after he insisted, “I don't politic for anybody and I don't endorse anybody.”
O'Reilly made his comments as he read from a list of convention speakers and explained whether he would cover each one and why. From the July 21 broadcast of The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:
O'REILLY: On Monday, Democratic speakers, Congressperson Stephanie Tubbs Jones [D-OH]: Don't know who she is.
Congressperson Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]: Don't know who she is.
Congressperson Bob Menendez [D-NJ]: I know who he is, probably won't pay attention to him.
Former Vice President Gore: Will pay attention.
[...]
Former President Jimmy Carter and former President Bill Clinton: We'll pay attention to those three. Will we tell you what they said? Only if they say something untoward and unfair.
Tuesday, Senator Ked -- Ted Kennedy [D-MA]: I'll pay attention, but, yeah, we'll probably do something with him.
Christie Vilsack of Iowa, who's the wife --
[FOX News Channel host E.D.] HILL: The governor's wife.
O'REILLY: Won't pay attention. Don't care.
Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona: This woman's totally out of control.
[...]
She is the champion of illegal immigration, and won't do anything to stop it, and so we're not going to pay attention to her.
Teresa Heinz-Kerry: Certainly we will listen to her.
Tom Daschle: Don't care. With all due respect to the senator, we don't have any respect for him at all. And we hope he loses in South Dakota. And I -- really, I stay out of all these races, but you guys listening in South Dakota, vote for the other guy. This Daschle's no good.
Bill Richardson is on Wednesday. We like him. He's a good guy in New Mexico. We will pay attention to him. Might talk to him.
Martin O'Malley, he's a nut. He's the Baltimore mayor, who thinks that Osama -- that Bush is worse than Osama, so he's crazy. Why he's doing this is beyond me. Why the Democratic Party would allow a guy like that to get up on the daïs is pretty scary.
Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Steve Brozak of New Jersey, I'll listen to him. Any retired maline -- Marine lieutenant colonel is worth listening to.
Elizabeth Edwards, certainly listen to her, and we believe we will be speaking with her as well.
Vice-presidential nominee John Edwards. Of course we'll listen to him.
Thursday, Nancy Pelosi, don't care. She's a nut.
Former Green Beret Jim Rassmann --
HILL: How can you not care about Nancy Pelosi?
O'REILLY: She's a nut. I'm not -- I don't care what she says. She's a fanatic.
Green Beret John -- Jim Rassmann: I will listen to him.
Alex Kerry, Vanessa Kerry: Sure, I want to hear what they have to say.
Chris Heinz, Andre Heinz: That's a lot of kids to listen to, but we'll try.
Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, I'll listen to him, even though he gets a little strange sometimes.
And then, of course, John Kerry, of course we'll listen to John.
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