On the April 16 edition of his television show, Bill O'Reilly invited Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce to comment on the firing of Don Imus, which, according to O'Reilly, “has metastasized into an ideological witch-hunt by evil forces.” Bruce asserted that “small groups of people” are engaged in an “effort” to “silence[]” and “destroy[]” “people who are not intimidated” and that these groups “have a list of individuals that are to be targeted.” She said to O'Reilly, "[W]ell, you're on it of course." She continued: “We start with [right-wing pundit Ann] Coulter a few months ago, and it's moved to Imus. And of course, they will move down their list, because we're moving into this election.”
Later, when O'Reilly asked how she would respond to those who questioned why liberals would “target Don Imus” since he “was essentially a liberal guy on the radio,” Bruce claimed: “There is a civil war going on right now between the far-left individual extremists, as you have noted them to be, and the classical liberal basic Democrats.” She added: “In order to be able to even go after Republicans eventually, or conservatives, these far-left forces need to purge our own House of Democrats like myself who speak the truth and will confront them on what they are. That's why Imus had to be eliminated and that's why they went after him first. And now they'll proceed down their list.”
O'Reilly replied: “OK, now there's also a list -- and I don't know whether you're aware of this, but this is what [Fox News host] Sean [Hannity] and I are working on -- of mainstream media people like [New York Times columnist] Frank Rich and others who are used by these far-left websites, fed stuff directly to them.” Bruce responded: “Oh yes, I used them.” (In fact, as Media Matters for America noted, Rich described the ensuing controversy sparked by Imus' comments as a “lynching” and wrote: “I don't think the punishment fits the crime.”)
As Media Matters has documented, Bruce is a self-described “openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President Bush progressive feminist.” Bruce has equated the election of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee to “putting O.J. Simpson in charge of a battered women's shelter.” Additionally, following the resignation of former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), Bruce asserted: “All I want, frankly, is a gay person in office who is not a sexual compulsive,” as Media Matters noted.
From the April 16 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Continuing now with the Imus controversy -- which has metastasized into an ideological witch-hunt by evil forces. Or am I overstating?
Joining us now from Los Angeles: radio talk show host and Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce.
Now, as the former L.A. president for NOW, National Organization for Women, you certainly know this world.
BRUCE: Sure do.
O'REILLY: And I am -- Sean Hannity and I are doing an investigation on this, and we should have it for everybody on Monday on the Factor.
BRUCE: Great.
O'REILLY: But I am seeing danger for this nation because of all of this dishonesty being fed out of this far-left swamp into the mainstream media. Am I overstating it?
BRUCE: No, you're not. And coming from the left, one of the agendas that we had of course was the realization that we had to at least make our agenda appear to be broader and more accepted than it was. We would create subgroups, separate special interest groups, making it appear as though there was a large mainstream movement occurring when in fact there wasn't.
Of course the argument was, was that the end justified -- was justified by the means. Now, in this instance, in what you've just talked about with Mr. DeLay, is what happened to you is what happened -- what I consider the test case -- back six, seven years ago to [nationally syndicated radio host] Dr. Laura Schlessinger -- with a word that is plucked out of a sentence used in an attempt to destroy one person.
That effort, Bill, was launched by about a half a dozen people only and facilitated through the Internet of well-financed, small groups of people who have literally -- and they did then and they still do, have a list of individuals that are to be targeted, because they know that -- well, you're on it of course.
It's people who are not intimidated, who will not be silenced of their own accord, and so they must be destroyed. We start with Coulter a few months ago, and it's moved to Imus. And of course, they will move down their list, because we're moving into this election.
O'REILLY: OK. Now the Laura Schlessinger thing you're talking about is she had a television show. She said something about gays and the Bible. They took it out. They ran with it. All the sponsors of her TV show bolted, and she didn't get a television show -- and that was the first one.
But, you know, people will say to you, “Listen, Don Imus was essentially a liberal guy on the radio. He gave platform to the far left.”
BRUCE: Yes.
O'REILLY: “Why would they target Don Imus?”
BRUCE: Well, he's -- just the reason why I get targeted as, quote, “not being a,” quote, “real Democrat.” He is targeted because I see him as being the Lieberman, if you will, of the Democratic framework. There is a civil war going on right now between the far-left individual extremists, as you've noted them to be, and the classical liberal basic Democrats.
And that is where you saw the Lamont-Lieberman attack happened, the attempt to purge Lieberman. In order to be able to even go after Republicans eventually, or conservatives, these far-left forces need to purge our own House of Democrats like myself who speak the truth and will confront them on what they are.
That's why Imus had to be eliminated, and that's why they went after him first. And now they'll proceed down their list.
O'REILLY: OK, now there's also a list -- and I don't know whether you're aware of this, but this is what Sean and I are working on -- of mainstream media people like Frank Rich and others who are used by these far-left websites, fed stuff directly to them --
BRUCE: Oh yes, I used them.
O'REILLY: -- and then they put it in the papers.