The Hollywood Liberal

GM’s Fall and the Cars of My Youth

I wonder what my father would have thought of the self-destruction of General Motors. We were a General Motors family, but not a happy one.

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O’Reilly falsely claimed he only “reported what groups” were calling Tiller

On the June 2 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly read an email from a viewer who asked, regarding Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was shot to death on May 31, “Mr. O’Reilly, how can you be sure that reciting ‘Tiller the baby killer’ over and over again did not inflame the assassin?” O’Reilly responded, “The doctor was involved in a criminal case. I reported what groups were calling him. I reported accurately.” Similarly, on the June 1 edition of his program, O’Reilly stated that Tiller was “nicknamed ‘The Baby Killer’ by pro-life groups.” In fact, O’Reilly has not only “reported” on the term’s usage by “pro-life groups,” but also repeatedly referred to him as “the baby killer”:

• On the May 15 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly stated that Kathleen Sebelius, who was then the governor of Kansas and is now secretary of health and human services, “is the most pro-abortion governor in the United States. Based upon Dr. Tiller, the baby killer in her state, and all of that. All right? So there’s no doubt.”

• On the May 11 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly said Sebelius “is pro-abortion. She wants the babies done for. This is — she supported Tiller the baby killer out there.”

• On the April 27 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly said that Sebelius “recently vetoed a bill that placed restrictions on late-term abortions in Kansas. The bill was introduced because of the notorious Tiller the baby killer case, where Dr. George Tiller destroys fetuses for just about any reason right up until the birth date for $5,000.”

• On the April 3 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly said, “Tiller got acquitted in Kansas, Tiller the baby killer.”

• On the March 27 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly stated: “Now, we have bad news to report, that Tiller the baby killer out in Kansas — acquitted. Acquitted today of murdering babies. I wasn’t in the courtroom. I didn’t sit on the jury. But there’s got to be a special place in hell for this guy.”

From the June 2 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: Brett Wezlaff, Des Plaines, Illinois. “Mr. O’Reilly, how can you be sure that reciting ‘Tiller the baby killer’ over and over again did not inflame the assassin?” The doctor was involved in a criminal case. I reported what groups were calling him. I reported accurately.

From the June 1 edition of The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: The 67-year-old Tiller had performed abortions for more than 35 years. The Washington Times estimates he destroyed about 60,000 fetuses, 60,000. According to the AP, Tiller performed more than 250 late-term abortions in 2003 alone. His income was estimated to be more than $1 million a year.

Right now, 36 states restrict late-term abortions, and there are only three clinics that perform them in the entire country. Medical consensus is that late-term abortions are rarely necessary because technology can now pinpoint major pregnancy problems much earlier than 21 weeks.

Thus, very few American doctors will perform the operation. None of that seemed to matter to Tiller, nicknamed “The Baby Killer” by pro-life groups who stated, “He was helping women” — Tiller stated that.

From the May 15 edition of The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: Look, here’s my deal, Mr. [Michael] Lucien [Notre Dame student]. Barack Obama throughout his political career has enabled abortion. There’s no doubt that he has. All right? He recently appointed Governor Sebelius to health and human services. Governor Sebelius is the most pro-abortion governor in the United States. Based upon Dr. Tiller, the baby killer in her state, and all of that. All right? So there’s no doubt.

From May 11 edition of The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: Do you have any idea as a woman why Barack Obama would be so — and I’m using this word, and it could be a wrong word — callous in the abortion realm? I mean, the guy puts Sebelius in as the health — you can’t get a more fanatically — and that woman is pro-abortion. She wants the babies done for. This is — she supported Tiller the baby killer out there. So, enough with her. But do you think that he’s that radical left, Jamie?

From the April 27 edition of The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: “Check” three. Tomorrow, the Senate will debate whether Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius should be confirmed as the new secretary of health and human services.

“Check” would like to point out the governor recently vetoed a bill that placed restrictions on late-term abortions in Kansas. The bill was introduced because of the notorious Tiller the baby killer case, where Dr. George Tiller destroys fetuses for just about any reason right up until the birth date for $5,000.

There’s no question Ms. Sebelius is one of the most pro-abortion politicians in America.

From the April 3 edition of The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: Look, if I’m sitting there, and I’m going, OK, I got wiretaps that may not be smoking-gun wiretaps, but they’re certainly incriminating wiretaps. And then I got a state witness turning his chief of staff, who, you know if they gave him, you know, a deal, they’re not going to prosecute him because what are there, five others getting prosecuted? His brother and all his other —

GERALDO RIVERA (Fox News host): His brother, Rob.

O’REILLY: So this guy has turned. And he knows everything. So, come on, Geraldo. I mean —

RIVERA: Not necessarily.

O’REILLY: This guy’s —

RIVERA: You just had an acquittal last week of the governor of Puerto Rico, who was one of nine defendants. The other eight turned, and the governor was still acquitted.

O’REILLY: So, well, you just —

RIVERA: So, you know, it can happen.

O’REILLY: Tiller got acquitted in Kansas, Tiller the baby killer. Churchill got acquitted, you know, Ward.

RIVERA: In a manner of speaking.

O’REILLY: It is disturbing. But let’s — look. [Former Gov. Rod] Blagojevich [D-IL] is a guy who — I don’t know if they could try this in Illinois.

On the March 27 edition of The O’Reilly Factor:

O’REILLY: Now, we have bad news to report, that Tiller the baby killer out in Kansas — acquitted. Acquitted today of murdering babies. I wasn’t in the courtroom. I didn’t sit on the jury. But there’s got to be a special place in hell for this guy.

GLENN BECK (Fox News host): You know, what amazes me is late-term abortions, I mean — and especially partial-birth abortion — there’s never, ever been a case, ever —

O’REILLY: No. There’s no case.

BECK: There’s no case —

O’REILLY: That’s right.

BECK: There’s no case —

O’REILLY: Not with the technology they have today.

BECK: No.

O’REILLY: We all know that.

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As ThinkProgress has noted, soon after new broke about the murder of Dr. George Tiller, Salon’s Gabriel Winant and The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan quickly pointed out that Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly had demonized Tiller for years with harsh, aggressive rhetoric. On his show last night, O’Reilly briefly said that “Americans should condemn the murder of […]

As ThinkProgress has noted, soon after new broke about the murder of Dr. George Tiller, Salon’s Gabriel Winant and The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan quickly pointed out that Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly had demonized Tiller for years with harsh, aggressive rhetoric. On his show last night, O’Reilly briefly said that “Americans should condemn the murder of Dr. George Tiller” before launching into an extended defense of his demonization of Tiller. “No backpedaling here,” said O’Reilly. Watch it:

In his Media Notes column today, Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz writes that “O’Reilly is entitled to defend himself,” but adds that he is “surprised that, along with his reminder that Tiller had been called a baby killer, O’Reilly didn’t issue a ringing denunciation of the shooting and anyone who thought it was justified. The occasion, in my view, called for it; he chose a different approach.”

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It’s obvious from those statements and other statements that Congressman McHugh has made that he and the president are in agreement on changing the policy they both don’t think is working for this country right now. And it’s a priority of the president’s.

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