Bill O'Reilly: An Independent?

I saw this ad today on the Fox News channel for "The O'Reilly Factor":



I was particularly struck by the caption "no party lines" image:



First, it caught my attention because he's always blasted by liberal bloggers as
being a right-wing demagogue. O'Reilly and Fox News is so hated that the
Democrats wouldn't debate on the channel and it took years to get Hillary Clinton
on The Factor (and that was only after it was evident that she had basically
lost the anti-war, ultra-liberal base). I know some will probably laugh at the
thought of O'Reilly being an "independent." I've watched his show for years
(not so much lately because it's become too tabloid-like) and he's always claimed
to an independent.

If one actually takes the time to evaluate him on the issues, he is quite moderate.
I've heard him on several occasions on his show say something to the effect if he
had to do it all of over again he would not support the war in Iraq but now that we
are there we must be successful. That's certainly not a hawkish "neo-con." A few
weeks ago I listened to a portion of his radio show and he was steaming mad about
gas prices and railing against oil companies. He sounded like a populist, sorta like
John Edwards. However, I don't recall him call supporting the wind-fall taxes on
oil companies. He also believes global warming exists. Well, I guess one can argue
that's not really a partisan issue since everyone's buying into global warming these
days.

Liberals can argue he's hyper-partisan because of whom he chooses to attack and
they would have a point. He saves his tirades for Daily Kos, MoveOn.org, Al Franken
and Code Pink types. But truthfully aren't those easy targets? I think it would be
absolutely foolish for conservatives to viciously go after a pundit for taking on Ann
Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. I would say, "Have at it!"

The only area I can see him as a ideological hardliner is more on social issues.
He's not for gay marriage. He was on the "War on Christmas" band wagon. He
targeted a Kansas abortion clinic doing late term abortions.

However, his position is more nuanced on gay rights. He supports civil unions.
In an interview with Mike Wallace he said he was for gun control and is also
against the death penalty. Here's the video:



So that doesn't sound like a conservative talking head to me. Still he and Fox
News continue to have the reputation of being a Republican media tool. I actually
appreciate his independent streak. What I don't like about O'Reilly is the way he
interviews. He interrupts guests, shouts, and has a huge temper. I'm sure that's
one of the reason he has become a such a punching bag for those who disagree
with him.

Let's compare O'Reilly's show with what's going on MSNBC. The person they
have opposing O'Reilly in the same time slot is a hard liner, Keith Olbermann.
His positions aren't nuanced, they come directly from the left blogosphere. He
hates President Bush and dreams of impeachment. He hardly has guests on his
show that oppose his point of view. He turned against Hillary Clinton as soon
as the left blogosphere did and compared her to a Republican.

I know some would say that Olbermann is MSNBC's answer to the successful
O'Reilly. In fact, "The O'Reilly Factor" continues to beat "Countdown" in ratings.
I would argue there's a big difference between the two. Fox News didn't let
O'Reilly anchor on election nights during this long Democratic primary. They
know the difference between political commentators and having neutral journalists
cover election night results. Sadly, MSNBC didn't do the same this year.

Perhaps, if Keith Olberman wants to beat Bill O'Reilly in the ratings he should
take a few cues from him. He should be more interesting and have at least a little
diversity in his commentary. All one has to do is look at Daily Kos to know what
Olbermann will talk about. That's boring. He should invite more people who hold
opposing views.

I've heard Bill O'Reilly and Fox News being called a lot of things. Liberals say the
news network is biased to the right. That's probably true. I can't imagine Brit Hume,
the D.C. managing editor, voting for Sen. Barack Obama this fall. However, he doesn't
overtly cheer on a certain political party. I can stomach bias, what I can't stand is
advocacy. I've heard liberals call O'Reilly a loud mouth. That's true. However, he's
not designated to do news. He does political commentary and it's more nuanced
analysis than he's given credit for.

Update: I wanted to make sure I had his position on Iraq right. Here's what I found.