Say It Ain't So, Bill!

[Steve]

I haven't seen this anywhere on the forums, even after a search, but this morning on the radio I heard that Bill O'Reilly quietly paid Andrea Mackris up to $10 million to drop her lawsuit. I did just find this article on-line:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/247325p-211833c.html

So, my opinion is:

1. He did and said what she claims he did and said, whether she actually had audio tapes or not.
2. The settlement was probably forced by Fox management to protect it's ratings.
3. Even Bill O'Reilly (whom I have had great respect for) will cave to protect his own azz.

Maybe its time to find a new hero? :shrug:

 

[BuddyLee]

I haven't seen this anywhere on the forums, even after a search, but this morning on the radio I heard that Bill O'Reilly quietly paid Andrea Mackris up to $10 million to drop her lawsuit. I did just find this article on-line:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/247325p-211833c.html

So, my opinion is:

1. He did and said what she claims he did and said, whether she actually had audio tapes or not.
2. The settlement was probably forced by Fox management to protect it's ratings.
3. Even Bill O'Reilly (whom I have had great respect for) will cave to protect his own azz.

Maybe its time to find a new hero? :shrug:

What is O'Reilly's political affiliation anyway?

 

[Larry Gude]

O'Reilly is an independent...

Maybe its time to find a new hero?

...and I have a rule; people who are 'say'ers' are not hero's. Only do'ers can qualify for that.

 

[Steve]

What is O'Reilly's political affiliation anyway?

He claims to be Independent, and that may be true. I have seen him bash both sides on many issues. But to me, he seems to fall more to the conservative side, so maybe that makes me a left-leaning Republican. :shrug:

BUT...

He has ALWAYS taken a stance for morality, responsibility, and truth, attacking anyone who strays from those traits. And that is what bugs me. When he finally found himself under the sun-soaked magnifying glass, he caved and went for the payoff. He claims he will "never speak of the matter again".

Because of that, I probably won't be able to ever again accept his scathing criticisms of our merry cast of public characters.

Believe me, I don't fault him for what he apparently did or said. After all, he is human, and a repressed Catholic, and having been down that road myself, I can say that we are the most likely to jump whole-heartedly at an opportunity to be naughty. That's why people shouldn't throw stones...especially us Irish Catholics. We usually keep quiet and drink lots. Who allowed him to deviate from the master plan?

 

[Christy]

...and I have a rule; people who are 'say'ers' are not hero's. Only do'ers can qualify for that.

I dunno, I still like Bill. I would be interested in hearing those taped conversations though.

 

[Steve]

I dunno, I still like Bill. I would be interested in hearing those taped conversations though.

I still like him, too. But when you put your faith in someone and hold them in a more revered position than most, as I did, this kind of news is disheartening. That's all.

 

[Christy]

I still like him, too. But when you put your faith in someone and hold them in a more revered position than most, as I did, this kind of news is disheartening. That's all.

Well, I never said I revered him. He entertains me and I like when he's busting someone's balls. :shrug:

 

[Steve]

Well, I never said I revered him. He entertains me and I like when he's busting someone's balls. :shrug:

We watch him most every night. I'd count that as 'revering', and I have two of his books, one signed even, that you bought me.

He does entertain, just like he did on "Inside Edition" 15 years ago. But he has made his FNC reputation by attacking everyone who a) did wrong; then b) tried to cover it up, i.e Michael Jackson, Ludicris, Michael Moore, to name a few.

Like I said, I don't fault him for what he did, anyone can be reasonably expected to do something like that, to screw up. But when you base your reputation and career on the moral high ground, you best make sure you have no skeletons, or at least tiny ones, in your closet.

I still think that CNN put her up to it.

 

[Christy]

We watch him most every night. I'd count that as 'revering', and I have two of his books, one signed even, that you bought me.

We have all of Howard Stern's books AND Butt Bongo Fiesta. Doesn't mean we revere him, he was just entertaining in his younger days.

 

[Steve]

We have all of Howard Stern's books AND Butt Bongo Fiesta. Doesn't mean we revere him, he was just entertaining in his younger days.

But we don't watch Howard every day, and when we listen to his show, about half of it we now find distancing. Not offensive, but his ego makes it hard to enjoy. And Howard is not a role model, he is clearly entertainment. He wanted Kerry, we voted Bush. He spent months trying to convince his audience, when he should have been raunchy and lude and funny, the thing we've liked about him for years.

But O'Reilly is piped into this house every day. We watch him for serious news, serious point and counter-point, and his own spin on "no spin". He is viewed in our house as a commentator on current events that can be trusted. And we have enjoyed his unleashed attacks again and again against those who choose to "spin" the truth rather than face the consequences of their actions.

We have mostly trusted his Viewpoints, his Talking Segments, his Last Words and Most Ridiculous Items.

All I am saying is that he now has a ridiculous item of his own, and his handling of it has started to make me think twice about what he stands for. Should we always follow blindly? Hell no! And I will continue to watch O'Reilly, but I will always wonder about why he paid to get out of this scandal.

When you eskew the establishment to make a point, to bring awareness to the issues, to build your name, and then you use the very same tactics as those you've attacked in the past, to clear your name, you lose veracity. You lose a little of the gleam and polish on your sword, and you start to look a little less-than-perfect.

And that's what he has become to me now, a little less-than-perfect. Maybe I viewed him a little differently than you Christy, and this has lead me to my current disappointment. You never were disappointed, maybe because you expected this eventually. But I like having heros, those touchstones that I can look to and believe in. It won't change the world, and life will go on. I am just voicing my opinion.

And that's the end of my Talking Points Memo.

 

[Christy]

And that's what he has become to me now, a little less-than-perfect. Maybe I viewed him a little differently than you Christy, and this has lead me to my current disappointment. You never were disappointed, maybe because you expected this eventually. But I like having heros, those touchstones that I can look to and believe in.

And how many times have I tried to convey to you that putting anyone of the human species up on a pedestal will always lead to disapointment?

 

[Steve]

And how many times have I tried to convey to you that putting anyone of the human species up on a pedestal will always lead to disapointment?

That doesn't mean that I can't try, and hope. And a faceless, polytheo, intangible something makes up for that? I might as well put my faith in an anthill. At least then, I can kick it over and know I did it.

 

[kwillia]

You both had good points. And knowing you both are in the same house yet conversing with each other via the internet is funny.

 

[SmallTown]

Since their whole motto is "We report, you decide" I think they should just air the tapes and let us decide if he is guilty or not

 

[Larry Gude]

Is O'reilly...

...married?

 

[ylexot]

Yes. He has kids too (two girls I believe).

 

[Steve]

...married?

Yes, to a 28-y.o woman. Go figure...

 

[sleuth]

He mentioned it at the top of his show a couple weeks ago, right after he paid her off.

He said it was settled out of court, and he did it because he wanted to save his family the humiliation and the media scrutiny. He still claimed that it was extortion to the highest degree and that it's over and he would never speak of it again.