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March 14, 2013 02:59 PM UTC

Bill O'Reilly Melts Down on Denver Post Editor

  • 25 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Last night, Denver Post editorial page editor Curtis Hubbard went on FOX News' O'Reilly Factor, to further discuss his column last weekend blasting host Bill O'Reilly for his repeated and obvious inferences, covered in this space, that Colorado House Speaker Mark Ferrandino's sexual preference played a role in the death of a GOP-sponsored bill this year mandating long prison terms for particular first-time child sex offenders. Hubbard's column Sunday argued that "O'Reilly's fear-mongering should offend all Coloradans. He was saying 'gay,' but what he wanted his listeners to hear was 'pervert-pedophile.'"

As Media Matters for America reports, O'Reilly doesn't like being called out as a hater.

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly berated a guest on his show, calling him a "smear merchant" and a "charlatan," for accurately accusing him of attempting to depict a gay Colorado lawmaker as being lenient towards child molesters…

In his March 10 column, Hubbard condemned O'Reilly for repeatedly citing Rep. Ferrandino's sexual orientation while discussing the lawmaker's opposition to Jessica's Law, a measure deemed unnecessary by law enforcement experts and victims' advocates that would impose a 25-year minimum sentence on those found guilty of sexually assaulting children.

O'Reilly's rant turned decidedly nasty as he called Hubbard as a "ridiculous person" and a "smear merchant," and launched into a tirade of personal ad hominem attacks:

O'REILLY: I described Ferrandino to the audience because the audience doesn't know who the heck he is and I did it in the context of what his priorities are. His priorities are civil unions, alright, which you guys are going to have pretty soon out there, and legalizing marijuana, which you already have out there. And he's a gay marriage proponent, as you know. So I said he are Ferrandino's priorities, here's what he spends his time on, alright? And Jessica's Law he doesn't want…

O'REILLY: I didn't impugn his character at all. I said what his priorities are as Speaker of the House. Look, I'm going to post this on BillOReilly.com, the whole thing, so people can see what a charlatan you are. [Pols emphasis]

Beginning with O'Reilly's interview with Colorado Rep. Libby Szabo, the sponsor of the bill in question, it is impossible to deny the clear implication by O'Reilly that Speaker Ferrandino killed "Jessica's Law" in retaliation for the death of the civil unions bill in 2012, and that his sexual preference somehow makes Ferrandino unqualified to "protect the children." O'Reilly went to great lengths to explain Ferrandino's supposed motives, eagerly supported by Rep. Szabo, who accused Speaker Ferrandino of "obviously protecting somebody" by killing the bill. There's absolutely no mistaking the impression O'Reilly wanted to leave with his viewers.

Bottom line: Curtis Hubbard didn't take on one of America's biggest conservative media icons out of partisan spite. He did it because Bill O'Reilly crossed a line, and made allegations against Colorado's Speaker of the House that have no place in civil debate about these issues. The fact that nobody considers O'Reilly an unbiased source of information is beside the point. Such a contemptibly low blow cannot go unchallenged, and we wish there were more Republicans standing up to condemn these smears–from O'Reilly and from Rep. Szabo.

In the meantime, we applaud Hubbard for taking this real "smear merchant" to task.

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25 thoughts on “Bill O’Reilly Melts Down on Denver Post Editor”

  1. This was pretty amusing when I saw it last night and again right now. O'Reilly is really trying to squirm his way out of his well deserved  and earned rep as a homophobe.

  2. What do you expect? Hubbard made ugly allegations against O'Reilly. You don't know the man's heart. Pols cheers because this is the smear they employ daily, but I expect better from the Denver Post.

    2. ArapaGOP – I'm going to disagree with you here.  There was NO legitimate reason to bring up Ferrandino's sexuality when discussing Jessica's law. O'Reilly was wrong here. 

      2. I respect your opinion, but I disagree. O'Reilly was simply explaining what Ferrandino's agenda was, and that it's not passing Jessica's Law. I don't believe there was anything wrong in explaining what Ferrandino is FOR so viewers who don't know him can have some context.

        1. ArapaGOP – how does stating that Ferrandino is homosexual add ANY context to the debate over Jessica's law?  It simply isn't relevant. 

    4. "You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"

      The usual wind-vane gibbrish…twisting this way and that whichever way it blows…

  3. You cannot generally know anyone by their heart (unless you reach in and pull it out of their chest, which in O'Reilly's case some might argue, should be an option).  You can only judge them by their words and actions.  Based on O'Reilly's words and actions, I judge him to be a homo-hating bully (he isn't a homophobe as I don't for one second think he fears homosexuals….he hates us).

      1. Not at all.  When you "fear" something, you give it power.  The root of hatred towards people unlike ourselves (be it based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion) it is generally out of contempt.  O'Reilly has never demonstrated fear towards members of the LGBT community, but he has certainly demonstrated contempt…especially in his most recent attacks against Ferrandino.

  4. I remember when O'Reilly blasted me for a column in which I labeled him the "National Blowhard."  He didn't come close to pronouncing my name correctlysmiley

  5. Hey guvs? 

    Isn't outting somebody a bannable offense?  Gopher wants Voyageur to out himself.

    Ban ArapaGO(O)P, I say!!!! 

    I know you won't, but I'll keep trying.

      1. Elliott honey, I've been trying to get the Gopher banned for awhile now.  This was a joke.  Sheesh, I know enough Repubs that I realize that I still have to tell them when I'm joking. . .

        Leaves, shaking head, tsk, tsk, tsk. . . . . .

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