Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin is the perfect example of what a conservative writer should be (if conservatives were supposed to be liberals who hate conservatives). Perhaps thats why I enjoyed her appearance on Bill O’Reilly’s “The Factor” on Monday night. Rubin came on to criticize O’Reilly for not being hard enough on Donald Trump, and to tell the Fox host he wasn’t a real reporter. Not a very smart move especially for someone who is throughly disgusted by her beat, Conservative Politics.

Rubin is the type of writer who delights in bashing conservatives in the name of saving them. Kind of the way progressives bashed the medical field during the Obamacare* debate. The progressives claimed to have the medical people’s best interests at heart as they worked on a piece of legislation that would cause them all to leave the field. “Conservatives” such as Rubin spend more time bashing conservatives and conservative principals than supporting them.

O’Reilly invited the pseudo conservative on the show to defend something she wrote weeks ago “Trump should do interviews with real news people, not Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, in preparation for the debates. He’s otherwise in for a rude awakening when someone asks a real question.”

It’s interesting that Rubin would say that, because she was in for a rude awakening as she tried to win a verbal contest with Bill O’Reilly (boys and girls can you say outmatched?).

Jennifer Rubin went after the Fox host’s professionalism,  “Well, my criticism is that you actually are in the spin zone,” Rubin said of O’Reilly’s interviews with Donald Trump. “It’s presented as a news program or a pseudo-news program, and instead it’s a lot of parroting of what Trump says to you.” Rubin didn’t know who she was talking to…

As one would expect O’Reilly was totally prepared for the confrontation. As for Jennifer Rubin….well she had a list of O’Reilly comments about Trump…but wasn’t really sure of their context or backstory.  And in one case she couldn’t even find the example she mentioned in her notes… Almost if she had researchers put together a list for her and she didn’t bother to look at it. In other words, the Bill O’Reilly gave Jennifer Rubin all the rope she needed and she hung herself. It was a joy to watch.

 


The transcript follows:

 

O’REILLY: “Personal Story” segment tonight. Jennifer Rubin, a blogger for “The Washington Post,” writes a column and has been very critical of the Factor’s coverage of Donald Trump. On September 26th, Ms. Reuben wrote, quote, “It’s not even surprising that talk radio host FOX News fake news people Bill O’Reilly right wing blogs and anti-immigrant extremists buy into Trump’s candidacy.”

On September 21st, he said this, quote, “Trump should do interviews with real news people not Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly in preparation for the debates. He’s otherwise in for a rude awakening when someone asks a real question” unquote. Pretty harsh.

Joining us now from Washington is Jennifer Rubin. So, thanks for coming on.

JENNIFER RUBIN, WASHINGTON POST OPINION WRITER: Sure.

O’REILLY: But you know you are entirely wrong about this. Your own newspaper posted a headline that said, the O’Reilly, Trump interviews are the best Trump views. Did you miss that? Did you miss that?

RUBIN: No. My criticism is really that you actually are in the Spin Zone. It’s presented as a news program or pseudo news program and, instead, it’s a lot of parroting what Trump is saying to you.

O’REILLY: Give me one example of how I parroted Donald Trump.

RUBIN: Sure. You have attacked the moderators in the other debates. Calling them the fix is in.

O’REILLY: How did I do that?

RUBIN: Yes. Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper.

O’REILLY: Wait, how did I attack Mr. Cooper and Ms. Raddatz.

RUBIN: You said the fix was in. I have a whole list actually here.

O’REILLY: The fix was in, how?

RUBIN: The fix was in that they were going to be hostile to Mr. Trump.

O’REILLY: I said they were Democrats. All right.

RUBIN: Yes. Which also isn’t true.

O’REILLY: Are they not?

RUBIN: Actually the only Democrat was Chris Wallace.

O’REILLY: No Ms. Raddatz and Mr. Cooper are Democrats. You did not know that?

RUBIN: Right. No. The one who is a registered Democrat is Chris Wallace.

O’REILLY: So, what are Ms. Raddatz and Mr. Cooper?

RUBIN: They you will have to ask for themselves. But see what you’re doing Bill is, you are taking up the argument of the candidate rather than acting as an Independent person.

O’REILLY: That’s not true. If I see that two Democrats are sitting there, both who have been aggressive with Donald Trump, all right. And then you have a candidate, Hillary Clinton, that’s three against one, all right? And to my, in my analysis, and I do what you do, I have a right to say that may be not the fairest position.

RUBIN: Right. It’s a question of whether it’s balanced. And unfortunately, over time, and like I said, I have a really long list of them. Essentially you have kept up what the Trump campaign has been saying. You have made excuses for the lock her up comment? You have pleaded.

O’REILLY: How did I — when did I make excuses for lock her up? What did I exactly say?

RUBIN: Oh, let’s see, that would have been on, let’s see if I have the date, exactly. It would have been on — lock her up would have been on in April and also in August. In August —

O’REILLY: Yes.

RUBIN: Rather in October, if you remember, Charles Krauthammer came on and had a very rigorous argument —

O’REILLY: Wait a minute, what did I stay in April and August? What exactly did I say?

RUBIN: Right. We can go through all of them.

O’REILLY: No, I want that one.

RUBIN: Which one in particular?

O’REILLY: April or August.

RUBIN: Okay. Let’s see, in August, uhm, let’s see, uhm, we had comments that you were going to — if somebody had being really dishonest, referring to the press corps, you would strip them of their credentials as well. Doesn’t sound like an independent thing?

O’REILLY: That doesn’t have anything to do with lock them up. You are ill prepared for this interview, Ms. Rubin.

RUBIN: No, I have a whole list here.

O’REILLY: I just have given you a minute where you’ve hemmed and had. You said I justified a comment lock her up. You can’t point it, and then you pivot to something else. You are ill-prepared for this. And this is the point I want to make.

RUBIN: No, it’s not actually, Bill. It’s not Bill.

O’REILLY: Your column and blog are fraud. We have been tough on Trump here and I’m going to roll some tape.

RUBIN: No, it’s not. It is a little montage for all your guest. It shows the three things that you’ve said mean about him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O’REILLY: Are you worried that sometimes when you say these things that peaceful Muslims will be the victim of backlash? You’re behind with him.

TRUMP: Yes.

O’REILLY: Are you going to target —

TRUMP: I’m not I believe it.

O’REILLY: You know, whether you believe it or not. That’s what the polling says.

TRUMP: Yes.

O’REILLY: So you think your birther position has hurt you among African- Americans? Are you getting mad at guys like me when I ask you the negative questions?

TRUMP: No. I think you have become very negative. I do think —

O’REILLY: Me?

TRUMP: Yes.

O’REILLY: Why would I do that?

TRUMP: I don’t know, who knows? I said, you have to ask your psychiatrist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O’REILLY: All right. So birther, covered there.

RUBIN: Right. October 10th. You defend Trump’s promise to put Hillary in jail.

O’REILLY: Well, tell me how I did that, madam. You just can’t throw out. What did I say?

RUBIN: You said that it was perfectly defensible position.

O’REILLY: No, I didn’t. That’s not true. I didn’t say.

RUBIN: Yes, you did.

O’REILLY: Read my comment. Do you have my comments there? Read them.

RUBIN: I don’t have them word for word.

O’REILLY: You are ill-prepared for this.

RUBIN: Do you know what I will do, Bill? I will put them up on my website.

O’REILLY: Go ahead. Do you know how many people are going to come to your website, zero. Because you are not an honest analysis person. You’re not.

RUBIN: Well, you just don’t like what I’m saying, Bill. I actually have all these —

O’REILLY: I know.

RUBIN: Here there is a time that Charles Krauthammer came on the show and he had to really castigate you for saying, you were using weasily words he said to defend Trump’s violence.

(CROSSTALK)

You have gone down the birther trail. You’ve gone down and call Judge Curiel to be withdrawn from the case. That is a racism.

O’REILLY: Yes. I know. I’m a racist. You are right, Mr. Rubin.

RUBIN: And you indulge Trump.

O’REILLY: You are a real star. A real champ. Thanks for coming on. We appreciate it.