During his Monday broadcast of “The O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel, host Bill O’Reilly used his opening “Talking Points Memo” segment to make the argument GOP front-runner Donald Trump and the media attention that he has attracted is a benefit to the Democratic Party and its 2016 presidential candidates.
“It seems Mr. Trump is taking a break this week,” O’Reilly said. “No public rallies are scheduled. His flamboyant, sometimes bombastic personality has overshadowed every other person running for president, as we all know. Trump’s style has captivated millions of Americans and his campaign has been very successful thus far. So successful that it has almost obliterated the fact that the Democratic president and Party in general has failed to improve America. With Trump getting so much attention, the Democratic record has been obscured.”
O’Reilly didn’t fault Trump for this, but credited him and former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Ben Carson for recognizing Americans appreciate politicians are aren’t afraid “to speak bluntly.” However, he argued that is not allowing the shortcomings of President Barack Obama and the lurch to the left of Democratic Party presidential candidates to come to the forefront.
“You can see that the Trump phenomenon has obscured the Democratic performance on the economy, on immigration, on foreign policy, on social issues,” he continued. “The undeniable truth is the Democratic Party is now embracing ultra-left positions and has failed to deal with vexing problems effectively. JFK and Harry Truman would be ashamed. Just the record itself should be enough to get a Republican elected president in 2016. It was certainly enough last November when the Democrats lost the Senate. But again, Donald Trump’s transcendence has obscured the record. Right now the political debate is all about sizzle, rather than steak. That’s not Donald Trump’s fault by the way. He is campaigning in a very effective way for him. Few political experts thought Trump would be dominating the political discourse like he is. Guys like Trump and Ben Carson are gaining traction because many Americans no longer trust traditional politicians who are afraid to speak bluntly.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.