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O'Reilly's the Big Winner

Posted Nov 5th 2008 3:41PM by TMZ Staff

Make no mistake about it: Barack Obama isn't the only one who hit the jackpot last night.

We're actually going to get serious on this one. FOX News Channel has got to be celebrating today. Bill O'Reilly can have a field day with the new Prez, and there may be no one else on that field to challenge him.

MSNBC's decision to cheer on Obama worked during the election. Keith Olbermann's ratings and demos are definitely up. But here's the dilemma: MSNBC has squarely taken sides and courted an audience that now expects good news about the Prez elect. That's somewhat true about CNN as well. But here's the problem with TV -- viewers get bored with cheerleaders, even if they agree with them.

So what's O'Reilly gonna do? He's already got a huge lead in the ratings. Will he go for the jugular? He actually took our call today and said, "We are going to be the watchdogs. We don't know what Obama is going to do. It's my job to explain every move he makes, but I'm not going to nitpick him."

Here's what's interesting -- O'Reilly doesn't really have to attack if MSNBC and CNN throw softballs. Being somewhat neutral could end up actually looking edgy, and viewers like edgy.

One final thing. O'Reilly actually told us he kinda blew it with Bush. He said he never looked at the way Bush was handling the economy until it was too late.

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Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, election, Fox News, FoxNews

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1. Ick, Bill O'Reiley

Posted at 3:49PM on Nov 5th 2008 by PA-Lease

2. Can't we all just get along?

Posted at 3:50PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Rae T.

3. When the hell did Fox News become neutral? Am I the only one that has watched Sean Hannity all but blowing any and all members of the GOP that will let him? Not to mention The Giant Talking Head in question!

Posted at 4:55PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Scott

4. ...... can you say dumb a-s-s .... he has just told TMZ what he is going to do .... now he can't sucker punch, he's going to have to go straight to Obama's face at which time Obama can knock the living snot out of him. If you're going to try to hem somebody up on something, don't tell TMZ .... damn you're dumbmer than you look O'Reilly. Go back to sexually harrassing your female staff workers .... I'm positive people will want to hear more about that ....

Posted at 3:56PM on Nov 5th 2008 by OnPoint

5. Bill and Fox are the only fair and balanced news show. They do let both sides talk, when I watch CNN or MSNBC or the others they were in the tank for Obama. They were kissing his butt. I don't care to get along when the spread the wealth guy is in the White House. Military will have their spending cut by 25%. Watch out America - who will protect us. So I will watch Bill O'Reilly so I can get the truth!!!

Posted at 4:01PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Mary

6. same ol, same ol.....libs protecting Obama. Give it a few months and nothing is done and his promises appear to be vanishing, they will only have themselves to blame, no more bad bad Republicans.

I say balls to the wall, Bill....go get em

Posted at 4:02PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Tells the Truth

7. Ah, yes. The shrewd economist Bill O'Reilly wasn't paying enough attention to easy credit, subprime lending, bundled and over-leveraged mortgage-backed derivatives and credit default swaps. His cerebral job as a talking head for a network that appeals to a 6th grader's mindset did not allow him enough time to apply his prescient powers over the global economy. Now that he is focused, he will be able to predict all future problems

Posted at 4:04PM on Nov 5th 2008 by kilrain

8. Of course Obama isn't going to be able to deliver on every single promise within a few months! America is far too gone for that to happen...We gave Bush 8 yeras to get things how they are now. A

Posted at 4:13PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Rae T.

9. Bill was too focused on sexually harrassing his employees to pay attention to the eight-year disaster that was the Bush presidency. Of course, now that there's a Democrat in there, all of the sudden he has the focus. What a blowhard.

Posted at 4:15PM on Nov 5th 2008 by That's History

10. ORIELLY IS THE WORSE .......... SMARTA$$ .

OBAMA HE WILL ONLY SERVE 4 YRS AND THAT WILL BE IT .

HE WILL BE WATCHED UNDER A MICROSCOPE ...........

DON'T THINK FOR A MOMENT , NO ONE WILL WATCH HIM

IT WILL BE 24/7 NEXT 4 YEARS.

Posted at 4:20PM on Nov 5th 2008 by OBAMA WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY FOR THE NEXT 4 YRS .

11.

o'reilly SUCKS, and NO ONE with a BRAIN would listen to him whatsoever!!

Posted at 4:20PM on Nov 5th 2008 by melissa b

12. When is the people in this nation going to wake up and find out that it was the democrats push for zero interest, or zero down payment loans for the "disadvantaged" thus trying to buy votes. When are the people going to admit it was Fannie Mae that triggered this. Fannie Mae was the pusher for the democrats and sold so many sub prime loans most of whom could never make the payments that caused this disaster. Clinton's man Franklin Raines was the head of that mess at Fannie Mae and was actually found guilty of wrongdoing at that agency.
Now if anyone can tell O'Reilly that was the reason instead of our President Bush, it would be a favor for all of us. Our President Bush put forth 12 separate efforts to rein in Fannie Mae and its fraudulent banking practices, but the democrats killed every one some with a filibuster. McCain tried in 2003 and again in 2005.
You people should get your facts straight as well as O'Reilly as he did not make any noise about Fannie Mae either.

Posted at 7:01PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Jake

13. If "viewers get bored with cheerleaders," why was FOX so strong the past few years, a clear-cut No. 1, cheering on Bush? Your attempted logic makes no sense.

Posted at 9:02PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Fred

14. Is O'Reilly getting a tiny bit sage in his approach?!? Well, it's about ruddy time. He was wasting his time being partisan while he should have been being objective, analytical and investigative. He may become a real journalist yet. There's some hope.

Posted at 4:29PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Beetlejuice

15. Wow it really is a new world today: TMZ, dare I say, giving props to Bill O'Reilly .

Posted at 4:33PM on Nov 5th 2008 by Melissa A.

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