Bill O'Reilly accurately described the RNC as 'a bunch of white people having a good time'

By Rafi Schwartz  |  July 26, 2016 | 5:00pm
Latest

Fox News mainstay Bill O’Reilly prides himself on presiding over a “no spin zone,” in which the truth—or at least, his truth—reigns supreme. Of course, any savvy media consumer understands that, when it comes to 24-hour news networks, truth, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder.

That said, just as a broken clock can be right twice a day, so too can even the most partisan of political pundits. Just take Monday night’s episode of “The O’Reilly Factor,” in which Bill gave voice to an uncomfortable truth about last week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland: It was a profoundly white affair.

The admission (of sorts) came as O’Reilly and guest Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic strategist, were comparing the turbulent opening of the DNC with what Marsh described as a “very rough start” for the RNC.

“Was that because of the Melania Trump speech?” O’Reilly asked, referring to the aspiring First Lady’s now-infamous act of plagiarism. “Is that what you are referring to?”

“No,” countered Marsh. “There was that, but there was discord on the floor.”

Marsh is likely talking about the raucous protests that broke out during the RNC’s opening hours, as #NeverTrump factions fought against parliamentary maneuvering on the part of the party leadership.

“I was there, I didn’t see any discord,” replied O’Reilly. “I just saw a bunch of white people having a good time, that’s all I saw.”

If this were the trailer for a zany rom-com, now’s when they’d add the record scratch.

Here’s the exchange:

Awkward joke? Accidental truth? Both? Whatever you want to call it, O’Reilly’s comments seem particularly on-point given the RNC’s slide toward monochromatic uniformity, and presidential nominee Donald Trump’s history of bigotry and racism.

The DNC, meanwhile, reportedly featured nearly as many speakers of color on its opening night as the RNC did during its entire four-day run.

 
Join the discussion...