For years, Bill O’Reilly has been ranting about an alleged “War on Christmas,” claiming liberals are unjustly replacing “Christmas” festivities with “Holiday” festivities. News Hounds notes that O’Reilly isn’t practicing what he preaches, as he is showing off a “holiday reading list” on his website:
No time of the year is more merry for Bill O’Reilly than the “Christmas season,” because he can then go to war with his nemeses, the so-called “secular progressives.” Last year, he kicked off the season on Nov. 9, with a story on a decision by the Fort Collins, Colorado City Council to forgo traditional Christmas decorations. Though he hasn’t found his first outrage of the year yet, he’s getting ready. For the past two nights, O’Reilly has been offering bumper stickers reading “We Say Merry Christmas” to anyone who orders his book off his website:
This year, O’Reilly is also evidently acknowledging Hanukkah, telling his viewers last night that his website has plenty of merchandise for the “Christmas and Hanukah season.”
At the end of her press conference this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice teamed up with “secular progressives” in the War on Christmas, cheerily wishing reporters a “Happy Holidays everybody!” Watch it:
With only four days left to win the war this year, the right wing should be in panic mode. Yesterday, President Bush wished reporters “Happy Holidays” as well.
UPDATE: No mention of Christmas in Bush’s holiday message to the troops either. Read more
During his end-of-year press conference this morning, President Bush joined with “secular progressives” in the right wing’s contrived War on Christmas, wishing reporters a “Happy Holidays.” Watch it:
Bill O’Reilly and Focus on the Family have been waging an aggressive campaign to pressure people to use “Merry Christmas.” In the past, O’Reilly has argued that saying “Happy Holidays” to people “absolutely does” offend Christians.
This latest affront is part of George and Laura’s three-year assault on Christmas. Bill, looks like you may have prematurely declared mission accomplished.
Yesterday, the right-wing group Focus on the Family released “The Attack on Christmas 2007, a list of businesses that advertise during the holidays. Barnes & Noble (B&N) is listed in the “Ugly” category for “censor[ing]” Christmas in holiday advertising.
On The O’Reilly Factor yesterday, the group’s Carrie Gordon Earll and Bill O’Reilly — a fighter in the War on Christmas — slammed the business community for “avoiding using the word Christmas.”
But when Earll criticized B&N for “intentionally removing the word Christmas” and “using that holiday theme,” O’Reilly cowered. “We got – now Barnes and Noble, they say to be fair to them, because they sell a lot of book at Barnes and Noble,” he said:
EARLL: And I’m going to spend my money some place that’s not scared to wish me a Merry Christmas.
O’REILLY: And I think a lot of people feel the same way, which is why we reversed the trend, but I’m not going to come down hard on Barnes & Noble. I think, you know, Dick Sporting Goods, you know, they may want to rethink this.
Watch it:
O’Reilly, author of seven books, recently released Kids Are Americans Too. Over the years, he has bragged about a chummy relationship with America’s largest bookstore:
– The Riggio brothers, who run B&N, are good guys and are doing the right thing. Corporate dignity is important and never ridiculous. [8/21/07]
– Barnes & Noble has been great to us, as are all the retailers. [10/3/06]
– I have a good relationship with the CEO, Len Riggio, and he wouldn’t do anything underhanded. [10/25/05]
After giving B&N a pass, O’Reilly ended the show shilling for his books: “Finally, time for the mail. Tons of it last night. But first, a big thank you for making the paperback of Culture Warrior a huge hit.”
Do O’Reilly’s personal book sales take precedent over fighting the “War On Christmas?”
Celebrating Rep. Steve King’s (R-IA) House resolution on the “importance of Christmas and the Christian faith,” Fox News host Bill O’Reilly declared victory in the “war on Christmas” last night. He called his show’s reporting on the issue “one of the most important things we’ve done,” and bragged, “We won” and secular progressives “lost.” Watch it:
Guess it’s tough to lose a war that you made up.
(HT: Huffington Post and Gawker)
Earlier this month, ThinkProgress noted that Fox News host Bill O’Reilly had reignited his annual conniption fit over a perceived “War on Christmas,” taking aim at the Fort Collins, CO City Council’s consideration of a plan to eschew publicly-funded displays of traditional Christmas decorations. Last week, the council voted to continue using traditional decorations. Now O’Reilly is gloating, calling it “a great victory” in his War:
BILL O’REILLY: Also in Fort Collins, Colorado, the anti-Christmas task force, which recommended banning traditional decorations on public property has been rebuffed. The folks said no. …It’s a great victory.
Watch it:
On his Fox News show last night, Bill O’Reilly kicked off his annual conniption fit over a perceived “War on Christmas.” O’Reilly’s target last night was a decision by the Fort Collins, Colorado City Council to celebrate the holiday season with “an educational museum display, plain wreaths and garlands on city property, and trees with white lights” rather than traditional Christmas decorations such as trees with “colored lights.”
In the segment, O’Reilly called the decision by the city’s Holiday Display Task Force — which he incorrectly called the holiday diversity task force — “insane” and “an assault to diminish Christmas for secular progressive reasons.”
His right-wing guest, Denver talk radio host Dan Caplis, went even further, calling it “something out of the old Soviet Union”:
DAN CAPLIS: Yes. Well, Bill, this is horrible. I mean, this should be a wake-up call to every member of your audience. If this kind of attack on American values can happen in Fort Collins, it can happen everywhere.
You have this arrogant minority that wants to go to the point of stripping away Christmas trees and colored lights. I mean, this sounds like something out of the old Soviet Union. And people need to be very aware.
This group on the left is mobilized. They’re sophisticated. They’re determined. And if you don’t stand up and fight for your culture, they will take it away from you.
O’Reilly concurred, saying “Caplis is right.” Watch it:
The goal of Fort Collins’ proposals is to make sure that government-funded displays are as inclusive as possible. Employees at their desks and private citizens in general can “erect whatever display or symbols they so choose.”
As the Coloradoan’s Robert Moore notes today, O’Reilly “got some basic facts…wrong” about the committee he was complaining about, like “its name and number of members.”
More importantly, O’Reilly is behind in his outrage. Last year, he launched his “First Salvo in 2006 War Over Christmas” nearly two weeks earlier on October 27, complaining to former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) about “lawsuits all over the country by the ACLU, objecting to Christmas carols, Christmas displays.” [Fox News 10/27/06]
If 2007 is anything like previous years, “secular progressives” have plenty of vitriol from O’Reilly to look forward to:
- Describing the “War on Christmas,” O’Reilly claimed “Every company in America should be on its knees thanking Jesus for being born. Without Christmas, most American businesses would be far less profitable.” [11/29/05]
- O’Reilly compared Catholic leaders’ silence over “war” on Christmas to Church’s reaction to pedophilia scandal. [12/14/05]
- “[Y]ou’re a moron … [i]f you don’t believe” the “secular progressive movement” is behind “war” on Christmas, claimed O’Reilly on his radio show. [12/19/05]
- O’Reilly lauded Wal-Mart’s decision to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” as a victory in the “culture war battle” for those who “want to retain the Christmas tradition.”[11/13/06]
Watch out “secular progressives,” the “war on Christmas” is back and O’Reilly’s got his eye on you.
Thanksgiving is still a month away, but WorldNetDaily is already selling “Christmas-defense kits,” with tools to help you “fight back” against the “the American Civil Liberties Union grinches.” Included in these kits are magnets, “Operation: Just Say ‘Merry Christmas’” bracelets, and various bumper stickers. One example:
As Andrew Sullivan notes, “The culture-war season starts earlier every year.”
It’s a giant cash cow for the religious right.
UPDATE: Fox News surging forces in the war: “FNC will present a three hour primetime O’Reilly Factor Christmas Marathon beginning on Monday December 25th at 8PM EST,” a Fox News release states. Also, Sean Hannity will host a one-hour special, “A Nashville New Year with Sean Hannity,” from the Palace Theater in Nashville, Tennessee.
Powered by NewsWhip
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
About ThinkProgress | Contact Us | Donate
