Great 'Factor' Debate Contest Rules
Monday, January 16, 2006

Would you like to sit on the set of "The Factor" and let Bill O'Reilly have it?! The Great "Factor" Debate contest is underway and here's the deal:

During the month of February six lucky "Factor" viewers will be flown to New York City or Los Angeles (depending on which city we're broadcasting from) with hotel and meals paid for by us.

All you have to do is convince us by e-mail (and later by telephone) that you are a good debater and that you can hold your own with O'Reilly on a topic of your choosing.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181845,00.html

What do you think of this? Would you enter such a "contest"?

What do you think of this? Would you enter such a "contest"?

I don't want to perform for zero pay, so no, I don't want to enter the contest. Covering the overhead is a nice gesture, and it happens to be necessary because otherwise you'd get only those with enough money to take the time and spend the dime for the show.

You might want to sweeten the pot, such as offering cash prizes for debaters who win points, however that's determined. It would be very cool if the money came out of Mr. O'Reilly's pay, similar to a Fear Factor challenge. Conversely, if a debater loses points to Mr. O'Reilly, the debater has to eat worms or something.

Here's another free idea: Have Mr. O'Reilly debate at the debater's location of choice. That will save the hotel expenses in New York City, which I am sure are much higher than in Po' Dunk Junction. Travel ought to be about the same.

Envision this -- Mr. O'Reilly appears in Woodland Park, Colorado. He meets a bearded mountain man in Buck's bar and grill. There's country music playing on the juke box, some old rock. Mountain men and mamas watch on as the debate starts out.

Question to debate: Should public lands be opened to gas and oil exploration?

The winner of the contest works for Salt Creek Ranch, which happens to sit right near natural gas deposits accessible through the ranch and on BLM land. She is stout and strong with weathered skin and piercing brown eyes that spark and glitter. The bearded mountain man, her husband and a cow hand for the ranch, Vietnam vet class of '68, sits next to her but cannot participate in the debate. He places a Colt .45 revolver on the table, which is perfectly legal. It isn't concealed and he isn't drinking. A dull sheen from bullets can be seen in the cylinder.

"Let's be polite," he growls like an old grizzly bear. His wife beams, swallows a night crawler, chases it down with a bump of well bourbon and a long draught of frostymug Coors. "Ready!" she quips in a voice that's part flute, part screaming eagle.

That ought to boost the ratings.

That sounds interesting and might be sorta fun. Bill O'Reilly isn't as smart as he wishes he was. I called up his radio show and actually got on the air with him. I called him on his "no spin" zone, since all he does is spin. He asked me to give him an example. I told him that his statement that "Brokeback Mountain" has no chance of making any money is inaccurate. The film only cost $15 million to make, and double that for marketing. Since it has already earned about $32 million, the film (from now on) will earn all profit. And since the awards race is kicking into gear, and an Oscar win will bump its box office run, it is "spin" to say the film does not have a chance to make a profit.

He disagreed with my budget numbers, saying it must have cost more to produce the film. After I had hung up, his co-host did some research. The only number she could find for a budget was $15 million. Mr. O'Reilly still did not believe that, saying he should get Variety information to verify. But then he finally admitted that I was probably right. Maybe it's pathetic, but I found a great deal of satisfaction in hearing him say that. At least he admits he was wrong, which is entirely different from other radio hosts.

O'reilly plays dirty. You can't debate him. He knows it too. He knows it's his show and so if he hears anything that makes him look bad or stupid, he cuts the guest off. That's how O'reilly "debates", with his finger on the on/off button of his guests mic. When he can't make an argument, which is most of the time, he doesn't have to. It's his show. So he can just cut off whatever contradicts him. I think it's a mistake to even give him the chance. You'd never be able to say anything that needs said. You can't have even the semblance of a reasonable debate when you have to do it on the terms of someone so irrational.

I've only seen his show a couple times, which was enough. That was my impression. I saw when he had on the young kid who's father died in the world trade center. I'd never seen someone so rude and insulting on TV before. He actually had the audacity to invoke the memory of this boys dead father to chastise this poor kid. Mostly he just wouldn't let the kid speak.