Comedy Central Jon Stewart debates Fox News Bill O'Reilly over the controversal Rapper Common and his poetry reading at the White House. This debate made Comedy Central more newsworthy and Fox News the comedy outlet. A poll was taken, by Fox News, to see who won the debate.
First lady Michelle Obama ignited a minor controversy when she invited the rapper Common, a two-time Grammy winner, to a May 11 poetry reading at the White House. His visit to the White House sparked outrage among both conservative commentators and the New Jersey State Police, due in part to his connections to Joanne Chesimard, a black militant who was convicted in the 1973 killing a New Jersey State Trooper. Chesimard escaped from prison in 1979 and later fled to Cuba.
Among those right-wing pundits who took umbrage with Common's appearance at the White House was Bill O'Reilly, whose comments prompted Jon Stewart of The Daily Show to chide him and Fox News. Stewart skewered Fox News on his May 11 broadcast for willfully misinterpreting Common's lyrics and its hypocritical stances regarding not just Common, but other rappers and singers who have sung about cop killing and violence such as Ice T and Johnny Cash. That in turn gave O'Reilly cause to invite Stewart onto his FOX News program, The O'Reilly Factor, for a debate over Common's White House visit.
Stewart effectively cornered O'Reilly and Fox News of "selective outrage" and employing a double standard in ignoring the visits of other musicians who have sung about cop killers such as U-2's Bono, while targeting rappers like Common.
O'Reilly's only effective reply was that Common had gone to Cuba to visit Chesimard, which sounds rather silly when one considers Cash performed an entire concert at Folsom Prison. Stewart concluded by inviting O'Reilly and Fox News to do something positive for the police in America by supporting the return of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, a measure that enjoys the widespread support of police organizations around the country. Link
Watch and you decide who won:
Damn Awesome Debate! O'Reilly got crushed!
Even though I personally feel O'Reilly is a big douche, I do salute him for accepting defeat by posting the poll results. Finally, being true and honest to the facts, no matter how embarrassing, does show integrity.
Well done, both of you!
