HARPOOTLIAN: But -- but they -- if you've never asked them or never approached them or ignore them, of course they will.

O'REILLY: Look if it were me I would have been marching in the Martin Luther King Day, Columbia parade or Charleston, wherever they had it. I'm agreeing -- you know I don't see that's a bad thing. But I think you injecting race into this is not a good thing for the country. I don't think that's good.

HARPOOTLIAN: No, what I'm telling you is the Republicans have injected race by -- by Newt Gingrich and Santorum saying that the most -- this will be the most important election since 1860. Now what happened in 1860? We elected Abraham Lincoln.

O'REILLY: Well that was Lincoln's election but that's their opinion that the country is at a crossroads whether we go into the social justice, Western/European model or go back to the traditional capitalistic model. You can make a case to that.

HARPOOTLIAN: No, no; 1860 -- 1860 we elected a president who -- who passed the emancipation proclamation.

O'REILLY: And they said this is the most important election since 1860.

HARPOOTLIAN: Why 1860? I don't get it unless they're referring to --

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: Because that's Lincoln coming in to try to keep the union together. That's what happened in 1860. Surely you know that.

HARPOOTLIAN: But well the union didn't stay together, well, we in the south have a little different version on what happened in 1860.

O'REILLY: All right, whatever version you have. That was a pretty damn important election in 1860. And all they're saying is this is the one that's you know right -- right after that. Come on Mr. Harpootlian, you look, you're a smart guy. You are getting killed here on this program tonight. These points are speeches.

HARPOOTLIAN: Well Bill, whoa, whoa, you are the referee and the boxer? You're killing me here?

O'REILLY: Of course I am.

HARPOOTLIAN: Look --

O'REILLY: When you get to Harpootlian factor you will be that too.

All right we appreciate you coming on tonight. Thank you very much.

Next on run down, the other side in South Carolina. We'll talk to Senator Jim DeMint.

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