Left-Wingers Exploiting Occupy Wall Street Movement?
Is Occupy Wall Street really a well-planned and funded movement by the far-left and not a spontaneous uprising?
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," October 28, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: Now for the "Top Story" tonight, reaction. Joining us from Los Angeles is Dr. Caroline Heldman, who teaches at Occidental College and Fox News contributor Leslie Marshall. So where am I going wrong here, Leslie.
LESLIE MARSHALL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well first of all Bill, any organization, any movement, any protest is going to be "exploited" to use your term by somebody, whether it be the Koch Brothers of the Tea Party on the right, George Soros with the "Occupy Wall Street" movement on the left.
I would say, Bill, that you're giving the movement in a sense more power when you're talking about this -- not jut demonizing but anarchy and the real agenda, the real goal. I really believe the real agenda and the real goal and the majority of these people are just that, people that are frustrated with the disparity in wages; are frustrated by the constant reports even this week that the rich are getting richer. They're frustrated by the current state of their country and their government.
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: OK, well you can believe anything you want; you're an American. But you made a statement that the Koch Brothers were tied into the Tea Party financially. Can you prove that?
MARSHALL: Well, the Koch Brothers, (INAUDIBLE) such as Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: Can you -- can you prove it. Wait. Wait, wait, wait, Leslie.
MARSHALL: Yes.
O'REILLY: Leslie, you're a Fox News contributor. You have a responsibility. Can you prove the Koch Brothers are tied into the Tea Party financially? Can you?
MARSHALL: With a check in hand, no.
O'REILLY: OK. Thank you.
MARSHALL: But the Koch Brothers have never denied the financial trail.
O'REILLY: Your turn is over Leslie. Your turn is over, we'll get back.
And I want to remind you not to make statements you can't back up on this network. We don't do that on this network. Other networks do. We don't.
Dr. Heldman, am I going wrong here in my analysis?
DR. CAROLINE HELDMAN, PH.D., OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE POLITICS PROFESSOR: Well, I would say that yes, in the sense that it -- they -- it really is a populist movement. It's a small -- you know it's a handful of grass roots activists who started this, some of whom are anarchists, some of whom are just concerned Americans.
But it has grown well beyond that. We're talking a collection of Christians and anarchists and hippies and hipsters and students and grandmothers. More than half of the American public has a favorable rating of "Occupy Wall Street."
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: Not anymore. Not anymore.
HELDMAN: Yes.
O'REILLY: Well, oh Doctor, hold it now, I'm going to stop you. Not anymore. OK. The new polls out are against -- this is the Fox News poll, all right? Is the movement good or bad for the country? "Occupy Wall Street"? Good for the country? 38 percent; bad for the country 41; unsure, 21.
Now, that's directly because of my reporting, Glenn Beck, talk radio - - we're not hysterical and we're asking valid questions, Doctor, like what would a grandmother be doing out in the middle of New York City or Oakland or Atlanta or anywhere for three weeks?
You can see it for a day or two, but not for three weeks. Go ahead.
HELDMAN: Because when -- when the situation is this dire, and I'm surprised this didn't happen in 2008, of course people are going to take to the streets. Of course when they have identified crony capitalism as the target.
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: OK. Crony capitalism, that's interesting. Then why aren't they in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House? Just today --
HELDMAN: I would agree.
O'REILLY: -- just today the White House issued a statement, Leslie that said they are now investigating the Solyndra crony capitalism case. And you know why? Because a congressional committee is going to issue subpoenas next week to the White House to show why they wasted half a billion of taxpayer dollars in Solyndra.
So this is far more. This isn't a spontaneous demonstration against crony capitalism. If it were, they would be in front of the White House. This is organized by the unions backed up by George Soros and the MoveOn people.
The -- and I do and I want -- I agree with both ladies that there are sincere protesters but they are long gone. They are not there for a month. Go ahead.
HELDMAN: Bill, do you have evidence to back up those links? Do you have evidence?
O'REILLY: Yes absolutely we have reporters down there all the time and the reporters ask people who they are, where they are going. The spontaneous people are back to their jobs; 85 percent of them, Dr. Heldman have jobs. You can't stay off the job for a month. I can back what I say up.
I'm going to give Leslie the last word because I scolded her earlier. Go ahead, Leslie.
MARSHALL: You scolded me. But one of the Koch Brothers said that he would pay $80 million to any candidate Tea Party or otherwise to unseat Barack Obama.
O'REILLY: Now that's it, you say anything you -- but you can't make a charge that he's funding the Tea Party. Tea Party, as far as I know, are independent people all over and they don't take any money. We know for a fact that the SCIC and MoveOn are pumping money into these organizations.
MARSHALL: All of these organizations are going to take money because all of these organizations need to get money because if they are going to stay out of their jobs, as you mentioned Bill, they have to.
O'REILLY: Leslie, when you find who is giving the Tea Party money you come back on and you show me that, please.
MARSHALL: Right.
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