This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," October 11, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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GUTFELD: In the "Impact Segment" tonight, as you may know, Texas Senator Ted Cruz is at the forefront of the government shutdown debate facing criticism from Democrats and some fellow Republicans.
Today while speaking at the Value Voter Summit or VVS a conservative event in Washington, D.C., Cruz was shouted down by some far-left immigration activists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUZ: It is unfortunate -- it is unfortunate that the administration --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Who are those goof balls? Well THE FACTOR is investigating the group responsible and Bill will have a special report on that on Monday. I'm not sleeping until then.
Joining me now to react, let's bring in my "Five" co-host and former gymnast Dana Perino. Dana you are heckled a lot to and from work, usually by children and the clergy, is it a badge of honor to be heckled? That means you've made it.
DANA PERINO, CO-HOST, "THE FIVE": Right. If you're not -- some people take it as a major compliment.
GUTFELD: Right.
PERINO: If you aren't getting the far-left to come out and heckle you with a paid protester or whoever they were.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: If you're not doing something to get heckled, then you're not doing it right.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: That's their perspective. I crumble --
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: -- when things like that happen to me.
GUTFELD: Oh no you're a tough girl. The other weird -- I'm pretty certain that these are left-wing hecklers, because do you notice, there are never any conservatives really -- there's not a lot of conservative hecklers because they are usually working?
PERINO: Because well the inherent nature of their conservativeness make that they wouldn't ever -- they are just too polite.
GUTFELD: Yes exactly.
PERINO: They are just too polite.
GUTFELD: Also it's the benefit of being a leftist or part of a left- wing group, is there are so many around doing nothing. In fact, their whole -- the political is personal to them. So actually going to some place and yelling at somebody and personally disrupting where they work or whatever is considered a political act even though it's personally obnoxious.
PERINO: And this is what you would call a protest backfire.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: And so Senator Cruz handled it beautifully.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: And he stands -- and you know and he -- he kind of loves it.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: And for the left, they love to make him the bogeyman. He's the new guy to hate, he's in all the Tea Party --
GUTFELD: Right.
PERINO: -- Ted Cruz talking points that you'll see, watch this weekend. In all the talking points you'll hear from the left, Ted Cruz will be mentioned every single time, but I actually think it backfired on them today.
GUTFELD: Yes it's an outgrowth of the obsession with the Tea Party in general, for the left the Tea Party is like the prom date that turned them down, but they can't seem to stop thinking about.
PERINO: Does that still hurt your feelings?
GUTFELD: Yes it does, actually.
PERINO: I can see that it really you're still scarred by that.
GUTFELD: I am. Well it gives me the power to achieve. All right. Let's turn to a new "Wall Street Journal" poll, which I love to do. Basically says no one is faring well in the face of the government shutdown; 60 percent of those polled said they would vote out every member of Congress, including their own representative if given the chance.
Now Dana you are used to being disliked even by your own friends who find most of your behavior unacceptable.
PERINO: Yes.
GUTFELD: Isn't it purely American, dare say, patriotic, to hate politicians and politics in general, because you're busy with your own life being an individual?
PERINO: I -- perhaps so and that's changed, although I think this poll is different. Usually you'll see polls that say that everybody hates Congress but they love their own congressman.
GUTFELD: Right.
PERINO: This time around I think that the trust in government is the lowest it has been in four years; 80 percent of the country thinks that Washington, D.C. has us on the wrong track and only 11 percent approve of Congress. These are completely different world views of what is happening all across the country, but in the state legislatures, the Republicans continue to do really well.
GUTFELD: Right.
PERINO: But nationally they are not. And their brand has taken a hit, but what you'll hear from some on the far right is that the hit was worth it.
GUTFELD: Yes well Republicans do well locally because they think locally. They don't think globally.
PERINO: And shop locally.
GUTFELD: They do that as well, well, I don't know if they do that, but is it fair to compare the numbers of Congress to the President when the President really is a single entity. The Congress is a group of people and in fact, it's like -- it's like people would generally like David over Goliath, so a sole figure usually polls better.
PERINO: Well I think, well no -- I don't think so in this case. Because what's interesting is on both the right and the left and President Obama does this a lot, he's both the victim and the victor in every single issue.
GUTFELD: Right.
PERINO: So they'll attack him mercilessly because it's him but yes he'll claim it a win. But then you look at like the Obamacare rollout and that's a great example of they say the government was going to be so great.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: This new program is going to be so great, and if it's not, then it's also the opponent's fault because it's not great.
GUTFELD: Yes. Well the Republicans are always unpopular because of the anti-Santa Claus, so by being unpopular, isn't that almost a mark of achievement? Or am I just spinning this?
PERINO: I think you're spinning it.
GUTFELD: Am I spinning it?
PERINO: And if it causes you to constantly lose elections.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: Then I'm not going to fall for that again. I'm not going to fall for the polls are wrong --
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: -- again. It was too heartbreaking the last time around. I think that the polls are serious, but I also l think that for -- if you're looking at the 2014 elections, the Republicans are in pretty good shape. Nate Silver of the 538 Blog he came out today and said that the media is overplaying the shutdown, but the media overplays everything.
GUTFELD: Yes now Cruz -- Ted Cruz actually contacted you.
PERINO: Yes I thought this was pretty interesting. So I was against the defund tactic early on.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: And said so, maintained that. On Tuesday, "THE FIVE" went down to Washington, D.C.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: And we mentioned this on Monday night, heading down there, I'm on the train, I thought maybe I would hear from somebody in Congress, anybody, any smart PR person, the only office that contacted me was Senator Ted Cruz and invited me over. I had a wonderful chat with him for about 15 minutes. And I think that the politics of the personal getting to know somebody --
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: -- actually works really well because I might not agree with the tactic, but I think he's a great guy.
GUTFELD: You should have told him to get darker ties.
PERINO: Darker ties -- you have been giving a lot of fashion advice today.
GUTFELD: The light tie and a light shirt.
PERINO: You didn't like my shirt, you said it was Halloween.
GUTFELD: Yes it's very Halloween you look like a tiny pumpkin.
PERINO: You think about Nick Gillespie is coming up.
GUTFELD: You look like a Dana O'Lantern.
PERINO: Oh really.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PERINO: Do you want to talk about what happened at the beginning of this segment?
GUTFELD: Well maybe.
PERINO: When they took away my pillow so that Greg would look taller than me. This happened people, this truly happen.
GUTFELD: You know it did happen. And you know what, that was wrong, but I'm willing to see past that and see over your head to the teleprompter. Onward and upward, I say. Dana, thank you so much nice job on "THE FIVE" today by the way despite me being out. You guys seemed to handle it Ok.
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