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Published January 27, 2017
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," October 21, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Impact" segment tonight: The Senate said "no" to more parts of President Obama's jobs bill last night. It's basically all about money. The Republicans and a few Democrats simply will not OK anymore speculative spending by the federal government. But Mr. Obama and Vice President Biden are determined to convince the American people their vision is correct. So Mr. Biden took his crusade to the Goode Elementary School in York, Pennsylvania, where he talked to a fourth grade class on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You have had a lot of teachers who used to work here, but because there is no money for them in the city, they are not working. And so what happens is when that occurs, each of the teachers that stays have more kids to teach. And they don't get to spend as much time with you as they did when your classes were smaller. We think the federal government, Washington, D.C., should say to the cities and the states, "Look, we're going to give you some money so you can hire back all those people." And the way we're going to do it is we're going to ask people who have a lot of money to pay just a little bit more in taxes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: The kids look thrilled, didn't they? Joining us now from Los Angeles to react, Dr. Caroline Heldman, who teaches at Occidental College, and Fox News analyst Leslie Marshall. All right, Leslie, I'm not quite getting why you want to bring your message to fourth graders who look like they want to be anywhere else. Do you?
LESLIE MARSHALL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Actually I can't disagree with you on that, Bill. When I was in fourth grade, no joke, we had a Democrat and Republican congressional member -- I won't say who, that will give away my age that came to class -- I remember them coming, what did they say? Not quite sure. I think it's every politician's civic duty to go into the classrooms. I think it's great for kids to learn about government, but to pitch a jobs bill when they're not voting, I can't disagree with you on that. The kids kind of looked like, what? I definitely do -- he didn't know, he obviously didn't know his audience…
O'REILLY: But here -- here is the deal. Biden did it because he knew he was going to get press coverage and he knew programs like mine would pick it up and that he'd get his message across, which he did, we used the sound bite, at the expense of the children looking like who is this guy and why is he torturing me, doctor? So from a -- from a political communication standpoint, it was a shrewd play, but I think it's a little exploitative of the kids and I think some people might be teed off.
DR. CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROFESSOR, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: Well, Bill, I think you're giving the administration too much credit. In my book, this is the second big gaffe that Biden has made on the -- on the trail to sell this jobs bill. I think it's a real problem for the administration. And I would agree with you, it's somewhat exploitive. These kids were bored, but then again we're all bored when politicians speak, right? They can't be honest, they can't -- they can't be straight shooters, unfortunately, unless you're an Elizabeth Warren or a Chris Christie. But in this particular case, the fact that the vice president is overshadowing the president and they're both selling the jobs plan indicates to me that maybe he's -- he's just a gaffe machine that the administration is not necessarily putting out there.
O'REILLY: But this wasn't -- it wasn't a gaffe. I mean, they knew he was going to do it. This is designed by the White House communication staff. It's thought out very well. So it's not like he made a mistake. The other day he said, Leslie, that, look, more women might get raped. More people might get robbed because police aren't going to be on the streets in the numbers they would be if you OKd this jobs bill so they could infuse local police departments and hire more people. OK. A lot of people got mad and said, oh, he's creating fear, this and that. To me, it was a point he wanted to make. Let the point stand. You either agree or disagree. But this is more. This is taking a bunch of kids and using those kids for political purposes. I don't think that's good. I really don't think it's good for any political party to do that.
MARSHALL: I would agree with you in the sense that children should not be exploited for any one's gain in professions, politics or otherwise, left or right. But I honestly, Bill, when we say that, like you said, that Vice President Biden said some things sensationalist or shocking, we're not so shocked when it comes out of the mouth, no disrespect from the Vice President -- Vice President Biden. But I honestly don't think -- I hear what you're saying, that it was calculated, absolutely. But I do think he was trying to tell the kids what kids need to know, which is, hi, I'm the vice president. This is what we're doing in Washington and this is why we're doing it…
O'REILLY: But they're not doing it because the opposing party isn't going to ok it. So what they're really doing is telling the kids, look, we're the good guys and the other party is the bad guys and you're only nine years old and you should listen to me. It's -- it's not the way it should go down, doctor, and you know it. As somebody…
MARSHALL: Well I agree --
O'REILLY: …yes, it's not the way it should go down.
MARSHALL: I agree with you there. We shouldn't be telling -- you know telling our children I'm the good guy, I'm the bad guy.
O'REILLY: Right, if -- if Joe Biden…
MARSHALL: But then again…
O'REILLY: OK, consider this…
MARSHALL: But then, Bill, you know that -- you know regardless of what he says and regardless of the polls showing the majority of Americans in favor of this jobs bill, the Republicans showed in the Senate they wouldn't vote on it. So it doesn't matter really.
O'REILLY: Right, and they voted on it and it got knocked down. Now look, this is the message, Dr. Heldman that I want to send to the vice president, if he would like to convince the nation -- fourth graders included, they're Americans, too -- that the jobs bill is worthy, I got a seat for him right here. Right there. OK? You convince him. I got 10 minutes for you. Come right on in. All right, but you know what? He won't. He won't come in because he knows he can't stand up to big boy questioning. He knows he can't.
HELDMAN: Well, I think that -- I think that he could…
O'REILLY: Whoa, whoa. I have invited this guy for years in here and he will not.
HELDMAN: And I think he should come on. I really think he should come on. I don't think fourth graders are actually his audience and I would agree with you that these are planned trips.
O'REILLY: Right.
HELDMAN: But if I were on his advance team or his management team, I would be concerned every time this man goes out to give a public talk. I doubt that they thought he was going to be sing-songy to fourth graders.
O'REILLY: Come on. Now. It's got to be something with the water because Cheney wouldn't come on either. What is it with these vice presidents? What is it?
HELDMAN: They want to live a quiet life, Bill.
MARSHALL: The vice presidents stay -- stay quite frankly you never see the vice president and then a year before an election it's like, oh, yes. That's what he looks like.
O'REILLY: I'm going to have to get on the Amtrak and -- and sit behind Biden to get him, you know. All right, maybe if I wore short pants.
MARSHALL: Just got to a fourth grade class. Bill, just go to a fourth grade class.
HELDMAN: Or maybe if you told him you were eight or nine.
O'REILLY: Well, that's the way I act. So he shouldn't have any problem.
MARSHALL: No, no, no.
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