Bill O’Reilly teamed up with Fox’s Monica Crowley to argue that people who think that the U.S. is still a racism country are anti-American. But things went downhill fast when Fox’s Kirsten Powers mounted the kind of spirited argument that more Democrats should.

“I do think that racism is a serious issue in this country and I don’t know why you are so unable to see that,” Powers said.

O’Reilly disagreed and, suggesting that there’s no more racism in the U.S. than anywhere else, he added, “Every country on earth has racist elements in it.” (Apparently, O’Reilly forgot how much he disapproves of justifying bad behavior “by pointing to other bad behavior, which is what they do in 3rd grade.”)

Powers contested the legitimacy of that argument, too and there were exchanges like:

POWERS: I’m living in the real world

O’REILLY: Oh, no you’re not.

His finger jabbing the air, O’Reilly accused, “The world is being told by anti-American haters that we are a rank racist society and that is a lie!”

Crowley blithely announced that “institutional racism” no longer exists in this country. (Apparently, she missed the DOJ report on the Ferguson police department.) However, Crowley began a diatribe about the left thinking “we are undeserving and unworthy of our power” and seeking to “degrade America, to take us down in terms of our power and our influence and our status… They want America taken down.” Of course, O’Reilly did not interrupt.

Powers could be heard making noises of disgust or shock off screen, which O’Reilly attacked as rude (apparently forgetting that he outright interrupts people when he disagrees with them). “You’re snorting out there and I just want you to knock it off, alright?” O’Reilly said.

“I’m not snorting, I just don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Powers retorted. “The thing that actually made me gasp, not snort, was when Monica said - ”

Powers never got to explain because O’Reilly interrupted her to say, “No, you’re doing a derisive snort. Now I want you to knock it off!”

“I am not Bill, why don’t you knock it off!” Powers countered.

They got back to the topic at hand. “We’ve tried and tried and tried as a society to overcome that,” O’Reilly argued, meaning slavery. The implication, which Powers barely got to in all the fireworks, was that we’ve done enough for African Americans already so people should just shut up about racism.

“We are trying to overcome the legacy,” O’Reilly insisted, even though he was suggesting we already have.

“Everybody does not acknowledge that,” Powers shot back. “That’s what you’re missing. … It’s not the lunatic fringe. There are actually a lot of people in this country who are racist and you just refuse – "

Now O’Reilly was the one making overtly derisive noises.

Exasperated, Powers asked, “How many black friends do you have, Bill?” She asked him three times because he never answered.

But after the third time, he started shouting, "If you think most Americans are racists, I’m ashamed of you. I’m ashamed of you!"

“I didn’t say most Americans were racists,” Powers argued (and she had not, she said “a lot of people in this country” are).

“You just said it!” O’Reilly shouted.

Powers continued, “It is not a fringe element and there are plenty of people who would disagree with you, with the idea that somehow everything has been rectified in the system, there’s no institutional racism. I think people who work with the criminal justice system would disagree with you.”

But O’Reilly didn’t listen. He could be heard slapping the desk and he interrupted Powers to get the last word from Crowley.

“Alright, ladies good debate," O'Reilly said in closing. "We’re not mad at your Kirsten. I’m sorry if I mischaracterized what you were doing, alright? But I want respect for everyone.”

Powers did not look mollified.

Watch it below, from the June 23 The O’Reilly Factor.