Armchair General Bill O’Reilly has declared victory in the War on Christmas and he takes full credit for conquering the infidels and subjugating them to his Christian spirit. However, the poll cited was not exactly the overwhelming win for shoving Nativity scenes down people’s throats Fox made it out to be.
In a discussion on last night’s The O’Reilly Factor, Fox’s Martha MacCallum referred to a Pew Poll that supposedly proves that the War on Christmas has been won:
MACCALLUM: It says basically that 72% of Americans say they’re OK with manger scenes and scenes that recognize Christmas and also if there are other religious symbols out there as well. So if you combine the numbers, about 72% of the people, when you combine the numbers… are totally fine with a manger on public property or other signs of Christmas.
But here’s what MacCallum didn’t say: While 44% of Americans do think Christmas symbols are OK on public property, 48% either oppose them outright or support them only if other religious symbols are allowed.
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 44% of Americans say Christian symbols like nativity scenes should be allowed on government property even if they are not accompanied by symbols from other religions. In addition, 28% of U.S. adults say that such symbols should be permitted, but only if they are accompanied by symbols from other religions, such as Hanukkah candles. One-in-five (20%) say there should be no religious displays on government property, period.
Advocates on both sides of these disputes can take some heart in Americans’ views. On the one hand, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (72%) favor allowing Christian symbols on government property in at least some cases – either by themselves or with symbols from other faiths. Looked at another way, however, nearly half of Americans (48%) express reservations about these displays, either saying that Christian symbols must be accompanied by those from other faiths or that no religious displays should be allowed on government property.
“No spin” O’Reilly conveniently ignored that nuance. He not only declared victory but revealed just how his Christian spirit is at work:
O’REILLY: We won it. We won the war. I have to confess, you what I do? I’m like a guerrilla fighter in the war on Christmas. You know what I do? I put little shepherds right in front of City Hall in my town.
…Or if I know that there’s a secular person in my town or the town neighboring me, I’ll put a little baby Jesus on their windshield.
Using Jesus out of malice… I’m sure He’d be so proud.
MacCallum didn’t seem to mind. She said, “You saved Christmas, Charlie Brown. Singlehandedly saved Christmas.”
“That’s right… I have,” O’Reilly boasted.
Later, on Late Night with Seth Meyers, O’Reilly took another Christmas War Victory Lap. He told Meyers that this year he hasn’t received a single complaint about a store ordering their employees to say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”
“It’s over and we won,” O’Reilly proclaimed. “Anybody can say Merry Christmas if they want to.”
I’m sorry to say, the audience cheered.
And watch out for Princess Caribou, Don Quixote – she’s not going to like you taking all the credit for “winning” the so-called WoC considering she wrote a book about it, bless her heart.
http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/grandpa_oreilly.jpg
Safe to say it’s NOT safe for work, but here’s the original clip http://southpark.cc.com/clips/151728/merry-fing-christmas featuring the footage from the episode, “Mr Hankey’s Christmas Special.” (A fan version—featuring the song over a still stock image—can be seen/heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14mPAZkJvd4 .)
But, given O’Reilly’s image as a bully, you can definitely see him singing it in a completely non-ironical way.
I still say he and Fox should refuse advertising dollars that says Happy Holidays instead of the holy words that they demand.
