# Bill O'Reilly vs Jon Stewart **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689 "2010-02-04T17:28:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/21 "2010-02-04T20:26:45Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > And what was that bullshit with sticking his finger in Stewart’s face? How is it that nobody has punched Bill O’Reilly in his fucking eye socket yet? O’Reilly is about 9 inches taller than Stewart. Somebody else needs to punch him. ---
**Author:** ![i\_am\_a\_scientist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@i\_am\_a\_scientist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/i_am_a_scientist)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/22 "2010-02-04T20:36:34Z")
here’s my thoughtful analysis - bill o’reilly is a fucking dick. Example, O’Reilly, smeared with sarcasm “wow, the regulatory mechanism? That’s way over my head [snip] that’s a pretty smart analysis, lot of people don’t think you’re smart [snip] did your writers come up with that?” He was trying to be witty and lacerating, but he just came off looking like an asshole. That’s what happens when unfunny people try to use something subtle like irony, it just sounds forced and mean. So, since this was intended to be entertaining, Stewart won handily because O’Reilly is never (intentionally) funny. **However** , if O’Reilly had uncorked another one of [these](http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907270052), well, he would have kicked Stewart’s ass, because that shit is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/23 "2010-02-04T20:38:30Z")
> [@MrTuffPaws](#): > > Can we see an unedited tape of this. O’Reilly is famous for taking creative edits to make his positions stronger. As, in fairness, does Stewart, though for lengthy debates he usually has the unedited full length on his web site. (I honestly don’t know if O’Reilly does this.) ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/24 "2010-02-04T21:19:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > As, in fairness, does Stewart, though for lengthy debates he usually has the unedited full length on his web site. (I honestly don’t know if O’Reilly does this.) No, I don’t think that’s a fair equivalence. This one was all chopped up. Stewart, if he goes long, usually just plays full sequences, and puts a big ugly edit in the middle, telling people that the full interview can be found online. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/25 "2010-02-04T21:30:23Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > As, in fairness, does Stewart, though for lengthy debates he usually has the unedited full length on his web site. (I honestly don’t know if O’Reilly does this.) I’m not a particularly big fan of Stewart’s interview style - I vastly prefer watching him shoot at stationary targets, but he doesn’t do cheaty editing. They do of course do lots of cheaty editing during the news segments. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/26 "2010-02-04T23:00:01Z")
:mad: This is disappointing. Any thread titled “Bill O’Reilly vs. Jon Stewart” should be about a caged naked mud-wrestling match to the death. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/27 "2010-02-04T23:10:16Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :mad: This is disappointing. Any thread titled “Bill O’Reilly vs. Jon Stewart” should be about a caged naked mud-wrestling match to the death. I think you misspelled Sarah Palin vs. Michele Bachmann. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Dastardly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@Dick\_Dastardly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dick_Dastardly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/28 "2010-02-05T00:06:58Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > On my card, I have Stewart ahead on points, but I’ll wait 'til the final round. > > Well, O’Reilly tried to wave it away by saying that was only two guys on the network, but that one of them was Everyman. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/29 "2010-02-05T00:14:26Z")
> [@i\_am\_a\_scientist](#): > > **However** , if O’Reilly had uncorked another one of [these](http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907270052), well, he would have kicked Stewart’s ass, because that shit is hilarious. What’s the problem. You can’t do basic math? Damn, O’Reilly is a tool. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/30 "2010-02-05T00:14:38Z")
My favorite O’Reilly comment about his own argument skill was when he told Kirk Cameron how he thought he beat Richard Dawkins in a debate. ([About 0:10 in](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTGmoTb8sw).) ---
**Author:** ![ajb867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@ajb867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajb867)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/31 "2010-02-05T00:17:37Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think you misspelled Sarah Palin vs. Michele Bachmann. Whoa! The first post ever from Dio to make me smirk! I couldn’t really concentrate on the interview because John Stewart looked like a dead man talking, seriously. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/32 "2010-02-05T01:24:37Z")
> [@ajb867](#): > > Whoa! The first post ever from Dio to make me smirk! > > I couldn’t really concentrate on the interview because John Stewart looked like a dead man talking, seriously. What does that mean, seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Crap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.crap/32/3131_2.png) [@Dr.Crap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Crap)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/33 "2010-02-05T01:35:58Z")
From O’Reilly’s site: [The full and unedited exchange between Bill and Jon Stewart.](http://www.billoreilly.com/video?chartID=554&vid=194554720156101071) ---
**Author:** ![ajb867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@ajb867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajb867)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/34 "2010-02-05T02:14:57Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > What does that mean, seriously? I had just watched a video of when Stewart razzed Olberman. Compared to the clip I watched with O’reily he looked rather unhealthy. It was just the first thing that popped in to my head. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/35 "2010-02-05T02:22:11Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > > > > > > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > > > > > > > > > > > Then someone used sarcasm to mock another poster. How stunning! > > > > > > > > > > Then someone used sarcasm to mock another poster. How stunning! > > > > > > > > Then someone used sarcasm to mock another poster. How stunning! > > > > > > Then someone used sarcasm to mock another poster. How stunning! > > > > Then someone used sarcasm to mock another poster. How stunning! > > Then someone used sarcasm to mock another poster. How stunning! [Uh oh…](http://www.joachim-reichel.de/software/fraktal/mandelbrot_large.png) ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/36 "2010-02-05T02:56:14Z")
> [@Dr.Crap](#): > > From O’Reilly’s site: [The full and unedited exchange between Bill and Jon Stewart.](http://www.billoreilly.com/video?chartID=554&vid=194554720156101071) Now that was much more entertaining than the edited show. I still don’t see any debate though. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/37 "2010-02-05T03:06:09Z")
So there was some sort of debate between a comedian from Comedy Central and a commentator from the Fox News Channel? I guess the result ought to have been close. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/38 "2010-02-05T09:28:03Z")
There was not much of a debate. Toward the end of the unedited version Jon Stewart summed it up best by saying to Bill, “Your problem is you like me too much” (paraphrasing). I got that vibe throughout the whole interview. Bill never lets people talk as much as Jon, Bill never lets people interrupt _him_ as much as Jon did. It’s for a reason, though. Jon is that insightful and interesting, and Bill actually likes talking to him. **Is there a better political analyst than Jon Stewart?** Seriously. I disagree with him a lot, but his core is untouchable, intact, and it’s his and not his viewers. He never fails to engage me (for the correct reasons; rightly or wrongly, if that makes sense). I’m actually asking because I don’t watch much news besides his show and Charlie Rose who would be really good, but he’s just a good interviewer and less a political analyst. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/39 "2010-02-07T04:38:03Z")
seeing the unedited version, I see they edited out some of Stewart’s better potshots at Fox. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689/40 "2010-02-07T07:04:10Z")
I thought John Stewart basically owned the interview. I also thought Dennis Miller was a class act. When O’Reilly tried to insinuate that Stewart didn’t really believe what he says, Miller slapped him down pretty good. He took Stewart’s side, even though he doesn’t agree with him and O’Reilly is his bread and butter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-vs-jon-stewart/527689.md?page=3)