Gillespie In the No-Spin Zone: Tonight!

Tim Cavanaugh | May 2, 2006

Does this country need an English-only amendment? Should we pass a law against singing "Das Banner Mit Sternen" in other languages? Find out tonight, as Reason editor Nick Gillespie goes head-to-head with Bill O'Reilly, sometime after 8pm eastern time.

But wait! Did I say Gillespie is going head-to-head with O'Reilly? There's more, as the spin-eschewer will be joined by his tag-team partner Lamar! Alexander. Watch as these two real American proponents of legal immigration do the Dudley Death Drop on nobody's favorite wop-mick lawbreaker. Only tonight, and only on FOX.

Comments

|5.2.06 @ 2:04PM|#

Nick, if you really have balls you'll skip the No Spin Zone and go straight to the No Fact Zone. That's right, if you really have balls you'll go on the Colbert Report, where the final "t" on every word is silent. (It's French, biatch!)

If you have the balls!

P.S. Bring a gift for Stephen Junior. Colbert is a very involved godfather.

|5.2.06 @ 2:08PM|#

Okay, we all know what O'Reilly will say:

"We don't have a real immigration policy until we get the military on the borders. This is all spin, Mr. Gillespie. What you want is uncontrolled borders."

I think the appropriate response is probably something like:

"Do you have any idea what it would cost to put sufficient military on the northern and southern borders of the US to prevent illegal immigration? Whatever the harm is you are seeing, it had better be extremely expensive to justify that as a fix."

Mike|5.2.06 @ 2:15PM|#

Nick,
Might be helpful to memorize those stats about third generation immigrants all speaking English...O'Reilly is big on backing up what you say. You could tell him something about how the adult immigrants might be more comfortable speaking in their own language but their grandkids will barely speak of word of it.

Or just tell him that this English only amendment sounds like some of the laws in Quebec! Bringing up how this would make us like the French might leave him speechless.

|5.2.06 @ 2:18PM|#

"National language? What is this, France?"

I always get good results from that one.

"We don't need the government telling us how to speak. The people don't need to conform the way they speak to what the government wants - the government needs to conform the way it carries out its business to what the people is serves demand."

|5.2.06 @ 2:19PM|#

J.R. wouldn't have done that intro any better.

The Dudleys also have different mothers, you know.

Timothy|5.2.06 @ 2:26PM|#

Bring up O'Reilly's time on KATU 2 in Portland, OR. Also, his time as a hard-hitting no-spin reporter on Inside Edition. That'll go over HUGE.

Mike|5.2.06 @ 2:30PM|#

And when he asks if you are about open borders ask him how he thinks we can secure a 2,000 mile stretch of land when we can't secure an airport terminal...and when he brings up the national guard, well, they were in the airports for about 6 months, but not anymore so I guess that didn't pan out too well.

|5.2.06 @ 2:40PM|#

Nick, while you're there can you ask "Three Dollar" Bill to please do something about this three dollar gas again?

|5.2.06 @ 2:42PM|#

If one of them proclaims himself "pro-legal immigration," tell him agree that legal immigratin is a wonderful thing, and ask him what he plans to do to expand this wonderful thing.

|5.2.06 @ 3:02PM|#

What does everybody think of Reason eventually coming out with a dvd featuring the best television appearences by its writers? It could be a mutli-media disc with a radio archive as well. I don't have cable and I usually miss the radio interviews, so hell, I'd buy it!

|5.2.06 @ 3:09PM|#

Here's a set of suggestions from Jack Shafer on how to deal with Bully Bill.

While we're giving unsolicited advice, may as well pile it on.

VM|5.2.06 @ 3:57PM|#

"Comment by: Kolmogorov at May 2, 2006 03:09 PM"

my what large numbers you have!

AWESOME screen name!

|5.2.06 @ 4:39PM|#

Perhaps Mr. Gillespie could inquire about O'Reilly's grasp of the English language. What is the proper use of loofah, sponge or vegetable?

|5.2.06 @ 6:16PM|#

Why even acknowledge the existence of that idiot? It's not like you're gonna change anybody's mind - not O'Reilly, and certainly not his knuckle-dragging fans. Nobody watching is gonna say, "Ya know, I think this Gillespie guy has a point," for the simple reason that the people who watch O'Reilly, aren't looking for reason and ideas.
Reason, by definition, is anathema to the populist and his following.

|5.2.06 @ 6:36PM|#

Please, please for the love of God, take a pro illegal immigrant position.

O'Reilly might melt right there on camera.

Brian|5.2.06 @ 7:12PM|#

Don't forget to point out all those polyglot failed states...you know, like Canada, Belgium, Switzerland...

At any rate, I'm sure Mr. Gillespie knows better than to expect an engaging conversation with O'Rielly...but his appearance will give Reason some national exposure, and there's nothing wrong with that...

|5.2.06 @ 7:32PM|#

I won't be home when this airs. Will it be available on the web anywhere?

|5.2.06 @ 8:13PM|#

Nick did a good job-Sen. Alexander's an utter dumbass.

Mike|5.2.06 @ 8:13PM|#

Nick,

Good job on the show... O'Reilly didn't really have anything to say to refute you. Liked the facts about immigrant families being fluent by the third generation. My grandparents spoke no English, dad is bi-lingual and I speak only English.
They both had nothing to say about 1st amendment protecting political speach and the anthem being that type of speech...

Tim Cavanaugh|5.2.06 @ 8:23PM|#

My review: Good stuff. O'Reilly was fine: He had a nudge-nudge manner on when describing the bill Lamar! is sponsoring, and stayed pretty much out of the dustup that ensued.

Nick got in a good armpit scratch while Lamar! was reading off his bill of goods.

Lamar! shot his hunting partner in the face with "I'm glad you brought up Iraq. Iraq is diverse, the Balkans are diverse; we don't want to be diverse."

Nick hit back with the Pew Hispanic Center results, got interrupted, hit back again with Nick's version of the Omega 13--Grandfather Nicola Guida. (Shortly after the broadcast, it was revealed that Nick had plagiarized the character Nicola Guida from the young adult fiction of Megan McCafferty.)

Lamar! came back with something about uniting, not dividing.

I score it a split decision in favor of Reason.

|5.2.06 @ 8:24PM|#

Apparently if we allow the star-spangled banner to be sung in spanish, America will begin to be like Iraq! or Jerusalem!

That was like 0 - 100 demagogue miles per hour in 5 seconds. An astounding performance of political douchebaggery.

Sadly, it probably got Lamar a few votes.

Mike|5.2.06 @ 8:32PM|#

I still don't understand how dumb some of these peoplea re. If immigrants are singing American's anthem in their language, they are showing that they like their adoptive country enough to internalize its national anthem in their language. It allows older immigrants who do not learn English to show their patriotism in their own way that doesn't seem alien to them (speaking in English might be difficult for them).

|5.2.06 @ 8:33PM|#

Nick Did a good job. As for the Senator--

Lamar! Douchebag!

|5.2.06 @ 8:57PM|#

Not many recall it. Least of all, O'Reilly, but Lamar was once the editor of the Hustler!!!!
You heard right.
(The Hustler was the weekly newspaper of Vanderbilt University.)

Just sayin'.

Ever heard of Roy Blount, Garrison Keillor's buddy? He was Lamar's apprentice.

The pendulum do swing.

|5.2.06 @ 11:08PM|#

I'm a leftie, but, by God, anybody who references both comics books and pro 'rasslin in their supposedly-highfalutin blog is okay in my book :-)

|5.2.06 @ 11:57PM|#

Lamar! Douchebag!

Just be sure to remember who the Biggest Douche In The Universe really is.

Stephen Gordon|5.3.06 @ 1:07AM|#

It was good. Tim Cavanaugh's blow by blow covered most of the bases.

My wife and I laughed our asses off when Nick brought up Iraq. I was half expecting Lamar! and and the SpinMeister to stroke out after that one.

|5.3.06 @ 1:55AM|#

It was a total smackdown. Nick kicked Lamar's ass. Anybody notice now after Nick went off, Lamar was furiously blinking like he was about to have a stroke?

I haven't been able to even watch O'Reilly since Jacob Sullum's last appearance where Bill turned Jacob's mic down and proceeded to shout him down. This time Bill was pretty well behaved and didn't really take sides (fair and balanced for the first time?).

|5.3.06 @ 2:35AM|#

This time Bill was pretty well behaved and didn't really take sides (fair and balanced for the first time?).

Immigration doesn't seem to lend itself well to traditional American conservative vs liberal divisions. It seems like both major parties are kind of split down the middle.

Half the Donkeys want immigrants cause they see a broadening of their voter base. The other half don't want them because on the surface anyway it appears they take jobs away from the "working man", or at least dampen his wages.

Half the Elephants want immigrants because they see lower costs for business and competition that hurts coercively high wage unions. The other half don't want them because they see them as hurting their voting base.

Perhaps O'Reilly's relative silence was due to being on the fence as to the merit/demerit political calculus. I'm sure he won't stay silent for long. :x

R.U. Sirius|5.3.06 @ 1:54PM|#

Nice Job Nick. Just the look of derision on your face as Alexander started into his inaninty was worth tuning in for...

|5.4.06 @ 8:54AM|#

"Half the Donkeys want immigrants cause they see a broadening of their voter base. The other half don't want them because on the surface anyway it appears they take jobs away from the "working man", or at least dampen his wages."

I keep seeing this claim, that there is a signficant faction of anti-immigration Labor Democrats, but I haven't seen any evidence of such a thing.

I've seen lots of unions, including the AFL-CIO, SEIU, and UNITE HERE helping to cosponsor rallies and pushing the immigrants rights line. And I see lots of Republicans who normally couldn't be bothered to walk around a picket line declaring themselves pro-worker in order to sell their distrust of brown people as having an economic basis. But I am trouble coming up with any national Democratic leaders who are hostile towards expanding immigrants' rights.

|5.4.06 @ 1:34PM|#

I thought you did great, to, Nick...though to be honest, Lamar came unarmed for a battle of wits. I mean, damn.

|5.5.06 @ 5:23PM|#

Boy, besides the lousy grammar, the vulgar epithets and serious lack of logic the Factor comment board can boast, those folks really don't like Nick's jacket!

Kevin