Why Fox Is King

During the furor over the murder of Dr. Tiller, the abortion provider in Kansas, I figured out why Bill O'Reilly is number one in his time slot and why Fox News is having its best year ever--cringeworthy though that fact may be.

O'Reilly makes it so easy for his audience with his Talking Points, superimposed on the screen for all to see. After Tiller was shot in church, O'Reilly explained why he was not to blame for inciting the lunatic who pulled the trigger. His reasons were one-sided but they were clear and easy to understand. And they were right there on the screen so you didn't have to think about it. Fox and O'Reilly are popular because they tell the viewer what to think. Right is right and wrong is wrong and there is no pesky grey area. People find that comforting with a president who relies on nuance, doubt and cognition rather than his gut like his predecessor. "This is the right thing to do, I'm 100 percent sure of it," W seemed to say. "Look, nothing in life is certain, but this seems to be the best approach,"Obama projects.

O'Reilly takes the doubt out of every issue--he's right and that's all there is to it. Johnnies sitting on their couches and swilling their beers can just turn on Fox to get their opinions. They don't even have to listen to get them, Bill puts 'em right there on the screen for them to write down--if they can write.