Bill O'Reilly: Electoral College critics want to take power from the 'white establishment'
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly told viewers on Tuesday's O'Reilly Factor that he's figured out why "the left" wants to scrap the Electoral College, and he's one of the few people to dare explain it on television.
You see, he began, Hillary Clinton may have won the popular vote by 2.8 million, but "the progressive state of California provided that margin." (Despite the wishes of many, votes from California are still counted in the election.) If the Electoral College were abolished, candidates could just go to the biggest states and cities and "rack up enough votes" to win, he continued. (As opposed to now, when they just rotate through the swing states, hitting up every state fair, barber shop, and hole-in-the-wall diner, ignoring reliably red and blue states of all size.) The political left, O'Reilly said, wants this to happen because "minorities are substantial" in places like Philadelphia and Miami, which "usually goes heavily to the Democrats." Add those cities to L.A., Houston, and New York City, and "you don't really have a national election anymore, you have targeted populations."
By abolishing the Electoral College, "the largely white rural areas in the Midwest and South" would be neutralized, O'Reilly said, assuring that "liberal politicians get power and keep it." In a mocking tone, O'Reilly said he is one of the very few people willing to say that the left believes "white men have set up a system of oppression, and that system must be destroyed." The left sees "white privilege in America as an oppressive force that must be done away with," he added, and they "say that so-called white privilege is bad, diversity is good." O'Reilly's conclusion? "The left wants power taken away from the white establishment and they want a profound change in the way America is run." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Spines and the rise of AI book publishers
Under The Radar New publishing venture has been roundly condemned by industry figures
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
A Man on the Inside: Netflix comedy leaves you with a 'warm fuzzy feeling'
The Week Recommends Charming series has a 'tenderness' that will 'sneak up' on you
By The Week UK Published
-
Bread & Roses: an 'extraordinarily courageous' documentary
The Week Recommends Sahra Mani's 'powerful' film examines the lives of three Afghan women under the Taliban
By The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published