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13 Tweets On Bill O'Reilly's 'Talking Points Memo'

by Ann-Derrick Gaillot

Bill O'Reilly dedicated the Dec. 21 Talking Points Memo segment of his popular Fox News show The O'Reilly Factor to the issue of abolishing the Electoral College, leaving many accusing him of spouting white supremacist rhetoric. The debate over the fairness or unfairness of the Electoral College is on ongoing one with plenty thoughtful analyses from both sides. In his critique, though, O'Reilly focused on divisions between what he called "the white establishment" and racial minorities, characterizing the abolishment of the Electoral College as a largely liberal endeavor:

The left sees white privilege in America as an oppressive force that must be done away with. Therefore white working-class voters must be marginalized, and what better way to do that than center the voting power in the cities?

These and other comments, such as "So-called white privilege bad; diversity good," and his conclusion, "The left wants power taken away from the white establishment and they want a profound change in the way America is run," inspired many on Twitter to call out O'Reilly for promoting white supremacy. And though this isn't the first time he's bemoaned the U.S.' changing racial demographics, his latest statements seem to have struck a deeper chord with the election of Donald Trump.

These 13 tweets about O'Reilly's comments show just how angry people are with him:

Comparisons To Apartheid

Comparisons To The KKK

History Lessons For O'Reilly

Promoting White Supremacy

O'Reilly Flip-Flopping

Taking The Sarcastic Route

Saying How He's Always Felt

O'Reilly has shared his controversial views on race many times over the course of his show's 20-year history. His comments last night, though, are for many just the latest iteration of a burgeoning trend of normalizing white nationalist discourse in American politics. Fears of such normalization have intensified as Trump prepares to take office next month. And as many on Twitter have commented, O'Reilly's comments last night are an example, as his stance seems to have recently shifted from denying that white privilege exists to acknowledging its presence but simply denying that it is a bad thing.

Though many are shocked and appalled by his comments last night, what isn't as visible on Twitter are the many who probably agree with his viewpoint. According to the latest Nielsen numbers, The O'Reilly Factor draws nearly four million viewers per night.