Discussing Senator Clinton’s interview with Bill O’Reilly on the May 1 edition of "The View," Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar sought to counter O’Reilly’s claim noting the national debt was much smaller at the end of the Clinton presidency than it is now. What they failed to note was that the Clinton administration failed to pass a universal healthcare plan. Had they succeeded the national debt may have been higher.
After citing other alleged failures of the Bush administration, such as high gas prices, "objective" journalist Barbara Walters commented "oh and by the way, there’s a war" and soon added in a facetious tone "we never give our opinions."
Whoopi Goldberg then proceeded to opine that Americans are paying "crazy taxes...through the nose." While taxes may be high, Whoopi did not inform us that they are lower than under the Clinton administration and Senator Clinton herself promises to raise taxes.
Sole conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck was absent from the panel. Barbara Walters said Hasselbeck needed to tend to sick children. Minus Hasselbeck, unanimity dominated the panel. Sherri Shepherd added a sense of regret the missing co-host could not respond. Unsympathetic Joy and Whoopi added "but these are facts."
The entire transcript is below.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Barbara, I want to ask you this question because you know Bill O’Reilly and I’m curious what you, you know, how you thought Hillary-
JOY BEHAR: Somebody goes "uh oh!"
[laughter]
GOLDBERG: Yes, thank you.
BARBARA WALTERS: Well, I’ve been on Bill O’Reilly and so have you.
BEHAR: He’s been on this show.
WALTERS: He’s been on this show and whether we agree or not he’s a great guest. So he has been asking for months for Hillary Clinton to come on and saying she won’t come on, she won’t come on, she’s scared. Well, she did. She came on last night. It’s Fox News Channel. It’s a major news story today and she held her own, I think. So this is a little snippet.
BILL O’REILLY: You know you’re going to bankrupt the country with "Hill Care," right? You know, the health care program. You’re going to-
SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY): Oh, no, I’m not.
O’REILLY: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
CLINTON: No I’m not.
O’REILLY You’re going to bankrupt the country.
CLINTON: No, I’m not. That is not true.
O’REILLY: Look, California- You’re going to tell me President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, is going to, A, run this efficiently, and, B, not bankrupt the country when California and New York are already bankrupt? How are you going to do that, Moses going to come down?
CLINTON: Well, he could help, don’t you think?
O’REILLY: Yeah, that’s who you’re going to need.
WALTERS: She ran-
SHERRI SHEPHERD: I think Hillary’s tough.
WALTERS: They went into healthcare, he, you know, he threw everything.
BEHAR: But he talks more than the guest.
WALTERS: But he does and that’s his program. She did- she held her own and she had a sense of humor and she came on. So, okay-
BEHAR: Well, we know she’s tough. She’s tough enough to handle-
SHEPHERD: That’s one of her attributes, she shows-
WALTERS: She was good with them. You know, you have to cut, it’s like this show, you have to put-
GOLDBERG: You have to, yeah, you have to talk back to him.
BEHAR: But he just keeps saying it over and over as if it’s true, all of what he’s saying, but it’s not true.
GOLDBERG: Yeah, but that’s how a lot of those guys are. They just say it and then that makes it.
WALTERS: But that’s how she is and she came on.
GOLDBERG: You know, good for her, and, and Mr. O’Reilly, you know I love you, but if you want to take a look at what the country was when he was under- when Bill Clinton was president, and where we are now, it can’t be that bad, you know. We’re in a poopy place right now.
BEHAR: Read it and weep baby.
GOLDBERG: The national debt currently is $9.4 trillion. When Bush took office it was $5.6 trillion.
BEHAR: Okay, almost doubled.
GOLDBERG: Gas prices were $1.51 on the week Bill Clinton left office. Currently the gas prices are $3.40.
BEHAR: Doubled.
GOLDBERG: So she can’t do any worse.
WALTERS: And by the way, there’s a war.
GOLDBERG: Oh yeah, a gigantic war.
BEHAR: That, that we’re paying for through the nose.
GOLDBERG: And tons of taxes. Yes and crazy taxes which we are paying for through the nose-
WALTERS: But we never give our opinions.
GOLDBERG: And we never give our opinions.
SHEPHERD: You know Elisabeth, you know Elisabeth would be sitting here-
GOLDBERG: She would be, but you know what? These are the facts.
BEHAR: These are facts.
GOLDBERG: These are the facts, you can’t-
BEHAR: These are facts.
SHEPHERD: I know, but I feel like Elisabeth’s got to be here.
WALTERS: Okay, be Elisabeth.
SHEPHERD: Oh no, I’m not going to be Elisabeth. Those are two shoes I can’t fill.
[laughter and applause]
BEHAR: Don’t go there.
SHEPHERD: No, I love my baby.
