Newshounds posted a very interesting post concerning Bill O’Reilly’s latest crusade. On February 15, Mr. O’Reilly discussed on The O’Reilly Factor a case handled by Georgia’s first African-American D.A., Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. Mr. Howard ran unopposed for the seat and apparently is very popular in Fulton County. The case involved a single mother, Carisa Ashe, who plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of her 5 week old daughter, Destiny. The coroner’s report ruled her death a homicide due to brain and head injuries. Ms. Ashe had about 7 other kids at the time and suffered from post partum depression upon leaving the hospital. She is to serve five years probation and agreed to have a tubal ligation.
Mr. O’Reilly showed a clear disgust with the outcome of this case. A transcript of the segment may be found here. Mr. O’Reilly also had strong criticism of Mr. Howard when he revisited the issue on March 2, 2005. On this show, Mr. O’Reilly invited former GOP State Attorney General candidate Shannon Goessling, who lost her bid in the last election cycle, to speak on the issue. The two preceded to vilify Mr. Howard and call for a recall of his election.
Should radio or TV talk show hosts call for recalls in elections they had no part in? Indeed, they are not even constituents. Or shouldn’t these talk show hosts be able to shed light on situations they think others may find extreme to spur action? Should political pundits? What if their interest in the story is purely partisan?
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