The O'Reilly Factor

A reader writes:

The video you posted showing Bill O'Reilly grilling the anti-gay marriage lawyer blew me away.  That was a "holy shit" moment for me.  What we usually see is Bill O'Reilly invite people on to his show who will support his own conclusions, and when they cannot back up their own arguments (as their arguments are often irrational), Bill usually fills in the gaps for them with his own opinions while he guests nod their heads thankfully.  That's not what we just saw.

We just saw Bill O'Reilly take someone to task for not being able to elaborate on their own opinions, and not being able to explain why what they think isn't bigoted.

Bill O'Reilly's opinions haven't changed, he made that clear in the clip.  But this is not indicative of his style - is it possible he feels pressure to take an honest look at an issue for once?  Perhaps a pressure from home?  A child or relative taking him to task?  Perhaps a producer?  Is public opinion of gay rights really making this much progress this quickly?

Once you accept that gay people are gay in the way that straight people are straight, and once you remove purely religious arguments from a secular debate, the case against marriage equality simply collapses. One reason I have been so eager to have this debate on rational grounds is that, if reason is your guide, the pro-gay side wins overwhelmingly. What's left is a base-line argument for caution. But as gay marriage takes root, you see it has nothing but good effects on society as a whole. Soon, this will be over. Not yet. But sooner than some now believe.