Tweet
Video: Bill O'Reilly, Jon Stewart Debate Over Common Issue
[YT]Im8WhG-8FGw[/YT]
The controversy over Common's appearance at The White House rages on, nearly a week after the rapper's visit during a celebration for American poetry hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
As previously reported, Bill O'Reilly challenged The Daily Show's Jon Stewart to a debate last Thursday (May 12th), after Stewart ridiculed O'Reilly for denouncing Common's visit.
Monday (May 16th), Stewart took up O'Reilly's offer, and the pair debated the issue during a special edition of Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," which discussed Common's controversial appearance.
Bill O'Reilly, a number of talking heads/personalities and conservative outlets took issue with the Obama's extending the invitation to the White House, amidst claims that Common was a supporter of alleged cop killer, Assata Shakur, who was the step-aunt of Tupac Shakur.
"They found 16 live rounds in her purse, and this guy thinks she's great," Bill O'Reilly said, expressing outrage that Common visited Assata Shakur in Cuba.
"Common wasn't even born when this crime took place," O'Reilly said.
Assata Shakur was convicted of murdering New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973, but she escaped from prison in 1979 and fled to Cuba. The United States still has a $1 million dollar reward for Shakur's capture.
"I can't speak for him, because I'm not him. I can rap, I rapped on the show, I think it was impressive," Jon Stewart said. "You are saying that he is promoting cop killing. What I think he's doing is not celebrating, but honoring someone he thinks was wrongly convicted of cop killing."
Stewart also said the lyrics to "A Song for Assata" was not indicative of Common's larger body of work.
"I think he's not defined as an artist by this Assata Shakur case. It isn't that big in his career as you think it is," Stewart said, while making fun of rap slang.
Jon Stewart also pointed to songs by Bono of U2 ("Native Son") Bob Dylan "Hurricane Carter," which support convicted murderers.
He pointed out that when those two artists were invited to the White House, there was no outrage at all.
"That is exactly the same. Why are you drawing the line at Common? There is a selective outrage machine here at Fox that pettifogs, only when it suits the narrative that suits them. This guy is in the crosshairs in a way that he shouldn't be. You may think he's ignorant in believing that Assata Shakur is ignorant. You may think he's ignorant in believing that Mumia [Abu-Jamal] is. But then guess what? Bono can't go to the White House, [Bruce] Springsteen can't go the White House, Bob Dylan can't go to the White House. You've got a lot of people, that aren't allowed to sit in the White House, because they've written songs about people convicted of murder."
Source: allhiphop.com