In that spirit, I agreed to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” five years ago with the strategic, if idealistic, calculation that roughly a quarter of O’Reilly’s viewership had to be apolitical, moderate, and persuadable by fair-minded analysis. I have always believed that coastal leftists need to step outside of our political and social comfort zones. In subsequent years, when O’Reilly fans would stop me, almost always in nonpartisan tourist spaces (Times Square, airport lounges), I ceased being surprised: O’Reilly viewers were so fanatical that they could identify even his random, infrequent guests. I’ve spent my life trying to be as deeply learned as I can-humanities research had brought me to this beautiful spot-and, lo and behold, my one nod of recognition that morning was as a left-wing mouthpiece on Fox. The fellow, from Michigan, was so tickled to have spotted someone from his beloved show at a cash point in Italy. I walked the few feet to his table and introduced myself. He removed his sunglasses, and, with a bit of a grimace and a snort, he announced, “You’re the liberal-on ‘O’Reilly’ !” I recognize you.” I was certain that he did not. He pointed a finger at me and said, “Hey. Upon tendering my cash, I turned around to meet his glare. On a nearby restaurant patio, belonging to one of the grand lakeside hotels packed with tourists, I noticed an older man staring at me. While strolling through the graceful town of Bellagio, Italy, on a bright summer morning in 2014, I stopped at an A.T.M.
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