Obama Girl Amber Lee Ettinger Enters the No Spin Zone
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a rush transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," November 20, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Campaign '08" segment tonight: One of the big Internet sensations during the presidential campaign was the "Obama Girl," 26-year-old model Amber Lee Ettinger, who made a series of videos seen by an estimated 12 million people.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER LEE ETTINGER, "OBAMA GIRL": Because I got a crush on Obama. 2008 baby, you are the best candidate. Won't you pick up your phone because I got a crush on Obama. Wait until 2008, baby, you're the best candidate of the new Oval Office, you'll get your head of state. I can't leave you alone because I got crush on Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: And with us now is Ms. Ettinger. You know what I noticed about all the videos? There was a lot of writhing in there. That that seemed to be the theme. All right, I want to walk through this thing.
Click here to watch the interview.
AMBER LEE ETTINGER, "OBAMA GIRL": OK.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: So you get on this — you're the "Obama Girl."
ETTINGER: Yes.
O'REILLY: Right, OK, but you're not a political person. You don't care about that?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: I wouldn't say I wouldn't care. I wasn't too political, and this definitely thrust me into the world of politics.
O'REILLY: Did you vote?
ETTINGER: I did vote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: OK. And I assume you voted for the guy who made you a lot of money?
ETTINGER: Yes.
O'REILLY: OK. There you go.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: I wouldn't say a lot of money.
O'REILLY: I kind of deduce things like that.
ETTINGER: OK.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: So you're on this political site. You're hired because you're a good-looking model. That's why they hired you, OK? Now, who's they? Who's behind this? Who said, "Hey, Amber get in here and be Obama Girl"?
ETTINGER: "They" is Ben Relles. He's the founder of BarelyPolitical.com, which is our satire Web site. And they are owned by Next New Networks.
O'REILLY: A producer guy named Ben somebody.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: Ben Relles.
O'REILLY: And he finds you.
ETTINGER: Yes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: And you're on the political Web site. And that's what they do. They pay you a salary, right?
ETTINGER: Yes. I guess you'd call it a salary.
O'REILLY: So do you get a paycheck, Amber?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: I do.
O'REILLY: OK, that's a salary.
ETTINGER: Yes. We have a case-by-case scenario. Like, sometimes I'm shooting videos with, you know, out of town and with Mike Gravel. And you know, it's just case by case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: Do you have a business manager, somebody who keeps track of all of this for you?
ETTINGER: I have a good friend that helps me out. It's a lot to take care of.
O'REILLY: So you're paid. You're paid to do what they want. They give you a script. They give you a song. You writhe around and you get paid. Right?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: I like to dance for candidates.
O'REILLY: OK. Dance for candidates, writhing, same thing for me. So then you get really famous. Then people like this and 12 million people come in and watch you do this. And now you can go out and do promotional appearances, sign pictures and do all that stuff, right?
ETTINGER: Yes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: So this is basically — you have developed, along with the producer and the other people, an industry selling you, Amber, in the context of the presidential campaign.
ETTINGER: "Obama Girl" is definitely quite a character, and I think she was a part of this election. And I think that's why we made 30-plus "Obama Girl" videos since the first "Crush on Obama."
O'REILLY: Now, they marketed. Do people buy these videos?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: No. They're free on YouTube.
O'REILLY: They're free. So you just download them and that's that?
ETTINGER: Yes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: OK, so now it's over. And now you are famous in the Internet world. People know you. They know what you do. What do you do from here?
ETTINGER: Well, I'm going to still work for Barely Political.
O'REILLY: You're going to stay on the Web site Barely Political?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: BarelyPolitical.com.
O'REILLY: Barely Political because you barely wear any clothes, right? Is that right?
ETTINGER: That could be a partial reason, yes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: Is there any other reason they would call it Barely Political?
ETTINGER: We make videos that aren't — you're not really supposed to take them too seriously, obviously.
O'REILLY: Oh, I know.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: So we want to make people laugh. And like you said yourself, satire is good for the country.
O'REILLY: That's true.
ETTINGER: So that's what we're doing. And obviously, now that Obama is president, we have four more years of great material to work with. We follow the news.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: All right. So this is good. I'm really interested in this. And you guys now say, "Look, we've got this Barely Political, and it's in the minds of a lot of people. So whatever happens in America, we're going to make fun of it. We're going to throw Amber up front. She's going to do whatever skit we have," right? So you're like Jon Stewart, much better looking?
ETTINGER: Thanks.
O'REILLY: That's what you are.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ETTINGER: You think so?
O'REILLY: Yes, look, Stewart does this on cable. You do it on the Internet. But you're both mocking the political process and trying to get some fun out of it.
ETTINGER: Get some fun and get some laughs. Put our own spin to it. That's what we do.
O'REILLY: So you are of the better looking Jon Stewart of the Internet, right?
ETTINGER: That's awesome.
O'REILLY: And he would probably put it that way, as well, if I know Stewart.
OK. Now, do people come up and ask you political questions?
ETTINGER: They do. Yes.
O'REILLY: They do? Like, what do you think about the missile shield in Poland?
ETTINGER: Yes. Things like that, that I just feel — I have to laugh at, because really do you want to hear my opinion on those things?
O'REILLY: I do. But I don't know about anybody else.
ETTINGER: There are so many better people to ask.
O'REILLY: Do you know anything about politics?
ETTINGER: I'm definitely learning. I'm definitely learning a lot in this past year and a half.
O'REILLY: Do you read The Wall Street Journal and stuff, and watching "The Factor"?
ETTINGER: I watch your show all the time.
O'REILLY: All right.
ETTINGER: I do.
O'REILLY: So you must be very, very conversant then, if you watch.
ETTINGER: I do.
O'REILLY: What I'm trying to get across to you is that it would help — it would be helpful to you...
ETTINGER: Yes.
O'REILLY: ...to know as much about politics as possible.
ETTINGER: As possible, exactly.
O'REILLY: You can be more expressive that way.
ETTINGER: Exactly.
O'REILLY: And your tone of voice in the little song and could be winking at certain times. So continue to watch this program. And, you know, look, I think that this shows an entrepreneurship in America that we should all admire. I do. I'm saying that with all seriousness.
ETTINGER: Thank you.
O'REILLY: You made yourself a success in a very competitive industry. And we appreciate you coming in, Amber. Good luck to you.
ETTINGER: Thanks so much.
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