Bill O'Reilly in past on new home of Google barge: 'Why would you have a boat in Stockton?'

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly once wondered aloud who would have a boat in Stockton. Now Google does.

Google floated its 200-foot mystery barge from San Francisco Bay to the Port of Stockton on March 6.

So will O'Reilly -- who spouted the line "why would you have a boat in Stockton when you can't go nowhere?" -- have any new thoughts about the worthiness of the city's waterways?

We've reached out to the "No Spin Zone" master.

Google recently received regional and national media attention for a barge it was building at Treasure Island. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission ordered Google to move the barge because it didn’t have the proper permits.

Google officials chose the Port of Stockton as the barge's temporary home. Stockton officials reportedly saw the barge's arrival as a well-needed image boost for a city that declared bankruptcy in 2012, two years after Forbes magazine proclaimed it one of America's most miserable cities.

The Forbes declaration prompted O'Reilly's remarks during a March 24, 2010, on-air discussion with newsman John Stossel. In the discussion preserved by FoxNews.com, the two agreed Stockton officials were "stupid and arrogant," in part over a project restoring the city's marina, less than a mile from the Port of Stockton.

  

Their Stockton discussion:

O'REILLY: All right, Stockton. Stockton is sister city to San Francisco, the capital of California. [JJ note: Sacramento is the capital of California.] And it's kind of a casual city. I've been there a couple of times. It's not formal.
STOSSEL: It has good weather.
O'REILLY: What's the problem here?
STOSSEL: The problem again is the ignorant and arrogant city fathers, who say, "We know best. We can plan it for you." The — Forbes interviewed the mayor who said, "Oh, we're turning things around. We built a downtown arena, a ballpark, an arena, a marina, a downtown events center."
O'REILLY: How can they have a marina when they're inland and there's no ocean?
STOSSEL: They're not entirely inland.
O'REILLY: Yes, they are. Look at — look at the map. Stockton, what, is it on a river or something? Maybe that's what it is. But it is inland, Stossel.
STOSSEL: They do have a marina.
O'REILLY: They've got a marina. But it's inland. Look. There it is right there. It's on some kind of canal.
STOSSEL: It lost $700,000.
O'REILLY: The marina lost…
STOSSEL: Right.
O'REILLY: Because why would you have a boat in Stockton when you can't go nowhere?
STOSSEL: Well, almost any city.
O'REILLY: There's no ocean there.
STOSSEL: Even if they were on the ocean. If the government runs it, it loses money.
O'REILLY: Do they have corruption in Stockton or pollution?
STOSSEL: Mainly the big government was the complaint. High unemployment.
O'REILLY: The people running the show are stupid.
STOSSEL: And high unemployment. Arrogant and stupid.
O'REILLY: Arrogant and stupid. That's not a good combo, is it?
STOSSEL: No.

According to Google, Stockton's just fine for the barge:

"It's been a busy six months for our barge and it's grown tired of all the attention, so we are moving it to Stockton where it can have a break, enjoy the city's delicious asparagus and warmer climate, and get a bit of rest before its next chapter."

The Port of Stockton is located on the Stockton Deepwater Ship Channel 75 nautical miles east of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Stockton grew from a small settlement to a thriving commercial center during the California Gold Rush when, like other communities, pioneer residents discovered that serving the needs of prospectors was often more profitable than seeking gold.

 

Let's see what O'Reilly says.

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