In his election night analysis Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly said “the white establishment is now the minority” and that half of the country “feel that they are entitled to things.” He was roundly criticized for it in the mainstream news media and that continued in the Washington Post today.

The paper tied O’Reilly’s comments to Mitt Romney‘s “gifts” remark:

In a phone call with supporters Wednesday, Mr. Romney echoed some of the O’Reilly analysis. He attributed his defeat to the incumbent’s “gifts” to some of the same demographic groups whose rise troubles Mr. O’Reilly. …

We think voters generally make decisions based on a complex assessment of their own interests and what they think is good for the country. Mr. Romney apparently views the people as a series of segmentable, selfish market shares. That is “absolutely wrong,” said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R). “We have got to stop dividing American voters.”

It’s encouraging that many Republicans are repudiating the contemptuous, and contemptible, O’Reilly-Romney worldview.

O’Reilly responded to the criticism he’s been receiving on his program earlier this week. “Article after article falsely claimed that I was somehow ringing my hands,” O’Reilly said, “rather than stating sage opinion.”