Bill Press and DLC Talking Points

I listen to DLC loving Bill Press in the morning only because his show is the one playing on our local AAR station.  Many mornings I get pissed off because of his constant self promotion and kissing up to "conventional" Democrats with whom he has formed relationships over his many years of pandering to them.

Four years ago Press was one of the tv talkers who did all they could to discredit Howard Dean after the so-called 'scream' speech.  They KNEW that Dean was just responding to those of us in the audience who were shouting out the names of the states, but they continued to promote the idea that Dean was out of control.

Today Press "analyzed" Barack Obama's recent speech on race and generously gave it an 8 out of 10.  But then he went all Hillary that he was in the pews for hate speech and didn't walk out.  He is twisting Obama's words to imply that Obama was there when Rev. Wright gave his "God Damn America" speech in 2001.  He wasn't.

In the into to his show, Press uses various pundit voices in a humorous attempt to make the speakers sound like they are talking about him.  They even have spliced some of Bush's statements and pulled out the words "Bill" and "Press" in other contexts to make it sound like Bush was complimenting him.  It's a joke.  I get it.

But he also uses a phone message from Bill Clinton that was telling him how much he appreciated Press's work on Crossfire.  The message says, "We couldn't have done it without you."  Since Clinton is his wife's most ardent spokesman, the statement might more currently read, "We can't do it without you and other media shills like you."

This morning Press said that Howard Dean was the "villian" in the Michigan/Florida primary mess.  He pulled that out of nowhere during an interview with Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Press says that he hasn't picked a candidate.  I believe he has.  He has picked the conventional one.  When your bread is buttered by the DLC, that's what you do.  

•  put young turks back on xm

  A month or so ago Bill Press replaced the Young Turks on XM Air America Radio.  It's time we inform Air America we want the Young Turks back!

  by teharper428 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:14:49 AM PDT

  •  I also would rather have the Young Turks back

    That show was honest...

    by RubyGal on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:18:39 AM PDT

    •  Young Turks and before that Morning Sedition

      were both leaps and bounds better than Bill Press.  I no longer listen to Air America in the morning, though I still try to get my daily dose of Randi

      by amherstprep on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:03:00 AM PDT

      •  I listen to Air America from 6 am on..

        I like Stephanie Miller...she is funny.. at first I thought she was way too giggly..but I really appreciate her now..

        by RubyGal on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:35:31 AM PDT

•  I came to the same conclusion,

  he is a Hillary supporter, I can no longer listen to him in the morning.  He spent the morning bashing Obama over Wright. He will not let this Wright controversary go.  I turned him off.  I done.

  by jn2375 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:15:59 AM PDT

•  Oh..this was the first morning that I said cuss

  words at my radio...really..I heard that same show this morning on AAR..I am so angry with Bill Press I can hardly calm down..This man is horrible...horrible..and Cecil Williams was a wonderful pastor at Glide Memorial Church..he called it Glide Methodist Church...WRONG...Glide Memorial Church..I was on Jesse Jackson's unpaid staff in SF in 1984...Cecil Williams was an important figure in that campaign..I went to alot of Black churches at that time..saw Baptisms and everything..

  Glide Memorial was one of the first churches in the country to make church entertainment..the music was wonderful..but all the choirs I have seen in Black churches are wonderful..

  People like Bill Press are trying to burst Obama's bubble in our eyes..they are desparate to put him in the worst possible light..no matter how wonderful he is..no matter how miraculous his candidacy is..it is never enough..

  I am done with Bill Press..he was on Cross Fire with Geraldine Ferraro years ago..need we say more..?

  by RubyGal on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:17:56 AM PDT

  •  bill's attack on michelle obama

    the other week over her 'pride' remarks also made me curse at radio...

    by amherstprep on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:07:16 AM PDT

•  I'm glad

  my morning commute is in the dark, before we're able to get AAR to come in.

  So I listen to Steve Dahl, which pisses me off in a different way.

  by Annie Maim on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:19:11 AM PDT

•  OK, I'll bite.

  What evidence is there that Press is "DLC-loving"?

  by davybaby on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:20:06 AM PDT

•  i enjoy his show sometimes

  But, I was a little annoyed when he had Neil Cavuto from Fox the other day and he was fawning over him.  But, I would love for AAR to put Morning Sedition back on, my favorite morning show.

  by akr nyc on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:23:05 AM PDT

•  I usually avoid...

  ...Bill Press since I am not driving until after 8am but I did hear him "parting shot" today. I was ready for it because I read somewhere (here?) that he is a Hillary fan, but I still was surprised when he bashed Obama that hard. I suppose I should be used to it all. I am still pissed off that WCPT uses CNN news. How many times do they have to tell us that Obama hasnt "agreed" to revotes in FL and MI, like its his choice. They played that same news bit all day yesterday, too.

  This is all on top of my lunch yesterday with a Hillary supporter and two McCain/war supporters. For once I talked down their inane talking points (I couldnt believe they are all bringing out the "Media is biased in favor of Obama" card). I realized its no wonder we are in such deep merde. Can November get here soon enough?

  by buzz in illinois on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:23:53 AM PDT

•  Came to the same conclusion you did this morning.

   Had to turn off Morning Joe because the rantimg was giving me a headache.  turned on Bill Press and got the same vibes you did.
   he hasn't endorsed anyone but it's clear who he is rooting for.

  by Lunch Lady on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:26:17 AM PDT

•  Press is a Limbaugh wannabe

  His problem is that Limbaugh caters to the uninformed.  Progressives are well-informed and take offensive at baseless bs.  

  by DWG on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:28:47 AM PDT

•  None dare call Bill Press "Shillary"

  except most of the readers of dailykos.  It's really awful that Air AMerica's morning slot is devoted to a guy who interviews talking heads from CNN, DLC folks, and very few leftists.  Enough.

  by wilky on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:33:50 AM PDT

  •  What's annoying

    is that he PRETENDS to be a progressive and presumes to speak for progressives.

    And even when he gets on the right side of an issue, he proceeds to get the details wrong. A few years ago, when ABC was airing that dreadful "docudrama" The Path to 9/11, Bill got all up in arms about it and ran around ranting and raving about the "awful ABC News documentary," making it seem as though those who were objecting to the dramatization of fake events didn't understand what they were really objecting to and completely undermining the legitimate complaints.

    by SingularExistence on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:23:14 AM PDT

•  Bill Press is a Shill for Hillary

  Spot on, I'm not the only one who has come to the same conclusion about Press.  I live in the Detroit area and think it's too bad that Michigan's delegates will probably not count at the convention, but the DNC made clear that states that jumped ahead in the process would be punished in this way.  If the DNC doesn't enforce that rule, we'll have chaos the next time around.  Howard Dean is not a villain for enforcing a reasonable rule.  In addition to the offenses you cite, Press also pushes the Clinton's meme about the superdelegates.  Hillary's campaign was preparing for a coronation after Super Tuesday and now they are trying to find a way to steal this nomination through coup by superdelegates.  Press tries to manhandle callers who say that the superdelegates ought to reflect the will of the voters as a matter of principle and paint them as saying that superdelegates must reflect the will of the voters and says these callers are trying to "change the rules" in the middle of the game.  It's exactly the twisted argument the Clinton camp makes, and it's just cheap verbal judo.  I liked Press well enough for a time, but it's clear that he's in the tank for Clinton and remains so even as her campaign  descends into using the worst Rovian tactics.

  by Billyboy on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:34:21 AM PDT

  •  Yes sure, and BO has his shills too...

    ...they are named Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow, Chuck Todd...shall I go on?  

    by kevinmac1231 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:37:24 AM PDT

    •  Yeah, god forbid the realists spread the news

      that Clinton can't win without cheating and stealing, or violently bringing down the guy that it's "such an honor" to be on the stage with. If we didn't have the Olbermann and Maddow voices on MSNBC, it would just give crazy uncle Pat Buchanan and former-Republican-congressman-hack Joe Scarborough more time to talk.  If that's what you want all year long and especially in the fall, just keep on bitching.  As for Chuck Todd, he's sooooooo biased with all his MATH AND NUMBERS that reflect REALITY.  That shit doesn't lie, Clinton does.  

      by Punditcrat on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:50:00 AM PDT

      •  Missing my point..

        ...But as a blind BO follower I wouldn't expect any less.  Bill Press has been around for a long time...when he said today that BO has no chance of winning the general election now, I take his experience into account.  When I see Rachel Maddow and Keith O wetting themselves over every speech BO gives, it makes me laugh.  Realists?  No, Bill Press is a realist Rachel is a completetly biased idealist and even you know it.  Chuck Todd today when asked about BO's plunging national poll numbers kept saying "wait another week..." "wait until a poll comes out after his speech..."  That's realism for you.  The speech was good, but it's not going to help him at all no matter how many of is 'shills' try to build him back up.

        by kevinmac1231 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:02:58 AM PDT

        •  Not missing your point -

          here's some realism for you: When Keith Olberman makes a Special Comment on Countdown, it is always about the things the Clinton campaign has done or said, such as Bill's South Carolina Jesse Jackson remarks, or the 3AM scare ad, and so on. Bill Press says Barack Obama has no chance of winning the general election, that is a statement about the future election in November that's so far away that is, at best, a wild guess. See who's the realist?

          by Common Raven on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:59:44 AM PDT

          •  Thank you!

            We're supposed to believe a pathetic DLC-type bandwagon guy like Bill Press because why?  Oh, Bill Clinton called him and thanked him for all his great work on CrossFire. That settles it.  I've completely changed my mind about hope, about change, about who's really ready on day 1, about who's been really vetted, who has coattails, who will stop kissing John McCain's ass.  Thank you Bill Press for being so smart and experienced, you really changed my mind.  You and Kevinmac1231 are all mighty.  GMAFB.  One more straw to grasp at, and once again fail to get your little sausagey fingers around.

            by Punditcrat on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 08:09:12 AM PDT

          •  Special Comment

            Funny, he made a special comment about Ferraro but mum about Wright...special comment on an ad...but not BO's 20 year history with a racist anti-Amercian pastor...Now that's keeping it real.

            by kevinmac1231 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 08:20:19 AM PDT

            •  there are some differences here, though...

              Olberman framed the remarks that Ferraro (who, unlike Wright, actually worked as a fundraiser for the Clinton campaign) in a larger pattern of Clinton's Rovian campaigning, including the 3AM ad. Obama has not resorted to similar fear ads. As far as his "20 year history with a racist anti-American pastor" - gosh, Obama explained it during his speech; to keep spewing forth about it is just another Rove/Rush/Republican talking point.

              by Common Raven on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 09:18:49 AM PDT

        •  I'm not missing your point, just rejecting it.

          I'm not a blind BO follower, I'm just not going to defend HRC when she doesn't deserve it anymore.  I've defended her in the past, and I would have voted for her if she won the primary, but she certainly doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore.  

          Bill Press has been around for a long time, and that gives him extra special credibility how?  Lots of people have been around for lots of time, that doesn't mean all the shilling and spewing they do is CORRECT.   Give me a break about Olbermann and Maddow, both of them were impartial for long enough.  Olbermann said that because of his personal ties to the Clinton family it wasn't easy for him to say what he's said, and Maddow was defending Clinton quite often when Buchanan and the others were trashing her only a few weeks ago.  They're not biased against Clinton, they would likely have supported her before her kitchen-sink negative clusterfuck nonsense.  If Olbermann and Maddow were fawning over your pathetic candidate you'd be singing quite a different tune, yet because they are against win-at-all-costs power-hungry tactics, they're too far left to have good opinions and make relevant points.  That's exactly how it always is with the Clinton supporters--you guys want it both ways, and you think that when you say the exact opposite of what you said two weeks ago we will have all forgotten.  It doesn't work that way buddy. We aren't going to forget all the crap that she's been throwing at the wall, and Bill Press, the DLC-elites, and all the rest of the media refs she's bullied into quasi-supporting her are not going to be enough.  

          by Punditcrat on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 08:05:28 AM PDT

          •  Oh, I see

            Clinton's "media refs" were "bullied" by HRC...interesting but not based on a single fact.  
            HRC is my "pathetic" candidate.  

            When you use this language, everything else you say is diminished 10 fold.  My candidate is not pathetic nor is yours.  The Wright controversy is sinking your candidates chances, regardless of winning the primary, he cannot win the general.  It's over for him and I'm sorry for that but it's just the truth.

            by kevinmac1231 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 08:27:58 AM PDT

            •  It's not the truth, it's the convenient story

              for you and HRC to feel better about the reality that the media has yet to report.  It's sinking in, and it's not the end for Obama.  Sorry if my language turns you off, but I'd rather say things that are TRUE than lie and justify all kinds of wrongdoings on behalf of a candidate like HRC.  I don't know about you, but I have to look at myself in the mirror when this is all over.  Supporting the liar, cheater, win-at-all-costs and tear apart the party candidate would not allow me to do that.  
              If it were anyone else acting this way, especially a Republican, I'm sure you and many others would be UP IN ARMS.  But since it's a holy Clinton, owner and proprietor of the Democratic brand, she can do no wrong.  If you haven't seen the complete sea change in the media since she pissed and moaned in the debates and used SNL as her defense, then you're oblivious.  If you really think the Wright stuff is enough for it all to be over, you probably weren't all too keen on Obama in the first place, and you're just one of the many Democrats willing to give up when the super scary Republican attack machine gears up.  Get over that crap, it's going to be a brawl either way, but this race attack is all the GOP has.  That's just going to serve us as they continue to make themselves publicly look as racist as they are privately.  Comparably, I'd rather spend the next few months talking about race and not talking about the 90's, Lewinsky, library donors, shady business deals, and the rest.  If you think McCain or any Republicans are going to leave that stuff alone, you're dilusional at best.  

              by Punditcrat on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 08:39:36 AM PDT

•  Bill Press Carries Water for the Clintons.

  I posted this on a similar diary - maybe the two should be combined.

  I to find Bill Press objectionable, I listen to him on Air America 167 in the mornings on the way to work.  He never fails to support Hillary and will demean Obama in any clever way he can, then insist that he is neutral.  On two occasions I have sent emails to his show and never received a reply or even notice that the email had been received.  To me his most egregious sin is passing on Hillary's lie that Obama had told the Canadian Government not to pay attention to what he was saying about NAFTA as he didn't mean it.  He completely failed to mention that is was Hillary's Campaign who had said that.  To date he has failed to set the record straight on this.  I wish the Young Turks were still on at this time.  I suggest all recommend this Diary and the KOS Community initiate a campaign to expose Bill Press for what he is – that is a Water Boy for the Clintons.  In short let’s put a Full Court Press on Bill Press!

  by VictorLHKOS on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:34:31 AM PDT

  •  Unfortunately I heard 5 minutes of

    Press tonight and frightened the cat by yelling at my computer (I listen online).  It was an unfortunate mistake cos I turned off Press when I found when the Wright story broke Press enjoyed playing his most controversial statements almost as much as Fox does. Ugh.

    On the 'fair' side (don't yell at me, I'm following the lead of the Big O ;) ) in general on the progressive stations I listen to (AA and KPHX - preferring the latter these days) the bulk of the commentators seem to prefer Obama (yay!), so I guess the Hillary supporters can have some lovin' from Bill!! Hey, I'd much rather have Randi on the O team and Bill on Hill's anyday, cos she can really go to town!!! Mike Malloy is a fantastic Obama supporter - heard him get reamed by Clinton fans yesterday (he was disgusted with the emails he got), but they didn't shut him up. Of all of them Rachel Maddow is probably the most balanced - I like the fact that she stays focussed on the big issues e.g. Iraq. My 2c.  

    by From a distance on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:43:46 AM PDT

  •  I cannnot ABIDE Bill Press

    and I'm a Hillary supporter, too.  But I can't stand listening to him in the mornings.

    He earned my everlasting loathing a few years ago, when he panned Stephen Colbert's appearance at the Gridiron dinner after freely admitting to having not even been there to see it (he was much more interested in gushing over having actually seen Chris Matthews at a party - oooooooh, magical!)

    I also hate his constant sucking up to right wingers like Tucker Carlson. Press is so clearly a pundit wannabe, and his constant fawning and groveling is a shameless embarrassment.

    by SingularExistence on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:17:37 AM PDT

•  I'm doing audiobooks on mp3 on the way

  to work instead of listening to that damn fool.

  by iconoclastic cat on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:35:53 AM PDT

  •  good idea!

    i've been listening to music but audiobooks would be more productive :)

    by amherstprep on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:05:13 AM PDT

•  I am going to e-mail Cenk to see if he

  would be willing to come back to Air America..

  [e-mail]

  by RubyGal on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:37:40 AM PDT

•  i agree with this 100%

  Great diary.  I often listen to a few minutes of Bill Press in the morning as well until he pisses me off.  This morning I caught his opinion on "the speech."  I turned it off after he started going into the Clinton talking points.  This guy is in the same catagory as Alan Colmes to me.  I'm looking forward to the day when we have some true progressive voices in the media.  The Young Turks are in that mold.  Hopefully we're getting closer to that and away from these old pushovers.  

  by dehydratedcracker on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 06:51:40 AM PDT

•  Bill Press sucks...

  ...as I already ranted a little earlier today on the open thread. He's an establishment/corporate/insider/elitist shill who was an embarrassment as "the left" on the old CNN show Crossfire.

  by lams712 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:10:10 AM PDT

•  I also agree 100%

  I don't even turn XM 167 on in the mornings anymore.  I would rather listen to nothing than Bill Press.

  by KBnNC on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:17:15 AM PDT

•  Seems Funny to Comment on My Own Diary

  But I will.  I am glad to hear that there are others out there who recognize that Bill Press is no progressive; he is merely the same kind of talking head that avoids the real issues of the day in favor of incendiary issues.  He is not an Obama supporter, perhaps because if Hillary wins he'll have his good friend Bill Clinton get him back on tv.  If he had a tv gig, he'd drop radio in a heartbeat.

  Lately he had been shamelessly promoting his new book.  He is even selling it directly on his program.  I am mildly curious about it.  So I ordered it.

  I ordered it through Inter-Library loan.  I won't pay a dime for it.

  And by the way, thanks for all the great comments.

  by donna in evanston on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 12:19:47 PM PDT