jbjd

UPDATE: 07.07.12

© 2010 jbjd

Bill Press, assuming the guise of a legitimate reporter, has gotten away with perpetrating that sham long enough. It’s time someone who knows better – like you – called him out for merely putting his mouth where his money is.

I only began noticing Bill Press on account of this fabricated exchange he initiated with WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs at a White House press briefing on July 27, 2009. (I have seen no videos that showed Mr. Press signaling he had a question; but undoubtedly, Mr. Gibbs did call on him to ask a question and, he undoubtedly did ask the question.) (As the video below clearly shows, notwithstanding Mr. Press asked the question and received an extended answer; for some reason, he kept his reporter’s notepad wedged firmly under his arm throughout the exchange.)

BP: Robert, I hate to bring this up but somebody has to.

RB: Uh oh.

BP: Is there anything you can say that will make the Birthers go away?

RG: No.

BP: Are you gonna try?

RG: No. I mean, the God’s honest truth is no. I mean, Bill, let’s understand this. And I almost hate to indulge in such as august setting as the White House – and I mean this in seriousness – the White House briefing room discussing the made-up fictional nonsense of whether or not the President was born in this country. A year-and-a-half ago, I asked that the birth certificate be put on the internet. Because Lord knows, if you got a birth certificate, and you put it on the internet, what else could be the story? Here’s the deal, Bill. If I had some DNA, it wouldn’t assuage those that don’t believe he was born here. But I have news for them and for all of us. The President was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the 50th state of the greatest country on the face of the earth. He’s a citizen. But I have no doubt that Lester will ask me soon and that I will receive e-mail…

But no, nothing will assuage them. But there are 10,000 more important issues for people in this country to discuss rather than whether or not the President is a citizen when it’s been proven ad nauseum.

(At this point, Helen Thomas calls out a question, out of turn.)

HT: Why do you think it keeps coming up?

RG: Because for $15, you can get an internet address and say whatever you want.

You can watch that exchange here (beginning at 28:57). (Note: clicking on the closed caption button below the image on YouTube opens a window that displays written text at the bottom on the screen, as well as the identity of the questioner. The WH web site also provides the transcript, but it does not attribute the questions. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Briefing-by-White-House-Press-Secretary-Robert-Gibbs-7-27-09/)

You may have heard of Bill Press; but there is a lot more to the man than meets the eye. Here is the biography posted on the web site of one of his employers, Tribune Media Services.

Bill Press is host of the nationally-syndicated “Bill Press Show” on talk radio. His show is heard in all 50 states on Sirius Satellite Radio, from 6 to 9 a.m. EST. The “Bill Press Show” is also syndicated nationwide by Jones Radio Networks in over 40 major media markets, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Reno, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Buffalo and Washington, D.C. His weekly liberal commentary is syndicated by Tribune Media Services.

Press is a well-known political commentator and frequently appears on radio and television. He was co-host of MSNBC’s “Buchanan and Press,” a debate show hosted with Pat Buchanan. Prior to joining MSNBC, Press spent six years with CNN hosting “Crossfire” and the “Spin Room” with Tucker Carlson.

Press began his career as a political commentator in Los Angeles on KABC-TV from 1980 to 1989, when he ran for statewide political office. Press offered nightly political commentary on the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. In January 1991, Press joined KCOP-TV in Los Angeles as a political commentator for the station’s 10 p.m. newscast. He traveled extensively, even conducting an exclusive Belgrade interview with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

From 1987-1989, on KABC Radio in Los Angeles, Press co-hosted “The Dueling Bills,” a daily two-hour debate, with co-host Bill Pearl, on current events. He hosted “Bill Press: True American” on KFI-AM and was a regular weekend talk-show host on KFI-AM from 1991-1996.

Press is the author of three books: “Spin This!”, “Bush Must Go” and “How The Republicans Stole Religion.” His fourth book, “Trainwreck,” will be published by John Wiley & Sons in spring 2008. Press has received numerous awards for his work, including four Emmys and a Golden Mike Award. In 1992, the Associated Press named him Best Commentator of the Year.

Press received a B.A. in philosophy from Niagara University and S.T.B. in theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

http://www.tmsfeatures.com/bio/bill-press/

(UPDATE: 07.07.12: Of course, as you can see; this Tribune bio contains no reference to Press’ 3-year stint as Chair of the CA D party. But here’s a bio which includes that information. ECPT, Chicago’s Progressive Talk.)

Whoa! Former Chair of the California Democratic Party? Four Emmys and a Golden Mike Award? AP’s Best Commentator of the Year? Impressive, right?

So, now that you know Bill Press is an award winning news commentator and interviewer, and Democratic power broker and insider; and given your extensive knowledge about the myth of the ‘birth-certificate-cum-COLB,’ when he asked Robert Gibbs, “Is there anything you can say to make the Birthers go away”; and Mr. Gibbs replied, “A year-and-a-half ago, I asked that the birth certificate be put on the internet. Because Lord knows, if you got a birth certificate, and you put it on the internet, what else could be the story,” I will bet you would have thought more likely Mr. Press would have followed up with incisive questions/comments like these, which are based on information posted extensively on this blog, including here. http://jbjd.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/judge-declare-bo-ineligible/comment-page-1/#comment-2148 .

(Chuckling.) ARE YOU TELLING THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES THE ONLY ‘DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE’ THAT THEIR PRESIDENT IS EVEN A CITIZEN, LET ALONE NATURAL BORN; IS THE COLB WHICH YOU ARE NOW TELLING US, IN YOUR ROLE AS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR THE CANDIDATE’S BID FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION OF YOUR PARTY YOU ORDERED POSTED IN JUNE 2008 ON THE NEWLY LAUNCHED ON-LINE ELECTRONIC ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN PLATFORM CALLED, “FIGHT THE SMEARS,” TO COMBAT WHAT ADVERTISING COPY ON THE SITE DESCRIBED WAS MOUNTING PUBLIC CONCERNS YOUR CANDIDATE WAS NOT CONSTITUTIONALLY QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB? (Laughing.) THE ATTRIBUTION IN THE FOOTER OF THAT AD CLEARLY SPELLS OUT WHO’S PAYING FOR THE IMAGE, AS LEGALLY REQUIRED UNDER THE U.S. CODE! FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOUR CLIENT WANTED THE NOMINATION, HE PAID FOR THE AD. (“PAID FOR BY BARACK OBAMA.”) WHEN HE HAD THE NOMINATION, HIS CAMPAIGN PAID FOR THE AD. (“PAID FOR BY OBAMA FOR AMERICA.”) WHEN HE WAS ELECTED POTUS, THE DNC SERVICES CORPORATION PAID FOR THE AD. (“PAID FOR BY ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA, A PROJECT OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE SERVICES CORPORATION.”) (Smirking.) IN FACT, THE ONLY HARD COPY OF THAT COLB WHICH MIGHT HAVE EXISTED, WOULD BE THE MOCK-UP OF THAT PRINT AD ON “FIGHT THE SMEARS.”

But he didn’t say anything like that. Or anything at all. Nope; he only ‘asked’ the initial question and then let Mr. Gibbs do all the talking. Why do you suppose that was?

Maybe because exposing the truth about that PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISING platform called “FIGHT THE SMEARS”; would discredit the money-making meme that fuels Mr. Press’ financial empire. In short, he artificially shores up Barack Obama’s standing by attacking his detractors as Birthers. In fact, just hours before his sedate personal appearance at Mr. Gibbs’ briefing, Mr. Press had published a scathing diatribe in The Hill, condemning CNN, his old employer; for allowing Lou Dobbs, whom he misidentifies as a Birther, to destroy the integrity of the brand.

When I worked there, as co-host of “Crossfire,” CNN was known as “America’s most trusted news network.”

And rightfully so. Alone among the cables, you could count on CNN to deliver the news right down the middle. Yes, there were commentators on the right and the left, but the anchors played it straight and stories with no legitimacy never made it to air.

Sadly, that’s no longer the case. Lou Dobbs has changed all that. And Jon Klein, CNN’s president, is letting him get away with it.

When he came back to the network, after a failed Internet business venture, Dobbs was something new for CNN: an anchor who freely gave his own opinions. That made a lot of people, including me, uncomfortable — but at least Dobbs was pontificating on legitimate issues, like immigration and the economic crisis.

For the last couple of weeks, however, Dobbs has gone off the deep end. He’s become a big “birther,” raising questions about whether President Obama was really born in Hawaii and might therefore be an illegal president.

That whole issue, whipped up by crazies like Alan Keyes, is utter nonsense. …

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/media/52143-lou-dobbs-destroys-cnns-credibility?page=3

But Mr. Press got that wrong, too. In fact, Mr. Dobbs had clarified on several occasions, on the air, he believes Mr. Obama is a “native citizen”; he and the hundreds of thousands of citizens who have contacted him, just want to see the man’s actual birth certificate! (Note: In this video, Lou Dobbs conflates “native” born with the requirement in Article II, section 1 of “natural born.” His confusion is perhaps understandable, given Mr. Gibbs’ brilliant misdirection. That is, copy included in the on-line advertising campaign “Fight the Smears” clearly states, the image of the COLB proves Mr. Obama is a “native” of HI. And Mr. Gibbs included in the ad the text of the 14th Amendment which only applies to citizens who are not natural born. IF DROWNING OUT OPPOSING FACTS IS un-AMERICAN THEN IGNORING un-PLEASANT FACTS MUST BE un-AMERICAN, TOO)

Mr. Press revealed his biases long before he began calling people with opposing views, “crazies.”

By the end of March 2008, both BO and HRC were as likely as the other to win the Democratic Presidential Nomination. Yet, many in the press were urging her to quit the race. It got so bad that BO’s press acolytes, by publicly exposing in this way they lacked neutrality and, therefore, credibility, were killing their continued ability to shape the nomination. Enter Bill Press, writing for the Huffington Post.

No, Hillary Clinton should not quit this race. And neither should Barack Obama. They’re both great candidates. Either one of them will make a great president. So let the primaries continue and let the voters decide. If Obama ends up the nominee, I’ll do handstands on the White House lawn. But only if he wins it, fair and square.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-press/should-obama-drop-out-of_b_94038.html

Well, given his insider’s view of the running of the party; Mr. Press knows, BO didn’t win the nomination “fair and square.” And between his political acumen and his broadcasting kudos, he certainly knows the difference between campaign advertising; and news.

Please, let Mr. Press know, you expect him to do better both as a broadcast and print journalist; and as a citizen. For your convenience, here are telephone and personal appearance contact information. (You can access an email form at http://www.billpressshow.com/contact-us/ )

If Mr. Press continues to tout only the party line, maybe political expenditure attributions should be printed in the footer of web sites on which his work appears, too!