Liberal Talk Radio host Bill Press's role in Bernie's presidential candidacy

[politicaljunkie41910]

Bernie Sanders has been presented as this small town folksy old guy who after spending 25 years in congress as an Independent decided to run for POTUS. I think Bernie is more calculating than most give him credit for. If Bernie supporters can have their conspiracy theories, so can I. The following is a C-SPAN video of Bill Press's Q&A to discuss his latest book, and further down this post is a copy of the transcript.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?404565-1/qa-bill-press

After viewing this video and the transcript (below), it is obvious to me that Bill Press and Bernie’s whole campaign has been about vilifying Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because they weren't 'liberal enough' and to launch a presidential campaign in order to try and take control of the Democratic party. Radio talk show host Bill Press, author of “Buyer’s Remorse: How Obama Let Progressives Down”, discusses towards the end of C-Span's Q&A the role Press played in launching Bernie’s candidacy for president as a Democrat, (even though Bernie has never been an actual member of the Democratic Party).

Bill Press was interviewed by Brian Lamb on C-Span’s Q&A about his book on Feb 11, 2016. During that discussion he talked about how disappointed he was in President Obama’s presidency in that Obama did not do enough for liberals. As someone who had listened to Bill Press on L.A. talk radio for many years prior when I had lived and worked in L.A. County traveling around for my job, I was disappointed in Bill Press who at times came across as a bitter old white man in the interview. Press also attacked Al Gore as a sell out during the interview because he (Gore) sold the talk radio station where Press had his show to Al Jazerra in which Gore made a large profit.

Press told Lamb that he had worked in Bernie’s Congressional office as an intern in 2010. He stated that this came about because he had applied for and was denied a congressional ‘press credential’ . So he decided to apply for an internship position within Bernie Sander’s office. That internship subsequently gave Press more access to the Capital than he would have had otherwise as a member of the press. He states that he worked in Bernie’s office for an entire year and only met Bernie once. I don’t believe this for a minute because my son was a congressional intern for a Harry Reid at the time he was Senate Majority Leader and he was introduced to the Senator on the very first day of his internship as was all the other interns. So I don’t believe Press’s story that with his extensive background and his age, he only met Bernie once long after having gone to work for him as an intern. Congressional Staff offices are not that big and Sen Reid's offices were some of the largest as the Sen Majority Leader matched only by the House Speaker's office, (Sen Reid actual had 3 offices as the majority leader, all of which were small enough to know everyone coming and going) and it’s impossible not to know whose working there, especially if you have one much older gray haired white man, who is an intern, when the rest of the interns are 18-24 something yr olds.

Press told Lamb that after his internship ended, (a year after it began in 2010) that Bernie contacted him about running for President on or around April 2014 after having worked as an intern in his office for a year and meeting him only once and having lunch with him only once. Out of the blue, Bernie contacts Press several years later, and Press conveniently arranges a dinner party for Bernie at his home with a group of ‘advisors’ to discuss a potential Sanders run for the presidency. Press said Bernie wanted to run as an Independent. The ‘advisory group’ suggested that he should run as a Democrat. They met for a second time for another dinner arranged by Press at his house about a year later according to Press, at which time Bernie had made the decision to run. Press refused during the book interview with Lamb to discuss any of the other people who were present at that meeting. If Bernie supporters want a copy of the transcripts from Hillary's Goldman Sach's speech. I want to know what work Bill Press did for Sanders as an Intern, and who was at that planning meeting Press arranged. FTR, it is my belief that Bill Press used his year long internship with Bernie Sanders to plan a presidential run. This would have involved the use of government workers and resources to plan a presidential campaign. To believe otherwise, that Bill Press made photocopies, escorted visitors, and conducted tours of the Capital, and other gopher type tasks performed by Congressional interns is just bullshit.

http://www.c-span.org/video/transcript/?id=51084

[LisaM]

1. Actually more on point than private speech transcripts.

The article is funny, too:

So I don’t believe Press’s story that with his extensive background and his age, he only met Bernie once long after having gone to work for him as an intern. Congressional Staff offices are not that big and Sen Reid's offices were some of the largest as the Sen Majority Leader matched only by the House Speaker's office, (Sen Reid actual had 3 offices as the majority leader, all of which were small enough to know everyone coming and going) and it’s impossible not to know whose working there, especially if you have one much older gray haired white man, who is an intern, when the rest of the interns are 18-24 something yr olds.

[Nanjeanne]

2. read the transcript. He said he had lunch with sanders once when he was an intern during

that year. He didn't say once in his entire career.

He had a talk show and he already was a member of the White House Press Corp. So he applied for credentials for the US Capitol and he had to go before the Senate Committee and was turned down because he gave his opinion on his show. Then he had a hearing in front of the accrediting committee and only CSPAN voted to give him credentials. So he was put in touch with Sanders office through Briggs and he spoke to Sanders and he met him and got hired as an intern. Which gave him more access than he had previously.

Press has a very long and deep political and media career. He was on Crossfire for years. He worked for Jerry Brown. He was the head of the California Democratic Party. I'm sure he has met Sanders since being his intern.

Maybe if you read the transcript again you will understand what he was saying.

[politicaljunkie41910]

3. I watched the entire video interview and read the transcript. Maybe you should read it.

Brian Lamb asked Press "how well did he know Sanders when he was an intern" and Press said "I didn't at all, actually". I didn't believe it then and I don't now. I don't think Press is honest or trustworthy. But don't take my word for it. As I stated, there is no way I believe he spent a year as an intern for Sanders and only met him once. Towards the end of the transcript he acknowledges setting up a meeting in his home to discuss a presidential run.

Excerpt from transcript:

LAMB: So, are you still an intern?

PRESS: No, no. I did it for a year.

LAMB: What did you learn? How well did you know Bernie Sanders when you were an intern?

PRESS: I didn't at all, actually. I have had lunch with him once which is kind of another long story. He - I'm a radio talk show host - Progressive talk show host. No - and we've had a lot of trouble with stations dropping Progressive radio, not enough stations in the country running Progressive or willing to take on Progressive radio as part of their programming and under - we thought that the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission ought to put some pressure on stations to have a variety of voices and a variety of opinions.
So there were just a couple of senators who were willing to take on. Debbie Stabenow was one, Byron Dorgan from North Dakota was one, Bernie Sanders was the other. So I met him with another group of radio talk show hosts and that's - that was the only way I knew him. And then I got a call from his office saying the senator wanted to have lunch with me and so I came over. That was really - that was the only time I had - first time I had seen them one-on-one and when we went to lunch in the Senate dining room which was also very funny because it was the first time Senator Sanders had ever been in the Senate dining room.
He doesn't, you know, he's not part of that crowd, right? And we went over to the Senate and went in the subway from the Senate office building and we went up to the floor - whatever floor it was and we got off the elevator, and Bernie turned to me and said, "Do you know where the dining room is?" I had no idea; neither did he. And we had to stop and ask a police officer where the dining room was and then we walked in the dining room and the maître d' in charge of the Senate dining room did not recognize Senator Sanders because he had never seen him before.

[Nanjeanne]

4. That's what I said. He only met him once when he was a intern. Maybe I

Don't understand the rambling of your OP. But that's ok. I don't think I need to. Bowing out of this.

[politicaljunkie41910]

5. My point was that I thought Bill Press was disengenuous in saying that he was an intern in Sanders

office for a year and that he didn't actually know him, only met him once, yet a couple of years later he's setting up meetings with Sanders at his (Bill Press's) house with fellow advisors to discuss a presidential campaign. I don't believe it any more than I believe that Bill Press spent a whole year as an intern in Sanders office and the two of them never discussed Sanders running for the presidency, but Bernie's campaign is magically launched in Bill Press's house after only two meetings 3 years later and Press says that he arranged both meetings and he contacted all the people who were at the meetings and Bernie just showed up and a presidential campaign just appeared out of thin air.