You would think that MSNBC hosts might not want to invite Bill Press on their shows to talk about supposedly inflammatory conservative rhetoric, given Press’s track record of vile left-wing bile. But on Thursday, host Al Sharpton once again invited Press onto PoliticsNation to discuss what the reverend called conservatives’ “ugly, very ugly attacks on the president over the crisis in Ukraine.” [Video below. MP3 audio here.]
Sharpton played some clips of conservative pundits and politicians alike criticizing President Obama for his handling of the crisis in Ukraine. He then asked Press to comment. As he has done in the past, the liberal talk radio host showed his utter hypocrisy when he responded, “I mean, look, Joe [Madison] and I are both talk show hosts. You don't hear that kind of ugly talk coming from the left that you do from the right.”
That’s pretty rich coming from a hate machine like Bill Press. From comparing various conservatives to terrorists, to wishing lightning would strike John Boehner, to likening Tea Partiers to Nazis, to calling George W. Bush and the American public morons, to calling our national anthem “stupid,” Press has spewed a lot of “ugly talk” over the years.
Press’s fellow guest, talk radio host Joe Madison, has not been above hateful language, either. Last October on PoliticsNation, for example, he called conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh a “fat ass.”
And how can Press claim that right-wing rhetoric is worse than left-wing talk while he is appearing on the same network that employs Chris Matthews and Ed Schultz? Matthews’ history of hate, which includes numerous comparisons of Republicans and conservatives to Nazis, is well-documented here at NewsBusters. Schultz is a loose cannon who has used words like “bastards,” “slut,” “whore,” and “Brown Shirts” to refer to conservatives over the years.
Keep all of this in mind the next time Press crawls onto MSNBC and laughably asserts that liberal “ugly talk” isn’t as bad as conservative talk.
Below is a transcript of the segment:
AL SHARPTON: Bill, let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. This week we heard the right-wing bubble's ugly, very ugly attacks on the president over the crisis in Ukraine. Take a listen to this.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: We have a weak and indecisive president that invites aggression.
SEAN HANNITY: Are you saying that because of President Obama's weakness, that there is -- we are undergoing, the world right now, a geopolitical shift?
REP. MIKE ROGERS: I think Putin is playing chess, and I think we're playing marbles.
DONALD TRUMP: You look at what he’s doing with President Obama, he’s like toying with him.
RUDY GIULIANI: He makes a decision and he executes it. Quickly. Then everybody reacts. That's what you call a leader. President Obama, got to think about it.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: You have a top KGB officer, Vladimir Putin, versus a failed community organizer, Barack Obama. Who do you think is going to come out on top in this?
SHARPTON: Now, it shouldn't even be a political issue in the first place, Bill. But, I mean, isn't it hard to tell the talkers and the lawmakers apart?
BILL PRESS: Yeah. Well, first of all, there used to be a difference. I mean, look, Joe [Madison] and I are both talk show hosts. You don't hear that kind of ugly talk coming from the left that you do from the right. But even on the right there used to be a difference. You would expect some – you’d expect no standards at all. Anything goes for the talk show hosts. But there was always some respect for the truth or some civility for members of Congress. No longer today. Rush Limbaugh is Michele Bachmann. Rush Limbaugh – Steve King is Rush Limbaugh. They are one and the same, as Joe said. But on this, on this attacking Obama and blaming him, you know what this is, Reverend Al, it's blame Obama first. It's blame America first. I mean, the whole idea that Putin decided he would invite Ukraine because he thinks Barack Obama is a weak president, you know, just last week the Republicans were complaining that Obama was a bully. They were accusing him of acting like a king, and like a monarch, and using executive power too strong. Now they're saying he’s a weakling. So they can't even make up their mind about which he is. It’s always, whatever happens, blame Obama.
