Photo credit: Janet Donovan
“There’s no porn stars in this book, there’s no Russian oligarchs: I apologize. It’s just a fun story for the great times that I’ve had and the great people that I’ve met along the way – a lot of good stories,” radio talk show host and political commentator Bill Press told a friendly audience at the home of Melissa Moss and Jonathan Silver in Georgetown, DC about his most recent book From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire. “Thank you so much for coming tonight to celebrate the resignation of H. R. McMaster.”
“The name Bill Press is synonymous with honest journalism, intelligent commentary, and progressive politics. But based on where he came from, it’s a wonder he didn’t end up a Trump voter. He grew up in a blue-collar family in a small town in Delaware south of the Mason-Dixon line, where segregation was the rule. As a Catholic, he was taught that abortion, divorce, sex outside of marriage, and homosexuality were morally wrong: beliefs later reinforced in ten years of seminary studies for the priesthood. He was on his way to be a rock-ribbed conservative. So what went right for him that he swerved so far to the left? In From the Left, Press shows this gradual transformation, starting with two years of studies in Europe and a providential escape to California. From Sacramento he made his way to Southern California television and talk radio as a political commentator and liberal talk show host. Jumping to Washington and national cable TV, Press hosted Crossfire and The Spin Room on CNN, and Buchanan and Press on MSNBC. A member of the White House Press Corps and columnist for Tribune Media Services and The Hill, Press was an early supporter of Bernie Sanders and hosted two of the Senator’s first presidential strategy sessions in his living room. If you’re already on the left, you’ll cheer a fellow traveler. If not yet there, you soon will be.” Amazon
Linda Douglas, Vic Fazio and Melissa Moss
Purposely planted beneath a Blah, Blah, Blah painting the banter included: “We have collectively known Bill about 125 years.” “So, if you haven’t read the book, it’s what – Priesthood, Politics, Precincts, Party Chair.” “The Jerry Brown days.” “Bill is one of those guys who made things happen in Sacramento in the ’70s,” said former Congressman Vic Fazio (Dem. CA). “I was there a little ahead of them. We had that wonderful gubernatorial Democratic primary and Jerry Brown won. He brought a whole new crowd to town and Bill and Carol were among them. Bill settled in at the Office of Planning and Research, kind of Jerry’s brain trust. One day, Bill went to work and ended up at the end of the day in Portland, Oregon without his toothbrush or another change of clothes when sent to the primary in Oregon. That’s the kind of life Bill has led and he’s chronicled it all in this book and Bill – we’re all looking forward to reading it.”
Bill Press and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
“I met Bill 45 years ago,” noted co-host Linda Douglas. “Bill was, I think, at the Planning and Conservation League as an environmental crusader. It was a time in our lives when we always thought you would always have enough energy, that you’d keep fighting for the things that you thought were right, that you would never give up, that you’d always be able to change, and that you would sustain that energy for the rest of your life, and somehow actually did. So, he’s a great example for the axiom – which doesn’t really exist – that mellowing as you get older is for sissies. That is not something that you have ever done. So, we’re very proud of you and the fact that you continue to fight that fight, and that you continue to have such an interesting life.”
Mark Sheilds – Political Pundit Extraordinaire
“It does go way back: Melissa in 1980 in the snows of New Hampshire with Jerry Brown and I think maybe in the early ’80s, in the California legislature and then Linda and John. I knew Linda before she and John were married in Los Angeles and Linda was still in grade school I think, right? But they came to Washington ahead of us and they were the first ones I reached out to. They welcomed us, we walked into their lives and we haven’t left since and never will. This is book number nine for me, and eight of them have been done with a young man by the name of Kevin Murphy, my research assistant. And throughout, these friends know here better than anyone there has been one solid rock and support among others, and I would not have made it and wouldn’t be here without Carol. Believe it or not, in just a couple of weeks, we will celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. And that’s a lot of long suffering, a lot of patience, and a lot of love, so, thank you, Carol.”
Lanny Davis and Carol Press
“I don’t want to bore you by talking more about the book, but I thought I’d just tell you two stories that are not in the book. One of them is to show you how tough it is to get acclimated, and Linda had warned me about this, to when I got to CNN Crossfire and I wanted some 8×10 photos that I could sign and send out to all my fans around the country. I love CNN in Atlanta, but they didn’t give me the time of day. I kept bugging them and bugging them… Two months later, it took two months, I finally got my 8×10 photos. They were beautiful; 8×10, black and white, Bill Press, big letters, with a photo of Al Hunt. Tough town. I gave one to Judy Woodruff, I kept one, and I threw the others away. A second little event that is not in the book but Linda was there. We had a little dinner party at our house one night, and Senator Dianne Feinstein was our guest of honor. This was just before Hillary ran for president … so 2006. The Senator was at the other end of the table; there were twelve of us around the table. Senator Feinstein says, “Okay, I wanna know something here. I wanna go around the table and I wanna ask everybody… ….” Blah Blah Blah. Details graphic, ask Bill.
