Here Are Some Talking Points
Dick Morris told my colleague Bill O’Reilly that when he was in the White House he would regularly send me talking points. This is in response to the revelation by Scott McClellan that the White House sent talking points to conservative hosts. If the Clinton White House attempted to send me talking points, I never received them. Dick’s time there was before the wide-spread use of email, and I never had a fax machine that worked regularly or that didn’t pile up useless sales pitches that I always ignored. If someone was sending me talking points, I never saw them.
And, frankly, I have nothing against talking points as long as they’re used with discretion. When a politician or a political party is under attack, it is customary for that entitity to send out rebuttals, and sometimes there is valuable, sourced information in those epistles which are useful in putting forth a good and factual argument. The phrase “talking points” has come into ill repute because it suggests that some mindless talker is reading off propaganda from some person or group with a false agenda. That is not always the case.
Furthermore, almost every host, left and right, uses them in one form or another, if not directly from the party involved, it could be via a website, or by word-of-mouth. The key is to use them wisely and make sure the sourcing is accurate.
[...] Alan says he never got talking points [...]
July 29th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I’d take Alan’s word over Dick Morris’ any day.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Alan I think the point here is many on the far left preach that the Bush Whitehouse would issue a(n) writ of proclamation, decreeing thereof the points that shalt be spoken unto the masses verbatim and in totalitum.
IOW when Bush spoke, Bill OReilly or others would be ordered to relay the message literally.
You make it sound like Dick Morris could have sent you a briefing, synopsis, commentary for you to peruse, pick and choose what was useful or not.
But when its W and foxnews? its more of a direct control, with W getting to say precisely what will be spoken and Mr Factor and others in complicity?
What was it Senator Bob Dole said about Scott McClellans recent acts?
July 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Dick Morris has been waging his own jihad against the Clintons for years, usually with the practiced help of FOX News and BillO.
You already know why he’s doing this, so I won’t repeat it. Place DickM on your ignore list. If he keeps repeating the talking points story, get yourself a lawyer and take him to court. There has to be something there you can sue him for. If nothing else, bring suit against him because his nasal, whiny voice is annoying.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Bill Clinton, along with most democratic politicians, probably despises Alan because he’s a gutless weasel who simply kisses up to people on his show who slander Democrats.
So yes, in fact, for once, Alan is telling the truth. Not because the clinton white house was beyond sending out talking points. But because most Democrats despise Alan Colmes.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
The left likes to scurry around and say the Hannity and O’Reilly are plugged in Bush-bots. The views that Hannity and O’Reilly share with Bush are their core values, not talking points whether you agree with them or not. If you want to see propaganda, see Keith Olbermann.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Keith Olbermann? the way I think of him is like the Simpsons, the episode (like from the 90s) where Bart somehow wrote something on the back of Homer’s head? and he twists his head and says what’s it say? then he does a circle and then Homer is on the floor running in a circle panting saying what’s it say?! trying to read it and his family is laughing at him and then they stop laughing but Homer is still panting and they have this certain ‘geez thats sad’ kind of reaction?
whatever you call that reaction? thats how I think of poor Keith Olbermann. he was funny like Homer Simpson for a little while, then it was just sad.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
O Liely and Booooortz claim to be Libertarians, not right wingers.
Yet, they do seem to march in lock step with the Administration if not the rest of the wacky right talking heads.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
“…most Democrats despise Alan Colmes.”
And it’s on the internets so it must be true!
OMG, I’ve despised Alan all these years and I didn’t even realize! OMG! OMG! OMG!
July 30th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Hahahaha! Dick Morris sending out anything other that bullcrap? Not freakin possible.
No wonder Bill O’ and crowd are upset- they’ve been exposed for being smear merchants. I always knew they were on speed dial at the White House ever since the Immigration Bill collapse of 2007.
July 30th, 2008 at 8:03 am
When did O’Reilly claim to be a Libertarian?
July 30th, 2008 at 10:15 am
From what I recall, Bill OReilly says he is registered indepedent, but holds more to the libertarian political pov.
There are 4 extablished political points of view, like an x/y graph with vectors along the x and y axes, conservative, liberal, authoritarian, libertarian
July 30th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I’ve only heard him call himself a traditionalist.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Just read that Olbermann said he got talking points from the Bush White House back in 2004. He said apparently they did not know the nature of his show. That’s pretty funny.
As to O’Reilly’s party affiliation: A reporter found out back in 2000 that O’Reilly was a really a registered Republican despite his telling people that he was an Independent. There was a voter registration card from with O’Reilly’s signature and the box checked for Republican. He told NPR’s Gross that he never wanted to be in a party yet there was on option on that 1994 voter registration card to check “I do not wish to enroll in a political party” and he chose to check off Republican instead. He said he changed it and now he’s an Independent.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
a voter registration card from 1994 with O’Reilly’s signature
July 30th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Everybody KNOWS Bill O’Reilly is Fox’s top buffoon. He’s a lying sack of crap, so if he says he’s not getting talking points from the white house, he probably is.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
so if a democrat gets talking points, the democrat is so ethical and trustworthy that he or she considers them;
but if anyone who is Bush friendly is accused of getting talking points? the asinine and childish assertion making some of you folks on the left look absolutely absurd is that the right winger marches lockstep and speaks the talking points regardless.
talking points or press releases, how DARE the Bush Whitehouse issue any statements to the press about anything, its all a right vast wing conspiracy
July 31st, 2008 at 3:18 am
The difference, Mr. B., is what they do with those talking points.
When many talking heads on squawk radio repeat them, almost word for word, you know.
The few liberal/progressive/democratic talkers either make fun of those or ignore them.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:26 am
bs, bs, bs, bs, bs bs, bs, bs, bs…..
okay, I’m bored now.
July 31st, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Well we all know that when Dick Morris would be talking on the phone with “Slick Willy” Clinton that he was allowing his mistress who was sevicing him at that time to listen in as “Slick Willy” was allowing Monica “Chickenhead” Jewinsky to orally satisfy him. I just wonder who was sevicing you Alan? Was the participant male or female? I always knew you were in the “CLITGONES” pocket but I now wonder just whose genitalia you were manipulating as you were getting your “marching orders”
July 31st, 2008 at 8:46 pm
ew.
Guess you got a new schtick, anyway.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:07 pm