Bill Press visited campus Tuesday and addressed the public and students by invitation of political science professor Don Fowler.
Press is most known for his radio show, the “Bill Press Show.” He has won multiple Emmy Awards. This was Press’ first time at the University of South Carolina.
He first opened with witty remarks about Washington and a few jokes about Congress and the president. He commended the president for his recent policy work with Cuba and Iran.
Press then shifted to a serious note and talked about politics and their policies. He talked about how Republicans had too many candidates running for president and the Democrats did not have enough people running.
The first Republican debate "would be a zoo,” according to Press, with 19 candidates trying to get to the presidency.
He moved onto Hillary Clinton running for president in 2016. He stated that Clinton was the exact same as she was in 2008, with the only difference was that the one person who did not believe in her is now president.
He hoped that Clinton would not go uncontested until Oct. 8 for fears that it will make Clinton rusty and unprepared for the race against the Republican candidate.
Press said that the 2016 race is shaping up to be another Bush vs. Clinton race.
“Is our gene pool really that small?” Press said.
He then shifted to Congress and its importance in the 2016 election. He said that right now our Congress is a “do nothing Congress.”
The running principle for the current Congress is if President Obama is for it, they’re against it, according to him. Press used minimum wage as an example.
He stated that Obama wanted to raise minimum wage, but Congress denied it. But under the Bush administration, he raised minimum wage and Congress agreed.
Press said that with the House of Representatives staying Republican in 2016, it was important for Democrats to regain control of the Senate. Democrats would need Senate control in order to get anything done.
Lastly, he talked about the media and how different of a world it was now. He said that the media changed everything.
He stated that the media is here to stay so we had better learn to maximize it.
Press then closed by saying that he was still a believer in politics.
“Politics is shaping the kind of city that we want, state that we want, nation that we want,” Press said.