Beck hosted “political analyst” Steve Gill for wholesale Dem-bashing, didn't note Gill is a Republican

Written by Rob Dietz

Published

On his CNN Headline News show, Glenn Beck interviewed “political analyst” Steve Gill, who claimed that “the left hates rich people, unless it's people who didn't earn their money,” and that they are “willing to even align themselves with terrorists” because “Bush is against the terrorists.” Beck introduced Gill as having “served with both [George H.W.] Bush and [Bill] Clinton,” but Beck did not mention that Gill also ran for Congress twice as a Republican.


On the July 19 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck introduced “political analyst” Steve Gill, who “served with both [George H.W.] Bush and [Bill] Clinton.” Gill proceeded to bash Democrats and progressives, claiming that “the left hates rich people, unless it's people who didn't earn their money,” and that they are “willing to even align themselves with terrorists” because “Bush is against the terrorists.” But while Gill served as director of intergovernmental affairs for the U.S. trade representative under former Presidents Bush and Clinton, he also ran for Congress twice as a Republican, a fact Beck did not mention.

Gill called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's (D-CT) primary race with Ned Lamont an example of why the “left” is “willing to even align themselves with terrorists.” Gill also stated: “The left hates rich people, unless it's people who didn't earn their money. ... If you actually earn it and get rich, they hate you. If you get it from other people, maybe become a trial lawyer, take it from people after they've earned it, the left loves you.”

Gill is a Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) in 1994 and 1996 for Tennessee's 6th District seat in the House of Representatives. After Gill's contract recently expired as the host of a conservative radio show on WWTN-FM in Nashville, Nashville television station News 2 WKRN named him its chief political analyst on July 13. A press release by WKRN said Gill was a White House fellow under Bush and “served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Trade Representative during both the Bush and Clinton Administrations.”

Beck also apparently referred to Media Matters for America when he said: “I read an article yesterday that made fun of me for talking about World War III: 'Oh, I'm a warmonger!' You know what? Make fun of me all you want as long as you write about what's coming.” As Media Matters noted, Beck claimed on July 12 that President Bush is alone fighting “World War III,” while former Vice President Al Gore worries that "[t]he ice is starting to melt in Greenland." Beck also stated on July 13 that “I absolutely know that we need to prepare ourselves for World War III. It is here.”

From the July 19 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Political analyst Steve Gill joins me now. Back in '92, Steve, you were with the White House -- you were appointed to White House fellowship and served with both Bush and Clinton.

GILL: The Clinton administration is still embarrassed by that fact, I think.

[...]

GILL: Joe Lieberman does not hate George Bush enough for the left in Connecticut. That's why they want to throw him out. And when the only test of your loyalty to a party now is how much do you hate the president and his enemies are our enemies [sic: friends], you have what we seem to be seeing, which is the left being willing to even align themselves with terrorists because, well, Bush is against the terrorists, so we must be with them.

Bush is for Israel, so we must have to oppose Israel. And it has really pushed them way off the cliff on the left.

BECK: Is it true that Hollywood is actually financing a good portion of money for his opponent?

GILL: They're shifting a lot of money in behind Ned Lamont in Connecticut, which is kind of interesting. You know, the left hates rich people, unless it's people who didn't earn their money and get rich by earning it. They love the Kennedys. They love Ned Lamont because they inherited money and got rich the old-fashioned way.

If you actually earn it and get rich, they hate you. If you get it from other people, maybe become a trial lawyer, take it from people after they've earned it, the left loves you.

And that's what they've got in Ned Lamont, a guy that can fund his own campaign and still is down a few points to Joe Lieberman, but certainly, with the money he's able to throw into that race could catch up.

[...]

BECK: Now, tonight, here's what I do know. I read an article yesterday that made fun of me for talking about World War III: 'Oh, I'm a warmonger!' You know what? Make fun of me all you want as long as you write about what's coming.