Bill Scher (born September 26, 1972) is an American
pundit
A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport).
Origins
The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
and
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
political analyst. He is the Politics Editor for the Washington Monthly. He also is a Contributing Editor to ''
POLITICO
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' Magazine,
and a contributor to
RealClearPolitics
RealClearPolitics (RCP) is an American political news website and polling data aggregator formed in 2000 by former options trader John McIntyre and former advertising agency account executive Tom Bevan. The site features selected political ...
.
He also co-hosts "The DMZ," an online TV show with conservative pundit
Matt Lewis on YouTube. Scher is an alumnus of
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
.
Early career
Bill Scher founded LiberalOasis.com in 2002. In 2004, he became a regular commentator for
Air America Radio
Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an radio in the United States, American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010.
The network was founded as a left ...
's ''
The Majority Report
''The Majority Report with Sam Seder'' is an Internet talk radio program and podcast hosted by Sam Seder. The program focuses on the discussion of current events and political affairs from a social democracy, social democratic, democratic socia ...
'' hosted by
Sam Seder
Samuel Lincoln Seder (born November 28, 1966) is an American actor, political commentator, and media host. His works include the film ''Who's the Caboose?'' (1997) as well as the television shows ''Beat Cops'' (2001) and ''Pilot Season (TV seri ...
and
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''.
Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...
. In 2006, he contributed a chapter to the book ''Proud To Be Liberal''
and published his own book ''Wait! Don't Move To Canada!: A Stay-and-Fight Strategy to Win Back America'' (Rodale, 2006). He later became an editor and writer for the
Campaign for America's Future website OurFuture.org.
Positions
Scher has been known to take positions that are controversial within liberal circles. In 2012, he published an
op-ed
An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...
in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' titled "How Liberals Win"
which argued that liberals should treat "corporate power as a force to bargain with, not an enemy to vanquish". After the
Edward Snowden
Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...
leaks
A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usua ...
, he defended the record of the
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
from a liberal perspective in essays for ''
The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
''
and POLITICO Magazine.
He defended his position in an appearance on
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
's ''
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
''The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'' is an American weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Friday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell from Mondays to Thursdays and re ...
''
and later in a debate with Snowden's attorney
Ben Wizner
Ben Wizner (born 1971) is an American lawyer, writer, and civil liberties advocate with the American Civil Liberties Union. Since July 2013, he has been the lead attorney of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Education and personal life
Wizner ...
on MSNBC's ''
Up with Steve Kornacki
''Up'', branded in its final incarnation as ''Up with David Gura'', was a news and opinion television program that aired weekends on MSNBC. The program debuted September 17, 2011, as ''Up with Chris Hayes'', and was hosted by Hayes until March 20 ...
''.
He wrote articles critical of
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
throughout the
2016 presidential primaries.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scher, Bill
1972 births
Living people
Oberlin College alumni
American political journalists
American political commentators
American bloggers
21st-century American journalists
American male journalists
Journalists from New York City
American male bloggers
Politico people