This Is CNN (Vaulted)

[GHScorpiosRule]

I agree with a lot of what you say but I don't think that the concert in the summer of 1985 was for AIDS. Live Aid was for hunger and famine in Ethiopia. We Are the World and stuff like that. I also voted for Bush in '88 but my excuse is that I was 18 and my brain wasn't fully formed yet.

 

D'OH! You're right. But other than being wrong about the reason for the concert, they should still cover LIVE AID. I remember I stayed awake for most of it. So I saw most performances in Europe and here.

 

I wish I could use the excuse about my brain not being fully formed--but I can't because history was one of my favorite subjects, and just three years previous, in high school, I had a project to talk to at least three adults about presidents, from our present (at the time it was Reagan) and asking who their favorite was and why and who was their least favorite and why; what was their biggest mistake, etc.  And then I had to research all of the reasons. So all the information was in my brain, and I should have known better.

Edited April 5, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[DXD526]

Live Aid was for African famine relief. Nobody was doing dick for AIDS in the mid 80s. It was considered a disease that only affected gays and drug addicts and the prevailing attitude was that if you weren't one of those (which you're probably not, wink wink), then there's no reason to be concerned. Reagan set the pace by totally ignoring the epidemic because he didn't like who it was affecting, anyway. /end rant/

 

Live Aid was a huge event, though, and should definitely be covered. It was the first of the big charity concerts. I'm looking forward to a contemporary interview with Bob Geldoff. Haven't seen him in years. 

[NewDigs]

The very first Farm Aid was on Sept 22, 1985.

I haven't seen The Eighties and have been confusing the CNN shows with the decades specific shows done by either Mtv or VH1.

Always interested in those show so look forward to this one.

[GHScorpiosRule]

The very first Farm Aid was on Sept 22, 1985.

I haven't seen The Eighties and have been confusing the CNN shows with the decades specific shows done by either Mtv or VH1.

Always interested in those show so look forward to this one.

 

 

The premiere was last week. But you can find them On Demand. The previous two, on Netflix!

Live Aid was for African famine relief. Nobody was doing dick for AIDS in the mid 80s. It was considered a disease that only affected gays and drug addicts and the prevailing attitude was that if you weren't one of those (which you're probably not, wink wink), then there's no reason to be concerned. Reagan set the pace by totally ignoring the epidemic because he didn't like who it was affecting, anyway. /end rant/

 

Live Aid was a huge event, though, and should definitely be covered. It was the first of the big charity concerts. I'm looking forward to a contemporary interview with Bob Geldoff. Haven't seen him in years. 

 

Someone's been eating my brain cells. Because you're right--and Band-Aid was the previous Christmas.

 

But, I think Elizabeth Taylor was the only celebrity after Rock died, that tried to get people, the PRESIDENT, to pay attention. And then Michael Jackson joined her? Or am I conflating two different things again?  

[slensam]

Live Aid was for African famine relief. Nobody was doing dick for AIDS in the mid 80s. It was considered a disease that only affected gays and drug addicts and the prevailing attitude was that if you weren't one of those (which you're probably not, wink wink), then there's no reason to be concerned. Reagan set the pace by totally ignoring the epidemic because he didn't like who it was affecting, anyway. /end rant/

 

Live Aid was a huge event, though, and should definitely be covered. It was the first of the big charity concerts. I'm looking forward to a contemporary interview with Bob Geldoff. Haven't seen him in years. 

I saw him in something recently. He just looks older. Don't we all; I guess.

[GHScorpiosRule]

So they didn't cover the vice presidential debate in Bush v. Dukakis, so I hope The Eighties does cover it. If only if they show the part where Qyuale tries to pass himself off as JFK, and Benson comes back with "I knew John F. Kennedy, and you sir, are NO John F. Kennedy."

 

Or something like that. It was a thing of BEAUTY.

 

Though I'm not looking forward to (assuming they show it) of when CNN's Bernard Shaw asked Dukakis if he would change his mind about the death penalty if his wife had been raped and murdered. My whole family was shocked when he asked it. You could hear a pin drop.  I was so shocked that I can't remember if he asked Bush the same question. I know that Dukakis stumbled over his answer. 

[andromeda331]

I was really kind of surprised Dukakis wasn't prepared for that question  I always thought that was the kind

of question people against the death penalty get asked a lot. I have friends and family who are against it

and they've always been asked questions like that. I would have thought as a politican he would have

been asked that question or similar one a lot.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I was really kind of surprised Dukakis wasn't prepared for that question  I always thought that was the kind

of question people against the death penalty get asked a lot. I have friends and family who are against it

and they've always been asked questions like that. I would have thought as a politican he would have

been asked that question or similar one a lot.

 

 

Well since I was just but a wee child during Carter v. Ford, Carter v. Reagan, I don't think I watched those debates; Though I do know that the hostages in Iran were on my mind and I wanted them to be released and come home; I sort of remember the Reagan v. Mondale, but honestly, I don't recall much and I don't recall that kind of question being asked of Mondale.

[Constantinople]

I wonder if The Eighties will talk about smaller scale fads and trends in the US.

 

For example, it seemed to me as if Thai food really took off in the 80s, as in something that became commonly available in ordinary cities and suburbs, and not just large cities like NYC or areas with a large expatriate community.  Japanese steak houses and American Cantonese food just wouldn't cut it any more as "exotic" fare.

 

Similarly, the idea of Australia became popular in the US and movies, bands and books were popular, or more popular, because they were Australian, whereas before, it seemed as there were popular movies, bands and books that happened to be Australian.  Perhaps we can chalk it up to the Australian Tourism Board having Paul Hogan slip another shrimp on the barbie.

[Dejana]

Call me cynical, but I wasn't surprised that Falcon Crest got a mention--if only because our President was Reagan during the 80s and Wyman was his ex-wife.

 

So, has anyone watched The Race to the White House? Last night was episode five, so I went back to watch from the beginning, thinking it was going to be about elections from the first election to the current, but no. The first was "Kennedy v. Nixon.".  And I have to say, I'm getting peeved, and I don't know why, because I know, he wasn't perfect; he was a philandering, cheating husband, but from all my history books and the documentaries I've seen, I believe John F. Kennedy was a good president. I believe that Robert Kennedy would have been a good president and that he cared.  But there's one pundit, and big surrrprise, Evan Thomas, who in this show, has been identified as "Nixon biographer," while in The Sixties and The Seventies, he's just "historian."  To hear him speak, John and Robert were the worst kind of racists, didn't give two fucks about civil rights, and that Nixon did "more for civil rights" and was "friends" with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was "gracious" in his defeat, even though John "rigged and stole" the election, by fraudulent voting in Illinois and Texas? I think. But according to Sen. John  Warner, who was a...Nixon Aide, Nixon did the "honorable" thing and told Ike not to contest it, and "let" Kennedy have his "win."

 

Give me a fucking break.

 

The nation learned and discovered just how honorable and "not racist" Nixon turned out to be.

 

And call me naive, but I actually believed both John and Robert Kennedy, in the footage of their speeches I've seen, even though I wasn't even born during that time.

 

Then again, this show is about the dirty shenanigans and back room deals that were done behind closed doors, so what the fuck do I know?

 

I watched a bit of the Nixon v. Kennedy episode but didn't care for the actors used in the reenactments or the commentaries. I'm a bit of a recovering Kennedy obsessive and used to read pretty much every book about them I could get my hands on, starting in my teens. In the end, it really taught me a healthy skepticism of biographies and to very much consider the source.

 

As for JFK's record on civil rights, I don't get the sense it was some issue he felt super passionately about over the course of his life, but he did introduce the legislation that ended up becoming the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in June 1963.  Before then, I'd say he often worried about the political blowback if he pushed for "too much" on racial issues, i.e. the election consequences in the South. The trip to Dallas was partly about mending political fences and making sure Texas stayed blue for his 1964 re-election bid.

 

Nixon was Eisenhower's VP and if people viewed Nixon as an extension of Ike and his civil rights record, then it's easy to see why the general view of Nixon was of someone friendly to the idea of racial equality. Of course, back then, they couldn't know how he talked in private.

 

Google Books has a November 1960 issue of Jet Magazine with a cover story about what each candidate promised black America.

 

As for RFK, I think he was a more passionate person in general and as the 1960s went on became more of a champion of the disadvantaged in all areas. But even before JFK's assassination, he made this prediction:

 

 

"There's no question that in the next thirty or forty years a Negro can also achieve the same position that my brother has as President of the United States, certainly within that period of time," the Attorney General said.

 

Despite my dissatisfaction with the Kennedy/Nixon installment, I've watched some of the others. I thought they'd do more with the famous "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline besides show a picture of it. What did you even hire reencators for, CNN? The guy they had as Truman seemed off to me, but they can't exactly bring in Gary Sinise for this sort of production. I found myself less distracted by the reenactments with the Jackson/Adams election, probably because there aren't moving images of the real people to ruin the comparisons.

 

Bush-Dukakis is the first election I remember, but my perspective is different now as an adult, so I liked revisiting it. I don't know why it surprised me that Dukakis is still alive, but some failed presidential candidates stay in the limelight after, while he kind of faded from the national scene. It always surprises me that he didn't react to the Bernard Shaw question with some amount of faux outrage at first, that a media member was engaging in such sensationalism and "gotcha" tactics, even if he ultimately reiterated his anti-death penalty stance. Dukakis didn't have to be all "let him fry" to give a better answer to that question.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Dejana

[slensam]

I watched a bit of the Nixon v. Kennedy episode but didn't care for the actors used in the reenactments or the commentaries. I'm a bit of a recovering Kennedy obsessive and used to read pretty much every book about them I could get my hands on, starting in my teens. In the end, it really taught me a healthy skepticism of biographies and to very much consider the source.

 

As for JFK's record on civil rights, I don't get the sense it was some issue he felt super passionately about over the course of his life, but he did introduce the legislation that ended up becoming the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in June 1963.  Before then, I'd say he often worried about the political blowback if he pushed for "too much" on racial issues, i.e. the election consequences in the South. The trip to Dallas was partly about mending political fences and making sure Texas stayed blue for his 1964 re-election bid.

 

Nixon was Eisenhower's VP and if people viewed Nixon as an extension of Ike and his civil rights record, then it's easy to see why the general view of Nixon was of someone friendly to the idea of racial equality. Of course, back then, they couldn't know how he talked in private.

 

Google Books has a November 1960 issue of Jet Magazine with a cover story about what each candidate promised black America.

 

As for RFK, I think he was a more passionate person in general and as the 1960s went on became more of a champion of the disadvantaged in all areas. But even before JFK's assassination, he made this prediction:

 

 

Despite my dissatisfaction with the Kennedy/Nixon installment, I've watched some of the others. I thought they'd do more with the famous "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline besides show a picture of it. What did you even hire reencators for, CNN? The guy they had as Truman seemed off to me, but they can't exactly bring in Gary Sinise for this sort of production. I found myself less distracted by the reenactments with the Jackson/Adams election, probably because there aren't moving images of the real people to ruin the comparisons.

 

Bush-Dukakis is the first election I remember, but my perspective is different now as an adult, so I liked revisiting it. I don't know why it surprised me that Dukakis is still alive, but some failed presidential candidates stay in the limelight after, while he kind of faded from the national scene. It always surprises me that he didn't react to the Bernard Shaw question with some amount of faux outrage at first, that a media member was engaging in such sensationalism and "gotcha" tactics, even if he ultimately reiterated his anti-death penalty itself. Dukakis didn't have to be all "let him fry" to give a better answer to that question.

Definitely, he should have just said where did you get your balls big enough to ask me that question Bernard?

[andromeda331]

 Bush-Dukakis is the first election I remember, but my perspective is different now as an adult, so I liked revisiting it. I don't know why it surprised me that Dukakis is still alive, but some failed presidential candidates stay in the limelight after, while he kind of faded from the national scene. It always surprises me that he didn't react to the Bernard Shaw question with some amount of faux outrage at first, that a media member was engaging in such sensationalism and "gotcha" tactics, even if he ultimately reiterated his anti-death penalty itself. Dukakis didn't have to be all "let him fry" to give a better answer to that question.

I agree he could have said he would have been horrified and hope the man responsible would be given life in prison

or something. That being anti-death penalty doesn't mean you want rapists, murderers and other criminals to go free.

[Dejana]

So they didn't cover the vice presidential debate in Bush v. Dukakis, so I hope The Eighties does cover it. If only if they show the part where Qyuale tries to pass himself off as JFK, and Benson comes back with "I knew John F. Kennedy, and you sir, are NO John F. Kennedy."

 

Or something like that. It was a thing of BEAUTY.

 

Though I'm not looking forward to (assuming they show it) of when CNN's Bernard Shaw asked Dukakis if he would change his mind about the death penalty if his wife had been raped and murdered. My whole family was shocked when he asked it. You could hear a pin drop.  I was so shocked that I can't remember if he asked Bush the same question. I know that Dukakis stumbled over his answer. 

 

 

I was really kind of surprised Dukakis wasn't prepared for that question  I always thought that was the kind

of question people against the death penalty get asked a lot. I have friends and family who are against it

and they've always been asked questions like that. I would have thought as a politican he would have

been asked that question or similar one a lot.

 

 

Definitely, he should have just said where did you get your balls big enough to ask me that question Bernard?

 

IMO, it was really Dukakis's clinical response to the question that did him in, more than his opposition to the death penalty. Perhaps he should have gotten some pointers from Lloyd Bentsen ahead of time? But Dukakis's interviews in the program left me with the impression of someone a bit in love with his own high-mindedness... A politician could have slammed the questioner, or reminded everyone that he'd be devastated, if a loved one met such a violent end, that capital punishment doesn't bring the victims back, or said he'd learned from the Willie Horton case...but Michael Dukakis was above a dirty thing like politics. 

 

FYI, the site for Commission on Presidential Debates has a transcript: Bush was give a one-minute rebuttal for responding to the "Kitty Dukakis" question.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Dejana

[slensam]

IMO, it was really Dukakis's clinical response to the question that did him in, more than his opposition to the death penalty. Perhaps he should have gotten some pointers from Lloyd Bentsen ahead of time? But Dukakis's interviews in the program left me with the impression of someone a bit in love with his own high-mindedness... A politician could have slammed the questioner, or reminded everyone that he'd be devastated, if a loved one met such a violent end, that capital punishment doesn't bring the victims back, or said he'd learned from the Willie Horton case...but Michael Dukakis was above a dirty thing like politics. 

 

FYI, the site for Commission on Presidential Debates has a transcript: Bush was give a one-minute rebuttal for responding to the "Kitty Dukakis" question.

I didn't remember he had a rebuttal for that. After reading it I know why I forgot about it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Holy Crap! Race to the White House DID show the rape and murdered debate question! And as an adult, I closed my eyes and banged my head metaphorically at how Dukakis responded.  Another thing I remembered, or rather, this episode brought back, was how Bush treated Shaw with not enough respect. Meaning, kept calling him "Bernie." Unless that's how Shaw was referred to? Bush was always laughing it off, and then would answer the question. Whatever.

 

But my distaste and disgust for all of Bush's campaign staff and their utter glee over how they "destroyed" Dukakis, increased a thousand fold.

 

And now I'm wondering, is Dukakis's son, Michael, the same Michael Dukakis that was in Jaws II???!!!

 

And I clearly need to beef up on my history, because why did I think Truman was a Republican? But he wasn't. I need to get myself to a library this weekend.  Only saw this up to the first commercial before my bed starting calling for me last night.

 

Did catch some of Don Lemon's show, and that blonde fembotbimbo can STFU, when she was arguing about how Drumpf could still be the nominee even if he doesn't get the required delegates, because PEOPLE DECIDE!!! and they ALL want Drumpf!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Gah. What a snoozefest the second episode was. I thought it was going to be about AIDS, but no. A whole hour dedicated to Reagan. No mention of Brady and how the attempted assassination on Reagan led to the Brady Bill, or any mention of Hinkley and why he shot Reagan.

I wanted to see how Maury Povitch mocked the whole Iran Contra having all involved shown like The Brady Bunch and using the show's opening credits and music, but different words.

Not a single critic of Reagan. Well, maybe one; or two. The tongue bath was nauseating.

I mean, no mention of Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run as Vice President?!!

They mentioned the '84 debates so why not talk about her?

More Reagan in two weeks. Bah!

The Sixties and The Seventies are far superior and interesting.

Edited April 8, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Peace 47]

Okay, I pulled a near-all-nighter for work last night, and so I'm not at peak mental sharpness, but they switched episodes on us at the last minute, right? Because all the commercials were about the AIDS crisis, and I was 3/4 through the thing before I realized that they were just going to do a Reagan love-in.

I agree that the episode was filled almost entirely with members of the cult of Reagan, except Leslie Stahl over there hating Reagan like a champ. "I was sure he was another Carter," "I underestimated how much people actually liked him as a person." While the others are pontificating, "Reagan: great president or greatest president?" Colin Powell tearfully recounting the last night of the term was a bit much.

The Nixon/ Watergate episode of The Seventies was quite riveting. This presidential equivalent for The Eighties was biased and superficial. Very disappointing.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Peace 47

[andromeda331]

I was disappointed with episode too. I thought it was going to be as AIDS they had said showed clips for it for

a week. But I stayed optimistic until it became clear it was a Reagon-love fest. I'd rather have had a real review

of his presidency the good and the bad. 

[slensam]

I was  afraid of the Reagan episode and it seems like my fear was justified. They can be critical of every president since JFK but when it comes to Reagan its hands off. I was a teenager during the 80's. We weren't all Alex Keatons. His poll numbers did go down into the thirties a couple of times and after the missile treaties some conservatives referred to him as a useful idiot. I guess that wasn't covered.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I have no idea why Reagan is deified!  GMAB!  

[Constantinople]

There were a lot of omissions in the Reagan episode of the 80s.

 

I don't recall any mention of George Bush saying voodoo economics, the role the Federal Reserve had in fighting inflation and that Volcker, the Federal Reserve chairman, was appointed by Carter.  It was also a bit laughable to suggest that that Iran-Contra was no big deal compared to Watergate.  Obviously engaging in a criminal conspiracy to break into a political party's headquarters is a grave manner, but so is illegally sending arms to a government that you blame for the Beirut Barracks bombing.

 

As for Reagan and AIDs, I hope that's covered in a separate episode about AIDs since it wasn't covered here.  If so, Hillary Clinton might benefit from watching it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

"The AIDS Crisis" is episode three, and is supposed to air on April 16, even though the promos last night said that Tear Down This Wall" was going to be the next episode.  But yes, there will be a full episode dedicated to AIDS.

 

I was so excited for this season, and it's been such a disappointment. And dammit. Doesn't look like they're even going to talk about any more pop culture! "Where's the Beef?" was HUGE! There are only seven episodes this season. Here is the list:

 

1. Raised on Television

 

2. The Reagan Revolution

 

3. The AIDS Crisis

 

4. Tear Down This Wall

 

5. Technology Gets Personal

 

6. Greed is Good

 

7. Video Killed the Radio Star

 

I'm sooo sure the movie Wall Street will get covered a LOT.

[slensam]

The one episode that I'm sort of looking forward to is music and MTV. And I know that if and when they do the 90's that Bill Clinton will be covered as some sort of combo of Nero and Caligula with plenty of talking heads from Newt Gingrich. Clinton was almost as popular as Reagan when he left office.

Edited April 8, 2016 by slensam

[Padma]

I missed the Reagan episode and after reading the above, I'm glad that I did. There was so much to criticize about his presidency--so much!--and I don't understand why the conventional wisdom does not pronounce the verdict on his presidency as "mixed", at best. (Also, if Democrats weren't still reeling from Watergate political fallout, Iran-Contra was an eminently impeachable offense--and one that Reagan finally admitted (with Nancy Reagan's prodding)--that he lied to Americans about.) Lesley Stahl has written some good (i.e. critical) things about the Reagan years, but I'm guessing that most of her comments were left on the cutting room floor so as not to spoil anyone's illusions.

[Ruby25]

I have this feeling like if they don't bow down before Reagan there's not a single Republican president since Eisenhower they can look back on proudly, so it's him who gets the praise. Plus they just measure everything by poll numbers I guess, and he was popular at the end of his term and got HW elected, so it was considered successful.

 

I wonder how the Obama years are going to be seen. He's accomplished far more than Reagan did, and if he gets Hillary elected and leaves office with positive approval ratings (which he will, it's already gone up lately), is he going to be seen this way? Or will people just talk about how "divided" the country was, because of Republican obstruction?

[GHScorpiosRule]

I missed the Reagan episode and after reading the above, I'm glad that I did. There was so much to criticize about his presidency--so much!--and I

guessing that most of her comments were left on the cutting room floor so as not to spoil anyone's illusions.

For realzies. Someone said (I can't remember which pundit/brown noser it was) that the reason why Reagan didn't fare so well in the first debate with Mondale was because there was a script he had to follow and he did better when he spoke from the hip and let himself "BE" himself, whatever the hell that means. Because I know that that man has always had everything speech he has spoken, written for him by someone else. I remember there was some incident, when the government thought That another country was responsible for some incident and he came out all tough with his speech, and what I do remember is him saying “flagrant disregard” for human life, I think it was, and it turned out we were wrong. I don’t recall any apologies from his administration or Reagan himself. I can’t remember which news special I watched that revealed this. He was being lauded as someone, by many someones that he wasn’t dismissed as ‘just an actor’ (even though he was mocked for it in other circles) was because he didn’t “mess around.” Example of him firing the air traffic controllers who went on strike when they were forbidden to. It was like “ooooh! Better not get on Reagan’s bad side!” from all the unions, etc. And thus he became the Teflon President.

The only criticism he got last night was his stupid Reaganomics/trickle down effect NOT WORKING. And his approval ratings going down, and him being all “brave” and saying he didn’t know about the contras, but since everyone told him what he did was wrong, so it must be true, so he is bravely taking the fall for it, because it happened on his watch, and blah, blah, blah. Made it different and so NOT like Watergate.

I was a teenager back then, but even I knew that was bullshit.

ETA; GAH!!!! This site is driving me NUTS, with its constantly freezing up on me and not posting from the desktop PC!!!!!! It hate the last half of my post so what's here was not what I typed originally, and I ant remember what I typed!!!!!!

Edited April 8, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[andromeda331]

I think my favorite is still his response to the whole Iran-Contra scandle. He had no memory of it and no notes

about it. I understand being President is a big job and a lot is going on but I doubt anyone forgets about illegally

selling weapons to a government that you blamed for the bombings. Or that you need a note to remind you of

the illegal activity.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

I think, years later, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, people were saying that maybe he already had it during that time, and used his deer in the headlights, lost look when a reporter asked him that question in last night's episode, and his many "I don't recall...I don't remember" moments.

 

But when you're talking about an attempted assassination on a president, or even an assassination, all the other eras, actually talked about who the killer was. Here? Nope. Hinkley, who? Why? Don't know. Nope, can't say he was obsessed with Jodi Foster and by shooting Reagan, he hoped to impress her. Nope, can't have that, can we? For me, it's not telling the whole story. Or what happened to Brady, or how this shooting and what happened to him, led to the Brady Bill. It's...lazy.

[Padma]

I still think its so weird that Hinckley's father and GHW Bush were old friends and their sons (Scott and Neil) even had plans for dinner together the night before or of the assassination attempt. Not suggesting a conspiracy (Bush's CIA connections notwithstanding), but certainly it was an incredibly weird "small world" connection that, even to this day, few people are aware of.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_mvsF42PQ0

Edited April 9, 2016 by Padma

[stormy]

Is it Anderson Cooper's job to rehabilitate Trump?

Every week he has a Trump town hall. This week with wife and daughter in tow.

I never tune in but it would be nice to see him spend this much time on ANY of the other candidates.

[NewDigs]

Is it Anderson Cooper's job to rehabilitate Trump?

Every week he has a Trump town hall. This week with wife and daughter in tow.

I never tune in but it would be nice to see him spend this much time on ANY of the other candidates.

Maybe CNN saw what all-Trump-all-day coverage has done to improve MSNBC ratings and has decided to join the race to the journalism bottom.

They've become no better than tabloids. imho

[GHScorpiosRule]

I'm rewatching the first episode in The Eighties and while I'm watching the piece about Murphy Brown, I'm surprised that they didn't use the clip when John F. Kennedy, Jr. played her incompetent secretary and she fired him, OR the famous clip of Dan Quayle thinking Murphy Brown was a real woman and not a fictional character, when speaking about single mothers.

[Peace 47]

I'm rewatching the first episode in The Eighties and while I'm watching the piece about Murphy Brown, I'm surprised that they didn't use the clip when John F. Kennedy, Jr. played her incompetent secretary and she fired him, OR the famous clip of Dan Quayle thinking Murphy Brown was a real woman and not a fictional character, when speaking about single mothers.

Dan Quayle's fight with Murphy Brown happened in the 90s. We can look forward to that embarrassing bit of misogyny in the next go-around of this show. Not sure about JFK. I might have been a little harsh on my assessment of the TV episode of The Eighties above. I've been run into the ground at work and may have been in a bad mood when I wrote a few critiques. I'm rewatching, too, and it's pretty entertaining.

[WendyCR72]

It was much more quippy and comedic, but I do feel that VH1 covered the 1970s and 1980s much better with their old "I Love The..." series. If some have never seen it, there are some episodes up on YT.

[Padma]

"With the crucial New York primary just days away, Anderson Cooper will host a special 'Town Hall with the Trump Family.'" Ivanka, Melania, Donald and maybe a son or two.

 

I know someone mentioned it upthread, but when you see the commercial for it, is is just so gross. Thanks a lot, Ronald Reagan, for letting the FEC get rid of the equal time rule. I really don't think    this bit of reprehensible conduct from CNN will be followed by an hour with each ofl the other candidates with their spouses, children and grandchildren.    

 

How do they get away with this? Trump's not even likeable (not really, behind the scenes) but he certainly is a master at  manipulating the media. I've never seen anyone better at it. He makes Reagan look like a pariah.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Is it Anderson Cooper's job to rehabilitate Trump?

Every week he has a Trump town hall. This week with wife and daughter in tow.

I never tune in but it would be nice to see him spend this much time on ANY of the other candidates.

 

Anderson has commented many times other candidates have declined to be interviewed either live or by phone and often don't even respond to CNN's requests!   

[stormy]

It figures.  Trump's not running for president.  It's just more of his self-promotion.

But, just because he answers the phone, doesn't mean Anderson has to answer it.

Edited April 10, 2016 by stormy

[Padma]

It figures.  Trump's not running for president.  It's just more of his self-promotion.

But, just because he answers the phone, doesn't mean Anderson has to answer it.

True. And it definitely doesn't mean they give him another hour of free media time, this one inhibited and softened by the presence of his wife and children. ("What a great family man!" So much for anyone following up on Maureen Dowd's recent question---if, as a bachelor, he'd ever dated a woman who had an abortion. Or his original answer to it, "No comment". It would be rude to ask about abortion--or a lot of other things--with Melania and Ivanka sitting right there.)

 

Luckily, the Boston Globe has an amazing front page this morning headlining events in a hypothetical Trump presidency ("Deportations to Begin"; "Markets Sink As Trade War Looms") and followed by a scathing op/ed.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/boston-globe-fake-front-page-trump-president-135232388.html  (has the links to both)

 

Even Anderson won't be able to avoid asking about that. It would be nice if he'd even hold up a copy, although I'll bet Trump just laughs it off--and gets away with doing so, with his family right there saying how he's actually, really, just going to "Make America Great Again".

Edited April 10, 2016 by Padma

[GHScorpiosRule]

It was much more quippy and comedic, but I do feel that VH1 covered the 1970s and 1980s much better with their old "I Love The..." series. If some have never seen it, there are some episodes up on YT.

 

Maybe with respect to the music and pop culture, maybe, but the politics? CNN has done a much better job with that in The Sixties and The Seventies.

[GHScorpiosRule]

GAH!

 

I really wish I knew what the hell was going on with this bloody network.

 

I was looking forward to tonight's Race to the White House because it was Clinton v. Bush. That's what it says on my cable guide. BUT, it's a repeat of the Nixon v. Kennedy. I had to adjust my recordings from new episodes only to new and repeats. Because last night the repeat of "Reagan Revolution" was described as "The AIDS Crisis" for The Eighties!

 

Maybe it will be up on Demand by the middle of the week.

 

And I find it highly ironic that CNN, which gave us Blackfish, has also now started to air the SeaWorld commercials about how they've stopped breeding and how they "can't" release the Orcas they do have, out to sea, and use what happened with Keiko as an example of what happened when they did.

 

They try to sound like they care soooo much about the Orcas. As if the didn't have any hand in the inhumane treatment of the animals.

[slensam]

I watched the Clinton/Bush episode at 9 p.m.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I watched the Clinton/Bush episode at 9 p.m.

So was I-but the one airing at 9 and which was recording was Nixon v. Kennedy on Comcast xfinity in my area.

[stormy]

Someone at CNN answers the phone.

Yesterday during her show, Fredericka Whitfield announces town halls with John Kasich and his family as well as with Ted Cruz and his family.

Edited April 11, 2016 by stormy

[Padma]

Someone at CNN answers the phone.

Yesterday during her show, Fredericka Whitfield announces town halls with John Kasich and his family as well as with Ted Cruz and his family.

I'm assuming both will also be in time for the NY primary...Excellent!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, don't I feel like an idiot! CNN aired Nixon v. Kennedy FIRST! It was a two hour recording and Clinton v. Bush aired during the second hour!

 

I can't really express why I had a huge smile on my face during the whole hour. Probably because it took me back during the campaign, and I remember how exciting it was...and yeah, though it sounds hokey/corny/take your pick, the sense of hope. I loved Bill Clinton. Still do. But watching this brought back so many memories. Some of regret that I never got to meet him personally.

 

Interesting that Matalin actually praised the campaign, and then I nodded, and thought there she IS when she stuck her finger down her throat, gagging on the song Clinton/Gore used for their campaign, but did also acknowledge how smart and effective it was.

 

I never remembered that Begala sported a beard back then. It seems he's still fond of Clinton, as is Carville. Again, huge smiles during their pieces.

 

I totally remember Bush looking down at his watch and the backlash he got for that, and also for calling Clinton and Gore "those two bozos."

 

I didn't know that a hot light nearly fell on Hillary after the 60 Minutes interview, and yeah, Clinton holding Hillary close after pulling her away from that? A very real moment.

 

I'm going to assume that George Stephanopoulos doesn't have any fond memories of Clinton? I was wondering if he would appear and what he would have to say, but, nope, no George.

 

And no lie, but I grinned when I saw Candy Crawley!

 

Maybe I'm biased, but I really liked this one.  But really, can't CNN do a single show like this and NOT include that ass, Buchanan? Is that too much to ask?

[slensam]

Well, don't I feel like an idiot! CNN aired Nixon v. Kennedy FIRST! It was a two hour recording and Clinton v. Bush aired during the second hour!

 

I can't really express why I had a huge smile on my face during the whole hour. Probably because it took me back during the campaign, and I remember how exciting it was...and yeah, though it sounds hokey/corny/take your pick, the sense of hope. I loved Bill Clinton. Still do. But watching this brought back so many memories. Some of regret that I never got to meet him personally.

 

Interesting that Matalin actually praised the campaign, and then I nodded, and thought there she IS when she stuck her finger down her throat, gagging on the song Clinton/Gore used for their campaign, but did also acknowledge how smart and effective it was.

 

I never remembered that Begala sported a beard back then. It seems he's still fond of Clinton, as is Carville. Again, huge smiles during their pieces.

 

I totally remember Bush looking down at his watch and the backlash he got for that, and also for calling Clinton and Gore "those two bozos."

 

I didn't know that a hot light nearly fell on Hillary after the 60 Minutes interview, and yeah, Clinton holding Hillary close after pulling her away from that? A very real moment.

 

I'm going to assume that George Stephanopoulos doesn't have any fond memories of Clinton? I was wondering if he would appear and what he would have to say, but, nope, no George.

 

And no lie, but I grinned when I saw Candy Crawley!

 

Maybe I'm biased, but I really liked this one.  But really, can't CNN do a single show like this and NOT include that ass, Buchanan? Is that too much to ask?

But they didn't mention "It's the economy stupid" as a factor in that race. That was the major factor in Clinton winning, not Perot.

[Dejana]

I'm going to assume that George Stephanopoulos doesn't have any fond memories of Clinton? I was wondering if he would appear and what he would have to say, but, nope, no George.

 

Didn't Stephanopoulos get pulled from moderating a debate due to it being discovered that he'd donated to the Clinton Foundation? As for his lack of participation here, he was probably busy with some Good Morning America/ABC thing. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

But they didn't mention "It's the economy stupid" as a factor in that race. That was the major factor in Clinton winning, not Perot.

 

 

Of course not! Because it's all about Perot! And that Bush Campaign director or whoever, actually thought that if not for Perot, Bush would have won. Really? Really? I'm looking at the 271 electoral votes that Clinton got to Bush's under 100. Actually, they only showed Clinton=265 to Bush's=65.  But nothing about how much Perot won. I'm too tired this morning to look it up.

 

They probably thought this was already too much Pro-Clinton.

 

I did laugh when Begala admitted they stole the stools from the second debate at the town hall meeting and replaced it with the stools they were using while rehearsing for the debate. The way Kevin Spacey's voice got all OMINOUS. Just cracked me up.

 

Didn't Stephanopoulos get pulled from moderating a debate due to it being discovered that he'd donated to the Clinton Foundation? As for his lack of participation here, he was probably busy with some Good Morning America/ABC thing. 

 

I have NO idea. All I remember is George's book coming out after the whole Lewinsky debacle, and I've never kept up with the fallout.  If they can get Jake Tapper, Lesley Stahl, to give their opinions, I'm sure George could have also, if he wanted to. Then again, I don't know what other things George is involved in, so maybe he couldn't spare the time.  I just know that at least they showed that one picture of him and Clinton with a smiling George.

 

Carville still cracks me up.

[junemeatcleaver]

I suspect Stephanopoulos wants to make himself appear as impartial and unbiased as possible and that's the root of him not wanting to comment much about the Clintons.

[Constantinople]

If not chipper, I've at least felt calm and relaxed for the last several days.

 

Then I realized I hadn't watched CNN all week.

 

Alas the streak will end tonight with the debate.