After the first-ever televised presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1960, a survey in Philadelphia famously found that TV viewers deemed Kennedy the winner, while radio listeners favored Nixon. In reality, the poll in question was shoddy and unreliable (even if Nixon’s sweaty, unshaven mug had looked gruesome on the small screen). But that… return to article
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Reader Comments (2)Page 1 of 1 pagesThe first Nixon/Kennedy debate is available for viewing at The Museum of Broadcast History in Chicago’s old public library.
“...all the social upheavals of the ’60s were making vast swaths of Middle America susceptible to a new brand of right-wing cultural populism.” For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Just watch this November.)
I would like to see some better descriptive adjectives replace Liberal and Conservative, since Democrats are no more liberating in their proposals than Republicans — they just want to ban, regulate and punish from different lists. Republicans have long ago ceased to conserve anything worthwhile like: the dollar, our jobs, US prestige — need I go on?
Perhaps there is a dictionary which I am missing, but (in addition to the above) words, terms and data being tossed around daily seem to have little in common with reality — free enterprise, free trade, inflation, strong dollar, AAA rated, good economy…
Posted by whattheheck on Jun 13, 2008 at 12:58 PM Hi Ho!
My, My, My !
I’ve been away for a while—graduate school!
Can we say anything nicer about Nixon than that he is dead and that all he showed us was a blueprint for American fascism?
Without Nixon and his much deserved humiliation, we would not have gotten Reagan and his home-spun analogies that nearly led us to nuclear war with the Soviets. In the meantime, Bush the elder let his buddies wreck the savings and loans.
Now we have president Rain Man and our never-ending war in Iraq, born of fears of treason if one objected and stoked by fears of being weak on defense.
The fascist right was not hit hard enough when they first betrayed the American people! That is why they are still around! Because the Democrats lack testicular fortitude will be why the fascists will linger and poison political discourse! Unfortunately, our lax FCC laws,weakened by Republicans, have allowed the fascists their own TV network from which they can confuse, obfuscate, and otherwise spin any topic that they see fit.
It can’t happen here?
Well, it sure did!
Thanks Rupert Murdoch!
Tabloid TV sank our journalism, and now the media hoi polloi tell us what to think! Great!
Ta-Ta !
Posted by Aunty Rightwing on Jun 16, 2008 at 7:22 AM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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