American History

‘Best Of Enemies’ — The 1968 Event That Launched Modern TV News

Posted on January 31, 2016 by CharlieClaywell


Getting an accurate source of information is difficult in the United States. Although news organizations seldom hide their political slant anymore parsing out the truth from the various agencies is, even for the most diligent viewer, a difficult task. Some even claim fact-checking sites are biased.

But it was a singular TV event that launched our modern world of pundit TV – the concept of bringing on two guests with opposing viewpoints onto a show — and then asking questions designed to create to lively debate. It makes for great TV since the guests are usually entertaining.

The beginning of this modern news approach is captured in the film Best of Enemies. The film is currently available on Netflix.

A Year Of Turmoil

The year is 1968 – one of the most critical, turning points in modern American history – and the players on the stage are two intellectual men – one from the left, author Gore Vidal, and one from the right, William Buckley Jr., founder and editor of the National Review.

Best_of_EnemiesSetting The Stage

The film is built around a series of debates that ABC news held during the GOP and Democrat presidential conventions in 1968. ABC was the third ranking TV company in the country – and a very low-ranking third at best. Since they could not compete with CBS or NBC – they decided to abort the standard approach of gavel-to-gavel convention coverage and try something new. They invited Buckley and Vidal to commentate on the conventions. What unfolded on camera was the increasing disgust the men felt for each other.

Behind The Scenes

If the film only covered the debates, it would quickly mire in a he said-he said event that most Americans have grown accustomed to. But the film also pulls in the events of 1968 – like the police brutality in Chicago and the changing rhetoric and language concerning race – and provides biographical sketches of the two men. Buckley, of course, largely through his publication is credited with creating the Ronald Reagan constituency while Vidal became one of the most provocative and successful novelists of his generation. Both men were well-connected with high ranking politicians including presidents. Both men viewed the other as the personification of everything that was wrong in the United States.

Hatred Explodes On Air

The climax of the film is the final debate between the two men. An exchange becomes very heated during a discussion concerning the police brutality in Chicago. The confrontation quickly moves from politics to personal when Vidal calls Buckley a crypto-Nazi and Buckley comes unglued. After calling Vidal a [expletive] queer Buckley threatens to punch Vidal. All of this unfolds on live TV – relatively tame by today’s standards.

In The End

The men continued to spar publically after the incident — both writing print pieces about the meltdown — and Buckley filed a defamation suit against Vidal over Vidal’s article. Vidal filed a countersuit. After the event, Buckley launched a successful TV show and Vidal continued to write — although his fame began to falter in the 1980s.

Who Should Watch It?

If you are not interested in political theory and the forces that create it, then don’t watch the film. However, if you are interested in how TV news became pundit-based, it’s worth watching. The film looks at how a ABS’s desire to improve ratings forever changed the way Americans received their news.

Rated 4 out of 5

Although I am not a Buckley fan, I did feel that the film was slanted somewhat against him and his position. But, in the film’s defense, Buckley is not necessarily a likeable person. In live footage, he comes across as arrogant, conceited and, in general, very unpleasant with a condescending attitude. Vidal, on the other hand, in the live footage is more polished, but it did appear (I did not count minutes) that Vidal was given more time (via interviews) to expound on his belief that Buckley’s ideology was undermining and destroying the democratic process in America.

Categories: American History, movies | Tags: , , ,

Former Students Carry On Legacy Of Teacher Who Died In Space Shuttle Explosion

Posted on January 28, 2016 by CharlieClaywell

ChristaMcAuliffeAs hard as it is for me to believe, today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Christa McAuliffe — the teacher selected to be the first civilian in space — who tragically died along with six others in the Challenger space shuttle explosion. Several stories are running today remembering the event.

  1. 30 years ago, Christa McAuliffe’s dream became the country’s nightmare: This short article includes images of McAuliffe with her two children. The kids, Scott and Caroline (8 and 5 years old when the explosion occurred) were onsite that day. In fact, Scoot’s entire third grade class were on hand. The report also includes quotes from a close friend.
  2. Christa McAuliffe, first teacher in space, continues to inspire: This story is told from a very unique perspective. It tells the story of a few of McAuliffe’s social study students who are teachers today. One of those previous students, Tammy Hickey said,

“As a teacher now, I know that I want to show respect and show my students that I care. I can say to emulate how she was, would be a service to these kids for sure.”

A Major Malfulnction

One of the first posts I wrote on this blog was about the disaster. An excellent book, written about the accident, Challenger : A Major Malfunction : A True Story of Politics, Greed, and the Wrong Stuff, includes the story of the relatively unknown Roger Boisjoly. Boisjoly predicted the explosion — and as an O-Ring expert his opinion should have mattered.

But, unfortunately it was a case of upper management:

  • Asking the wrong question
  • Wanting to please a customer (NASA)
  • Requiring hard data — instead of an expert opinion — from Boisjoly.

The data didn’t exist, Boisjoly’s concerns were overridden and — just as he predicted the night before the launch — the event was catastrophic.

Did NASA Learn Anything?

Of course, when another space shuttle disaster occurred in 2003, it caused many at the time, and since, to question what was really learned in the Challenger disaster. One article posted today takes a look at that question.

Categories: American History, Americans Who Got It Right, Current Events | Tags: ,

‘Love & Hate In Jamestown’ Highlights Power Struggles Among Key Players

Posted on January 27, 2016 by CharlieClaywell

loveandhateinjamestownIn my effort to better understand my heritage I read a wide range of book styles and lengths, and I always appreciate a fast, to-the-point, concise read.

Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation by David A. Price fits the bill perfectly. Although I am familiar with the Jamestown story at a bare-bones level, after reading the book I have a much better understanding of all the key players in the British American settlement.

Price examines the major disagreements and episodes that defined – and at times – almost destroyed the colony. Jamestown’s history is often romanticized as is Captain John Smith’s rescue by Pocahontas – but Price effectively bypasses this approach and gets down to the essentials.

Individualism Is Born

One trait often equated with ‘being American’ is individualism. Ralph Waldo Emerson highlights the trait in Self Reliance. But as Price shows through the various events of Smith’s life, plenty of labels could be attached to Smith. He was a soldier, a planner, an instigator, to name a few, but his most enduring trait was his individualism. This ability to rely on his own skills and intellect led him to the brink of death several times, but it also carved out his rightful place in history.

Do What Needs To Be Done

Smith was pragmatic and not idealistic. During the Colony’s era that was grimly named the Starving Time, Smith details his irritation and disdain for the gentlemen class – the bulk of the colonists – by blandly noting the men had resigned themselves to their fate (death) instead of working to survive. This underscores why Smith butts heads with investors back home in London. He quickly tired of the Company’s protocol of sending gentlemen to the colony instead of skilled and unskilled laborers. The colony almost died out because of this policy. Smith not only engaged in manual labor, he went on expeditions, mingled with the natives — learning their languages and customs at a rudimentary level. It was largely through his efforts that the colony survived those first few years.

Colonial Myth

Long ago I tired of the argument that the Founding Fathers believed this or that — or the Constitution says this or that, because the words seem to come from people who have neither read the Constitution nor could name 10 Founding Fathers. Books like Love & Hate – and Albion’s Seed — provide a clearer understanding of America’s beginning. Despite modern politicians and their followers assertions that America was founded on (fill in the blank), in the beginning the British American colonies were filled with a plethora of ideas, philosophies and often contradictory agendas.

In Jamestown, the goal of the Virginia Company was gold. It was not religious freedom or democracy. It was simply a business venture complete with advertising and marketing materials that highlighted the good and omitted the bad. When the venture failed to produce a profit and investors were no longer supplying money — the Company began a lottery.

John Smith’s Legacy

Oddly enough, the Jamestown experience was a small blip in Smith’s life – although one he always cherished. After he left the colony in 1609, Smith returned to Britain and over the course of several decades wrote numerous books about New England. He never lost his love for the region – always promoting its merits. His last attempt to come back to North America in 1617 was thwarted by bad weather.

He died fourteen years later, in 1631, at the age of 51.

Rated 5 out of 5. This is a nice, quick read filled with the significant episodes of Jamestown’s history. Although the book is heavily researched, the footnotes are not intrusive, and the author includes several pages at the end explaining — and often dispelling — common theories about the Colony.

Trivia

Smith never married and he had no children.

Categories: American History, Books I have read, Colonial Era, Colonial Period | Tags: