A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....11-06-03...CBS, The Reagan Mini-series and the '04 Democrats

Billie; JohnHuang2 | JohnHuang2

[Billie]

CBS, The Reagan Mini-series and the '04 Democrats

by JohnHuang2

CBS, ending a remarkably successful promotion campaign to boost ratings for a mini-series, pulled the plug on the mini-series, "The Reagans." The film portrays the 40th President as a right-wing nutcase and an idiot. CBS for weeks denied the portrayal was unfair or distorted the Reagan legacy. Besides, experts said attacking a dying President who can't defend himself as a nutcase and an idiot was a brilliant move by CBS. The more controversy, the better. There's no such thing as bad publicity, these brilliant experts observed.

CBS says its move to cancel the mini-series and move it to Showtime had nothing to do with the growing public backlash. It's just a coincidence, really! Part of CBS's remarkably successful promotion campaign to boost ratings for the mini-series, originally set to air midway into November ratings sweeps. Airing it before a smaller cable audience was all part of the plan to show the movie to the widest audience possible.

Although CBS maintained publicly the movie was fair and accurate, CBS tried some last-minute editing, probably ending up with 2 minutes worth of film after the unfairness and inaccuracies were removed. The 4-hour mini-series got mini-er and mini-er, becoming a mini-mini-miniseries. A two-minute mini-series? CBS now says that, although "producers have sources to verify each scene in the script" (even completely bogus scenes have sources!), the film "does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans" and that we here at CBS just found out about it. CBS denied any culpability and vowed to find the real un-balancers! Producers say CBS authorized the script.

CBS claims all it wanted was a love story about the Reagans and was surprised that a bunch of Left-wing Hollywood producers, who see Reagan as a nutcase and an idiot, would portray Reagan as a nutcase and an idiot. Nobody thought this could possibly happen.

Some say CBS's decision to pull the plug is dangerous. It's dangerous that powerful media corporations can't act like powerful media corporations any longer, facing a system of checks-and-balances with the public and advertisers in a free market place. That's never happened before! It's just not fair -- the public should pick on somebody its own size.

Meanwhile, the AP reports that "Democrats are struggling to find a message and messenger to challenge President Bush, who appears vulnerable on major issues."

Bush appears so vulnerable that his job approval rating has climbed back up to 56 percent, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll found. If this is vulnerability, I don't know how much more vulnerability Democrats can stand. Democrats have been struggling to find a message and messenger to challenge Bush only since approximately March 2, 1999, when then Governor Bush announced formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Bush grew so Vulnerable afterwards that he won the presidency the following year.

Released Sunday, the Washington Post poll, which the Washington Post called evidence of just how Vulnerable Bush is, also shows Bush Vulnerability taking its toll on '04 Democrats, with dean of Metrosexuals Howard Dean, front-runner for the nomination with 17 percent, trailing Bush, 54 percent to 39 percent. Tired former Army Gen. Wesley Clark, in 3th place with 14 percent, doesn't fare much better, trailing Bush by 12 points, 52 percent to 40 percent. For Democrats, stuck hopelessly in Bush Vulnerability, relief appears nowhere in sight. (Bush Vulnerability eased a bit the prior week, a Quinnipiac University poll showing a tightening contest, with Dean trailing Bush by only 6 percentage points, 48%-42%. But with Bush Vulnerability rebounding strongly by the middle of the week, as reflected in the Post poll, the respite for Democrats proved short-lived).

Embattled Democrats hotly reject suggestions they're bogged down in Bush Vulnerability, insisting they're making wonderful progress and that falling polls and public apathy towards Dean and the others don't mean a thing. Besides, the problem may boil down to lack of name recognition. For example, does anyone doubt that Joe Lieberman, who trails Bush, 53 percent to 40 percent, trails Bush because no one's ever heard of Joe Lieberman? It's not as though he's ever run nationally before, say, as running mate on Gore's spine-tinglingly exciting ticket in 2000. But just wait till people learn of this electrifying, thrilling candidate!

The unwelcomed poll numbers caps off an especially bloody week for the Metrosexual Nine, marked by squabbling and bickering over the Confederate flag, gun racks and other pre-eminent issues. Dean drew fire from rivals after saying in an interview in Iowa that he, though Metrosexual, still wants "to be the candidate for the guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks." (Guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks could not be reached for comment). Dean told the Des Moines Register that "We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross section of Democrats." Dean, having ripped rivals for being "Bush-lite," wants to bring southern voters back in the Democrat fold by being Bush-lite. Even expert observers have caught on, brilliantly noting that Dean's remarks about pickup trucks could be an appeal to southern voters, as opposed to subway commuters in New York or residents of Beverly Hills. As savvy readers can glean from Dean's comments about a bunch of guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks, integral to Dean's brilliant Southern Strategy is to avoid pigeonholing southern voters as a bunch of guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. Or that working white families in the south are dumb and racist. Besides, says Dean, there's a good reason why they're dumb and racist: Republicans, who trick "working white families in the south (into) voting for tax cuts for the richest 1 percent while their children remain with no health care" by appealing to race. It's a "cornerstone of Republican politics for the last three decades," said Dean.

Dean denies his Southern Strategy stereotypes working white families in the south by calling working white families in the south a bunch of hicks with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks, who hate blacks so much they'd rather vote for rich Republicans than tolerant, big-hearted liberals like himself, even if voting for rich Republicans means letting their children go without health-care.

Dean's Confederate flag comments ignited a firestorm of criticism from rivals, however.

Clark, who saved us from real imminent threats like China's Embassy in Yugoslavia, blasted Dean, saying "Every Democratic candidate for president needs to condemn the divisiveness the Confederate flag represents." "Every Democratic candidate for president" would not include Clark -- or has Clark already changed party registration ('Independent' to Old Europe Democrat)? To be fair, Clark, for days, hasn't changed his stance on an issue -- a record for Clark.

Gephardt blasted Dean, saying Dean seeks the votes of people "who disagree with us on bedrock Democratic values on civil rights." These bedrock Democratic values include the belief that Bobby Byrd shares these bedrock Democratic values, which hold that blacks and Latinos are stupid and need racial quotas to compete with intellectually superior whites.

Lieberman (whoever he is) said through spokesman Craig Smith (whoever he is) that Dean "ought to be more careful about what he says." "Says" but not what he *thinks*? With Dean, no need to worry about thinking; the towering intellect from Vermont rarely does any.

Al Sharpton also blasted Dean, accusing Dean of harboring an "anti-black agenda." Any good liberal racial-healer knows real racial-healing always begins with an anti-white agenda. Sharpton's tireless efforts at uniting the races include inciting race riots and leading angry mobs to picket Jewish-owned stores. And hanging out with Louis Farrakhan. Sharpton denies his race-baiting is race-baiting.

Kerry also blasted Dean, calling his comments of wanting the votes of guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks "simply unconscionable." He also accused Dean of harboring sympathy for the NRA, a subversive group that millions and millions of Americans have joined. Kerry said that the way to fight this group, whose cells of 2nd Amendment-believers are spread across the country, is to vote for Kerry, who goes pheasant hunting using a 12-gauge shotgun -- a bid for the votes of guys with gun racks in their pickup trucks. Kerry, pandering to the anti-gun lobby, accused Dean of pandering to the 'gun-lobby.'

As for tonight's CNN debate, my snoring drowned out the sound, so I missed it. ;-)

Anyway, that's...

My two cents

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 11-03-03 Military Monday 11-04-03 S.Dakota - Great Faces, Great Places 11-05-03 FReeper Kitties & More (Calpernia)

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[Donaeus]

Good morning LadyX...mah long lost looney, er eccentric, aunt! Heheheh

I'll second the motion for "Hooray for King John Day!" Do we have a third? We only need one more to make it official. :)

I agree with you 110% on your analysis on CBS et al. Very well said!

A couple of things that occured to me while I was reading: 1) Even as a two minute mini-series CBS's piece doesn't have the level of credibility of an infomercial. 2) Now Showtime viewers get to pay to watch garbage mainstream viewers would have seen for free--sounds like someone's getting ripped of.

[Donaeus]

Good morning Meek! In our neck of the woods that hot coffee sure is nice, isn't it? But I'm loving this cooler weather.

[Donaeus]

How thoughtful of you! That was a wonderful idea and I'm sure they were all proud to get them. Thank you for the link and the permission to print. I'll have to whip my HP Inkjet into shape now! :) I noticed the composition and thought they'd look great printed. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

[Calpernia]

Good morning to the Finest!

[lonestar]

Another worth 2 bits. Writing and art work.

[Donaeus]

Good morning Calpernia! :)

[Calpernia]

If CBS didn't try to sell the Reagan Story as "based on a true story"; if they made it clear in the beginning and end of the show that the Reagan story was fiction....does anyone think that it would have been a problem?

A radio show yesterday is spinning that it was right wing conspirators that shut it down. The radio show was claiming that the FCC, via Powell, was censoring free speech.

I'm not too sure I would have had a problem with the Reagan show if it wasn't spun as 'based on a true story'. I do have a problem with lies. But I also have a problem with that bug in my ear the radio broadcast gave me about the FCC and censorship.

Is this censorship now? Was it the FCC? Or was it public backlash to keep a respected figure from being smeared?

[Calpernia]

Billie, that is beautiful.

Is that a sketch you scanned into the computer? Or were you able to draw that in photoshop?

I really envy that talent. I'm such a handicapped artist. I see things, I know what works, I have tremendous creative ideas...yet I lack the hand to make it happen.

I'm so thrilled to see my daughter seems to have the creative hand as well as the perception.

[Calpernia]

Are they all getting plastic surgery?

[Calpernia]

Hi Doneaus! How are you this fine morning?

[Billie]

Good morning, oh lady of the Dear John letters. :)

[Billie]

Hi, Meekie - can tell you're having much fun captioning pics, etc.! These are such great pics of Dean - and yep! there's got that perpetual grin/smirk on his face. :)

[Donaeus]

I'm doing very well thanks. :) How are you and your crew?

[Billie]

Hi, Meekie - can tell you're having much fun captioning pics, etc.! These are such great pics of Dean - and yep! there's got that perpetual grin/smirk on his face. :) Oh, great! Don't look, T Man! Should be just "there's that perpetual...."

[Billie]

Good morning to Calpernia. :)

[Billie]

Aw, thanks, lonestar. How're you doing?

[The Thin Man]

Airing it before a smaller cable audience was all part of the plan to show the movie to the widest audience possible.

You have to hand it to CBS's marketing gurus. Utter genius! :-)

Great job, John!

[LadyX]

G'day to everyone!

Had to get in my weekly 'Dear John' letter before hitting the road to Aiken...
Will be back this afternoon, late - or at least in the evenng.

Cooking spaghetti sauce now, so it will be easy to heat when I return, and dinner will not greatly delay getting here. ..:))

[The Thin Man]

Billie, I have to admit that for a change your graphics didn't detract from the essay. :-)

[Billie]

It was scanned from a sketch - I can't do that kind of drawing in any program - Registered asked me the same thing, but for one thing, I'm left-handed, and I do all my editing and everything using my right hand with my mouse, but I don't even have a clue how I could create an original like that online. I do have to finesse it a bit after I scan it, because pencil shading doesn't always scan well. Some of those I scanned and posted are proof of that! (That, plus at the time, my monitor was going bad, and everything *I* saw was darker than what most people were seeing. I now see lots of yucky shadings in many of them - the dark suits, for example, look fine in the originals, butare splotchy when scanned, and I didn't get most of that stuff fixed)