Posted on 11/08/2003 2:23:38 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
CBS didn't relegate its miniseries "The Reagans" to cable because of a critical bombardment by the conservative talk show-Internet axis. You can't buy that kind of publicity.
No, CBS had to cave because of the Ronald Reagan phenomenon -- a bond between Reagan and the American people that runs deeper and wider than CBS executives ever realized. It is a phenomenon that they probably will never understand.
The network had to expect some negative reaction. After all, any portrayal of Reagan as he suffers from Alzheimer's, unable to set the record straight, could only be seen by mainstream America as terribly unfair. Selecting the husband of Barbra Streisand, noted Republican basher and Clinton fancier, to play Reagan only added to the appearance of unfairness and impropriety.
And when Nancy Reagan, who has spent so many years caring for a dying husband, declared that airing the program would be cruel, the future of the Reagan miniseries was not really in doubt.
Of course, conservative radio and television talk-show hosts have championed other causes with little success in dissuading network executives from televising controversial programs involving American political figures. Indeed, controversy usually sells TV; get some people worked up about your show, and you get more people watching.
So it was not the ranting of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity or the opposition of Republican Party loyalists that persuaded CBS to abandon its much-touted miniseries. Instead, it was the Reagan phenomenon.
For conservatives and Republicans -- have you noticed there are a lot of those out there these days? -- Ronald Reagan wasn't just the man who restored his party and revolutionized American government. The bond with Reagan extended well beyond Republicans and conservative activists.
In fact, the Reagan phenomenon transcended the bond that typically exists between the American people and most popular former presidents. Contrary to the portrayals of revisionists, Americans remember Reagan as the man who led the nation in times of malaise and uncertainty into an era of hope and promise based on prosperity and security.
Others remember the Cold War and the nuclear threat from Soviet Union. Many have vivid memories of President Reagan calling on Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." And as the Soviet Union fell apart and the Berlin Wall came down, many Americans were glad that Reagan had been their president. People around the world, who had faced and endured daily the oppression of communism, were glad that Reagan had been America's president.
As much as what he did, people appreciated how Reagan did it. While there was a toughness in his approach, he never appeared vindictive or mean. His motives were never at issue. Even when it came to Iran-Contra, no one questioned Reagan's desire for what he believed was in the best interests of the United States.
When John W. Hinckley Jr. shot the president on March 30, 1981, the country held its breath and then smiled when word spread of his comment to surgeons: "I hope you're all Republicans." And when the Challenger disaster shocked the nation on Jan. 28, 1986, Reagan comforted wounded hearts when he quoted the poem "High Flight," bidding farewell to the astronauts as they "slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God." At Normandy, he honored America's heroes by promising that "[w]e will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared so we may always be free."
He always seemed to say what Americans wanted to say.
When Ronald Reagan said farewell in 1992, most Americans saw an old and reliable friend say goodbye. They knew that the road ahead for Reagan would be difficult and challenging. Truth be told, the relationship had become personal. And in that sense, Ronald Reagan had become more than just another political icon of the 20th century. He had become a part of the American fabric that bound a nation together through a time of uncertainty and malaise to a period of prosperity and pride. He gave the country direction when it had lost its way.
When CBS toyed with the idea of the Reagan miniseries, it unwittingly tapped into all of those emotions. And what it discovered was that the emotional bond between Ronald Wilson Reagan and the American people remains as real in 2003 as it did when he left office in 1989. While inside Hollywood types appear oblivious to its existence, and the mainstream media refuse to acknowledge its depth and breadth, CBS can now attest to the power of the Reagan phenomenon. More than anything else, Ronald Reagan loves his country. His country still loves him.
Don't believe it? Ask CBS.
Randy Evans is general counsel to U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and also to the Georgia Republican Party.
CBS was right to move it to cable -23%
CBS should have shown it as planned -39%
It should never see the screen - 38%
It's only normal for those who love him to want to defend him.
The Left just keeps digging that hole.
Who could have imagined it was so deep and slimy?
Editorially, the Constipation has no mind or heart. So, its editiorial biggies are incapable of writing something like this.
Well, I suppose we should be grateful for what bones this liberal rag throws out once in a blue moon to appear "balanced".
Leni
That, coupled with the fact their dirty little hit piece had been exposed.
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