Was there a "Fox News" back in the day?

[jamespowers]

Today the terms have been taken so far to the extreme as to become meaningless. Many conservatives of the 1960s -- Nixon, for one -- would be considered moderate or even outright liberal in many respects by the exaggerated standards of today.

NIxon WAS liberal. Wage and price controls? :doh:

 

[jamespowers]

I thought Cronkite took his reputation for neutrality and honesty seriously, and turned down many offers to endorse or appear in ads for commercial products. Am I misinformed?

Yes you are.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have always had a sneaking admiration for old Tricky Dick. He was the last New Deal president. Although I had a McGovern sticker on my school desk in 1972, had I been looking at that election thru the eyes of a 59-year-old Depression survivor, I'd very likely have voted for Nixon. But if you had called him a liberal in 1972, you'd have been laughed out of the room.

By the same token, a mainstream liberal by the standards of 1936 -- Stuart Chase, let's say -- would be an extremist radical by the standards of today, and a moderate-conservative in 1936 -- let's say Walter Lippmann -- would be a hard lefty by the standards of today. Conversely, a mainstream conservative by today's standards would be a Liberty Leaguer or an economic royalist in 1936.

 

[Redshoes51]

One very important thing to remember is that the terms "Liberal" and "Conservative" as used today can be very confusing when applied to the Era. A liberal in 1940 favored military intervention in Europe. A conservative in 1940 strenuously opposed it -- and in extreme cases, continued to oppose it even after the US entered the war. The ultra-conservative publisher Robert McCormick was a good example of this -- under his control the Chicago Tribune was widely considered to be the most antiwar, "defeatist" paper in the nation.

Today the terms have been taken so far to the extreme as to become meaningless. Many conservatives of the 1960s -- Nixon, for one -- would be considered moderate or even outright liberal in many respects by the exaggerated standards of today.

You are exactly right, Lizzie!! Definitions, meanings, intent do and have changed over time!

~shoes~

 

[hatsRme]

Possibly grist for another mill (or thread), but your reference to the McGovern sticker triggered a flashback from one earlier election. My favorite presidential "bumper sticker" (yet not necessarily favorite candidate, but I was beneath the age of reason). My (older) cousin had one of these on her VW Beetle.


Back to our regularly scheduled topic

 

[LizzieMaine]

Reminds me of 1936:

And lest anyone think that presidential campaigns were any more genteel in the thirties than they are today, FDR commented that Landon's choice of a sunflower as a campaign symbol was entirely appropriate. "Sunflowers," he pointed out, "are yellow, have a black heart, are useful only as parrot food, and always die before November."

 

[jamespowers]

I have always had a sneaking admiration for old Tricky Dick. He was the last New Deal president. Although I had a McGovern sticker on my school desk in 1972, had I been looking at that election thru the eyes of a 59-year-old Depression survivor, I'd very likely have voted for Nixon. But if you had called him a liberal in 1972, you'd have been laughed out of the room.

By the same token, a mainstream liberal by the standards of 1936 -- Stuart Chase, let's say -- would be an extremist radical by the standards of today, and a moderate-conservative in 1936 -- let's say Walter Lippmann -- would be a hard lefty by the standards of today. Conversely, a mainstream conservative by today's standards would be a Liberty Leaguer or an economic royalist in 1936.

They change the definitions to hide their intent. lol lol They still have the same intent they did from the very beginning but they call it something different every 25 to 30 years to confuse the public. lol lol
I like the term Economic Royalist. If The Wheeled Satan would have called me that in 1936; I would wear it as a badge of honor. lol lol

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yeah, baby.

 

[jamespowers]

Yeah, baby.

I see Skynet dug up some dead bodes in those Terminator movies. :rofl:

 

[hatsRme]

A terrific example of "the spin" before it was called political spin? Clever, creative, well-aimed.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A terrific example of "the spin" before it was called political spin? Clever, creative, well-aimed.

FDR was without question the first Twentieth Century President. He understood that he had no chance of getting his message across thru the newspapers of his day, which were dominated by his enemies, so he used radio to bring his message directly to the people. His opponents never understood how to do this -- Hoover was an awful radio speaker, with a droning, monotone voice that went on and on and on, and Landon wasn't any better. Willkie was a small improvement, but no match for the master, and Dewey came across like a department store floorwalker. Frankly, no Republican candidate understood how to use electronic media until Reagan -- and every technique he used, he learned from Roosevelt. When Ronnie was still faking his way thru recreated Cubs games in Iowa, Roosevelt was the original Great Communicator.

Listen to FDR's "Little Dog Fala" speech or his "Martin, Barton, and Fish" speech sometime -- not only was he dynamic on the air, he was also savagely, savagely funny.

 

[Harp]

Frankly, no Republican candidate understood how to use electronic media until Reagan -- and every technique he used, he learned from Roosevelt. When Ronnie was still faking his way thru recreated Cubs games in Iowa, Roosevelt was the original Great Communicator.

....why drag the Cubs into this?[huh]

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ronnie never would have become a star if he'd called White Sox games. Even then the Cubbies had a mystique.

Reagan used to always tell that story about how he lost the wire during a game once and had the batter foul off twelve pitches before the connection was restored. Red Barber once chided him fiercely for that, calling it unprofessional, dishonest reporting and telling him he should have simply told his listeners the truth. But, alas, Red Barber was never elected president.

 

[Harp]

Ronnie never would have become a star if he'd called White Sox games. Even then the Cubbies had a mystique.

Most definitelyabsolutelytrue. :eusa_clap
....The Sox ain't got nuthin'.