Burnt Orange Report

Jim, are you a parent? Because there is a scene in "The Reagans" where Nancy slaps her child in the face. The incident is completely unfounded; even the scriptwriter acknowledges it to be a complete fabrication. How would you feel if a television network broadcast to the world a lie that you had abused your own child? I hope attorneys are preparing the libel suit against CBS as we speak.

As for boycotts and such, they are only intended to bring attention to the distortions. Those who demonize Reagan already believe much worse lies than those which will be portrayed. Those who know better will not be misled by CBS. And the "regular people"? Given they will be the sort of people who supported two Reagan landslide electoral victories, I am confident that this will result in nothing but serious blowback for CBS and Babs.

Excuse me for asking an obvious question, but have you seen this movie? I'm just curious about the accusations of "demonizing" for an untelevised movie.

Granted, I have little use for television "docudramas" or tv in general, and I wouldn't look to it for historical accuracy. Every modern president has had to deal with this kind of personal history that is based on rumors and fiction.

People are upset because the movie shows that Reagan may have suffered Alzheimer's as early as 1984. Imagine that . . . Reagan may have had symptoms of a disease that he actually has.

They get upset that he is quoted as being indifferent to AIDS. Yet, Reagan hardly mentioned AIDS publicly until 1985 after Rock Hudson's death and not again until 1987. Folks ushur forth Kmiec, but, as Lou Cannon wrote in a biography of Reagan, "In the critical years of 1984 and 1985, according to his White House physician Dr. John Hutton, Reagan thought of AIDS as though ?it was measles and would go away.?" And, according to Hutton, Reagan did eventually change his mind. Yet, this is called "the most egregious distortion."

The movie scene is different than Hutton's quote, but it doesn' appear that radically different in attitude. The reasoning is different, but the net result is the same.

But I realize that conservatives have a victim complex, and they need the distraction of this drama in light of all going wrong with conservative politics these days.

I hope this makes conservatives feel better.

Maybe Brolin did try out for the role to notch up some points with Babs?

CBS is coming to their senses:

As more Reagan supporters begin mounting boycott efforts, CBS President and CEO Les Moonves says the network is adjusting the script of its upcoming miniseries on the former president and his wife to present a more balanced view.

"Crushing of dissent"? Snort! More likely, a brief on potential libel suit from CBS lawyers...guess they will have to restrain their fabricated Reagan-bashing at least enough to avoid being sued.

Political correctness hypocrites are such fun.

In "Dutch," Reagan's authorized biography, the author, Edmund Morris, writes that Reagan once said of AIDS, "Maybe the Lord brought down this plague," because "illicit sex is against the Ten Commandments."

That's the *authorized* biography, folks.

As for the pill popping, try Patti Davis's book "The Way I See It."

But, hey, unless it's an apotheosis of Reagan, boycott the movie!

I wonder where the right-wing defenders of the truth were when Clinton was being accused of offing political opposition and being in the pocket of cocaine smugglers.

I wonder where the right-wing defenders of the truth were when Clinton was being accused of offing political opposition and being in the pocket of cocaine smugglers.

Damn! How did I miss that CBS miniseries!? Is it available on DVD??

In "Dutch," Reagan's authorized biography, the author, Edmund Morris, writes that Reagan once said of AIDS, "Maybe the Lord brought down this plague," because "illicit sex is against the Ten Commandments."

That's the *authorized* biography, folks.

Authorized, regrettably. And fictionalized, including that statement.

Mark, please try again.

First, nowhere does that article dispute that statement. It's a crappy book. Since when has that bothered conservatives?

Second, the Salon article only reinforces the point of the criticized scene.

"When someone serious finally writes a comprehensive account of the Reagan administration, that author will also rectify what is surely this volume's single most glaring failure: Morris' inability to take any interest in an issue unless it was one Reagan himself was interested in. The greatest medical crisis of Reagan's administration was also the greatest medical crisis in America of the past 50 years: the explosive onset of the AIDS epidemic, which became a public-policy concern in the very first year that Reagan was president. Reagan's inability to confront this issue -- he couldn't even bring himself to utter the word "AIDS" in public until his sixth year in office -- was one of the greatest scandals of his administration. "

As for your response to Gaines, you really are reaching. Besides, there were the video tapes about Clinton the murderer that Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh were hawking.

Obviously, you have great esteem for CBS miniseries.

There were things to admire about Reagan. There is much to criticize him for, as well. But, hey, we live in a politically correct country. So, don't talk bad about Reagan.

As for your response to Gaines, you really are reaching.

Lessee...a few thousand right wing Clinton-haters visiting a web site versus 25 million viewers of a depiction sanctioned by the Columbia Broadcasting System (Uncle Walter Cronkite's network!)...sure, same thing.

Let's see, 20 million Rush listeners and the 700 Club reaches 90 million homes . . . .

Oh wait, I forgot to add Falwell, who peddled the video, too. Even if folks didn't see the video, they heard the accusations.

I find it amusing that Christian groups and stores pushed this video (and continue to do so). What was that commandment thing about bearing false witness? I thought it was just a monument in Alabama.

You're funny, Mark. I like you.

Let's see, 20 million Rush listeners and the 700 Club reaches 90 million homes . . . .

Wow, 100% sales rate for that video! Get that man on the phone!

Tell you what, call an ad executive and ask him how much he'd pay for an ad on CBS during Sweeps Week versus an ad on the Rush Limbaugh radio show or the 700 Club - that should pretty much end this debate.

Gorsh, I like you, too, Tx Bubba.

I'll tell you what, Mark. Go ask how many people believed or at least entertained the idea that Clinton had people killed. Notice that I said even though people didn't buy the video, they heard the accusations (again and again and again). And the real topic here is defamation, not the medium and not whether they sat and watched or read the whole thing. It is the exposure to and currency of a portrayal.

Where I live and work, it was a common opinion, even among conservatives that I respected as discerning. I went to a hardware store where my mom lives and the owner had posted a list on the front door of Clinton's "murders." A guy at work had a similar list on his door. I listened to lunch conversations about Clinton murdering Vince Foster.

I doubt that folks are going to talk about Reagan as the anti-christ or Nancy as an addict after this miniseries.

I'll tell you what, Mark.

What you've told me, by your equation of CBS with Rush/700 Club in forming public opinion, is that they are equally biased in ideological terms. Thanks for admitting the network media is liberal.

What you've told me, by your equation of CBS with Rush/700 Club in forming public opinion, is that they are equally biased in ideological terms. Thanks for admitting the network media is liberal.

Mark, you really are a poor reader if you extract degrees of ideology out of statements about influence.

Wow, Mark's response is the most obvious dodge of the issue I've seen since . . . well, the last presidential press conference.