The Observation Deck

One of my favorite movies is "Face In The Crowd".

Andy Griffith gives an inspired performance as a glib media star with political ambitions. As I wathched it last night I couldn't help but think that this Elia Kazan classic has a great deal of relevance in today's political environment.

One of the characters in the movie is advising a presidential candidate to use clever slogans like "Time for a change" and "Mess in Washington".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Face_in_the_Crowd

Griffith only had one other starring role (No Time For Sergants). I'm not sure why. His ferocious performance in this film shows talent and depth that most people didn't think existed.

If you are a fan of old movies give it a try. It's worth your time.

The Andy Griffith Show always had great ethical lessons.

Two of the episodes stand out:

1. Some Soviet Diplomats are in town to meet with American Diplomats. Barney fails to book them a hotel. Andy comes through and they all bunk down at the same house. In the middle of the night they both raid the fridge for some leftover fried chicken. This helps them relate to each other, and they talk about how great it is to not nuke each other.

2. An obnoxious kid is getting Opie and the other kids to throw tantrums and break stuff. The boys father is oblivious until Andy reveals the truth. Andy gives the father the use of a wood shed.

Here's what Andy Griffith had to say about the 2008 presidential election:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed ... ry-winkler

I always loved the AG Show. There was one I hadn't seen before until we introduced this show to our then 8 year old daughter on TV Land. The episode was a "rich people are people too" episode. Andy gets an opportunity to go and have dinner with rich folk and he isn't sure how to dress or act but we learn through it a valuable lesson: rich people are just like the homespun folks of Mayberry...just richer. Hilarious and weird.

A significantly better one that I also don't remember from when I watched it as a youngin' was the one where Aunt Bea creates a successful commercial for some product and gets a chance to film her own commercial selling it. they want homespun, she gives them over the top acting and hilarity ensues. Not sure what the lesson was but I sure did want to buy that product after the show.

I haven't heard it in a long time but I remember listening to some Andy Griffith stand up routines and if I recall they were funny and "aw shucks" on the surface but some good social commentary underneath. A kind of latter day Roy Rogers. I also recall he had a funny bit about Shakespeare but again it was a looong time ago since I heard that one.

He was great stuff.

A Face in the Crowd foreshadows the rise of the NeoCons and modern radio and cable news conservatives. Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Dr.Laura. The lesson from the movie is to imagine the audience as giant dollar bills, rather than gullible pissed off stooges willing to buy whatever you sell them.

Thomas Frank contrasts the modern right-leaning populists with the left-leaning Populists of 100 years ago in his book "What's the Matter with Kansas": When the plant or mill closes down, they join the John Birch Society. When two female rock stars kiss on tv, outraged viewers vote to lower their taxes.

ryan costa wrote:1. Some Soviet Diplomats are in town to meet with American Diplomats. Barney fails to book them a hotel. Andy comes through and they all bunk down at the same house. In the middle of the night they both raid the fridge for some leftover fried chicken. This helps them relate to each other, and they talk about how great it is to not nuke each other.

I preferred Ronald Reagan's statement on how he viewed our relationship with the Soviet Union: " We win, they lose".

How soon we forget, Bill, that the McCain/Palin campaign was all about "change" and "reform."

These two clever clogans come right from their official campaign Web site.

"John McCain and Sarah Palin don't just talk about change ... they deliver."

"America is hungry for change."

Campaigns are made up of clever slogans? Stop the presses, Bill.

Bill Call wrote:I preferred Ronald Reagan's statement on how he viewed our relationship with the Soviet Union: " We win, they lose".

What did we win? What did the Soviet Union lose?

Human history, especially that of Geo-political/economic superpowers, is one never-ending game of "King-Of-The-Mountain." We are merely the current hill-toppers, getting pushed from 3 sides, with new participants always ready to pile-on. The neat thing about technology is that we can document to the day when we pushed the Soviets off our shared perch. The Dutch, in the 17th century and the British, in the 19th century - one day, they woke up and realized they weren't as relevant, but no one was telling them about it, prior to, or after the fact, 24/7, in 12 different mass media. The questions are: How will that moment appear to us, will we recognize it, and how will we react?

ryan costa wrote:

Bill Call wrote:I preferred Ronald Reagan's statement on how he viewed our relationship with the Soviet Union: " We win, they lose".

What did we win? What did the Soviet Union lose?

I had an argument with someone who once told me that Gorbochov won the cold war. So I asked him if instead of the history of the collapse of the Soviet Union we had the contra history of:

The United States is split into 35 different countries ruled by the communits dictatorships, Western Europe joins the Warsaw Pact and embraces the dictatorship of the protoletariet, countries throughout the world embrace communism and there are only one or two democracies left in the world would you say:

Ronald Reagan won the cold war?

What did we win? History as it was instead of the history as it might have been.

Of course, since Ronald Reagan we have been stuck with two complete idiots (both named Bush) for President. Im sure that the last few years have made some people long for the cold war they use to fear.

Each victory brings new challenges. We are less and less capable of meeting those challenges.

One of the ironies of politics is that after Reagan the best few years of government were those of Bill Clinton and the Republican Congress. Go figure.

"A Face in the Crowd" is also one of my favorite movies and I whole-heartedly concur with the assessment of Griffith's performance.

Bill, you are shameless.

Bill Call wrote:

ryan costa wrote:

Bill Call wrote:I preferred Ronald Reagan's statement on how he viewed our relationship with the Soviet Union: " We win, they lose".

What did we win? What did the Soviet Union lose?

Ronald Reagan won the cold war?

What did we win? History as it was instead of the history as it might have been.

Of course, since Ronald Reagan we have been stuck with two complete idiots (both named Bush) for President. Im sure that the last few years have made some people long for the cold war they use to fear.

Each victory brings new challenges. We are less and less capable of meeting those challenges.

One of the ironies of politics is that after Reagan the best few years of government were those of Bill Clinton and the Republican Congress. Go figure.

all clinton did was reverse some of reagan's tax cuts, and ride the wake of the tech stock boom and internet craze. After decades of America and other governments pouring enormous funding and contracting dollars into computer technology and communications and higher education engineering programs it advanced enough for the private sector to have something to work with.

The spectre of the Soviet Union isn't an example of what the United States could have turned into or would have turned into without Reagan.

Reagans tax cuts were not intertwined with Reagan's Federal Reserve perpetually cutting interest rates, or his raising regressive income taxes(fica) on guys like Joe the Plumber.

Reagan enabled a revolution of wall street liquidators and outsourcers. There was a lot more to liquidate back then without forfeiting so much real economic clout on the world stage.

While it is possible the U.S. may collapse, it will be in a way different from that of the Soviet Union: here is one witnesses' speculation:
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/23259