Another presidential election is upon us and CNN is releasing more episodes of its documentary series Race for the White House. The February 23 edition showcased the 1980 Jimmy Carter vs. Ronald Regan battle. The show bizarrely labeled Jimmy Carter a “fiscal conservative” and made sure to highlight Reagan’s “gift-wrapped” gaffes.
Narrator Mahershala Ali began with the primaries, telling voters: “As the election approaches, Carter needs his party behind him. Instead, he feels the chill of growing discontent.” Then, Mary Frances Berry, a devoted liberal and former Assistant Secretary for Education under Carter, claimed, “He was a fiscal conservative. That was a problem. Sometimes people would say that if Carter had a quarter or a half dollar, he would squeeze it until the eagle choked.”
Given the debt, inflation and high interest rates in 1980, not many would consider Carter a “fiscal conservative.” But the comment went unchallenged. Professor Leah Wright Rigueur insisted:
In particular, the liberal wing of his party feels very deeply that Carter has thrown liberalism under the bus. And so they begin to turn their attention to other politicians who feel like really embody the qualities of leadership they want from a present. And the figure that people really circle around is Ted Kennedy.
Kennedy may have been MORE liberal than Carter (just as Bernie Sanders is more liberal than Joe Biden), but that didn't make the then-incumbent president a moderate.
Later, Ali and CNN made sure to spend several moments portraying Reagan as a gaffe machine: “But as he embarks on the fall election, he has one reason to be optimistic. His opponent.... Reagan’s gaffes come gift wrapped for Carter.”
Now, the 1980 documentary should be given credit for showcasing Carter struggles, including a “disastrous convention” and the ongoing hostage situation. But CNN made sure to portray Carter as a principled man who bravely put the hostages first and politics second.
CNN previously ran a season of this show in 2016. The 1960 Kennedy vs. Nixon episode was shockingly balanced. It showcased Richard Nixon’s strong civil rights record as well as the press’s love affair with JFK.
A partial transcript is below.
Race for the White House: 1980
2/23/2020
9:04 PM ETMAHERSHALA ALI: As the election approaches, Carter needs his party behind him. Instead, he feels the chill of growing discontent.
SUSAN ESTRICH (Deputy National Director, Kennedy campaign): Jimmy Carter spent much of his presidency seeming to reject the culture and values of the Democratic Party.
MARY FRANCES BERRY (Assistant Secretary for Education, Carter administration): He was a fiscal conservative. That was a problem. Sometimes people would say that if Carter had a quarter or a half dollar, he would squeeze it until the eagle choked.
LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR (Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School): In particular, the liberal wing of his party feels very deeply that Carter has thrown liberalism under the bus. And so they begin to turn their attention to other politicians who feel like really embody the qualities of leadership they want from a present. And the figure that people really circle around is Ted Kennedy.
...
ALI: But as he embarks on the fall election, he has one reason to be optimistic. His opponent.... Reagan’s gaffes come gift wrapped for Carter.
