Don’t miss Laura Lee Donoho’s top ten political television and radio moments. She did a wonderful job supplying not only pictures, but personal memories that brought back many memories of my own. I would have chosen many of the same moments, but have a few she did not list.
She recalled Nixon’s resignation as she watched as a newlywed. I was a child on vacation at Kure Beach, NC. I remember my mom cried as she watched it and I asked her why she was crying. She was not a follower of politics, by any stretch of the imagination. She said it was just really sad and that she felt really bad for Nixon because she thought he did something everyone else in politics did, but that he just got caught. Funny, but decades later that is the same way many felt about the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
I was a teenager on vacation at a rental beach house in Pine Knoll Shores, NC during the Iran-Contra hearings. We watched a lot of the hearings on the tv when we came in for our lunch, bathroom and snack breaks from the beach. The house had a huge open family room/dining/kitchen area and the tv was on while we were making sandwiches and eating. Everyone watching that week was ready to sport an Ollie for President button.
I remember hearing about the Challenger explosion when I was a student at NC State. I overheard some teachers who had been listening to the launch live on the radio. I went from there to my part time job and listened to the coverage on the radio the rest of the day and will never forget hearing Ronald Reagan’s moving statement, which made Laura Lee’s list as well.
I recall watching the Waco fire live. I was home from work either sick or on vacation, I don’t remember which, but recall seeing the fire reported as it happened. I remember sitting there for what seemed an eternity and asking “Where are the fire trucks?” I just couldn’t believe they were not there on standby considering all the references Koresh had made to burning and fire.
I also remember being home from work when the first World Trade Center bombing took place and thinking it was weird that I was often home and watching tv when these big live news stories broke. I also remember how monumental it seemed that we were being attacked by terrorists on U.S. soil. I thought that it was just the first of a series of attacks, that surely many others would not follow. That was not the case, though. I never would have dreamed that it would be years later before we were again attacked on our own soil.
I watched the second plane crash into the WTC in 2001 live on the Today show. I remember Katie Couric trying to blame the attack on Bush’s reluctance to insert himself into the Middle East peace talks as Clinton had done. I only heard her mention it just that once before she dropped it. I guess she quickly realized (or was told) how inappropriate that was. Bush bashing would not resume in earnest until many months later.
Be sure to follow the link to read all of Laura Lee Donoho’s list as well as Neal Justin’s list which inspired Laura’s. I didn’t mention it above, but I completely agree with her choice for number one.
