Talk Elections

As the presidential campaign gets in full swing this fall, C-SPAN is premiering a new history series, 14 live weekly programs that help put America's present electoral politics in historical perspective. Starting Sept. 9 and coinciding with the traditional post-Labor Day campaign kickoff, "The Contenders" will reach across time, political parties, and geography to present some key figures who have run for president and lost, but changed political history nevertheless. (http://As the presidential campaign gets in full swing this fall, C-SPAN is premiering a new history series, 14 live weekly programs that help put America's present electoral politics in historical perspective. Starting Sept. 9 and coinciding with the traditional post-Labor Day campaign kickoff, "The Contenders" will reach across time, political parties, and geography to present some key figures who have run for president and lost, but changed political history nevertheless.)

http://thecontenders.c-span.org/

The first one is on Henry Clay.

tonight -
Blaine Blaine James G Blaine
Continental Liar from the State of Maine!

Well, they succeeded in making me less interested in Blaine than before I watched it. Not nearly as neat as Clay, and the Maine Governor's mansion doesn't look like as cool a place as the Clay house. Learning about the political cartoons was neat though - from the magazines "Punch" and "Judge," which I sometimes have confused as "Pudge."  But from that era, they should have tried to do Horace Greeley instead.
They didn't have anything nice to say about Blaine apart from his political skill. Do you think he may have had a decent motivation in his whole life?

Looks interesting, though I'm often too lazy to watch tv. (I know, how can you be too lazy to watch TV? Simple, I hate looking for showtimes and stuff and remembering when shows are on)

You can watch any of them at the link at the beginning of the thread once they've aired if you're interested.

In about 20 minutes Ill probably be watching an episode. It'd on Eugene Debs which disappointed me as I was hoping for some epic historical figure, but Im bored right now so whatever.

The Clay and WJ Bryan ones are still up on the website too.

I'm watching Barry Goldwater. I'd like to hit Al Smith, George Wallace, Perot, and Clay.

Nevermind. Only Clay, Blaine, Bryan, and Debs have aired, the others seem to be a collection of footage.

Anyone watch last night episode?

No. (:() who was it?

Adlai Stevenson

I have a fondness for this series but not for most of the people who call in. Most of the people who call in seem to want to ramble and make no point, thus robbing from the point of the series.

Well, all of them are on the website!

So I see that C-SPAN is continuing the whole "Al Smith was short" myth.

Well I just happened to be reading wikipedia and whoa what's this?

Al Smith: 5 ft. 11 in. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heights_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_and_presidential_candidates)

So apparently being an inch short of six feet makes a guy short?

Plz explain!

On average, politicians tend to taller than average, so a politician of average height is short.