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Originally Posted by tomwed
A rather timely movie about Buckley and Vidal.
"Smart, fascinating, and funny, Best of Enemies takes a penetrating -- and wildly entertaining -- look back at the dawn of pundit politics."
I'm watching it now and will watch it again before the end of the day.
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Based on your recommendation, I watched "Best of Enemies" last night on Netflix. Thanks for bringing it up.
Like most of us, I remember the 1968 presidential campaign very well. I wasn't able to vote yet but there were three Minnesotans in the running for a presidential nomination: Democrats Hubert Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy and Republican Harold Stassen, although neither McCarthy nor Stassen had much of a chance of being nominated. It was still interesting for a small town Minnesota kid.
I only vaguely remember the Buckley/Vidal debates as we lived pretty far from the ABC transmission tower and consequently could not always get a clear picture from them. I do remember Buckley as being a very articulate and intellectual conservative and I remember Vidal as being someone who seemed to get a kick out of shocking his readers and listeners.
I was surprised to see the reaction of both men following the conventions. For some reason, my recollection was that they went their separate ways peacefully. I don't remember the lawsuits.
1968 was a pivotal year in American history and it is useful for us to go back and examine those times since we seem to be almost as divided now as we were then.