The TV Presidents: Reagan and Obama

06/06/19 • 19 min

While they had radically different styles and politics, Presidents Reagan and Obama had at least one thing in common: They were both masters of the small screen. We’ll explore how both presidents used the medium to communicate their message directly to their supporters, often avoiding criticism from the press along the way.

Music credits:

Rue Montclare (A) by Joe Henson, Alexis Leon Smith, and Reinould Willem Rutger FordPositive Motion by Thomas Richard Peter Howe and Stephen Christopher TaitVengeful by Warmbody (from Blue Dot Sessions)Night Time Adventure by John Lorca and Peter James QuineyVoyage (a) by Jon Lorca and Peter James Quiney

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Music credits:

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Previous Episode

When the vice president took on a sitcom character

In May 1992, the TV character Murphy Brown gave birth to a baby boy. The following day, Vice President Dan Quayle publicly blamed Brown for "mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice." But Murphy Brown wasn’t the first single mom on TV, or the first pregnant character to wrestle with whether to have a baby. Other shows tackled more controversial issues like abortion decades earlier. We look back at the feud between a sitcom character and a real politician to find out what that fight tells us about our culture, in 1992 and today.

Music credits:

Reach Out by James Copperthwaite

Murphy Brown Theme by Steve Dorff

Voyage (A) by by Jon Lorca and Peter James Quiney

A Most Quiet Season by Richard Bone

Rue Montclare (A) by Joe Henson, Alexis Leon Smith, and Reinould Willem Rutger Ford

When in the West by Landsman Duets (from Blue Dot Sessions)

Two Dollar Token by Warmbody (from Blue Dot Sessions)

Kitten by Podington Bear

Constructions (B) by John Devereuax

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Next Episode

How Nixon’s TV strategy paved the way for Trump

Richard Nixon’s political career paralleled the rise of television. He discovered how TV could make or break a politician. His successes and flops set a precedent for politicians who came after him, especially Donald Trump. Both men used television to craft an electable persona, and they shared a secret weapon: one of the most powerful people in TV history, who helped Nixon and Trump shape their images.

Music credits:Positive Motion by Thomas Richard Peter Howe and Stephen Christopher TaitNight Time Adventure by John Lorca and Peter James QuineyReach Out by James CopperthwaiteOngoing View (C) by Laurent DuryVoyage (A) by by Jon Lorca and Peter James QuineyRue Montclare (A) by Joe Henson, Alexis Leon Smith, and Reinould Willem Rutger FordTwo Dollar Token by Warmbody (from Blue Dot Sessions)When in the West by Landsman Duets (from Blue Dot Sessions)

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