#Presidential Documentaries

[deadpresidents]

Can you tell us more about James A Garfield and is there any media of him that you recommend? All I know is the book by Goodyear..

I always say that Garfield was one of the big "What if?" Presidents in American history had he not been assassinated. He was a fascinating character and could have been the transformational leader that propelled the United States through late-Reconstruction and the Gilded Age in ways that the other Presidents between Lincoln and McKinley were unable to do. Garfield was young (just 49 years old when he died), energetic, charismatic, absolutely brilliant, and aggressively progressive. He had ideas and the ability to implement them instead of simply being a steady hand. And, like JFK in a way, he brought his young, attractive family to the White House and that could have helped him lead the country in a different direction than his less engaging contemporaries who immediately preceded and succeeded him like Grant, Hayes, Arthur, Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison. Garfield also had a somewhat mystical quality to him that I also believe would have captivated many Americans in an entirely new manner than most Presidents. The fact that he was only President for 199 days -- most of which were spent fighting for his life after he was shot -- is one of the great missed opportunities of American history.

For more on Garfield, the C.W. Goodyear biography that you mentioned, President Garfield: From Radical to Unified (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO), is the most recent (published in 2023) and fresh look at his life and career. But there are several others that I'd highly recommend checking out:

•Garfield by Allan Peskin (BOOK | KINDLE), was published in 1978 and, for many years, was the best, most in-depth full-fledged biography on Garfield. It's still a must-read, in my opinion. •Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield by Kenneth D. Ackerman (BOOK | KINDLE), was published in 2003, and is an excellent look at Garfield's shocking nomination and election in 1880, brief Presidency, and tragic assassination. •Touched With Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War That Made Them by James M. Perry (BOOK | KINDLE), was also published in 2003. It's not a full biography of Garfield, but a look at the five Presidents who saw combat during the Civil War -- Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and McKinley -- and how those experiences shaped them. •Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by the always-awesome Candice Millard (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO), was published in 2011 and it is the definitive book on Garfield's assassination. It's a detailed illustration of the shooting that wounded Garfield and his brutal, two-and-a-half -month-long battle to attempt to survive his wounds -- a battle that was ultimately lost largely due to the botched medical "care" that the President received after he was shot. Candice's book reads like a novel and it's apparently the basis for the upcoming Netflix series, "Death by Lightning" featuring Michael Shannon, Betty Gilpin, Matthew Macfadyen, and Nick Offerman.

Also, PBS's American Experience released a fantastic, two-hour-long documentary on Garfield's assassination in 2016 called Murder of a President, which was also partially based on Candice Millard's book. I'm pretty biased when it comes to American Experience, which I believe is a national treasure, but Murder of a President is especially good. I don't know if you can watch it directly from the PBS American Experience website right now, but you can find the film on sites like iTunes and Amazon Prime.

[locke-esque-monster]

Of course the 1968 election took place on November 5th.

Aside from the parallels to the coming election, at this point I just accept that date has a magnetic effect for insanity, even predating 2020.

[fictionadventurer]

Good news! The channel that plays only old History Channel documentaries had a day entirely devoted to American presidents, so I have a lot more president facts to share with you!

(Important note that I have fact-checked nothing. I am only spouting off trivia the way I would if you were here for me to info-dump at).

Andrew Jackson's wife died soon after he was elected president, and he believed her death was caused by the vicious attacks against her during the election. Because he apparently lived his life as though he were a Shakespeare character, he said something along the lines of, "On the grave of this saint, I forgive all my political and personal enemies, but as for those who slandered her, they must look to God for mercy."

When William Jennings Bryan ran against William McKinley in 1896, he went on an epic nationwide whistle-stop campaign. Though he never drank alcohol, he reeked of liquor throughout his tour--because he was using gin as a deodorant! Instead of stopping to bathe, he would wipe himself down with gin to mask his body odor.

After Harry Truman, it became the practice for both presidential nominees to get security briefings months before the election, so when they came into office they'd be up-to-date on world events--with the understanding that all this info was strictly confidential. When Richard Nixon heard that LBJ's administration was putting together peace talks to end the Vietnam War, he went to the South Vietnamese and told them to refuse to go to the table, because if they waited until he was in office, they'd get a better deal. LBJ found out and told the head of the Republican Party to tell Nixon to stop it, because this was treason. Nixon called LBJ back and said this story was untrue and he had nothing to do with any such actions. LBJ knew he was lying, but only because he'd been secretly recording sessions with the South Vietnamese, so he couldn't do anything without exposing his own actions. Because of this, South Vietnam never came to the bargaining table, and the war dragged on more than five years longer.

When Ronald Reagan was shot by an assassin, Soviet submarine activity increased near US shores, and people thought this might be part of a Soviet attack. George Bush, the vice president, was (I think) in Texas at the time, and immediately started flying back to Washington, but his plane didn't have a secure phone line, so he couldn't be in charge of the country, and people weren't sure who was next in line. Both the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense believed that they should be in charge. The press also wanted to know who was in charge, but the press secretary was doing a terrible job at the press briefing, essentially saying that they didn't know who was in command. The Secretary of State then sprinted into the briefing room, took the microphone, and assured everyone that there was a clear chain of command, and he was in charge. The only problem was that he was wrong--he'd completely forgotten that both the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate ranked ahead of him.

At the time this documentary was made (2016), Dick Cheney held the record for the shortest presidency. The president is allowed to temporarily hand over power to the vice president if he's going to be incapacitated. George W. Bush made use of this rule twice when he was going in for colonoscopies, so Dick Cheney served as president for a total of four hours.

[randomrichards]

CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT:

Planning leadup to

Desegregation face off

All Kennedy’s Men

[mosswolf]

the soc's first event (entirely planned and coordinated by me & vice president) went REALLY well we had six people everyone seemed to have a good time and there were zero tech issues!!!! im not sure if i would have started the soc if id realised how much work it would be, maybe? but also maybe not because oh my god. but either way, it's really nice to see it paying off and events happening and people enjoying them!!!

[nevermind-i-forgot-whats-that]

Sometimes, as much as I love internet communities and spaces, I really think a lot of people have spent so much time in sanitized, morally pure echo chambers that they lose sight of realism and life outside the internet.

I live in Alabama. My fiancée and I cannot hold hands down the street without fear of homophobic assholes. We have an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. We are one of the poorest states in the US with some of the lowest scores on metrics related to quality of life, including maternal mortality, healthcare, education, and violence. It’s not a coincidence that we are also one of the most red, one of the most Republican states in the Union. In 2017 the UN said the conditions in Alabama are similar to those in a third-world country.

Trump gave a voice to the most violently racist, sexist, xenophobic groups of people who, unfortunately for most of us in the Southern U.S., run our states and have only grown more powerful since his rise to power. The Deep South powers MAGA, and we all suffer for it.

We have no protections if they don’t come from the federal government.

I know people are suffering internationally and my heart is with them. However, this election is not just about foreign policy - we have millions of Americans right here at home living in danger, living in areas where they have been completely abandoned by their local leaders. We need this win.

No candidate is perfect, but for the first time in my voting lifetime I’m excited to vote. I’m excited for the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket because they are addressing the issues close to home. They’re advocating for education as the ticket to a better life, but without the crippling student debt. They’re advocating for the right to love who you love without fear and with pride. Kamala has always been pro-LGBT+ and so has Tim. Again, if you’re queer in the South, we don’t have support unless it comes from the federal government, and we absolutely will not have support if the Republicans regain the White House.

Kamala speaks in length about re-entry programs to reduce recidivism and help people who have been arrested and imprisoned regain their lives. Tim Walz supported restoring voting rights to felons. In the South, you know who comprise the majority of felons? Members of minorities. It’s one of the major tools of systemic racism and mass disenfranchisement, and arguably the modern face of slavery (there are some fantastic documentaries and books that explain the connection between the post-Reconstruction South and the disproportionate rates of imprisonment for BIPOC). Having candidates who recognize this and want to restore the freedom and rights to people who have come into contact with the criminal justice system? And keep them from having to go to prison in the first place? That’s refreshing. That’s exciting.

I would *love* to live in a country where women’s rights are respected, where LGBT+ rights and protections are a given, where we treat former criminals and individuals experiencing mental health crises with respect and dignity. I would *love* to live in a country where education is free of religious interference and each and every citizen is entitled to a fair start and equal opportunities.

But I don’t live in that country. Millions and millions of Americans find their rights and freedoms up for debate and on the ballot.

Project 2025 poses the largest threat to the future of our democracy as we know it. We are being called to fight for the future of our country.

We have to put on our oxygen masks first before we can help others.

You don’t have moral purity when you wash your hands of the millions of us who are still fighting for own freedoms right here.

The reality is that a presidential candidate is a best fit, and not a perfect fit. But comparatively speaking? Kamala is pretty damn close.

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, editor and Howard University alumna and professor- was born in Lorian, OH, on this date February 18, 1931.

Her novels are known for their epic themes, exquisite language and richly detailed African American characters who are central to their narratives. Among her best-known novels are The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Beloved, Jazz, Love and A Mercy.

Morrison earned a plethora of book-world accolades and honorary degrees, also receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012.

In June of 2019, director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders released a documentary of her life called Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am.

“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” - Toni Morrison

CARTER™ Magazine

[lancerlovesick]

the way jackie kennedy looks at jack as he gives a speech during the wisconsin presidential primary ♥︎

(clips from the documentary film Primary (1960), dir. robert drew)

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Robert Schmad

While serving as governor of Minnesota, presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz hosted an Islamic imam multiple times who has a history of pro-Hamas social media posts and gave $100,000 worth of grants to a Muslim organization he leads, the Washington Examiner first reported.

Walz hosted Imam Asad Zaman of the Muslim American Society (MAS) of Minnesota on at least five occasions during his tenure as governor, according to the Examiner. Zaman, on his Facebook account, shared a Hamas press release in 2016, a link to a blog post attacking Jews in 2014, praised the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on multiple occasions in 2023 and even posted a link to a documentary praising Adolf Hitler in 2015.

“It is astounding that with all the available public reporting and information about the iniquities of Imam Asad Zaman and MAS Minnesota that Gov. Walz has repeatedly given public platforms and taxpayer money to this extremist,” Sam Westrop, a terrorism researcher and analyst at the Middle East Forum think tank, told the Examiner. “Across the country, Islamists hungry for government support will surely welcome Walz as vice president.” 

Zaman serves as the executive director of MAS Minnesota, an organization federal prosecutors at one point said was “founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States,” according to court records. The United Arab Emirates designated MAS as a terrorist organization in 2014, the Examiner reported.

Walz’s administration, however, showered the group with over $100,000 in grant funding, according to state records and press releases.

[blood-mocha-latte]

watching the roosevelts documentary by ken burns is interesting but also INFURIATING namely because what about frances perkins!!!! you are going to talk about social security and not mention the mother of it???? you are going to talk about the weekend, minimum wage, and safer working conditions and not mention the first woman to ever serve on a presidential cabinet?????? you're going to talk about the jewish refugee crisis in the thirties and not talk about the woman who worked so hard to relax immigration regulation and help jews???? i can't even begin to explain how much she has done like please!! can we talk about her!

other things i wanted to talk about above but couldn't:

frances perkins and the holocaust

frances perkins and the hull house, keeping her maiden name, and safety conditions

her involvement in the fair labor standards act of 1938

the impact of the triangle shirtwaist factory fire on her involvement in safety regulations and worker rights for women

[darkmaga-retard]

Gilbert lays out a stunning exposé of Kamala as a ambitious, overly nervous, Xanax popping mess, famous for screaming obscenities at her staff while firing them.

Roger Stone

Aug 30, 2024

New York Times best-selling author and host of The Roger Stone Show on 77 WABC Radio is joined by his co-host, Slingshot.news Editor-in-Chief Troy Smith to interview documentary filmmaker and author Joel Gilbert.

Gilbert is perhaps most known for his groundbreaking films: ‘Dreams From My Real Father’, ‘Farewell Israel: Bush, Iran, and the Revolt of Islam’, and Michelle Obama 2024: Her Real Life Story and Plan for Power.

Gilbert exposes Kamala Harris as an opportunist who has done little to actually help black Americans and other minorities.

Gilbert lays out a stunning exposé of Kamala as a ambitious, overly nervous, Xanax popping mess, famous for screaming obscenities at her staff while firing them.

Stone points out that her 2020 campaign was a disaster. He also notes that their turnover in her Vice Presidential office was over 70% with many of her former staff leaking her outrageous and abusive personal behavior.

Stone points out that the Vice President still has not done a press conference and that the interview scheduled with CNN is with her running mate who she has said is like her "service animal."

Troy Smith also discusses the aggressive campaign on TikTok by Tulsi Gabbard, who endorsed Donald Trump last week.

[deadpresidents]

If you were invited to go on a talk show and talk about presidents and presidential history would you do it??

So, in early 2016, a few months before I moved to Los Angeles, a production company flew me down to LA to film a pilot for the History Channel. They brought me in, along with three or four other people, to be a talking head about several different topics. It was a really interesting experience, and I'm almost certain that I was TERRIBLE at it. Not only did the pilot never get made, but they never even reached out afterwards to let me know what happened. I don't even blame them. During the shoot, they asked me a couple of times to act more like a "history bro", and I flat-out said, "No, I'm not going to do that." I wasn't rude about it or anything, but I did tell them that I'm a rabid history buff and that I would hate watching a "history bro" talk about literally anything. Of course, in hindsight, it probably wasn't a great career move to just blatantly disregard their direction the first time I was ever brought in to film something like that. I'm surprised they even paid for my plane ticket back to Sacramento the next day.

Around that same time, I was e-mailed by a different production company and they asked me to make a tape on my own about a Presidential history topic and I'm pretty sure I bombed on that one too. I did something about Presidents who struggled with mental health issues, and on my first take, I basically pulled a Ricky Bobby and forgot what to do with my hands without feeling awkward. The second take was better, but obviously didn't impress anybody. It probably would have been better to not choose something depressing as my first topic.

So, yeah, I'd be totally interested in trying something like that again, but I'm well aware of the fact that I seem to be objectively awful at. Hopefully the producers aren't all trying to call me at once!

[locke-esque-monster]

Years ago I watched CNN's 2 documentaries on 1968 (both the original one as part of the 60s documentary and the separate 4 part series). And as fascinated as I was by the pure insanity of that year, it seemed awfully familiar a few years later when 2020 rolled around. Because both years were particularly tumultuous years in the US, both inside and outside the presidential election.

Well, here it is, July of 2024 and we've already had an assassination attempt on a candidate, the Republican candidate who has a previous failed presidential run, the sitting Democratic president dropping out of the race late in the game after strong public cries for another option, the same former candidate endorsing his vice president, the vice president being already tied to the president's unpopular policies, and an upcoming DNC where no one knows what's going to happen.

Like I know the expression "history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes". But this feels a little like a song remix that's essentially the same song with some new beats and a different bridge and I'm too old and jaded to pay for a cheap knockoff of a song I already heard.

It's both like we're living in unprecedented times and also like I've seen this movie before. And I feel like I can't look away because I'm so invested and I'm simultaneously exhausted at the same time.

[100gayicons]

A new documentary presents the case that Abraham Lincoln had intimate relationships with men throughout his life - “Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln”. It’s directed by Shaun Peterson (release date September 6, 2024). That’s sure to trigger outrage from conservatives and Republicans.

The film will be in limited released and probably not be available to everyone. The Vanity Fair article at the link below provides a summary of the case for Presidential Homosexuality. The three most likely lovers were:

William Greene:

In 1830, when Lincoln was 22, he moved to New Salem, Illinois (then considered a frontier town). He opened a general store and hired Billy Greene (then 19). They also shared a bed. In a letter Greene describe the situation:

“… slept on the same cott & when one turned over the other had to do likewise”

Greene later said of Lincoln:

"His thighs were as perfect as a human being could be."

Joshua Speed:

In 1837, Lincoln met Joshua Speed in Springfield, Illinois where Speed owned a general store. Per Wikipedia: “Lincoln sublet Joshua's apartment above Speed's store, becoming his roommate, sharing a bed with him for four years, and becoming his lifelong best friend.”

Four years later Speed announced he was selling the store and moving back to Kentucky.

Lincoln became upset and soon became severely depressed. He would refer that date day as “the fatal first of January”. He wrote in a letter:

“I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth.”

The depression didn’t lift until Lincoln was able to visit Speed in Kentucky.

In Carl Sandburg’s 1926 biography of Lincoln, he described Lincoln’s friendship with Joshua Speed:

“streak of lavender, and spots soft as May violets.”

David Derickson:

A third possible lover was Captain David Derickson. He served under Lincoln as a bodyguard and companion between September 1862 and April 1863. More than one sourced described the two men sharing a bed as:

“(Derickson) advanced so far in the president's confidence and esteem that in Mrs. Lincoln's absence he frequently spent the night at his cottage, sleeping in the same bed with him, and -- it is said -- making use of his Excellency's night shirt!"

And a friend of the Lincolns wrote in her diary:

“… there is a Bucktail soldier here devoted to the President, drives with him, and when Mrs. L. is not home, sleeps with him.’ What stuff!”

BTW, Lincoln's own stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln, once wrote:

“(He) never took much interest in the girls".

Of course this is all circumstantial. For historical figures before, it would be very unusual to find a smoking gun, especially considering it was common practice to destroy or burn any increminating letter that might besmirch someone memory after death. And the distinctions between gay or bisexual weren’t made before the modern era.

[taylorcritic]

Taylor Swift and her Politics

Growing up in a small town it was hard to escape Taylor Swift she was always known for her catchy melodies and relatable lyrics, but she was also famous for staying out of political conversations. From her early days in country music to her transition into making pop in 2016, Taylor kept her political views to herself. She avoided talking about politics in interviews and public statements, creating a neutral persona that encouraged right wingers and 4chan incels to make her their queen .

But as time went on, the world started to change, and so did the expectations of celebrities . Leading up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, there was a growing demand for public figures to use their platforms for political and social advocacy. The pressure for Taylor to break her silence and take a stand was mounting, but she remained quiet.

When the 2016 election finally rolled around, it was one of the most heated and divisive elections in recent memory. Everyone had an opinion, and many celebrities were vocal about their political beliefs. But Taylor stayed as silent as ever . This decision sparked a lot of media speculation and criticism at the time . Some people interpreted her silence as a sign that she supported conservative views, while others thought she just didn’t want to alienate the majority of her fanbase.

So what changed for Taylor? Why did she eventually decide to use her platform?

well the answer is Joe Alwyn

Taylor only spoke up because of her relationship with Joe, he was known to be politically engaged. her newfound activism was largely inspired by being with him she released her documentary and made performative statements about finally being able to use her voice for good, just to never mention any of it again whereas Joe is still vocal on lots of issues while not having the same reach he's always encouraging his followers that he does have to donate to charities and help in whatever way you can

As we enter a climate that is far more dangerous and politically charged, Taylor’s activism stays targeted for white women like herself and if you aren't well you don't matter

don't forget to vote it matters! and donate to help the women of Gaza https://piousprojects.org/campaign/2712

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The conservative gadfly Dinesh D'Souza's film and book "2000 Mules," which pushes false conspiracies about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, has been removed from distribution by its executive producer and publisher, according to an announcement Friday.

Salem Media Group's announcement that it had yanked D'Souza's film and book also apologized to Mark Andrews, a Georgia man falsely accused in "2000 Mules" of ballot stuffing.

Andrews in late 2022 filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the company, D'Souza, and the non-profit advocacy group True The Vote, which contributed to the "2000 Mules' project.

D'Souza and True The Vote did not immediately respond to requests for comment by CNBC about Salem Media's decision to pull "2000 Mules."

Salem Media released the film in 2022.

The company claimed at the time that "2000 Mules" was "the most successful political documentary in a decade," and that it had grossed $10 million in its first few weeks of release.

The film quickly became a part of a canon of media produced by far-right figures intended to discredit the results of the 2020 presidential election, which President Joe Biden won.

Former President Donald Trump, who lost to Biden, embraced "2000 Mules," screening the film at his Florida club Mar-a-Lago.

But since then, the claims made in the movie and the book, which was published by Salem Media's subsidiary Regnery Publishing, have been systematically debunked by journalists and law-enforcement officials.

Late last year, attorneys for True the Vote admitted in a Georgia court that they could not produce any documents to back up allegations about ballot stuffing in the 2020 presidential election in that state, which Biden won.

"2000 Mules" shows Andrews placing five ballots into a box, as D'Souza says in a voiceover: "What you are seeing is a crime. These are fraudulent votes."

Andrews' lawsuit is proceeding in court.

The suit seeks unspecified damages, royalties for the use of his name and likeness, and a court order requiring D'Souza, Salem Media, True the Vote, and others to remove their statements about Andrews.

In its statement Friday announcing it would cease distributing the film and book, Salem Media said, "It was never our intent that the publication of the 2000 Mules film and book would harm Mr. Andrews."

"We apologize for the hurt the inclusion of Mr. Andrews' image in the movie, book, and promotional materials have caused Mr. Andrews and his family," the statement said.

"We have removed the film from Salem's platforms, and there will be no future distribution of the film or the book by Salem."

"In publishing the film and the book, we relied on representations made to us by Dinesh D'Souza and True the Vote, Inc. ... that the individuals depicted in the videos provided to us by TTV, including Mr. Andrews, illegally deposited ballots," Salem Media said.

Salem Media sold Regnery Publishing, the imprint behind the "2000 Mules" book, in late 2023.

The conservative publisher was purchased by Skyhorse Publishing, an independent publisher that has released the work of a wide range of controversial authors, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Last year, Fox Corp. paid $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle an unrelated defamation lawsuit based on Fox News' claims about the 2020 election.