MovieChat Forums > The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014) Discussion > George Will fascist disaster

George Will fascist disaster

posted 10 years ago by maestro-45
16 replies | jump to latest

The Roosevelts is a very good series, well research, interesting, entertaining. Ken Burns is a smart guy and knows how to make a documentary. Nonetheless his using George Will as one of the commentators is a total misfire. Will is basically a fascist, a right wing shill for the GOP and he has zero credentials for commenting about the Roosevelts. More than that he is a pompous gas bag who talks with condescending verbosity. Oh well, you can't have anything. Putting up with an ask hole like George Will is a small price to pay for excellent The Roosevelts. So be it!

[–] pilarinhavana 10 years ago

Will is not a historian, so I'm not sure why he's a commentator for the series. Perhaps Burns wanted a conservative voice.

[–] flickoldnoir 10 years ago

I don't think Will said anything really derogatory, but what isn't mentioned is the producers and others involved with this lean left and this is PBS production. Jeffery Ward made some flip comment about if Fox News were around 80 years ago they would have exploited FDR's handicap.

[–] Starchie28 10 years ago

Jeffery Ward made some flip comment about if Fox News were around 80 years ago they would have exploited FDR's handicap.

Fox news would NEVER do anything like that. Fair and balanced reporting all the way, right? <crickets chirping...> Right???

[–] Brennan-8 10 years ago

"Perhaps Burns wanted a conservative voice." It's admirable that Burns went for a more balanced portrait. It would be boring and inaccurate if it was all "he was great, everything he did was right."

[–] PhineasAppleby 10 years ago

That's one good thing so far about the series. Their political flaws have been mentioned by numerous 'experts'. Tonight it will be interesting to see if they discuss FDR trying to pack the courts.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 10 years ago

I don't think there's any liberals who would say that.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

[–] damastro 10 years ago

I don't think there's any liberals who would say that.

Quite. They'd object to the internment of Japanese Americans, for one thing.

[–] jimcat63-1 10 years ago

Will my be a gas-bag, but he is an intellectual gas-bag.

He is not a fascist. Burns does not make hagiographies. He tries to tell the truth. Warts and all.

.

[–] Miinerva 10 years ago

I wouldn't have taken him. However I can see why he did. Especially now that he's on the Fox payroll. There are a few others that I wouldn't have included.

She's a lot like you, the dangerous type...

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 10 years ago

Nah. To paraphrase Paul Krugman's description of Newt Gingrich, George Will is a stupid person's idea of what an intellectual is.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 10 years ago

I also think it's a mistake to include Will. He was an enthusiastic cheerleader for the Iraq War which, as far as I'm concerned, precludes someone from having a serious opinion on any matters of importance.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

[–] jimcat63-1 10 years ago

I think George Will has been more than generous about the Roosevelts on this film.

Your opinions only show that you are much more close-minded and prejudiced than he is.

.

[–] rcocean3 10 years ago

You'd only be happy with a liberal echo chamber. Will's been writing in the WaPo for 30 years. Guess you think the WaPo is fascist too?

The real problem with the "Roosevelts" is there's too much hero-worship and skipping over the fact that both TR and FDR were both ego-maniacs, and inclined to skip over minor details like the Constitution, tradition, civil liberates, etc. when pursuing what they thought was the best policy.

[–] maestro-45 10 years ago

Clearly you don't understand the series. Tea baggers

like yourself get confused easily with any but the
Simplest of concepts.

[–] kevin-bergin 10 years ago

If anything Will said a lot of positive things ... perhaps too positive.
Burns wanted to control the disagreements most came from Eleanor.

[–] rcocean3 10 years ago

- You're not a Jimcat sock-puppet, are you?