Dan Rather: The Man, The Mystique, The Anchor

March 25, 2004 4:44 PM

Dan Rather: "Danger is my business." Pushed around, in disguise, drug user, outrageously liberal, and during presidential elections, just plain nuts. Who is this crazy newsman? Is he a closet Hunter, a sensitive man in search of the truth, or just a nutty American treasure?
posted by ed (19 comments total)

These links are pants.
posted by juicyraoul at 5:24 PM on March 25, 2004

You left out the "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" incident.

ps: Dan Rather: bad ass or nut? (linking to same site: www.ratherbiased.com) was an FPP on October 19, 2001. I'm surprised that post didn't come up when you previewed, ed?
posted by msacheson at 5:25 PM on March 25, 2004

He's crazy and it's awesome. During the '92 presidential election, when it was confirmed that Clinton took Florida, Dan said (on the air) "Not the whole enchilada, but certainly, a very big taco."
posted by Mayor Curley at 5:26 PM on March 25, 2004

Mayor Curley, the quote might have been:

"In terms of the Electoral College, if Texas isn't the whole enchilada, it certainly is a really big taco."

(I say that not to nitpick, but because I read that and thought it was the coolest thing I've ever heard and immediately went about looking for a sound file.)
posted by Cyrano at 5:35 PM on March 25, 2004

Huh! I misremembered it-- I didn't know that it was among his infamous lines. I just heard him say it when I was a college freshman watching the coverage.
posted by Mayor Curley at 5:46 PM on March 25, 2004

I think Danny is rather cool!
posted by LouReedsSon at 5:51 PM on March 25, 2004

Don't forget Harry Shearer's archive of found objects, presented in realaudio. Snoopy Dog Dog and How's my Hair.
Count me as another who likes the Texas-isms.
posted by planetkyoto at 5:57 PM on March 25, 2004

"That's how tight it is: It's spandex tight!"

There's my favorite from 2000. Journalistic brilliance!
posted by grabbingsand at 6:32 PM on March 25, 2004

live from MeFi's very recent past:

Dan Rather's "fib"
Dan Rather, at the time an unknown newscaster from a small market Texas TV station, viewed the Zapruder film, then described it to America on the CBS network. As this recording of that broadcast shows, Rather lied to all of America in claiming that the head shot pushed John F. Kennedy's head forward. Rather's meteoric rise to network status and stardom soon followed. When the Zapruder film was finally shown publicly, during Jim Garrison's trial of CIA agent Clay Shaw, Rather's lie was revealed for all to see.



but yes, I kinda liked him when he tried to deck Poppy in 1988. he was right, of course. terrible manners, tho -- Rather eneded up looking like an ass. "shrill", we'd say nowadays.
and one does not want to be called that, huh?
posted by matteo at 7:13 PM on March 25, 2004

A couple of (anti-fanboy) jackasses had nothing better to do with their time than put up an entire site assailing the career of Dan Rather? Wow. How utterly pathetic. Someone might suggest to them that leaving the house is occasionally a healthy thing to do.

Btw, did they get a grant from the Heritage Foundation for that?
posted by psmealey at 7:57 PM on March 25, 2004

Dan Rather had to replace Walter Cronkite. He couldn't be another Cronkite. It's enough to drive any man mad.
posted by wendell at 8:15 PM on March 25, 2004

For the record, Dan Rather was employed by the CBS network during the Kennedy assassination. The only reason he was employed by CBS was for being able to hold his ground during Hurricane Carla while reporting for KHOU-TV, the Houston CBS affiliate (and hardly a "small market" TV station).

Like they say, you can pick out the errors in a subject you know a lot about. Then you wonder where else they are getting their facts.
posted by calwatch at 9:56 PM on March 25, 2004

Hm, come to think of it, a police officer shooting someone up with heroin for journalism may not be illegal (it's already confiscated, hence no possession, and he's obviously not selling it).
posted by abcde at 10:21 PM on March 25, 2004

Rather is a fuckin' gahd. And when he's gone, we'll have nothing but bland-ass humorless talking heads. I like Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings, but I wouldn't wanna hang out with 'em, y'know?
posted by black8 at 2:13 AM on March 26, 2004

The ratherbiased web site should be "fair and balanced" by comparing Rather to anyone on FAUX News or the anchors of any other media empire, don't you think?

Should such a comparison be made he would look more like Murrow than shrill.

Think of Hean Sannity, Bill O'Really and Clear Channel's favorite, Lush Rimbaugh. Yeah, un-huh, Rather is sooo biased!
posted by nofundy at 5:12 AM on March 26, 2004

Sorry to derail and be uncool, but "pants"? Translation please.
posted by yoga at 7:03 AM on March 26, 2004

I wish I could remember (or find) the exact quote, but I remember after the SF/Oakland earthquake, he visited a temporary shelter and asked the woman in charge if any of the people there were what she would call homeless people. The question, the phrasing, the manner of speaking, everything about it bothered me. Condescending, clueless, and worst of all for a reporter, uninformative.

I have no respect for Rather's journalistic skills.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 10:57 AM on March 26, 2004

The Evolution Control Committee lays down some choice Dan Rather samples over the opening riff to AC/DC's "Back In Black" and the result is worth a listen.
posted by euphorb at 1:41 PM on March 26, 2004

I suppose as a card-carrying leftist stooge, I should be rushing to Dan Rather's defense, but the man is a nut and a disgrace to journalism. It is rather difficult to denounce Fux News when this bonehead is over on CBS. So I denounce them both! I found this FPP very amusing and interesting, even though I probably do not agree with the poster's politics.

By all means, let's get Rather off the air before the election,
he is an embarrassment. I imagine conservatives feel much the same about Condi.
posted by Slagman at 9:06 PM on March 26, 2004