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("We're from the Government and we're here to help")

Not bad enough we were about to become mired in Central America, we had to get involved invading the tiny island of Grenada in 1983.

As with most things during the Reagan Years, it was shrouded in mystery. With conflicting reports, a press blackout and bungling from the word go. This Face The Nation from October 30, 1983 featuring Leslie Stahl with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Deputy Secretary of State Kenneth Dam was typical of the aura of confusion that month.

Leslie Stahl (CBS News): “As you well know, President Reagan has already been on television telling the people, the American people, that this was an outpost to export terrorism. You seem to be saying we haven’t fully analyzed the situation. Are we pulling back from that assessment now?”

Kenneth Dam (Deputy Secretary of State): “Not at all. What we’re saying is, we now have the facts and we’re going to let the facts speak for themselves.”

Stahl: “Senator Moynihan, you’re on the Intelligence Committee, you got a briefing on all of this the other day, are you convinced that this was a military outpost to export terrorism?”

Sen. Moynihan: “I’m convinced the American government better let the American press on to that island to look at the situation. I think we were right in the Senate to invoke the War Powers Act in order to give Mister Damme and his associates an opportunity to spell out what we have learned, what we knew in advance, and what we know now. That’s to your advantage to do that.”

Stahl: “Has the Administration rushed to judgment here, do you think?”

Moynihan: “It will be said so if other people can’t independently confirm that judgment and that is not now the case.”

Stahl: “Our government told us, without the press being there, that there were eleven hundred Cubans and half that group were fighting in the hills. Now you say that’s not true. What is wrong with our intelligence mechanism that we’re not being able to figure out what’s happening on the ground there?”

Dam: “Well, it’s difficult to know how many people are shooting at you. I understand that larger judgment was based on some documents, but now that we’ve gotten better information we’ve gotten a new estimate. These are estimates. I agree with you, we ought to have the press on the ground and I understand at least a hundred and fifty are going to be there today.”

* *

Continue reading »

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(Sen. Chris Dodd - 1983 - Warning signs the size of Buicks)

Another look back at our Foreign Policy the last 25 years. When Senator Chris Dodd was questioned by a panel on Face The Nation on April 10, 1983, no one really knew the extent of aid we were sending to Central America, but it did cause some on the Hill to ask questions.

George Herman (CBS News): “Senator Dodd, you’re one of the Foreign Relation Committees leading experts on Central America, let me ask you this; what is the Reagan Administration trying to do in Nicaragua, what is it’s ultimate aim and is it breaking the law trying to do it?”

Sen. Christopher Dodd: “Well, let me take the second part first. I think they’re clearly breaking the law. The Boland Amendment as adopted in the continuing resolution last fall clearly and explicitly prohibits the kind of activities that the Reagan Administration is engaged in, in Nicaragua and Honduras. Clearly the Administration, beginning at the Republican convention, if you will, in 1980 has as its central aim and goal in Central America, the de-centralization and overthrow of the Sandanista government.

So it would appear while questions of legality were being tossed about, the Reagan Administration were quietly thumbing their noses at the Foreign Relations Committee and setting up secret arms deals. Needless to say, the whole thing would blow up two years later. But by then the damage had already been done and the President sat smiling, shaking his head and not recalling anything.

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(David Stockman - Forecast: Murky with periods of Fog)

If the panel of interviewers on this Face The Nation broadcast from February 6, 1983 seemed baffled by the Reagan economic program, most of the people in country watching and listening weren't any clearer.

So when David Stockman came on to explain just what was going on with the budget, the panel and the audience were treated to more bobbing and weaving than a remedial arts and crafts class.

George Herman (CBS News): “You said that domestic spending hasn’t come down as projected nor, you said ‘do I think it can’. Are you getting with domestic spending to the point where you’re bumping up against what the American people want for their poor or their elderly and so forth, things that you cannot really politically or in America’s idea of what it wants to be that you cannot further reduce?”

David Stockman: “Well I think there’s some element of that. I think there’s some element of the practicalities of the legislative process. I think if you look at the half-trillion dollars, that we have in this budget that’s being criticized for domestic programs, and that’s the truth; one half Trillion dollars, and you hear the criticisms what people on the Hill are really saying is that here and there we disagree with the priorities, but in the aggregate we could probably do with less. The problem is, the Congress isn’t capable of making decisions in the aggregate that result in less because of the way it’s organized . . .

Herman: “Well I’m not sure it’s fair, Mister Stockman, to blame it all on the Congress. When you get to questions of ‘should we cut Social Security’s Cost-of-Living Adjustments, or as you call them ‘cola’s’, should we reduce Medicare and so forth. This just isn’t Congress, the American people are troubled by . . .

Stockman: “I indicated that my statement reflected some of both elements. The bi-partisan solution on Social Security for instance, indicated that yes, in the last four years Cost of Living Adjustments have been 50%, wages have gone up 38% , we can have a six month delay. The speakers agree that will save $25 billion over several years. On the other hand, it was also felt as part of a consensus that no abrupt reduction in benefits ought to be imposed in that big system.”

Dodging, bobbing and weaving. In short, pay no attention to the men behind the curtain. You will hopefully forget soon enough.

Stockman would leave in 1985 and go on to another story.

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(Oh?)

Former Nevada Governor, Senator and newly appointed General Chairman of the Republican National Committee Paul Laxalt (R-Nevada) faced a panel of interviewers on CBS News Face The Nation in January 1983. A shade less than two years into his first term as President, Reagan was already being asked if he was planning on running for a second term. Clearly the age factor was beginning to concern people. But more than that, the policies, the deficit, the taxes and the program slashings (i.e. Medicare) were starting to concern people as well and maybe more so. And who better to put a positive spin on things to the media than Reagan's old friend Paul Laxalt.

Phil Jones (CBS News): “The Democrats are going to confront you, as you know, with a choice between canceling that third phase of the Tax cut, at least for those over $40,000 a year in income, rather than cutting the Medicare payments for those who have to go into the hospital. Why would you prefer to keep the tax cut and cut Medicare?”

Paul Laxalt: “Well because, first of all this President made a commitment to the American people that would be his program. I see no compelling reason to do otherwise. To do that, really would be to affect a political compromise that I think is undesirable. We have a total package here which, if we can get some cooperation from our Democrat colleagues I think we can pass and which will serve the country well. You’re going to have negotiation, I know you are I hear it from the House side. So listen, we’ll deal with you on the social side if you’ll deal on military and if you’ll deal on the third year tax cut. That’s an academic exercise, because Ronald Reagan has indicated, in no uncertain terms, that if they fool with the third year tax cut that’s veto-grabbed. As far as the defense situation is concerned, again they’re going to stand firm on the defense. So I just think you’re dealing academic exercise if you’re talking about these kind of tradeoffs.”

Laxalt was considered a pretty likable guy who had friends on both sides of the aisle. But even this level of spin was hard to pull off.

Even in 1983 we had the eternal deficit and people screaming about taxes. It never seems to stop no matter what and no matter who. But memories are often short, especially when it's not convenient.

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(Thin Lizzy - Turned 70s Headbanging into an art form)

Before we head back into our regular programming of The Roundtable next week, I thought I would close out this Friday (and it IS New Years Day after all) with a live concert recorded in 1983 at the Regal Theatre out of London by Thin Lizzy.

Formed by Charismatic bass player/singer/songwriter Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy were around from 1969 until disbanding after their final tour in 1983, which this recording is the first concert from that tour. Lynott died in 1986 as the band were talking about getting back together, but his death smashed any idea of a reunion since Thin Lizzy was, for all intents and purposes, Phil Lynott.

They were a very influential band in the area of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock and numerous bands cite them as an inspiration for their style. They've gone on to achieve cult status in recent years and all their albums have been reissued several times over the years.

If you're not familiar with them, just know they aren't one of the more quiet or sedate bands you'll be encountering any time soon.

oh yeah . .

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(The Wolf at the front door is starting to look like the family pet)

The never ending story of the Economy, and the ever perplexing world of Reaganomics of the 1980s. Probably not a revelatory view, but one given by Donald C. Platten, who was in 1983 Chairman and CEO of Chemical Bank. The interview via CBS News Face The Nation on August 14, 1983 gives some indication where things were heading.

Donald Platten (Chemical Bank): “The feeling I personally go to bed with every night is that the economy will shortly stop being in a recovery mode, in other words we will have reached the former peak of the economy and that there will be a growth that we’ll be able to talk about as far as our economy in the months ahead. I think what is going on now in the economy is very healthy. I don’t think we have to worry about it being over exuberant. I think there will be a good economy going from now right straight through the year end into 1984. I think there will be pauses. I think in certain industries there’s going to be really no basic recovery in a significant way. I’m afraid that the problem of unemployment is going to continue with us for some time to come, and that really is the biggest thing in the country today. We’ve dispensed with the word Inflation, really. It’s a non-subject, why? Because it’s down to around 3 to 4 percent as against 14 percent a couple of years, so now the unemployment factor is the one that’s on most peoples minds. And that is going to continue down as the economy continues to grow, that it will not affect everybody as well as some other people, there’s no question about that.”

Hindsight and the reading of Tea Leaves. Twenty-six years ago they were doing it. Twenty-six years later, they still are.

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(Sen. John Tower . . . more or less)

The Reagan years saw Americas fair share of military excursions overseas. Between a disastrous stay in Lebanon, an invasion of the island of Grenada, the ongoing skirmishes with Libya, our clandestine involvement in Nicaragua and El Salvador - the list is pretty endless. All were done under the veil of the Cold War - the eternal "good fight" against Communist insurgency throughout the world. But more and more the real motives were being revealed and they had more to do with sources of raw materials (i.e. oil) than they did with Moscow. Russia was knee-deep in their own Afghanistan, and we were busy supplying arms to the Mujahadeen (i.e. Taliban) - but our "tinkering in internal affairs" was the subtext, while the Media attention was drawn to the splashier pictures - Mohammar Khadafi, Yuri Andropov and the Evil Empire. CBS News program Face The Nation had a panel featuring Senator John Tower (R-Texas), Chairman of The Senate Armed Services Committee discussing our latest set of situations and our Foreign Policy on August 7, 1983.

Sen. John Tower: “I think it should be understood that the United States is committed to the protection of its vital interests abroad . . . we don’t want to find ourselves more or less isolated in this world from important sources of raw materials.”

George Herman (CBS News): “Are you concerned at all about the issue of legitimacy, for example the side that we are supporting, that of President Hissene Habre` is a government which took over and forced out the previous President whose name was Goukouni Queddei, as I recall. So that we are really supporting rebels or insurgents ore revolutionaries against what was a legitimate government . . . .”

Tower: “The fact is, that is the recognized government of Chad. It is the government that is accredited to various capitals throughout the world. It is the government that is recognized by the Organization of African States.”

Herman: “But it’s a civil war, shouldn’t we . . . .?”

Tower: “I understand that . . but the point is, not involvement in the civil war, but . . trying to prevent the intrusion of others in the civil war and turning it to their own uses. Don’t think that Colonel Khadifi has any great philosophical notions about who should be in charge in Chad. Colonel Khadafi would like to be the dominant influence in Chad. And the implications for other African states and the implications for the United States and Western Europe and our interests there are very obvious to me . . . “

Eventually the lid would be blown off the Iran-Contra affair, but in 1983 it was Business As Usual.

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(Roddy Frame - Aztec Camera - made the 80s worth listening to)

Getting into a 1980s frame of mind tonight - Aztec Camera from their first album High Land, Hard Rain - the opening track, and a favorite, Oblivious. Strangely, Aztec Camera really never caught on in the States. Only doing modest sales and occasional airplay. The only reason I can think of is the flood of albums and new bands coming out of the UK at the time caused a lot of worthy music to get lost in the shuffle. The early 80s saw a gradual shift from Punk to New Wave with Indie coming in through the back door. Once again, radio stations were also going through the shift, with less independent stations on the air and the growth of the corporate mergers - loosely translated: less experimenting and breaking of new acts and more concentration on the tried and true and the highly commercial acts (i.e. Madonna). Not to mention the introduction of MTV nationwide.

It was an interesting period of transition for the music business. But as is often the case, a lot of good music went unnoticed and it was frustrating not only for the bands, but for the audience as well.

Seems to still be that way.

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(Union Busting in History - At least today they wear nice suits)

When the famous Patco strike unfolded and President Reagan promptly fired the strikers and crippled the union, it signaled open season on Unions and the beginning of busting, deregulation and a general dismantling of our labor laws and the subsequent fallout that's been reverberating all over our society ever since.

In 1983 we were in the midst of strikes at Continental Airlines and Greyhound Bus. Those strikes made it clear just how damaged our labor laws had become and how the face of Union Busting had changed.

On December 4, 1983 Face The Nation ran a panel that consisted of William Wimpersinger of the International Association of Machinists, Frank Navjot of Greyhound, Studs Terkel, John Nesbitt and Stephen Cabot discussing the state of labor in the midst of Reagan.

Leslie Stahl: “Do you think there is a national management conspiracy to bust or break the unions?”

Studs Terkel: “There doesn’t have to be a conspiracy, I wish it were as simple as that. No, the climate is set and the climate of course is set by the most outrageous anti-labor administration within memory. So we have not, Apple Blossom Time but certainly Union Busting Time”.

Stahl: “Yeah but the public seems to be behind . . .not just the administration . . . .

Terkel: “That’s precisely the point. I think there’s been a lobotomy performed down through the years as Unions and labor are concerned. Ever since World War 2 . .and it’s changed. Big business has become more sophisticated in the person of Mister Cabot say, in contrast to a guy Henry Ford hired in the 30s to fight UAW, Harry Bennett, who would hire thugs and ex-cons with baseball bats to bust the heads of picketers. Today you have smiling three-piece suit guys doing the same job. So much more sophisticated and the result the young members of the workforce have no idea how the minimum wage came to be. They think it came as an apple from the hand of Eve in the garden of Eden. It was bloodied heads that did it, and guys were blacklisted and so minimum wage came to be – that’s under attack today. There’s definitely a union busting climate, no doubt in my mind."

Considering it's 26 years later - the situation hasn't changed. It has only gotten worse, thanks to the Bush Administration. The systematic dismantling of those laws which protected workers from unfair and unethical practices have only become more prevalent with time - and the affects of greed and contempt have only become more entrenched.

It's not going to go away overnight - remember that.

(Note: The broadcast begins with breaking news of U.S. raids on Syrian positions in Lebanon and then goes to the original program)

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(The Joys Of Travel)

When the deregulation of the Commercial Airline industry came into full bloom by 1983 (the bill was signed into law in 1978), everything was bordering on chaos. Granted, the major airlines had something of a monopoly for years and abuse was rife. But the pendulum swung the other way and cost cutting measures, layoffs and threatened bankruptcies of airlines like Continental created an uneasy and in many ways, an unsafe environment for air travel. There was talk about considering the airlines a public utility. But as was evidenced by the breakup of AT&T (which was considered a public utility) that alternative wasn't viable either. The trouble was, things were getting worse and no one was willing to offer an alternative. Strangely, they still aren't.

As a reaction to the worsening conditions, The Airline Pilots Union went on strike against Continental Airlines (one of many during the 80's).

The strike was the subject of a "Face The Nation" episode from October 2, 1983 featuring Leslie Stahl and a panel consisting of Sen. Mark Andrews (R-North Dakota), Dan McKinnon (Civil Aeoronautics Board), Phil Bakes (CEO, Continental airlines) and Capt. Henry Duffy (Airline Pilots Association).

Bakes: “It’s interesting that unions will charge us with union busting and not being fair to the employees – the one group of our employees who’s not a member of a union, which are our agents and number over 50 percent of our employees were allowed to vote on the pay cuts that we’ve instituted. Ninety percent of them voted for it. But yet the unionized employees were never allowed to vote. Now they’re voting with their feet and so are the consumers.”

Duffy: "What makes it a union busting maneuver is that, his employees had come to him and told him that they would do whatever was necessary to make that company profitable before they filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Instead, they chose the course of action of going Chapter 11 in order to do away with the union contracts and seniority and all of that’s been done in these emergency work rules that they published, and that tells us what they’re up to.”

Although it didn't dissolve into name-calling, it did cast light on just what a serious mess the Commercial Airline industry had become.

One which we're still living through today.

(single mom and children roughing it for real in a spacious Econoline Van - 1983)

In the deep, dark recesses of the 1980's, I stumbled across a "Saturday Radio Talk" by President Reagan From February 5, 1983 in which he goes at length to define the term "Reaganomics". Sometimes referred to as "Voodoo Economics", but nonetheles an interesting explanation coming from the "Horse's Mouth" as it were.

In retrospect, it's an interesting view of what was a bad situation then, painted in bright rhetorical colors and catchy phrases, but ultimately leaving more questions than answers as far as history is concerned.

For example, I was completely unaware our Armed Forces were considered part of the work force and figured into what was determined to be an uptick in the unemployment figure of the time, which the Reagan administration took credit for dropping from 10.8% to 10.4%. Could the administration surmise that, because of an upsurge in enlistments as the result of the Beirut Bombings of 1982, the unemployment rate was lower? Strange logic.

But with the blizzard of upbeat proclamations and winning phrases, who could tell?

Perhaps the ones who simply vanished from the unemployment rolls when the benefits ran out.

Welcome to 1983:

(President Reagan, Saturday Radio Talk - February 5, 1983)