Past Daily

Coretta Scott King – knew a thing or two about content of character.

Click on the Link: NPR – National Town Meeting – Character In Politics – Nov. 5, 1975

A little over a year after the Watergate debacle and exactly a year before the 1976 Presidential elections, the whole question of character in our public and political figures was raised. Just what kind of people were we being asked to choose in leadership roles? Clearly, Watergate and the fallout left a bad taste in the mouths of many Americans, or what I used to refer to as “our great National Nervous Breakdown”. We were all feeling a little raw from the experience of having our once-trusted leaders revealed to be frauds and liars and a wave of cynicism overtook the electorate, certainly with the Youth Vote. Few on Capitol Hill, it seemed, held any trust for us.

And so public scrutiny and the search for answers began. A lot of airtime between 1974 and 1976 was taken up with discussions on character in politics.

One of those programs, part of the National Public Radio series National Town Meeting, raised that question. First broadcast on November 5, 1975, it featured a panel consisting of Coretta Scott King, Dr. Walter Judd and Dr. James David Barber, mulling over the issue of Character in Politics and Public Office. The panel also featured questions from the audience and you get a feeling for just how much this issue concerned the public during those post-Watergate days.

Oddly, the sentiments are still apropos today. Maybe even more so.

Here is that complete National Town Meeting Broadcast from National Public Radio.

~ by gordonskene on July 25, 2012.

Posted in 1970's, Broadcast Journalism, Broadcasts, Capitol Hill, Corruption, Crime, Democracy, Disconnect, Elections, History, Jimmy Carter, Nixon, NPR, Past Daily, Politics, Popular Culture, President Ford, Presidential Elections, Presidents, Scandals, Social Commentary, Society, Uncategorized, Vintage Recordings, Watergate
Tags: 1975, Character, Civil Rights, Coretta Scott King, deceit, Discussion, Elections, Electorate, Nixon, Panel Discussion, Politicians, politics, Public Office, Scandal, Watergate