Fact-Checking James Fallows
In his review of Sarah Palin’s convention speech, James Fallows writes the following:
Twice in modern history very strong convention speeches have elevated politicians to an entirely different level of future potential and prominence. One, of course, was Barack Obama’s keynote at the convention in Boston four years ago. The other, which I remember watching as a schoolboy Goldwaterite, was Ronald Reagan’s speech supporting Goldwater at the San Francisco convention in 1964.
Fallows’s schoolboy memory fails him. Reagan didn’t give a speech for Goldwater at the 1964 Republican convention. The famous Reagan speech of that year was a paid television address in late October called “A Time for Choosing.” You can see the speech below.
***Correction. It seems that Reagan did give a version of this speech at the 1964 Republican convention, though it was the televised version below that gained him the most attention. My bad. PAK
Comments
I don’t think Fallows is alone. Almost every Google reference to this speech I found (on YouTube and elsewhere) refers to this speech as Reagan’s address to the Republican Convention. (For example, look here).
Phil…do you know why? Maybe this is a case of viral misinformation, or heightened reality.
Posted by: Ian McDonald | September 5, 2008 12:21 PM
Reagan DID give this speech to the convention, but it was ALSO an advertisement.
Posted by: I think | September 5, 2008 12:43 PM