C-SPAN Classic

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It’s time, baby.

Imagine a channel you can turn to at any time of day that displays the classic political moments of the television age. ESPN had a fit of genius in the creation of ESPN Classic. Now it’s my turn, dammit. It’s time for C-SPAN to saddle up and finally create C-SPAN Classic.

It would be a thing of beauty. I could sit around on a Saturday afternoon and watch Mario Cuomo’s speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention…Maybe the three-way debates in ’92…The Dean Scream. I’m getting a touch excited just sitting here thinking about it.

But it’s not just debates and speeches, ya know? You could have the equivalent of SportsCentury. Instead of a brief documentary about the ’88 World Series and Kirk Gibson’s homer off of Dennis The Menace Eckersley, you could have Ronald Reagan’s comeback in the ’84 debates against Walter Mondale (“I’m not going to use my opponent’s youth and inexperience against him”—and Mondale’s out cold on the mat). Classic College Football? Easy. State level political power plays. Reel Classics? Serve up some Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Candidate. Maybe they can even include some classic Prime Minister’s Questions.

This sucker is a goldmine. It’s gonna be great day for America…