20/20: THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. BUSH; LOUD CAR STEREOS; MIKE TYSON RAPE CASE (TV)
Summary
One in this series of news magazine programs.
In the first segment, Barbara Walters interviews President George H.W. Bush on the patio of the Oval Office, touching upon such topics as criticism that he is "indecisive" and "waited too long" to address the country's economic recession; his "passion" for world peace; why Congress, currently controlled by the Democrats, must share some of the blame for the economy issues; whether he was "taken by surprise" by the L.A. riots in the spring, caused in part by the scandal surrounding the L.A.P.D.'s beating of Rodney King; claims that Independent candidate Ross Perot had Bush and his family investigated in the 1980s, when Bush was Vice-President, and why it would be "beyond the pale" to involve his children; his sense of himself as a "tough fighter" despite his dislike of smear campaigns; why the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 undermined his credibility with voters and was his "biggest mistake" as president; his thoughts on his infamous "read my lips: no new taxes" comment, which was essentially invalidated by the BEA; his belief in family planning and "principled" opposition to abortion; his adherence to "traditional family values" and support of the Department of Defense's rules against homosexuals in the military; increased numbers of female political candidates who are "way off to the left" in the wake of the Clarence Thomas hearings; his support for Justice Clarence Thomas and lack of belief in Anita Hill's accusations; his thoughts on the "cultural elite," who apparently oppose the Pledge of Allegiance and support flag-burning; Vice-President Dan Quayle's infamous "potatoe" error; rumors of White House staff changes before the upcoming election; and why he is "positive" that he will win his reelection bid.
Walters notes that Perot denies investigating the Bush family but admits to giving the then-VP's financial information to the Washington Post, as requested. Next, First Lady Barbara Bush joins the conversation and discusses their health status and fight with Graves' disease; how they cope with stress; her strong belief in his reelection campaign; her advice to him and sense that he "listens to everybody"; their involvement in AIDS charities and research; his personal stability throughout his presidency, including why "nobody suffered more than he did" during the Desert Storm conflict; whether she has influence over the president's political appointments; why she felt "violated" by Perot's actions, in part because of their formerly friendly relationship and Perot's alleged job offer to the then-VP; why she will not discuss her personal views on abortion but supports the president's political position; Quayle's comments about comedy series "Murphy Brown" and its apparent "glamorization" of single parenthood; excessive media scrutiny of politicians' personal lives; Hillary Clinton's comments about her decision to pursue a career; why, as First Lady, she dislikes being described as "just" a housewife; and why she feels her husband is the best candidate for president in 1992. Walters also notes that Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Clinton's cookie recipes will be compared in a magazine after the election.
Next, reporter John Stossel explores the phenomenon of "boomers" or "street pounders," cars equipped with elaborate and extremely loud sound systems. Several young men describe outfitting their cars with pricey hydraulics, speakers and amplifiers for the primary purpose of attracting women, though they occasionally enter their automobiles in competitions. Craig Deitchman admits that he wears earplugs while driving in his very loud car, which has remote-control doors and no trunk space, thanks to all the equipment within. Some older people comment on their dislike of the noisy cars, though one aficionado notes that loud music is safer than the former trend of "hot-rodding." Stossel notes that hearing loss has no warning symptoms, and a couple of young women discuss whether they are attracted to men with such attention-grabbing cars.
In a brief interview segment, Walters talks with Desiree Washington about whether she intends to sue boxer Mike Tyson, who is serving a prison sentence for raping her, for damages. Finally, Ted Koppel previews an upcoming story about sexual harassment in the United States Navy, over which the Secretary of the Navy, H. Lawrence Garrett III, has recently resigned. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: June 26, 1992 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:05
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:25890
- GENRE: News magazine
- SUBJECT HEADING: News magazine; Talk/Interview; Presidents - United States
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1978-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - AT&T telephone services
- TV - Commercials - Dodge automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Energizer batteries
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - General Mills Total cereal
- TV - Commercials - Goodyear tires
- TV - Commercials - Gyne-Lotrimin yeast infection medication
- TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal
- TV - Commercials - Listerine mouthwash
- TV - Commercials - National car rental services
- TV - Commercials - NutraSweet artificial sweetener
- TV - Commercials - Plax mouthwash
- TV - Commercials - Sears paint
- TV - Promo - "ABC Wide World of Sports"
- TV - Promo - "L.A. Extra"
- TV - Promo - "On the Air"
- TV - Promo - American Championship Racing Hollywood Gold Cup
- TV - Promo - El Paso Open bowling competition
- TV - Promos - "City View"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Life Goes On"
- TV - Promos - "Peter Jennings Reporting"
- TV - Promos - "Sudden Impact"
- TV - Promos - "The Commish"
- TV - Promos - ABC Eyewitness News
CREDITS
- Victor Neufeld … Executive Producer
- David Tabacoff … Senior Producer
- Meredith White … Senior Producer
- Martin Clancy … Producer
- Ethel Bass Weintraub … Producer
- Barbara Nienaltowski … Associate Producer
- Jennifer Grossman … Operations Producer
- Ellin Sanger-Agress … Talent Producer
- Gabriella Messina … Update Producer
- George Paul … Director
- Jerry Tully … Writer
- Barbara Walters … Anchor
- John Stossel … Reporter
- Ted Koppel … Reporter
- Barbara Bush … Interviewee
- George H.W. Bush … Interviewee
- Craig Deitchman … Interviewee
- Desiree Washington … Interviewee
- Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Anita Hill
- H. Lawrence Garrett III
- Rodney King
- Ross Perot
- Dan Quayle
- Clarence Thomas
- Mike Tyson