From The Diary Of Dan Rather

Wednesday, June 26

Dearest Diary, I watched the Democratic special tonight and it was awful.  When, oh, when will they learn that they need real moderators, people with talent, people like me!!!!  It all reeked of desperation -- especially using Scott Baio as a moderator.  Putting him behind a pair of glasses did not suddenly make him intelligent or provide him gravitas.

And that moment where there were sound problems amply demonstrated just how out of his element Mr. Baio was.  He couldn't improvise, he couldn't handle himself and they had to quickly cut to a commercial.  Not in my day, young man, not in my day.

Bad enough that Scott was a moderator, what was NBC thinking with regards to the presentation?  Letting U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren go on stage with 19 bodyguards?  And they all kept yapping.  It was all so confusing.  As Roger Mudd used to say, "We tell them what is news!  We tell them!"

Thursday, June 27

Dearest Diary, for some reason, NBC aired another Democratic special tonight.  I guess it's their new summer series.  I'd love to return to the safety of CBS but after they removed me from my public, I swore to never watch them again.  Yes, it has been hard to walk away from my daily viewings of THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL but sacrifice is what life is all about.

What the special was all about was, again, more nonsense.  Former Vice President Joe Biden was on stage.  I'm not sure if the other 19 were his bodyguards.  I'm starting to think the premise of this NBC show is to take a candidate and surround them with 19 upstarts who make jokes, jabs and resort to other kinds of tom foolery. Maybe this is a reality show?  I honestly haven't been able to follow those since MTV's REAL WORLD and that delightful scamp Puck.

Watching tonight, I was struck by the reality that someone out there was doing worse than me.  On stage, there was my former co-worker Connie Chung.  I won't say "co-host."  CBS may have rammed her down my throat -- I should consider a retroactive harassment suit -- but I fixed her wagon.  On the stage, she was going after the Vice President about immigration and Civil Rights.

Oh, Connie, give it a rest.

And while I may no longer be able to afford Saltines and the other finer things of life, at least I have not been reduced to appearing on reality TV.  As Charles Kuralt used to say, "Have a little respect!  And at least two wives at all times."

Friday, June 28th

Dearest diary, there was no new installment on NBC of the reality show.  I've been raking my mind, but I think what aired Wednesday night and Thursday night was THE VOICE.  There certainly were a lot of voices on stage.  Too many for my taste.

Just as well if the show has been cancelled.  It doesn't appear anyone paid attention.  Flipping through the daily papers I still subscribe to -- the ones that still publish -- all I see is Theranos.  Theranos all the time.

Now, darn it, I love a good yarn as well as anyone.  I'm still trying to sort out, for example, how they did all that stunt work in RETURN TO WITCH MOUNTAIN -- and don't tell me that young Kim Richards has Tia's powers, no sir.  But there comes a time when you must put away childhood things.  Wasn't this all settled and ended earlier when AVENGERS: ENDGAME killed off Theranos and rescued the Infinity Stones?  As  Brian Williams always says, "If there's time for fluff then it's time for me to start lying on air.  Oh, and what happens in the butt stays in the butt!"