The false equivalence of Trump and O.J. trials
Since the impeachment case against President Donald Trump sputtered to its inevitable conclusion early this month, the analogy has circulated that Trump’s acquittal should be considered akin to the popular … Continue reading
Chuck Todd’s bad impeachment analogy
The impeachment case against President Donald Trump seems ominous in its outsize claims but is still quite thin on evidence. That, of course, hasn’t prevented Trump’s foes from pronouncing him … Continue reading
For Bill Clinton, the reckoning grinds on
It’s mid-August, almost exactly 20 years since Bill Clinton’s petulant, 4½ minute speech in which he conceded to having had an “improper” sexual relationship with a former White House intern … Continue reading
Remembering Bill Clinton’s finger-wagging denial-lie, 20 years on
His eyes were narrowed, his face flushed. He wagged an index finger for emphasis and he nearly spat the words as television cameras rolled: “I want to say one thing … Continue reading
‘Just because I could’: Would Bill Clinton survive Lewinsky scandal these days? Not likely
Counterfactual history can be little more than trivial nonsense. Take, for example, the Washington Post’s frivolous, “let’s pretend” story last week ruminating about what if Hillary Clinton had won the presidency. … Continue reading
O.J. Simpson wins parole, but it’s no 1995 moment
O.J. Simpson’s parole hearing today in Nevada may have been widely watched and much-anticipated. But it was no “flashbulb moment,” not an occasion so rare and powerful that it will … Continue reading
The O.J. Simpson case: Five readable books
The recent bouts of television-induced fascination with the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder case have eased, thankfully. But residual interest is keen enough that suggestions for reading in some depth about … Continue reading
ESPN’s O.J. doc: Less exceptional than its rave reviews
For a five-part documentary that lasted nearly 8 hours, ESPN’s much-hyped treatment of O.J. Simpson was often short on nuance and explanatory detail. The film in the end was far … Continue reading
Beyond 1995: Accounting for the pop culture allure of the O.J. case
The week brought word that Martin Sheen plans to produce a docu-series claiming O.J. Simpson was innocent of the brutal slayings in 1994 of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, … Continue reading
Ballyhoo over FX series leads to outsize claims about O.J. case
The media ballyhoo over the FX miniseries about the O.J. Simpson murder saga of 1994-95 has been accompanied by a variety of misconceptions and exaggerated claims about the case and … Continue reading
The 1995 Blog 