| Show 14A Saturday May 6 2000 Opinion Standard-Examine- A saiiefe f-- Standard-Examin- f er Don Porter Editorial Page Editor Ron Thornburg Managing Editor OUR VIEW Presidential humor was quite appropriate haters are now criticizing the president for wasting time making a funny video and for demeaning the office we k the president president is getting all the ink the United States did on the campaign trail - was artful with Clinton pretending no other to accept an Oscar until real president has ever done so winner Kevin Spacey shows well: He made people laugh up to retrieve his award Big belly laughs Roaring roaming the halls of a desertlaughs ed White House and surfing Spittle- who the Web with an producing guffaws him “the pkeeps calling It was refreshing It was man” original It was fun So natuOther bits had the president rally some of Bill Clinton’s his own laundry washmost persistent critics are say- doing his limousine mowing and ing ing he has demeaned the ofwatering the lawn answering fice of the president as if it phones at the White House compares with what he’s alswitchboard and chasing after ready done Others have won- Hillary because she forgot the dered where in the world he brown-ba- g lunch he made for got the time to “act” in a vidher eo presentation for the annual Clinton’s elaborate video ofWhite House Correspondents fering was little more than an Association expansion of the comedy roucorreTime was the annual tines performed by past presidents including Ronald spondents dinner was an bash where reReagan and George Bush porters and politicos could let Even then-fir- st lady Nancy w it all hang out so to speak ore rags to a correReagan dinner as a joke afwithout fear of reading their spondents she’d accused words in the next day’s paper been of walter That tradition went the way of lowing in wealth for wearing the woolly mammoth years designer gown after designer is gown ago and now the dinner a routine subject of media reTrue some of Bill Clinton’s behavior during his presidency portage has been nothing short of repSo Bill Clinton ever the rehensible But why kick the populist played to his guy now for just being himself strengths: humor and showbiz in such a gently humorous The video was produced by video? He could have spent those two to six hours playing the guiding force behind the golf a pastime all of our repopular sitcom “Everybody cent presidents have enjoyed -Loves Raymond” and deor vacationing in the Hamppending on which White tons Instead he decided to House source you believe it do some kidding around took either two hours or six hours of the president’s time The result was better comeof the lame-duc- k dy than most of us get every The leader - who has been night on television or pay six accused of not having enough bucks to see in a movie theto do now that his wife is livater Thanks Mr President vice in and his for the laughs New York ing Avid Clinton Last tears-on-your-che- ek off-the-reco-rd " self-mocke- ry ANOTHER VIEW A real TV black-o-ut There’s an argument to be made that cable-Tcompanies are no longer “monopolies” in any sense of the word V York’s Mayor ruled (Wednesday) that Time Warner was wrong to suspend Giuliani he knows why ABCs programming at a time when national TV ratings are ABC television disappeared from cable services on Monbeing assessed But the larger point is that the cable compaday and part of Tuesday nies do not deserve to be at“TTiis is an example of what tacked as monopolists Alhappens when you let a mothough there is only one cable nopoly get too big” he deprovider in most parts of the clared of the offending cable country cable has to compete company Time Warner with traditional broadcast teleMany of the 35 million convision and increasingly with sumers who had to face life Benew satellite without such shows as “Who cause cable systems have to companies Wants to Be a Millionaire” for customers fight they do may be tempted to agree not have monopolistic power But the mayor’s line of arguover the bigger firms that ment is not only mistaken It make programs Most conalso poses a threat to televisumers are probably willing to sion consumers The cable lose the occasional day of procompanies are not angels they gramming in exchange for a market-drive- n would love to dominate the TV system that multimedia of world unbelievable delivers an army coming of entertainment at affordable and hold consumers to ranrates som Moreover the Federal - Washington Post Communications Commission New r- - © (i © c SERVING THE TOP OF UTAH SINCE 1888 Scott Trundle Publisher j— (Si © § © (i n r © r |
