Op-ed: Admitting a mistake

  • By Bob Franken
  • Tuesday, October 20, 2015 3:44pm
  • Opinion

Those who still get carded might not know of the successful TV series from the 1970s about the 1950s. One of the leading characters was The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler. He was a greasy-haired, leather-jacket-wearing parody of the ‘50s. He was also supremely confident. In one episode, however, he realized, possibly for the first time ever, that he had to apologize. It was agonizing for him: It came out “I was wr-wr-wr-wr-wrong.” Quite a struggle.

Similarly, I must admit that when I recently wrote that nobody would be watching the Democratic debate, I was wr-wr-wr-wr-wrong. Not that I have Fonz-like self-assurance; it’s just that us pundits are never supposed to acknowledge that maybe we don’t really know it all.

But I was, in truth, mistaken. The fact is, 15 million-plus people watched Hillary Clinton and the boys duke it out, even though it didn’t include ratings magnet Donald Trump, even though it didn’t promise to be a buffoonish slugfest as a result and even though, while lively, it was relatively substantive. Fifteen million people tuned in, even though there was playoff baseball on at the same time — and probably “Happy Days” reruns on some golden oldies cheapo channel.

Will wonders never cease? Granted, the Republican hostilityfests have pulled in way more viewers, thanks largely to “The Donald” and the other squabblers, but more than 15 million isn’t too shabby for such a polite-o-rama. Could it be that the American people are actually interested in issues? Maybe it’s that Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are compelling personalities, along with the other bit-part candidates whose main purpose was to fill out the stage.

And that was without Joe Biden. He continues to agonize over whether to get into the race, a private decision that is playing out in possibly the most public way. It sometimes seems like just about everybody who has ever met the vice president has been recruited as a leaker, to put out the speculation du jour, or oftentimes speculations du jour. Will he or won’t he? Just when a creeping consensus takes hold that Hillary has recovered her mojo so Joe is a no-go, out comes a confidant to say that Biden is still decidin’.

But this is a decision that defies rhyme or reason. Actually, the vice president has openly shared his agonizing dilemma: Would the raw grief over the loss of his son so distract him that he couldn’t provide the kind of focus a presidential candidate needs to constantly maintain? There would be little time and energy left to tend to his family; his personal healing would have to be neglected. On the other hand, the cathartic effects of a campaign may be exactly what he and his loved ones need.

For sure, he’d have a fight on his hands. Hillary, and for that matter Bernie, are not going to pull their punches. They’re all friends, at least in the Washington sense, but here, where water is thicker than blood, the three would be in a battle that would supersede fondness and affection.

We’re witness to that now on the Republican side. Once, not very long ago, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush listed Marco Rubio as a protege, a buddy. But now the two are running for president, and the mentor and mentee are getting mean, trading insults like they’re old enemies.

It’s a little more complicated for the Dems, but sympathy for Joe Biden would be quickly overwhelmed by the win-at-all-cost mentality. Of course what might make it less jarring is that the Democratic race is not as totally abrasive as the Republican match.

In any case, Americans apparently are already engaged a year before Election Day. Even with the intense disgruntlement over the country’s problems, there’s still a feeling that the right president might bring about more happy days.

Bob Franken is a longtime broadcast journalist, including 20 years at CNN.

More in Opinion

Dick Maitland, a foley artist, works on the 46th season of “Sesame Street” at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ariana McLaughlin/The New York Times)
Opinion: Trump’s embarrassing immaturity Republicans won’t acknowledge

Sullivan should be embarrassed by the ignorance and immaturity the president is putting on display for the world to see.

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop and Gov. Mike Dunleavy discuss his veto of an education bill during a press conference March 15, 2024, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Strong policy, proven results

Why policy and funding go hand in hand.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski speaks on a range of subjects during an interview with the Juneau Empire in May 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The Jones Act — crass protectionism, but for whom?

Alaska is dependent on the few U.S.-built ships carrying supplies from Washington state to Alaska.

Cook Inlet can be seen at low tide from North Kenai Beach on June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Solving the Cook Inlet gas crisis

While importing LNG is necessary in the short term, the Kenai Peninsula is in dire need of a stable long-term solution.

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet are dragged up onto the beach at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Creating opportunities with better fishery management

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Nov. 24, 2022. (Alaska Division of Elections)
Opinion: Alaska should keep ranked choice voting, but let’s make it easier

RCV has given Alaskans a better way to express their preferences.

The Alaska State Capitol on March 1. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Keep Alaska open for business

Our job as lawmakers is to ensure that laws passed at the ballot box work effectively on the ground.

Brooke Walters. (Courtesy photo)
Opinion: A student’s letter to the governor

Our education funding is falling short by exuberant amounts.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of debating an omnibus education bill in the Alaska House Chambers on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Compromise, not games

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Most Read