This CNN series takes a look at some of the key presidential races from years past and dissects them from the start of the campaign until the finish. While some of the visuals are a bit hokey and awkward, for the most part this is a great little election history lesson.
The races covered in the six episodes include:
-Kennedy vs. Nixon; Bush vs. Dukakis; Dewey vs. Truman; Jackson vs. Adams; Clinton vs. Bush
In each of these episodes, I learned things about those races that I hadn't previously known, so I was engaged the entire way through. CN makes great use of engaging graphics and energetic interviews to make sure nothing ever gets dull.
The only disappointing thing about this series (and the reason I dropped it down to 4-stars instead of 5) is that CNN awkwardly casts somewhat look-alike actors to portray each President in dramatic representation. I understand why they did this (it seems like it would be more exciting for the casual viewer to get moving images rather than static pictures), but instead it is just weird. As such, the first, second, and final episodes listed above work the best, as they are the newest and can feature actual video of the candidates. In the older ones, there is too much of the play-acting for my tastes.
Overall, though, I looked forward to "Race for the White House" each week it was airing and each time got swept up in the race being examined. I'd love to see CNN feature some different races in the future
I would tune into all of them!
