> had a majority of Americans watch films like that before they voted Ronald Regan in for a second term, would they vote for him?
Well they watched "The Day After", 39 million households, during his first term. One of the people watching was an ex-actor who said it was "very effective and left me greatly depressed", who then used his position as commander in chief of the US armed forces to make the Joint Chiefs of Staff watch it, and then that president turned around and managed to get the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty agreed.
One wonders what would have happened had Walter Mondale won in 1984. Would he have been as affected as Reagan? Would he have managed to persuade a traditionally hawkish conservative chiefs of staff? Would he have been able to persuade the Russian leadership?
Well they watched "The Day After", 39 million households, during his first term. One of the people watching was an ex-actor who said it was "very effective and left me greatly depressed", who then used his position as commander in chief of the US armed forces to make the Joint Chiefs of Staff watch it, and then that president turned around and managed to get the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty agreed.
One wonders what would have happened had Walter Mondale won in 1984. Would he have been as affected as Reagan? Would he have managed to persuade a traditionally hawkish conservative chiefs of staff? Would he have been able to persuade the Russian leadership?