Count me in the "overblown" category as well. We have flags at half mass for 30 days for this, but only had it at half mass for 11 after Sept. 11th. Stuff like that bothers me a little. I think the main thing that bothered me is the fact that some of this stuff should have been personal. Zooming in on Nancy when she's leaning against the casket crying isn't necessary IMO. I know when my father passed away, the last thing that we wanted was more attention on us while we mourned. Then again, Nancy obviously agreed to this, so I have no right to say anything. As long as the family is happy with the exposure, it doesn't really matter what else I say.
I understand that Reagan is an icon, beyond being an ex-president, but this coverage has been a bit over-blown. I am glad it hasn't been politicized too much though.
It does sound like everything was overblown, but I only watched a few retrospectives the day he died and the last of the funeral service as he was being laid to rest. Thinking about it now the close-ups of the family at the coffin borders on disrespectful. What i'm getting at though is what I saw was within reason, but I didn't watch anything on cable or the early parts of the funeral. Will there be a federal holiday when Ford, Carter, or Bush dies?
You are right about Nixon. He requested to not have a state funeral and that's one reason there was less coverage. TV news coverage has really changed a lot. With all the cable news networks and constant internet news updates it's like no one can really control the news cycle. We stay on the "big story" until it ends or something bigger comes a long. It used to be just CNN, now there's MSNBC, FoxNews, etc. and all types of internet sites just feeing into it.
Maybe you're right about the media aspect, Mr. Clutch. I just remembered how whacko the world went over Princess Di's death. I'm sure she was a great woman, but I was royally pissed when Mother Teresa's death came and went without much ado. I'm not saying Princess Di didn't deserve it, but a Mother Teresa did. After all this, I'm interested in seeing what kind of "send off" Jimmy Carter gets. Especially worldwide reaction.