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Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion

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No matter how seriously we take our politics, Americans love a light touch, a raised eyebrow, a generous chuckle--which is why millions of us tune in to Sunday morning television for the bracing cocktail of wit and practical wisdom dispensed, along with the news, by the inimitable David Brinkley .  His closing remarks, like an exclamation point after each broadcast, may illuminate the week's events or they may range widely through the oft puzzling human condition--but they're always worth waiting for.

In this one-of-a-kind book, we get the undiluted Brinkley.  He marvels at government regulations that require cans of paint to bear a label reading "Do not drink paint."  He nominates Richard Nixon as Official U.S. Government Scapegoat.  He commiserates with an Oklahoma mayor who must earn extra money by collecting beer cans and claiming the deposits.  He reminisces about a White House that welcomed casual picnickers on its lawn.  He forgives George Bush for passing out in Tokyo.  He observes that "if we can put a man on the moon, we could put Congress in orbit."  He skewers lawyers, bureaucrats, Washington insiders, hypocrites of all stripes.  He commemorates absurdity--and hence suffers fools gladly.

In short, Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion is David Brinkley at his unbeatable best.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published December 12, 1991

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About the author

David Brinkley

27 books11 followers
Full name: David McClure Brinkley

*ABC and NBC newscaster
*Co-anchored the Huntley–Brinkley Report
*NBC Nightly News co-anchor and correspondent
*Sunday This Week with David Brinkley

Received:
*ten Emmy Awards
*three George Foster Peabody Awards
*Presidential Medal of Freedom


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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Melki.
7,378 reviews2,637 followers
June 28, 2016
Some of you young whippersnappers may not believe this, but there was once a time when journalists at least pretended to be impartial. There was not an entire news network devoted to slandering one political party while at the same time ignoring crimes committed by another. Television's talking heads reported the news, not their personal opinions.

David Brinkley was one of these old school, just-the-facts-ma'am reporters. His distinguished career started at the dawn of the television era and lasted for over fifty years. Most of that time, he managed to keep his opinions to himself, so he really seems to relish the opportunity he has in this book to "let 'er rip." And he does so with gusto, well, polite, refined, golf-applause type gusto, anyway.

Brinkley decries government regulations, and never fails to champion the little guy. Most of his essays are wry observations of just how silly Washington politics can be. Though some of the pieces seem a little dated - this book was published in 1996 - it's interesting to see how much has NOT changed. One essay from 1983 brought me up short, however.

Here it is in its entirety:

It's pleasing to say a word about a recent crisis that doesn't involve any bombing or loss of life and cannot be traced to Moscow. And it's not urgent, it's 100 or 200 years away. The two reports we've had are on the so-called greenhouse effect, on how the burning of oil and coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it works like a greenhouse. It lets the sun's heat reach the earth and then holds the heat in. It means, they say, the earth will grow warmer. New York City will have a climate somewhat like Daytona Beach, Florida, which I guess is good. The heat will melt the polar ice caps and all that water will raise the level of the oceans, and so some low-lying land, including some here in Washington, will be underwater. Well, when this happens, people in boats won't notice it, but vacationers in beachfront hotels might find it wise to move up to the second floor. Unlike our ordinary crises, in this case we'll have plenty of time to think about it. Time for the liberals to blame it all on big business, time for the conservatives to blame it all on big government, plenty of time for government commissions to study the problem, and issue reports. Now, that's my kind of crisis.

I'm not sure what's most horrifying - his glib tone or the fact that 33 years ago we thought this crisis wouldn't be happening for centuries. Even so, Brinkley seemed to think we'd have plenty of time to do something about it. Well, we've had 33 years, and what have we done? Since half of our government won't even admit it's a problem, I don't think we've even formed those commissions.

Shocking.

And sad.
Profile Image for Tim.
644 reviews27 followers
September 7, 2015
I picked this book up at a used bookstore, because for quite a number of years I enjoyed Mr. Brinkley’s pithy commentaries on the events of the day. I first saw him in the pre-Cronkite news era, as a co-anchor with Chet Huntley on the “NBC Nightly News” somewhere in the 1960’s. After his stint there he did a news-and-commentary program for ABC. This book is a compilation of Mr. Brinkley’s “sign-off” commentaries (much like, more recently, Bob Schieffer did on “Face the Nation.”) Most of these were political in nature and as such reflected the times and climate of the era (1981 through 1995) and cover the presidencies of Carter, Bush the First, and Clinton. And as such they may appear to be quite dated, but many are surprisingly relevant, to wit: Budget crises and backroom finagling thereof; political/campaign spending; legal/judicial decisions (often confusing); you get the idea…

These little essays take up a page at most, sometimes a third of a page, but all are quite insightful. A couple examples; a number of years ago there was a County Judge who heard mostly petty crimes, and made decisions on the spot as to the defendant’s guilt; those found guilty were sent to the County Farm to work it for 30 days. For all cases, the entirety of the Judge’s docket was finished by noon. And I quote: “The not guilties were out in time to go to work; the guilties were at the county farm in time for lunch. Well, I have heard a hundred reasons why, on a larger scale, the courts can’t be run this way now. I don’t believe any of them.”

Here’s another: an Austrian Jewish fellow, Stanley Newberg, fled the Nazis to America and there worked his way to becoming a successful and wealthy businessman. When he died, he left his entire estate of $5,600,000 to the United States Government because he was so grateful that America had provided not only asylum but opportunity. And again to quote: “The sad part is that the government spends about $4.1 billion a day. So Mr. Newberg’s 5 million, generously given, will disappear in less than two minutes.”

There’s a lot more where that came from. Quick, enjoyable read. However, if you do plan on reading this book, especially if you are younger than, let’s say sixty, I’d recommend two things: 1) Do some research on the politics and current events of the above mentioned time span, for background; and 2) Go on YouTube and watch some footage of Mr. Brinkley, with his deadpan delivery and clipped sentences, making his points all that more droll (OK, hilarious at times).
Profile Image for Kenneth.
1,036 reviews6 followers
March 27, 2026
David Brinkley won ten Emmy Awards and three George Foster Peabody Awards. I remember watching him read the news on the Huntley-Brinkley report when I was a boy.
This book is a collection of the short closing remarks from his long running Sunday show, "This Week with David Brinkley".
I was quite disappointed in this book. I remembered watching and enjoying his program, but these final prints of his closing remarks are just not that funny and they are quite repetitive.
Profile Image for Patrick Barry.
1,134 reviews12 followers
April 25, 2020
His is a collection of short essays written by Brinkley Oliver the period 1981 through 1995. He comes off as an old curmudgeon and often wrong in his opinion, most notably the breakup of the Bell System. Too dated maybe, but definitely too negative.
Profile Image for Alina.
100 reviews
April 6, 2025
Interesting takes on issues from government spending, US-Japan trade relations, and other DC quirks in the 1980s-90s…and also how issues have changed so drastically
Profile Image for Kressel Housman.
997 reviews267 followers
July 1, 2015
I was never a particular fan of David Brinkley, but the title of this book was such a winner, I figured, why not? It's a collection of his sign-offs at the end of his weekly show between the years 1982 and 1995, and it turned out to be a fun romp through recent history (recent meaning, in my lifetime). It made me laugh quite a few times. You know that saying that the more things change, the more they say the same? It came through clearly in this book. The issues that divide us are pretty much the same as ever, but the technology! "Imagine talking cars," he says. "People are buying more computers than televisions, but they don't know what to do with them." Hah! Fun stuff.
Profile Image for Tracey.
1,115 reviews291 followers
December 11, 2015
This was a quickie fill-in book which I've had on my shelf for a while; it finally made its way to the top of Mount TBR. When I originally picked it up wherever I picked it up, I thought it would be a brief memoir of some sort - but what it actually is is a collection of a number of the one-to-two-minute closing commentaries from This Week With David Brinkley from 1981 - 1996. Something a little lighter, so that viewers did not come away from the show too down-hearted after all of the talk of recession and murder and drugs.

And some of these are very light-hearted - like the story of the boy (in New Haven, CT - I don't think I remember that, and I'm sure it made the news around here) who ran away, and took up residence at the bottom of his apartment building's elevator shaft. He leeched power for a small TV and, I believe, a hot plate, and was only discovered because building residents wondered why the elevator smelled like hot dogs every night. Some are more thoughtful than cheery, such as a note on the death of Benny Goodman in 1986. And:

August 30, 1987


In 1945, during World War II, there was an Army captain in California named Ronald Reagan. He was turning out public relations movies and still pictures for the military. He ordered an Army photographer to go out and take some pictures of women doing war work. The photographer found a young woman working in a factory making communications gear; she was quite attractive and her name was Norma Jean Dougherty. He took twenty-five pictures of her. They were so well received she left the factory and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe…


I never knew that – particularly that Reagan was involved. I love it. (Dougherty? I thought it was Baker. *Goodsearch* Oh – I didn't realize she'd had that many marriages…)

But they aren't all filler and light-hearted; in fact, most are opinion pieces on events in Washington and more localized politics. At first I wasn't too thrilled by the then-timely now-contextless commentaries - but then I realized that a great many of them are still timely, and for the ones that aren't it's strangely fascinating to read about something that was screamingly urgent and vital twenty years ago which is barely a blip on most radar now. Perspective. And it's oddly comforting to read something like this, from December 26, 1982:

We might all hope that 1983 is a good year in all respects, 1983 standing alone, because it doesn't need any troubles of its own. It will inherit enough from 1982, and none of them will go away at midnight this Friday. The year 1983, for example, will inherit a recession spread around the world - 12 million unemployed, the first soup kitchens we have seen in a generation. It will inherit a Washington establishment spending close to $200 billion it does not have; a Congress that would like to bail itself out by raising taxes but can't; a Social Security system that if not rescued will very soon run out of money; and various industries - automobiles, steel, and so on - devastated by imports at least equal in quality but lower in price. And more. Our town here, Washington, regardless of who is in power, cannot fix all of this. But after a generation of promising to solve every social economic ailment, it has led people to expect Washington solutions, and so it will try a number of them. The good news is that the mathematics of probabilities shows that if they try hard enough, sooner or later, by accident or otherwise, somebody will do something right. It does seem that it's time, preferably in 1983, for the probabilities to go our way.

Make all the numbers, dates and dollar amounts, bigger: Things don't really change. Comforting, and also scary.

August 3, 1986

Next week Congress will be voting to set a new and higher federal government debt limit, to give the Treasury power to borrow still more money.


Sound familiar?

And, in addition to talking about how the Presidential campaign idiotically began some 18 months prior to election day – a development I thought was more recent – there was this:

October 30, 1994

In the race for a Senate seat from California, it appears that the two candidates - Dianne Feinstein and Michael Huffington - will set a new world record for campaign spending. Before it's all over, $40 million, maybe? Or more?...

- I found a reference stating that Huffington spent $28 million. $6.3 million was apparently his own money. Bob Schuman, Huffington's campaign manager, said, "(Sen.) Dianne Feinstein has spent over $30 million since 1990 and we will never, in the course of this campaign, match her spending." Just for comparison, the dreaded (or at least dreadful) Linda McMahon spent over $50 million in 2010 (her ads running until I was wishing for her to come down with something painful and disfiguring, and rendering her mute) – and lost. (And then, God help us, she ran again.) Connecticut's a bit smaller than California, but the value of a dollar is down a good bit since the 90's, so … I have no idea how that washes out.

…So to run in a big state you have to be rich or have rich and generous friends. He has his family's oil money and he's been spending it hand over fist. He's spending more than $20 million to win a job that in six years - if he wins - will yield less than one-twentieth of what the job will cost him.

Is anyone who will make a financial deal like that qualified to handle the public's money?

I wish I had said that. Wait.  I have – just not as well.

That happens quite a bit in this book. It's sharp and smart and often funny, and surprisingly relevant. I was wishing for more like the boy in the elevator shaft, but what I did get was, in its way, more useful.
Profile Image for Kem Barfield.
23 reviews
September 5, 2021
It is a short book containing the weekly musings from his Sunday morning news show. It spans about a 15 year period from the beginning of the 1980s through 1995. Brinkley was already an experienced and respected journalist when he began to do the show and it shows in his commentaries. After the serious political analyses and interviews of the show, he could literally speak unchecked about anything he liked. Reading it now, I found it to be an stimulating reminder of events and people who are quickly fading into the fog of the past: Congress's code of ethics in 1984, Parkinson's law, the anti-environment Secretary of the interior James Watt, the connection between Army Captain Ronald Regan and Marilyn Monroe, Senator Joe Biden's plagiarism of 1987, and the challenges of President Clinton in getting his cabinet members from Little Rock, Arkansas to an unaffordable Washington to D.C. and much more.
420 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2020
One of the last good TV journalists.

Funny, bitter, acerbic, astute about human nature, possibly frustrated that people just don't see history. On the other hand, that lack of understanding makes journalism: there will always be backstage posturing, waste, and idiocy to call out.

He does NOT cover for the left, which is in itself refreshing.

He calls out garbage in so many places, among so many politicians, bureaucrats, businesspeople, and stars. What a sense of irony, too, as in the last story: the death row inmate in OK who took an overdose, slept through his last few hours of life, was taken to the hospital to be revived, and then executed.

I miss him. I hope that spirit comes back, because we sure do need it now.

Profile Image for Judy.
378 reviews1 follower
January 27, 2019
A quick and easy read, filled with insights from about 30 years ago. Things that they complain about back then are some of things that we're still complaining about now....government out of control, too much money spent or "misplaced", taxes too high, really rich not paying enough taxes, gov't too big, loopholes for big companies or very wealthy people, etc. But some of the stories and insights are charming, funny, head shaking, laughable. Hope you enjoy it.
7 reviews
February 28, 2026
Even though the opinions are from the 1980s and 1990s, they are still relevant, especially if you were around then. Funny how history repeats itself. Excellent observations. Many had me laughing out loud.

One essay per page, so you can put it down any time and not lose track.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,135 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2019
#38 of 120 books pledged to read during 2019
66 reviews
March 30, 2020
Good book when you want to read a little here and there. Collection of one page opinions in the Reagan era. Mostly humorous and insightful and all too timely.
Profile Image for Anne Calvert.
Author 4 books13 followers
March 5, 2016
David Brinkley's, Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion, is pretty much a collection of his closing remarks from his days in television. If you enjoyed Mr. Brinkley then, you will enjoy this book. The dates ranged from 1981 through 1995. There were just different dates picked through those years. I enjoyed it because some of the things he spoke on, some of the names or situations, I remember during my youth. I don't think everyone would enjoy this book. If you're not interested in history or the news you may not enjoy this book.
2 reviews
May 15, 2008
Love the walk back through the history of that era. I am old enough to have watched 'The Huntley/Brinkley Report' every night on TV (in black and white) with my parents. They did most of the watching, while I did more of the glancing.
Profile Image for Thom.
165 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2011
Short and sweet, read by the author. Just listening to Brinkley's voice was a treat. The interest is in hearing the perspective of a long-time news journalist who saw many changes, and doesn't have a political ax to grind. This kind of honest, recent history - I can't get enough of.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
1,520 reviews
December 20, 2010
Enjoyed this small book full of glimpses into David Brinkley's thoughts as he told us what was happening in our world. Made me miss the days when a real effort was made to maintain a quality reputation.

1,974 reviews
February 23, 2013
so who doesn't David Brinkley? loved this stroll down memory lane as the "opinions" were from early 80s-90s---so Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II. Some things I'd forgotten about but some I remember all too well. Fun read.
Profile Image for Michael Huang.
1,054 reviews55 followers
March 8, 2015
An interesting little read. There is a lot of comment of the day's story from the old time. When it comes to politics, you feel like it's Groundhog Day all over again. The politicians in the days gone by are just as stupid and inept as they are today.
26 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2015
A very unique contemporary view of the 80's-90's. Short, interesting reminder of how the dynamics of many things, politics especially, never change. As I learned, people have been clamoring about the future bankruptcy of social security for 35 years...
Profile Image for Virginia Serna.
195 reviews2 followers
July 7, 2011
Even though this book is 15 years old the commentary is current. It goes to show that the more things change the more they stay the same.
1 review
June 6, 2014
hard to relate to. the topics were not of interestand way before i was of age to care
103 reviews1 follower
November 20, 2014
When I read this book I hear it in David Brinkley´s voice and cadence. I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews