-
-
-
From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
Did you hear? Ronald Reagan died. Little 1-paragraph AP piece on page 22G. Probably won't be much more than that...
Since I seem to be the only person aware of Reagan's passing, I've taken it upon myself to post a rare Sunday edition of Cheers and Jeers.
Post your own thoughts...and take the poll.
Cheers and Jeers--Reagan's Legacy Edition
CHEERS to the caricature. The tower of (dyed?) hair. The bulbous, rosy cheeks. The swagger. And the verbal tic---"Well..."---that allowed us all to become instant impersonators.
JEERS to Iran-Contra. Strike One: The White House admits selling arms to Iran. Strike Two: The profits are diverted to Nicaragua's Contra rebels. Strike Three: Lying, cheating Oliver North becomes a national hero. The blackest stain on 40's record.
CHEERS to the good movies. "Knute Rockne," "Kings Row," "Santa Fe Trail," "Desperate Journey," and his nasty turn in "The Killers." It's easy to forget that we've lost not only a president, but yet another popular actor from the golden age of Hollywood.
JEERS to the bad movies. "Bedtime for Bonzo," Brother Rat and a Baby," "The Jungle Trap," "Tropic Zone." These and many others kept him firmly on the `B' list.
CHEERS to winning the cold war. Huge defense spending and lines like "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" helped make the Soviet Union blink first. The rest, however, was timing--the Commies were on the verge of collapse, anyway.
JEERS to Reaganomics. It tamed inflation, yes, but it also produced record deficits. And why did he call for a Constitutional amendment requiring balanced budgets...when he didn't produce a single one in 8 years?
JEERS to the appointments. Even George Will admitted: "The aides in close contact with President Reagan...are the least distinguished such group to serve any president in the post-[WW II] period." Extra points for nominating Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. Extra deductions for letting repugnant Attorney General Ed Meese within 100 yards of the White House.
CHEERS to popularity. Gotta hand it to him, he won re-election (vs. Mondale-Ferraro) in 1984 by the largest electoral-vote margin in history: 525 to 13. Ouch.
JEERS to health crisis mismanagement. AIDS blossomed into an epidemic on his watch...and he couldn't utter the word for 6 long years. Extra JEERS to the media, who swept this heartless act of indifference under the carpet this weekend.
CHEERS to radio. Reagan started his career as a broadcaster (on WOC and WHO in Iowa). So did I. Even when you move on, you never stop loving it.
CHEERS to Glasnost. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) called for the destruction of warheads, not just production reduction. And the Reagan/Gorbachev friendship caused hurricane-force sighs of relief around the globe.
JEERS to the sanctity of marriage. Reagan was the only President (and...gasp...a Republican President at that!) to be divorced. At least, until John Kerry takes the Oath.
CHEERS to the sanctity of marriage. Ron & Nancy were devoted to each other for over 50 years. And love her or hate her, "Mommy" stuck by her husband through his deterioration, even as she herself grew old and frail.
CHEERS to Jelly Bellies. Reagan started eating jelly beans to help him quit smoking, and switched to the gourmet variety in the White House. On that issue he and I saw completely eye-to-eye.
CHEERS to physical strength. He survived an assassination attempt, worked hard on his ranch, and lived with Alzheimer's until he was 93. Face it, the guy was an ox.
CHEERS to likability. He was so folksy and genteel that scandals just slid off his back, earning him the nickname, `The Teflon President.'
JEERS to ignorance and doddering. Even before Alzheimer's struck, the guy was frequently out to lunch. The press usually gave him a free pass because, well, it was cute and grandfatherly.
JEERS to corruption. He was on duty when HUD was deeply involved in fraud, theft and favoritism, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions. And the Savings and Loan scandal, which cost taxpayers over $500 billion, also happened on his watch.
CHEERS to the one-liners:
"Honey, I forgot to duck"
"I have only one thing to say to tax increasers: Go ahead...make my day."
"There you go again..."
"I am paying for this microphone!"
[To Mondale:] "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
"Facts are stupid things."
"I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself."
"I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting."
[Testing his microphone] "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes."
JEERS to Nancy's hocus pocus. On January 1, 1967, Nancy made Ronnie take the oath of office as governor of California at exactly 12:01am--the time selected by her astrologer.
CHEERS to Reagan's place in history. `Rating the Presidents'---a book in which 719 historians and political scientists stack up America's Commanders-in-Chief---puts Reagan in 26th place (between #25 Rutherford Hayes and #27 Gerald Ford). Strong on leadership qualities and political skill...weak on appointments, accomplishments/crisis management, and character/integrity. We can't argue with that.
JEERS to George W. Bush. For fancying himself the second coming of Ronald Reagan. Look in the mirror, sir, and you'll see the scheming, paranoid face of Richard Nixon. Oh, and about Nancy's call for stem cell research...?
Floor's open...Are you cheering or jeering 'Dutch' today?