The Guardian examines why America fell for the myth of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
“More than any modern president, the myth-making around Ronald and Nancy
Reagan has been extensive and effective,” series director Matt Tyrnauer
tells the Guardian from his home in Los Angeles. “They created a false
image that doesn’t conform with reality, one that is only now being
fully examined.”
I’ll preface this blog post by saying while I admired the charm that was Ronald Reagan, I didn’t always agree with his policies.
However, in comparison to some of the policies espoused by top Republicans today, Reagan looks downright Democratic (or maybe even Socialist!).
Consider that he supported amnesty. He refused to advocate for a wall to separate the U.S. from Mexico. He believed talking to the enemy was better than marginalizing him or her. He raised taxes six times during his presidency. He was perfectly okay with compromise.
He was divorced. (Well, okay, Donald Trump has him beat on that one.)
So, please explain to me why alleged conservative after conservative argues that he or she is channeling an inner-Reagan when they want to throw out illegal immigrants, blow our enemies off the map and cut taxes beyond what is wise?
Oh, wait, I remember now: The GOP is so completely fouled up at this point that it thinks it is still “right” although it is very wrong.
I’ll let you argue how that happened.
This post appeared on my blog one year ago today. I’ve updated one thing — that today is the 29th anniversary.
Was it really 29 years ago today?
Perhaps we Americans had become complacent about the space shuttle program; every time one had gone up, it had come home safely. And on this January day in 1986, the Challenger, with an elementary teacher as part of the crew, roared off the launch pad in Florida.
Seventy-three seconds later, it exploded.
Ours is a country that turns to its president in times of grief. President Reagan delivered what many presidential historians and journalists believe was his best national address. He reminded us the crew believed in the seemingly endless possibilities that space offered us. He added that despite the accident the country would not abandon its exploration of space. But ultimately he asked us to remember the crew as pioneers and heroes.
We often ask people where they were when they heard about a terrible event. I was in the spring semester of my freshman year at the University of Southern California, and as I did most mornings when I got to campus, I turned on my portable radio to get a news update. On that morning I was sitting outside the university’s main library. I’m sure a kind-of stupefied look came over my face. The space shuttle was not supposed to blow up, especially with a teacher on board and elementary-aged children watching all over the country.
“Roger, Challenger. Go with throttle up.” I still get chills when I read or hear them.
