Annie
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- Nov 22, 2003
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Damage Control Begins
I guess that for fear the outpouring of love and affection for Ronald Reagan be translated into votes for George Bush, this is the kind of story, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/p...800&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position= we are likely to see throughout the summer. In it, the comment about religion in politics that Ron Reagan, Jr. made at the Reagan memorial service in California is quoted here with past examples of his dislike for the Bush administration:
Ron Reagan, a television commentator who has frequently been critical of Mr. Bush, has already said as much. In 2000, he fired a shot at Mr. Bush in Philadelphia during the Republican convention, which featured a tribute to his father. "What's his accomplishment?" Mr. Reagan asked then. "That he's no longer an obnoxious drunk?"
Last year, in an interview with the online magazine Salon, Mr. Reagan renewed his critique, making clear his distaste for the Bush administration.
"The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now," Mr. Reagan said then. "Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the 80's. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's - these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people."
Mr. Reagan was not quite so pointed on Friday night. "Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man," he told mourners gathered at sunset at the Reagan presidential library. "But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians - wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference."
Instead of focusing on Ron, Jr.'s dislike for Bush's policies, maybe, to put things into context, the author should have listed the many examples of his dislike for his father's policies. Ron Reagan, Jr. is not a "Ronald Reagan Conservative" who just doesn't like Bush and his policies; he is a liberal who spoke out against the Reagan agenda while his father was president. The fact that he is opposed to Bush is not news. If he didn't support Ronald Reagan's agenda, which he didn't, it isn't hard to imagine that he wouldn't like Bush.
President Bush has been very careful about not comparing himself to Reagan, although many comparisons are justified and are being made by his supporters. Bush will have to be extra careful every time he even mentions Reagan's name, lest he be accused of trying to gain from the sympathy surrounding his death. On the other hand, I suspect the media will not be as quick to question the motives of Ron, Jr. when he uses his time in the spotlight to criticize the Bush administration. Oh, and by the way, in case you don't see much mention of him in the media this summer, Ronald Reagan does have one son who agrees with his conservative agenda and who is a strong supporter of George W. Bush. His name is Michael and he carries on his father's fight today for lower taxes, http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/6/14/165021.shtml strong defense and less government regulation through his career http://www.reagan.com/ as a radio talk show host and commentator. He and his sister, Maureen (now deceased), were strong supporters of their father's political agenda, but that story isn't as "newsworthy" as Ron, Jr.'s opposition to Bush's conservative agenda or Nancy's opposition to Bush's position on stem cell research.
UPDATE: Bush comments on politics and religion here in response to Ron, Jr. statement.
posted by Lorie Byrd at 7:29 AM Link to this post | Comments (16)
I guess that for fear the outpouring of love and affection for Ronald Reagan be translated into votes for George Bush, this is the kind of story, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/p...800&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position= we are likely to see throughout the summer. In it, the comment about religion in politics that Ron Reagan, Jr. made at the Reagan memorial service in California is quoted here with past examples of his dislike for the Bush administration:
Ron Reagan, a television commentator who has frequently been critical of Mr. Bush, has already said as much. In 2000, he fired a shot at Mr. Bush in Philadelphia during the Republican convention, which featured a tribute to his father. "What's his accomplishment?" Mr. Reagan asked then. "That he's no longer an obnoxious drunk?"
Last year, in an interview with the online magazine Salon, Mr. Reagan renewed his critique, making clear his distaste for the Bush administration.
"The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now," Mr. Reagan said then. "Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the 80's. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's - these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people."
Mr. Reagan was not quite so pointed on Friday night. "Dad was also a deeply, unabashedly religious man," he told mourners gathered at sunset at the Reagan presidential library. "But he never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians - wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage. True, after he was shot and nearly killed early in his presidency he came to believe that God had spared him in order that he might do good. But he accepted that as a responsibility, not a mandate. And there is a profound difference."
Instead of focusing on Ron, Jr.'s dislike for Bush's policies, maybe, to put things into context, the author should have listed the many examples of his dislike for his father's policies. Ron Reagan, Jr. is not a "Ronald Reagan Conservative" who just doesn't like Bush and his policies; he is a liberal who spoke out against the Reagan agenda while his father was president. The fact that he is opposed to Bush is not news. If he didn't support Ronald Reagan's agenda, which he didn't, it isn't hard to imagine that he wouldn't like Bush.
President Bush has been very careful about not comparing himself to Reagan, although many comparisons are justified and are being made by his supporters. Bush will have to be extra careful every time he even mentions Reagan's name, lest he be accused of trying to gain from the sympathy surrounding his death. On the other hand, I suspect the media will not be as quick to question the motives of Ron, Jr. when he uses his time in the spotlight to criticize the Bush administration. Oh, and by the way, in case you don't see much mention of him in the media this summer, Ronald Reagan does have one son who agrees with his conservative agenda and who is a strong supporter of George W. Bush. His name is Michael and he carries on his father's fight today for lower taxes, http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/6/14/165021.shtml strong defense and less government regulation through his career http://www.reagan.com/ as a radio talk show host and commentator. He and his sister, Maureen (now deceased), were strong supporters of their father's political agenda, but that story isn't as "newsworthy" as Ron, Jr.'s opposition to Bush's conservative agenda or Nancy's opposition to Bush's position on stem cell research.
UPDATE: Bush comments on politics and religion here in response to Ron, Jr. statement.
posted by Lorie Byrd at 7:29 AM Link to this post | Comments (16)
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