Democrats, lefties and liberals, This one's for you

The BBQ Pit
1

I figured that telling this story would give you the opportunity to either grit your teeth in frustration, poke fun at astonishing ignorance or simply moan quietly to yourself. Maybe all 3 at once.

Tonight I went out to my local pub. There was a young guy there, nice enough, he works as a longshoreman. Anyway, towards the end of the evening, he holds forth about Regan dying today, saying he was a great president, yadda, yadda, and then this gem.

“He led us through a successful war!”

Me: “What war was that?”

“Huh?”

“What war did Regan lead us through?”

“World War II”

(doubletake) “World War II???”

“Yea, Wasn’t he President during WWII?”

“Ummmm…no, he wasn’t, that was Franklin Delano Roosevelt”

“Oh. I thought he did. What war did he lead us through?”

“None, unless you count the 5 minute invasion of Grenada or the bombing of Lybia”

“oh”

The guy then talked for several more minutes before he mentioned that Regan served in the military and was a hero. I am wondering at this point if it’s supposedly the same war that he was President during: Ronnie Regan, the fighting Commander in Chief!, but I still spoke up.

“He wasn’t in the military.”

“He wasn’t? Didn’t he serve and then get out and become an actor?”

“No, the closest he came to service was in Helcats of the Navy”

“Oh. Well, he was still a great President, much better than the guy who didn’t inhale”. :rolleyes:

Now, I bring this up for 2 reasons. #1 is to point out that this is the guy you’re going to have to win over for Kerry to carry the election in November. Say what you want about Regan, he had the gift of being likable. Ivory tower intellectualism and a candidate with all of the warmth and personality of a dead fish isn’t going to do it. You or I might be inclined to ponder facts, issues and the like before casting our votes, but we’re not the majority. Say what you want about Dubya, I bet he’s a lot more fun to share a beer with than Kerry.

#2, Although he later expressed only lukewarm support for Bush (“He’s OK, doing an OK job”), I thought you might enjoy trashing this example of a Bush supporter. Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs you stand for!

2

I seriously doubt the Republicans/conservatives particularly want someone that ignorant on their side. :slight_smile:

3

You do wonder why the guy has the right to vote ?!

4

Actually, none of the things you claim about him are true, either. There has never been a President Regan. :stuck_out_tongue:

5

We don’t need him.

We’ve got his union.

6

Dubya is an alcoholic. I guess it depends on what your definition of “fun” is… :slight_smile:

7

Excuse me, but Mr. Reagan was on active duty from 1942-1945, leaving the service as a captain in the U.S. Army Air Force (which would later become the U.S. Air Force and the fourth service branch).

Admittedly, he never saw combat. Eyesight problems caused him to fail a physical that would have permitted him to serve overseas, and he ended up attached to the Army AIr Force Public Relations unit as P.R. Officer in Burbank, California, and then to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California, from which he assisted in the 4th War Loan Drive effort as well as producing AAF training and recruitment films.

While I agree with the OP that the young man’s belief that Mr. Reagan “led us through war,” is rather far-fetched, the young man was correct in his implicit belief that Mr. Reagan did serve in the military, on active duty, during World War II.

  • Rick
8

Are you really so young that you do not recall the 1985 rallying cry of the GOP leaders:

“Let Regan be Reagan!” ?

Or was it “Let Reagan be Regan!” ?

9

Rather far fetched? Implicit? Only by an stretch that would snap spandex, when it comes to nitty gritty military service as a qualification for Commander In Chief. The toughest most heated combat Reagan faced was stage lights. If such a thing actually counts for much, in all fairness. It ranks right down there with Bush2’s absentee “favorite son” duty during 'Nam. Really, really believing in the experience and ethic isn’t the same.
But the OP’s point is well taken: perception is all, sadly. Loud, repeated blather will trump actual experience every time. Clinton, dirt poor, earned a tough, legitimate Rhodes Scholar deferment and was labelled a draft dodger. Bush2, a rich “fortunate son” got a cushy stateside berth, didn’t show up–and is considered a warrior. Kerry, born into a military family and a volunteer decorated 'Nam vet, is labelled boring and soft.
It’s to despair.

Veb

10

Cite?

11

Quite frankly, given the possibility of four more years of Bush, I’ll (representing neither party, mind you) take all the ignorant folks we can get voting for Kerry. Then we’ll educate 'em. I’d think that in terms of sheer numbers BOTH sides want as many folks voting for their candidate as possible. I’m not sure there’s been a Presidential Election in the past 20 years (I say this having been three years old when Reagan was voted in the first time) where this wasn’t the case, with the possible exception of re-electing Reagan, and that because it was a landslide.

[sub]Just make sure some of 'em keep their mouths shut…

Ugly? You bet. True? Lamentably.[/sub]

12

Ivory Tower Intellectuallism? Bush went to the same fucking university as Kerry, and were even in the same fucking fraternity. Who the fuck gets off sneering at Kerry for going to Yale and then ignores that Bush did the same goddamn thing? Why do Republicans point their fingers at Kerry for being rich when Bush isn’t exactly a pauper himself? Godamnit, I am tired of this fucking hypocrisy. Get to the substantive issues people! Please?

13

Blalron, quit beating around the bush and tell us what you really think. :stuck_out_tongue:

14

That’s one of the things that tears me up about Bush. I bet I would actually like the guy outside of any political context.

15

Same secret society, you mean. But be careful about mentioning that, it gets the conspiracist Dope(r)s all riled up. :wink:

You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons. :wink: [Blazing Saddles comes to the rescue again.]

The man has a point.

By the way, I doubt he’s ever called himself such but Bush probably IS an alcoholic. He’s acknowledged having drinking problems, but quit for his 40th birthday. (Nevermind that wedding video thing.) As such I doubt he’d be fun to drink with.

16

Actually, he was.

17

Thanks for that, Liberaltarian. I guess you must have missed this post above, which detailed the Gipper’s military service:

–

18

In light of the fact that a staggeringly large portion of the American public thinks Saddam was involved in 9/11, these revelations about ignorant beliefs concerning Reagan are no surprise.

19

Thanks for the thread, but it’s not news to anyone that lots of Republican types have constructed a belief structure which is a house of cards of falsehoods and fiction.

Rather than distancing themselves from such ignorami, the party itself draws them into its bosom, treasuring and nurturing them, holding out promise. I think TVeblen says it best.

As far as Reagan, the appearance of likability is not likability - though one might easily mistake it for that - if they forgot for a minute that he was trained as an actor. The only good thing I will say about that guy is that he knew how to read a speech when you put it in front of him.

20

[quote]
Originally Posted by annaplurabelle
Dubya is an alcoholic.

[quote]

Posted by Starving Artist:

Well, none of us is in a position to offer a reliable clinical diagnosis. However, he definitely had a drinking problem, and was arrested for DUI in 1976. He has apparently been dry for some time (although my guess is that he fell off the wagon in the “peanut incident”). He’s refused to address allegations of cocaine use. As Governor of Texas, he enforced brutally harsh drug sentences for defendants who, being poor, got prison instead of the elegantly-landscaped rehab facilities favored by drug addicts in Bush’s social circle.

I don’t hold it against Reagan that he worked in USO tours instead of active service. But do you remember the speech he gave where he recounted what was supposedly a true WWII story, and it turned out to be from a movie? Plenty of goofy good times during the Reagan years.