Reagan’s last gift to the American people and the Republican party was to once again expose the venom of the left. For the past four years, we have witnessed the bilious attacks of the left on anything and everything done by this administration. Every time they have been confronted, the Democrats smile and say:
“Really. I am a moderate. It is just that George Bush is so radical that he makes me sound like an extreme leftist.”
Despite the fact that this is a laughable proposal, the truth has come to light this week. A week that should have been spent honoring a dead man was nothing more than an opportunity for the loony left (aka the ‘moderates’) to attempt to revise and re-write the Reagan record so that it fits their world view. Attack after attack has been launched, most personal, most eerily familiar to the crap launched at the current occupants of the White House.
I doubt there will be any electoral bounce for Bush due to Reagan’s death- why should there be? However, if there is one, it is not because Bush has latched on to Reagan’s legacy. Instead, it is because the left has shown their true colors, and their legacy of slander has been illuminated.
And no Mr. Farber, I don’t mean all Democrats are like this. But enough of them are.
*** Update ***
Now that Reagan is buried, Kevin Drum feels comfortable dropping a load of sneering condescension on the man.
smitty
“… And no Mr. Farber, I don’t mean all Democrats are like this. But enough of them are.”
Heh.
JC
Huh? I’m assuming, as this is your personal site, that you are using this as a simply musing of your thoughts. This is simply an assertion, not backed up by any data, from what I can see.
After a year of reading blogs, I’m becoming more and more convinced that the purpose of blogs, besides self-expression, is really only propaganda, and perhaps opposition research by both parties.
All blogs, conservative and liberal, seem to suffer from many different type of false arguments.
1. Guilt by association – as you point out, this goes both ways.
2. Quoting out of context – this is either by the three dot ellipse -and so wielding together 2 comments pages apart, or simply misquoting.
3. “Lies, damned lies, and statistics”. Enough said.
4. Argument by assertion, stated as fact.
I’m wondering – do you reference the various “debating fallacies” that exist – you do argue from them (as do most people out there I guess)
In the main I guess, blogging ends up being informing and passionate propaganda – with a vociferous check.
Here’s a list of debating fallacies. Forgive me if you know all these, I’m just sort of thinking out loud on my thoughts about blogs, and doing so on your site:
http://home.mcn.net/~montanabw/fallacies.html
Far North
Let’s go back in time to, say, the 1990s. Remember, Clinton murdered Vince Foster? Remember Clinton was a drug runner? Remember, Clinton was blah blah blah……..
But this wasn’t the conservative that that pumped this crap, was it? Hah, the conservative would neeeever stoop to this level.
It’s so amusing to see the conservative express righteous indignation.
And there’s W., peeping out from behind the Reagan mantle.
Anton
I think JC needs to start blogging. :)
frontinus
Comparing distorting a record to the fantasies of conspiracy loons is somewhat disingenuous. Now if John was berating some nut who thinks children are ritually sacrificed to a giant wooden owl at the Bohemian Club in front of Henry Kissinger and Richard Perle then you might have a reason to bring up the Mena/Foster BS. Especially if he was doing like you and trying to claim these were representative of a larger group.
Harry
JC,
There’s plenty of ancedotal evidence out there for John’s assertions. If you allow your already obvious prejudices to guide you however, as smart as you ‘seem’ to be, you will never truly be independent. Ancedotal evidence such as: when was the last time a liberal supreme court nominee was labeled as “beneath contempt” by a US senator, if you can call Joe Biden that with a straight face, and then borked? Evidence such as, how many investigations were launched against the Reagan administration by a then Democratic congress? Last I can remember it was nearly forty. How many times has a sitting Democratic President been called evil, stupid, insane, dumb, vapid, insipid, venal, and/or devoid of morals almost constantly in the ‘mainstream’ press? How many conservative celebrities do you know of, even while Bill was President, who when overseas stated, “I ashamed to be an American?” How many Democratic Presidents or politicians have had pundits and/or celebrities publically wish for their untimely deaths and/or been denigrated after death or poked fun of for contracting a debilitating disease? How many election campaign advertisements by conservatives have you seen that tacitly accuse a liberal presidential candidate of being involved in a racially motivated murder? Considering that the wildly bizarre docudramas of Michael Moore, even after being exposed as mostly fictions befit of Oliver Stone, are swallowed wholesale by many on the left who are the real whacked-out conspiracy theorists? Why did the ‘mainstream’ press consider Nicholas Berg’s murder unimportant? And why do so many of the conspiracy kooks on the left believe that his murder was a CIA plot to blur Abu Ghraib ‘inhuman torture’ story ( which has, btw, outlasted Janet Jackson’s tits for news coverage.)? Why hasn’t that dangerous crackpot George Soros and his admitted attempt to directly influence the outcome of a supposedly democratic election by using his wealth in an in-your-face salute to McCain-Feingold, which Soros vigorously supported, been thourghly vetted by the ‘mainstream’ press? For someone thinking out loud you aren’t saying a whole lot.
And Far North,
While admittedly some right-wing crackpots do float the Vince Foster murder meme it is not widely accepted by most conservatives. But Clinton misbehavior such as the Rose Law firm billing records, travelgate, unseemly presidential pardons and lying under oath are difficult to square or overlook. And while the press did spend too much time on Bill’s office peccadillo it spent as much time maligning his dectractors, including women who had legitimate workplace harassment beefs, something you do not see in the ‘mainstream’ press today. Because if we did Ted Kennedy’s fat ass would be roasting on the front page of every major newspaper in America for attempting to rig the judicial confirmation process (and pissing all over the Constitution’s explicit separation of powers) in order to get a favorablbe ruling in the Michigan affirmative action case for an operative representing a major Democratic constituency. And lastly a great deal of the bile that came out of the right came from people such as admitted serial liar David Brock which low and behold it turns our was really a Democrat, who didn’t know he was really a Democrat at the time, and was also struggling to find his political true self but had been blinded by right-wing hate. Gimme a fuckin’ break.
OTOH a lot of high profile crony friends of the Clintons’ have croaked out. Hell cronies from Vince Foster to Ron Brown to Jim McDougal have bought the farm. The only ones that haven’t are those masters of intrigue Webster Hubbell and Susan McDougal (Jerry Rivers fanatasy woman) but they aren’t saying much. Bwhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, whew.
shark
I swear, looking at old quotes and editorials, it looks like the template they used for Reagan was saved for Bush.
“Cowboy”
“War mongerer”
“Alienating our allies”
“Confrontational”
“Stupid”
“Corrupt”
“Imperialistic”
Boy, the myth of the left’s intellectual superiority is blown to bits when you consider they have to recycle words to attack the president…..hey guys, come up with new material, m’kay?
HH
Slate was almost entirely negative on Reagan with a grudging admission that he “helped” end the Cold War, followed immediately by claims that he created bin Laden. And yesterday Julianne Malveaux, infamous for wishing death on Clarence Thomas, all but called Reagan a racist in USA Today.
HH
“Let’s go back in time to, say, the 1990s. Remember, Clinton murdered Vince Foster? Remember Clinton was a drug runner? Remember, Clinton was blah blah blah……..”
Yeah the fringes pushed this. Now equal claims are made by Michael Moore.
Harry
Did I say that Ted Kennedy had “attempted to rig the judicial nominating process,” geez folks I am so sorry. The fat bastard didn’t attempt to rig the process he straight out rigged it. What in the hell was I thinking?
Ricky
I remember when Drum was readable.
Kevin Drum
Ricky: me too.
And you’re right, John, Reagan has indeed given us one last gift: a chance to remember the days when trees caused pollution and South Africa was a happy, integrated place. No wonder conservatives remember him so fondly.
John Cole
Kevin- You are the last pundit in the west to continue the now thoroughly debunked meme that Reagan was stupid.
Enjoy the spotlight.
IXLNXS
It’s not a fault to shoot down others heroes. Instead it’s the fault of those who raise up lacking heroes.
Perhaps the right again shows it’s failings by choosing to honor a “hero who is with God now” out of Pat Tillman without first checking to see if he was an atheist or not.
Or raising up Jessica Lynch “who single handedly fought off a battalion with only her pistol, only to be captured and anally raped for days at a time”, just to have her say you fought no one, doesn’t remember any rapings, and thought her captors were kind when they escourted her to the hospital and stood guard so she would not be harmed.
And now we have the Uber Ronnie. And how dare anyone question our hero. Well how dare you for again picking such a lousy hero. Better luck next time.
My hero is Jesus Christ. I’m betting he doesn’t care much for Ronnie, Georgia, or right wingers for that matter.
And please be advised for the future. If your going to turn a funeral into a circus, expect some clowns.
M. Scott Eiland
“And yesterday Julianne Malveaux, infamous for wishing death on Clarence Thomas, all but called Reagan a racist in USA Today.”
Ah, yes–the lovely Julianne, who once replied to an accusation that she spent all her time shrieking about the “great white racist” that no, she was worried about the two hundred million little white racists. Charming woman.
M. Scott Eiland
Don’t be too hard on Kevin, John. If he doesn’t throw raw meat to the rabid creatures in his residence, they start tearing chunks out of him instead–posting idiocies like that is his only defense.
-
Kevin- You are the last pundit in the west to continue the now thoroughly debunked meme that Reagan was stupid. Enjoy the spotlight.
Oh, brilliant. He gives you two clear examples of Reagan ridiculousness and you reply with a meaningless snark.
Enjoy the stupidity.
Steverino
“Trees may not actually commit suicide, but certain species do produce pollutants that hamper their own growth while contributing to global climate changes and causing harm to other life forms, contend two Texas A&M University researchers.”
http://www.yenra.com/tree-pollution/
Guess ol’ Ron was ahead of the curve on that one.
Karen
I will not presume to speak for all on the right but I have never contended that Reagan was a perfect man or a perfect president. If anyone is waiting for that kind of leader, you’ll have to wait for Jesus Christ to come again, I’m afraid.
He had such a hatred for communism and what it had inflicted on millions of people that he often didn’t allow himself to see the evil in the opposition the U.S. supported to fight against it. He often backed down on issues he should have stood fast against.
However, he was a man of deep principle, who was willing to do the unpopular thing to do what he felt was right. He knew the fix to our economic problems would cause great pain but it had to be done. Reminiscent of today, he had to withstand the vitriol of the left to fight back against the Soviet Union instead of maintaining “detente”. Detente is defined as the Soviet Union marching on while we watch.
He believed in us, and made us believe in ourselves again. Anyone who contends this country, and this world, was in worse shape when he left office than when he entered, is either too young to remember the misery of the Carter years or is just plain dishonest.
As for the “circus” of a funeral, this is just ridiculous. The ceremony of a state funeral is available to all presidents when they die, as is proper. We owe them, regardless of how we might feel about their presidencies, for serving this country in a job no sane person would want.
I have learned one thing this week. I will remember the vitriol of the left and when our next president passes, I will show them the respect that they and their families deserve, regardless of how I feel about their presidencies.
shark
Speaking of the Reagan funeral…..it’s a good thing they had Clinton speaking so as to make sure it was a bi-partisian affair. Why, it was just as bad as the Wellstone memorial!
Democrats have no humanity. At least the Repubs. stop the politics briefly for death. Not so the Dems…
Oliver
At least the Repubs. stop the politics briefly for death.
Can’t… stop… laughing…
NUTCASE
http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/
Go ahead and worship Ronnie and
the rest. They care
little for you.
Jesus Saves!
Cb
As for the “circus” of a funeral, this is just ridiculous. The ceremony of a state funeral is available to all presidents when they die, as is proper. We owe them, regardless of how we might feel about their presidencies, for serving this country in a job no sane person would want.
Availabe to all
presidents?
So did Nixon forget
to fill out some
paperwork or what?
Hey if you want human dieties to reign,
go ahead and feed
the madness. As for
me I’m free…Reagan was a personal of remarkable amiability and wife
loved him to pieces. His children didn’t understand him, but neither did anyone else.
Big Brother Watch
http://michnews.com/artman/publish/article_3977.shtml
Norman Jenson
Reagan’s last gift. He’s dead.
Andrew | BYTE BACK
If all you will remember is “the left’s hatred” then you really need to stop reading blogs.
I consider **most** of it more a rundown of his poilcies – an examination.
Which is where there has always been much disagreement. you seemed to understand earlier this week that the death of a president cannot change a person’s views about their policies.
Now all you’re all pissed and all you can remember is lefty hatred.
C’mon.
The REAL lefties – the one’s with voting power, the ones’ other lefties vote for – the Democrats – well 99.9 percent of them have been only reverential and graceful in their words for Reagan (as you yourself acknowledged – Kerry did it better than Bush, which I know isn’t saying much but still … )and you should remember that before you get wrapped up and warped in your hatred.
If this is how it’s going to be – well, I’ll remember right-wingers who couldn’t stand to have questions raised about a president they loved.
And they called those questions hate.
And I’ll remember they took this view from the blogosphere, and therefore it is a close-to-worthless view of the masses and of America as a whole.
Karen
Yes, CB, a state funeral is available to all presidents. Nixon chose, perhaps wisely due to the controversy of his presidency, to forego this ceremony and the funeral was held at his presidential library. A funeral, by the way, at which Bill Clinton, as the sitting president, spoke with compassion and grace, from all accounts.
Terry
Drum ranks up there with atrios now that Hesiod has retired from blogging. Even Josh Marshall has been heard to express misgivings about occasionally appearing in the same place as Drum.
zachariah
I think it is right and proper to honor a dead President. It is a ceremony we carry into our personal lives: we eulogize the dead as an occassion to celebrate the life of that individual. This doesn’t necessitate erasing any of the bad from our memory, but rather it is our last opportunity to offer final respect.
In Reagan’s death, this process was accompanied by an immediate reaction by those who disagreed with Reagan’s policies to remind us all that they did disagree, although the pains to put criticism out there often took the form of vitriolic ad hominem attacks.
Why the urge to indemnify Reagan upon his death? I think we can all agree that all the criticisms made during Reagan’s death have already been asserted. There was an urgency to reiterate them, lest Reagan’s detractors be forgotten. There’s a certain impropriety to it all, like a child witnessing another playing with a toy and swiping it from him because it’s making him happy.
I think a serious examination of Reagan’s policies is always a good thing, if only to learn from history, but I haven’t seen that examination at all. Rather, I’ve seen a rush to shout insults about a dead man, lest his admirers feel to much comfort in his praise.
zachariah
Please forgive the typos above. Too much caffeine for my fingers to keep up.
Kimmitt
“I have learned one thing this week. I will remember the vitriol of the left and when our next president passes, I will show them the respect that they and their families deserve, regardless of how I feel about their presidencies.”
Ah, yes. Why try to live up to your purported principles, when you can seize on an excuse to violate them? It’s the conservative way.
“I’ve seen a rush to shout insults about a dead man, lest his admirers feel to much comfort in his praise.”
That’s really kind of it — the folks who disagreed with Reagan during his political life want to make sure that he isn’t sainted, as they don’t want his political views sainted alongside him.
Slartibartfast
Ah, so payint tribute to someone whose views aren’t completely aligned with your own is hypocritical? Interesting. Not especially admirable, but interesting.
Karen
Kimmitt, you are one of the most unpleasant individuals I have ever read. My point in showing respect to the deceased and their families have nothing to do with my principles (or lack thereof in your view). It is especially amusing as the excuse often given when the left is called on for their attacks is to respond that the Republicans started it or that Clinton got treated worse. I will be more clear. In seeing how small and vindictive some on the left have been regarding Reagan, I will learn from their example and be more aware of my own behavior. I don’t think I have ever been particularly vindictive toward those I disagree with but even the idea I could be seen as behaving in such a vicious way is unacceptable to me.
OneTime
You know, there’s a commercial that really says it all: the Rally’s one. The song goes:
“You do what you wanna do, there’s nothing phony about you. You do what you feel, keeping it real, gotta eat….”
This is what many of our public who are too lazy to think believe. For them, if a person sacrifices at all for another, or obey a law when it’s inconvenient, or if they are respectful when they don’t feel like it, well….then that person is a liar and a hypocrite. Compassionate, law-abiding people aren’t “real” or “true.”
Dan
I am fully expecting conservatives to stand up and salute when Clinton dies.
Chris P
Karen,
I applaud your restraint in responding to Kimmit. I wish more people would take a cue from you regarding civil discourse. Just because you may disagree with a person’s ideas, politics, philosophy, etc. does not mean you have to be rude, insensitive, or mean; something Kimmit and others who post here just do not understand. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated your thoughtful and POLITE input. It was a breath of fresh air in an atmosphere otherwise polluted with rhetoric, propaganda, and partisan bickering. Thank you.
eek
uhh, G dub is a radical. He’s pushing multiple constitutional admendments soley for political gain. He attacked a country that posed no danger to us. His class warfare on behalf of the rich is leading to more crime and disillusionment. He has a record deficit.
Kimmitt
Karen — I sincerely apologize. I was caught up in my rhetoric, and your civilized response puts me to shame.
Gary Farber
Gee, John, it’s almost as if I don’t need to comment; thanks.
But.
“I thought I was rather clear I was not talking about all Democrats….”
The problem is that if you consistently refer to “the Democrats,” “Democrats” and “the left,” throwing in a single disclaimer that you don’t mean “all Democrats” is contradicted by the multiple generalized usages. (A mere four in this post.) 4-1 doesn’t actually make you “clear.” It simply makes you self-contradictory.
Hint: to not use a generality, don’t use it, rather than state once that you don’t actually mean what you say multiple times.
Happy result: end of confusion. All better!
Except that you won’t get to feel that hot joy of rage and hate at denouncing “Democrats” and “the left.” Too bitter a price to pay, apparently. But, wait! You can prove that wrong! And no disclaimers that contradict the rest of what you say necessary!
It’s a suggestion, anyway.
Bloggerhead
John, I thought the networks took well warranted care with the week’s funereal peregrinations, and I have no problem with their glossing an inarguably important president’s career in the honoring of him.
To be sure, I was in Nags Head most of the week, with a keg of Guiness soldered to my hip and four IV’s pumping at all times, and therefore was hardly comprehensive in my review of the coverage. It appears to me, though, that there were few cheap shots (I remember none, actually) made by liberals on the cable shows, only observations meant to stem the tide of beatification. Nor do I recall any prominent Democrats giving the man anything other than the respect he deserves at his death.
What I did observe on the squawk shows were the repeated (albeit seemingly half-hearted at times) attempts by conservative commentators and politicians to link Bush 43 to Reagan. It was so laughable that I seem to remember Matthews actually laughing, certainly smirking, at the notion on a couple of occasions.
In light of what I’ve seen of Mr. Reagan’s correspondence, I have come in recent years to reconsider my original estimation of his intellect and importance, and likewise I guess I should be prepared to reserve judgment on his self-proclaimed protege. I can’t help but wonder, though, if they’ll reprint the Bush 43 letters in their original crayon.
Ricky
Do they give out crayons to MBA graduates, or just folks who are able to fly fighter jets?
Kimmitt
Not to diss MBA grads, who are all kinds of good and bad people, but an MBA is just not a difficult degree to acquire.
Karen
Kimmitt,
Apology accepted and sincerely appreciated. Thank you.
Kimmitt
Thank you again for your graciousness.