One of the most irritating things about the current Iranian uprising is that I’ve seen a spate of WWRD (What Would Ronnie Do?) posts all over the place. I’m not on my normal computer, so I don’t have my browser history to help me, but I know there was one or two at Hot Air, I know I’ve seen them at the NRO, and I’m pretty sure there was one at Commentary magazine. At any rate, you know what Reagan would do? Nothing. Why? Because he’s dead.
Aside from the fact that what took place in Poland with the Solidarity movement and Reagan’s speeches about it has ZERO resemblance to what is taking place in Iran, and aside from the fact that these are just snide attempts to obliquely attack Obama and build up the Reagan mythology, what really honks me off is who is given no credit in these paeans to Reagan, and that would be Lane Kirkland and the unions. Any time you mention Solidarity, if you are going to mention Reagan, then the next word out of your mouth should be Lane Kirkland. At a time when union membership was declining, Lane Kirkland and the hierarchy of the AFL-CIO cared enough about freedom and democracy to put aside their self interests and spend their resources assisting the administration and the Solidarity movement. Got that, Reagan fetishists? Not only did unions help build this country and provide a good life and serve as a foundation of the middle class for decades, but they were actually spreading freedom and democracy long before John Yoo was advancing the cause through crushed adolescent genitalia and David Addington was furiously masturbating to the concept of the unitary executive. And this glosses over the fact that the entire Solidarity movement was, in and of itself, a union movement.
But back to the point. The days of Lech Walesa and General Jeruzelski and Reagan and Kirkland are long, long past, and the current situation in Iran doesn’t resemble them in the least. All these “Reagan was manly in Poland while Obama is being a pussy with Iran” so completely miss the mark that it is akin to standing underneath a trapeze artist doing his high wire act and yelling “ELWAY WENT DEEP IN THE SUPER BOWL” and thinking you’ve added some value to the conversation.
We’re in a different game now, and you are just showing everyone how stupid you are. So just shut up about Reagan already.
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