Reaganesque

When I listen to the Republican “presidential” debates (quote marks intentional—I see no person on that stage who I would consider presidential), I am struck by their almost fawning references to Ronald Reagan, as if he should be considered for sainthood or at least placed among the top five presidents in American history. I have never ever understood that perspective. It just doesn’t jell with my observations of this mediocre person who somehow got elected twice to be president.

Now we hear how Fred Thompson wants to be the second coming of Reagan. Americans seem to have a short memory. Let’s review some of Reagan’s accomplishments. When he was president, we had a huge jump on the budget deficit. We had Iran Contra. We had the savings and loan debacle. We had the loss of hundreds of soldiers in Lebanon. We got star wars—a massive waste of money and resources. We got a president who after every press conference had to have someone come out and correct all his mistakes. We got a guy who only became animated when talking about his acting career. We got a guy whose wife consulted an astrologer before advising him on important matters of state. And we got a guy who had to have 3x5 cards to tell him what to do in every meeting he attended. He was an actor before he somehow moved into the White House, and he was an actor during his eight years living there. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn't put tape on the floor telling him where to stand as he read his statements from those 3x5 cards. And oh yeah, we got a guy with a dysfunctional family who was seen as a champion of family values by far too many wishful-thinking supporters.

For me, I have no interest is having another Reagan, though, Bush 2 has far outdone Reagan in the damage he has done to this country. Still, it has always bothered me that we elected a b-movie star president twice. That is sad commentary on our country and the state of our political culture. It’s sadder still, of course, that George Bush was selected by a biased Supreme Court to be president in 2000. The damage that has come from that decision can never be overstated. Any Republican who claims to be the successor to Ronald Reagan ought to examine what he’s wishing for. His biggest nightmare would be to use that guy as their role model.

—John Woods, September 7, 2007