But I don't even need to look beyond the author and title of Ron Reagan's "My Father at 100" to form an opinion. It annoys me. I've seen too much — not all that much — TV commentary by Ron Reagan to want to read a book he wrote about the iconic conservative President. Example:
Reagan: My father knew what he stood for, you can agree with it or disagree with it, he knew how -- what he stood for, he could explain what he stood for. He was conversant in domestic and foreign policy -- [Sarah Palin is] neither! She can't explain where she stands on anything!Yes, the 100th anniversary of his birth is an occasion, an excuse, but the birthdayness of it also says: twaddle.
Geller: Your father would love her, and frankly I don't think you can speak for your father, because you -- you don't even espouse --
Reagan: No, Pam, actually, have you ever met my father, Pam? Pam, did you ever meet my father?... Did you ever meet my father? I'm asking you a simple question. You can't answer that because the answer is no. So why don't you rely on someone who knew him very well to tell you what he would think of Sarah Palin.
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Twaddle perfectly describes the son of one of America's best presidents. Sad.
Interesting that Ron Reagan choose that moment with Pam Geller to say Palin "can't explain where she stands on anything". Just this past Sunday, the panel on the Chris Matthews Show just examined the question of whether Sarah Palin can rehabilitate her public image. They are unanimous: she can't. She's an idiot with, as Joe Klein said, "no positions on any issues".
It seems an odd position to take. If she has no positions, why do liberals dislike the positions they claim she doesn't have? Or is it, as Ron Reagan suggests, that she might have positions but can't explain them?
This seems like a liberal echo-chamber moment. They know they should probably tone down the Palinoia, so they're pitching the idea that she either (1) doesn't actually have any positions at all or (2) doesn't understand her own positions.
[wv: ether]
Gosh, I really am naive (and at an advanced age, too!)!
I always assumed Glenn had ordered and paid for those books, and therefore his post showed some interest (curiosity) on his part.
Color me fool!
Maureen was the only one of the children with a brain. Michael was adopted so I don't include him with Ron, a dope.
Just as I would not expect John Kerry to give me great insight into the meaning of the Vietnam War, I doubt that Ron Reagan could add anything to my understanding of President Reagan.
Ron Reagan: Dreams [I can profit on the memory] of My Father.
His Leftyness is well-known, so trying to say his father wouldn't like Miss Sarah fools no one.
As to image rehabilitation: 2 words, death panels.
PS What Mel said.
CBS Sunday Morning had a segment on Matt Damon. They talked about his acting and his decision to live in New York because he can put on a hat and walk around without being recognized. I wondered why they were talking to him until, near the end, he explained why he made political comments during the 2008 election. Turns out he was horrified at the possibility that a VP candidate could be so thoroughly unqualified.
Has Ron Reagan ever met Sarah Palin?
Leads one to wonder if Ron Reagan ever met his father.
I do not know what Ronald Reagan would have thought of Sarah Palin, but I do know he was much too shrewd to spew this kind of twaddle.
Ron is no dope. He realized early on that liberals would pay him well for throwing his dad under the bus. After all, what else did he have to fall back on? Ballet dancing?
I can't imagine anyone buying that book other than a gag gift for a White Elephant exchange.
I have little use for people who think they can speak for the dead.
Nancy made it very clear what she and her husband thought of John McCain, but that's a little different, as they would have shared conversations about him and his treatment of Carol.
CBS Sunday Morning had a segment on Matt Damon. They talked about his acting...
I'm sorry but despite his marquee name Matt Damon has to be one of the most untalented actors around. Probably explains why he BFFs with that other untalented actor Ben Affleck.
As for his political views, perhaps they would garner some respect if they were just honest and said 'I hate Palin because she's conservative' rather than because she's 'dumb', 'unqualified' when they vote for a President who thinks there are 57 states, that Austrian is a language and refers to navy medics as 'corpsemen'.
I wonder if Ron forgot that the same Palin hater types thought his dad was a dumbshit too.
@Bushman
Exactly...Ron Reagan continues to beclown himself for money...which makes him a whore as well.
@Mel
Okay.
Every time I saw this guy on some political show, I had this squeamish feeling that his dad would disapprove. An opportunist if there ever was one.
I thought and still think the Gipper was the greatest president in my lifetime.
Little Ron is not a chip of the old block, he is dirt under RWR's fingernails.
Michael Reagan's mileage surely varies.
I wonder if Ron forgot that the same Palin hater types thought his dad was a dumbshit too.
Ronaldus Magnus didn't do that well in the first debate against whats-his-name from Minnesota.. the conventional wisdom from the right was that his handlers "over-prepared him".. but others as you say had other ideas.
Making money off of his father's good name. What a pathetic individual and a disgrace to his father's legacy.
Ron Reagan--no substance, no intellect, just whore--fucking loser
Today's takeaways:
Why would anyone think that a man's son would have something to say about him? And commemorating anniversaries divisible by ten is stupid -- I hope next September 11 passes unremarked.
From Instapundit's FAQ section. He's pretty clear about the books he gets:
"What does “In the mail” mean?
It’s like the “books received” section in an academic journal. While I wouldn’t swear that I’ve never used this for books I’ve ordered for myself that showed up in the mail, generally these are books that publishers send, and I haven’t read when I post them. If I make comments, they’re based on a quick look or skim. Real reviews are reserved for books I’ve read."
I wondered why they were talking to him until
He's in True Grit, which is in movie theaters this weekend. Standard publicity tour.
Sarah Palin is against Reagan's START Treaty, saying it "makes no strategic sense". In fairness maybe she thought it was the HEAD START program.
The wonderfulness of Reagan as a president vs his somewhat mixed effectiveness as a parent is one thing that motivates me in my call for people to not be influenced by politicians' families.
The glamor of their wives, the cuteness of their kids, the way they seem to love each other so very much. None of it matters.
Ron Reagan juinior...did they ever check his dna to make sure he came from Reagan's loins?
But what astrologer has Mommy appointed for Ron to use?
I too am frightened by cheap publicity. <--- lie.
Michael - Maureen was adopted too.
FLS - perhaps you are too young, but Ronnie Jr and Patty spent Reagan's 2 terms as CA Gov and then as President making a show of how much at odds they were with their parents are anything. The news loved it. They were desperate for attention and to let everyone know in Hollywood (Patty wanted to be an actress and Ron a dancer - which the press made fun of) they didn't agree with their parents on anything (although they enjoyed their financial support).
I agree with my parents on little, but I would never publicly denounce them.
Ron Jr took the opportunity at his father's funeral to take pot shots at Bush. No class. However, he and his sister are useful idiots so after the funeral, after speaking "truth to power," against Bush at the lectern in the Cathedral, the left gives him a job on MSNBC and show on Air America.
It was only when Reagan was so ill that they, "Made their peace," although they can't do an interview with out mentioning how they hated this or that.
Finally, I will never forget Nancy nearly collapsing at the interment and Michael held her and Ronnie and Patty pushed him away. No class. Dispicable ungrateful children.
Sarah Palin is against Reagan's START Treaty, saying it "makes no strategic sense".
Well the good news is we can stop the duck and cover exercises now that we've pulled back from the brink of nuclear war!!!!
And I can finally convert my fallout shelter into storage for my mushrooms and pickling hobby. Not sure what to do with all those Army surplus rations though....
The little twit should have stuck to ballet dancing.
Maureen looked very much like her biological mother, Jane Wyman.
garage mahal said...
Sarah Palin is against Reagan's START Treaty, saying it "makes no strategic sense". In fairness maybe she thought it was the HEAD START program.
Glass houses, stones...
Miss Sarah doesn't like The Zero's and Lurch's START.
(article's not swell, but it documents her stand)
I'd rather he was writing about Barack Obama, whom he endorsed, rather than his father. That's especially true since he certainly didn't understand his father's political philosophy, much less the man.
@FLS, you must be kidding. Even Obama is going to find a way to act like he cared about what happened at the twin towers and the Pentagon.
Ron Reagan is the son of the Hollywood movie actor; Palin is the daughter of the late President.
If the economy continues as it is, we'll all get thinner due to famine.
Soylent Green would then be the White House answer, and the FatCat Bankers would be the first into the Obama's frying pan plan, mon.
I think I'm not going to read it.
Now, if Nancy had a book . . . .
Basically,
Ron, no, I don't think you knew your dad at all. Palin is as dumb to you as your father was. You just find it profitable to shed crocodile tears after spending your life hating the man who made you relevant.
I thought Ron did a good job--covering the Westminster dog show.
Ronnie Jr and Patty spent Reagan's 2 terms as CA Gov and then as President making a show of how much at odds they were with their parents are anything
That was twenty years ago, and I see Ron Jr is over 50 now. Perhaps he sees his dad differently.
Finally, I will never forget Nancy nearly collapsing at the interment and Michael held her and Ronnie and Patty pushed him away. No class. Dispicable ungrateful children.
No class because their stepbrother grabbed their mother at their father's funeral? I'd have to see what happened.
Just a point to ponder: Was Ronnie wearing Tutus when that exchange with Geller? If so, he might have gotten them, which could have been most uncomfortable for the dear fellow.
Cheers.
We can say Ron didn't know his father, but then the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I suspect he has a closer knowledge for both the bright and dark side of the man.
I think Ron Reagan is a hack who needs money and is not above milking his father's legacy to get it.
Leftards sure do go out of their way to vilify someone they don't like and claim at the same time that they have no opinion, that they are stupid, and have no position on any issues. Then why all the effort?
Ron Reagan is a leftard. How can he possibly understand what it means to be a conservative, whether or not anyone knew his father personally. I liked Reagan because I thought he espoused conservative values and tried to hold the line on those. He articulated them in a way that made conservativism easy and accessible to people who had a hard time articulating how they felt about their political philosophies. If Ron Reagan has never been a conservative, then how can he know what it means to be one like his father and in that same vein, who his father would have liked as a conservative?
I always see the "in the mail" post as almost a negative review. It came for free and still wasn't enticing enough to read and give a real review.
Michael Reagan > Ron Reagan
That said, I don't know what Ronald Reagan would have thought about Palin.
It came for free and still wasn't enticing enough to read and give a real review.
Or it could be that he has a hundred blue books to grade right now.
What do you think of Ron Reagan's "My Father at 100"?
I don't.
I once saw a PBS documentary about the lives of the American Presidents. The segment on Reagan included interviews with all four of his kids. Michael and Maureen focused on their Dad as they remembered him. Patty and Ron, Jr. Just whined about how neglected they were - and they were the two who lived with him in an intact family. Ironically, the image on the screen during all this whining was a home video of an elaborate birthday party for Ronnie, complete with a pony.
Jane Wyman did a better job of. Raising her kids than Nancy did.
It has long been a parlor game among Presidential historians to determine who is the absolute worst child of a President. There are many contenders for this somewhat dubious honor. Robert Lincoln who was famous for committing his mother to an insane asylum and paying former slave woman to spank him while he lay about in his pantaloons. Alice Roosevelt Longworth who was infamous for having sex with every Presidential contender between 1918 and 1960. Eleanor Mondale who once pulled a chain that includes the entire Washington Redskin offensive line. However the general consensus seems to agree that this title belongs to former ballerina Ron Reagan Jr.
(Presidential Progeny, Rotten Apples Often Fall Far from the Tree, Doris Kearns Goodwin, St Martin’s Press, 2008)
Presidents often had a lot of trouble with their children. They are just fortunate that the Secret Service can cover up many of their indiscretions. One of the worst offenders was Margaret Truman. Although she is thought of as a demure debutant, her interest in music lead her to strange and unusual areas. She enjoyed smoking marijuana in the White House with her Negro jazz musician friends and occasionally skin popped heroin with Charley Parker in a small bathroom off the East Room. But the one relationship that Harry Truman had to put a stop to was her torrid love affair with Spade Cooley. At first the President was pleased that she was express an interest in country and western music but his pleasure was much diminished when he found out what Spade Cooley was most famous for: anal.
(Presidential Progeny, Rotten Apples Often Fall Far from the Tree, Doris Kearns Goodwin, St Martin’s Press, 2008)
Trooper your so clever attributing your gossip to a non-extistent book. Still these are nice stories that you spin, some of which are true.
Of course they are true roachy. Doris just copies stuff. She never makes anything up.
The Secret Service often had problems with the children of Presidents who develop a sense of entitlment because of the adulation of the public due to their fathers position. They often tried to evade their protective detail to go out and have fun. Ellen Herndon Arthur often slipped away with ballplayers from the Washington Senators. Susam Ford solved the problem by having a relationship with one of her Secret Service detail. Luci Johnson often slipped away from the detail to give George Hamilton oral sex in the backseat of his limo. But the biggest problem of all was Dorothy Bush who had a long and messy love affair with Mr. Fuji of the World Wide Westling Federation. Poppy was not amused.
(Presidential Progeny, Rotten Apples Often Fall Far from the Tree, Doris Kearns Goodwin, St Martin’s Press, 2008)
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