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| Home Front: Politix |
| Kerry on Reagan |
| 2004-06-08 |
| * In November 2002, U.S. News & World Report carried this Kerry assessment of Reagan’s presidency: "You roll out the president one time a day. One exposure to all of you [the media]. No big in-depth inquiries. Put him in his brown jacket and his blue jeans, put him on a ranch, let him cock his head, give you a smile, and it looks like America’s OK." He repeated the same sentiments in an interview with Vogue last year, this time drawing a parallel to Bush: ’’They have managed him the same way they managed Ronald Reagan," Kerry contended. ’’They send him out to the press for one event a day. They put him in a brown jacket and jeans and get him to move some hay or drive a truck, and all of a sudden, he’s the Marlboro Man." * That’s not the only time Kerry has offered unflattering Bush-Reagan comparisons. In an interview last September with the Manchester Union-Leader, Kerry said, "We’ve seen governors come to Washington, . . . and they don’t have the experience in foreign policy, and they get in trouble pretty fast. Look at Ronald Reagan. Look at Jimmy Carter and, now, obviously, George Bush." * In 1992 Kerry said, "Ronald Reagan certainly was never in combat. I mean, many of his movies depicted him there. And he may have believed he was, but he never was. And the fact is that he sent Americans off to die." * After his first major political battle in the Senate over Reagan’s support for the Nicaraguan contras in 1985, Kerry said "I think it was a silly and rather immature approach," of Reagan’s dismissal of a "peace offer" from Sandinista junta leader Daniel Ortega * Last year Kerry said to the Democratic National Committee: "I’m proud that I stood against Ronald Reagan, not with him, when his intelligence agencies were abusing the Constitution of the United States and when he was running an illegal war in Central America." In fact, Kerry has spoken at great length about the Reagan administration’s "abuse of the Constitution" and "totalitarian" inclinations: "They were willing to literally put the Constitution at risk because they believed there was somehow a higher order of things, that the ends do in fact justify the means. That’s the most Marxist, totalitarian doctrine I’ve ever heard of in my life. . . . You’ve done the very thing that James Madison and others feared when they were struggling to put the Constitution together, which was to create an unaccountable system with runaway power . . . running off against the will of the American people." |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #12 Kerry is not stupid. He is not going to trash Reagan now when the whole world is rememebering one of the greatest of our times. You can chalk it up as a little class, and a lot polical savvy. But that should not fool anyone. Nothing has changed since the 1980s. Kerry and his ilk hated the Gipper's ideas then, and they still do. They hate Bush because he shares the same philosophy, and has the courage of his convictions. They seem desparate because they remember Reagan had 8 years. |
| Posted by: Jake 2004-06-08 5:42:14 PM |
| #11 In 1992 Kerry said, "Ronald Reagan certainly was never in combat. I mean, many of his movies depicted him there. And he may have believed he was, but he never was. And the fact is that he sent Americans off to die." I saw the whole quote that surrounded this line. It was actually something to justify Billy Jeff's lack of military credentials as a presedential candidate. Parsing it out this way is a bit of a cheap shot IMO. Not that I like Kerry, but it is a good example of the way you can portray a comment in the negative when the intent of the comment was something wholly different. The libs do it to conservatives, especially the Pres, all the time. |
| Posted by: remote man 2004-06-08 5:35:17 PM |
| #10 It would be interesting - and entertaining - if some enterprising TV reporter asked Kerry about the above quotes right about now, while he's pretending he admired Reagan. But alas, they won't. Wussies. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-06-08 5:25:32 PM |
| #9 Just saw on Fox how Kerry broke into the LOOOOOONNNNNGGGG lines in CA to view Reagan's casket. Photo op was all it was. He had this sad look on his face and did the sign of the cross. Too bad most people don't remember or know how much he despised Reagan. |
| Posted by: AF Lady 2004-06-08 5:18:38 PM |
| #8 "They put him in a brown jacket and jeans and get him to move some hay or drive a truck, and all of a sudden, he’s the Marlboro Man." he says wearing a bomber jacket. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-06-08 1:37:57 PM |
| #7 Zpaz: Funny that. How quotes from films which are meant to show how icky soldier types are, can be turned around and used to demonstrate something good and positive. A Few Good Men was a film that demonstrated those awful military people and how smart lawyers can rein those folks in with just turns of phrases and such. Ultimately, it comes off as a liberal rant against the military. Well done. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-06-08 1:12:04 PM |
| #6 I lifted and adapted this from a LGF comment a few days ago which was adapted from you know who: Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, John Kerry? Ronald Reagan had a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You wept for the USSR and you cursed the White House. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what Reagan knew: That the Soviet downfall, while tragic to you, the EU and UN, saved lives. And Reagan's existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saved lives. Ronald Reagan neither had the time nor the inclination to explain himself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that he provided, then questions the manner in which he provided it. He would have preferred you just said thank you and went on your way. |
| Posted by: Zpaz 2004-06-08 1:02:15 PM |
| #5 Ronald Reagan wasn't in combat because of less-than-perfect eyesight. No other reason. I don't believe he would have shirked combat. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2004-06-08 11:25:08 AM |
| #4 "They put him in a brown jacket and jeans and get him to move some hay or drive a truck, and all of a sudden, he’s the Marlboro Man." Why do lefties have such a problem with the cowboy? Aren't cowboys brave, fair, honest, tough, hard-working? Oh, NOW I see why... |
| Posted by: jules 187 2004-06-08 9:50:26 AM |
| #3 Kerry's statement was classy. Sure, he may not have meant it, but as someone 'way smarter than me once said, "Hypocrisy is the tribute vice plays to virtue." Kerry should be giving classes in class to some of his brother Dems (e.g., Gore, Kennedy.) Doesn't mean I'll vote for the guy, but you gotta give him credit for doing the right thing when he does it. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-06-08 8:40:03 AM |
| #2 " In 1992 Kerry said, "Ronald Reagan certainly was never in combat. I mean, many of his movies depicted him there. And he may have believed he was, but he never was. And the fact is that he sent Americans off to die." Have I mentioned I was in Vietname lately? Senator Hanoi John.... |
| Posted by: Bill Nelson 2004-06-08 8:32:11 AM |
| #1 but when Reagan died Kerry issued a warm and gracious statement; yes this was probably hypocritical, but Kerry showed some class in being hypocritical - |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-06-08 8:14:31 AM |