There has been a certain amount of …well, the usual invocation of Ronald Reagan’s memory in order to justify other people’s positions on issues, particularly the ones where they’re not majority positions in the Republican party. Latest offender – and it’s a shame that I have to use the word, in this case: I like the guy – is former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who wondered yesterday whether Reagan would be able to get Tea Party/conservative support these days. Well, it’s interesting that today is the 25th Anniversary of Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech*.
So let’s check:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YtYdjbpBk6A
Would you throw this guy out of the party? Even if you didn’t agree with him on, say, immigration issues? – No, I didn’t think that you would, either. Better a man that you disagree with in part, yet trust, than a man who you do agree with, but do not. And that was the thing with Reagan; you always knew what you were getting with the man. That’s why most of us had issues with Mitt Romney: we weren’t sure that he meant it when Romney said that he was going to fight for the nomination. And that’s also why those issues have been getting less and less publicly aired; it’s become increasingly clear that indeed – and on this, at least – Romney meant it.
I don’t want to dwell on the topic: after all, better that dirty laundry get aired occasionally, and honestly it’s not as if either side of this particular debate is 100% simon-pure and squeaky-clean, either. I just wish that folks like Jeb Bush were a little more trusting of the GOP base. Or at least a little more conscious of why the Left is so desperate to promote dissension in our ranks.
Moe “Social Moderate Squish” Lane (crosspost)
PS: Exhibit B.
*You know. The one that Barack Obama tried – and abjectly failed – to surpass in 2008. Personally, on reflection I kind of wish that the Germans had let Obama speak at the Brandenburg Gate. It would have ended up being even more humiliating for the man.
Better a man that you disagree with in part, yet trust, than a man who you do agree with, but do not.
Which is also why we went along with some of GWBs more hare-brained initiatives (i.e. Medicare part D) as well. And why O’s good ideas (mostly keeping GWB’s war on terror policies) get a cautious OK and pushback with extreme prejudice when he looks wobbly. Also, mockery when he paints himself into a corner like his reliance on drone strikes since he can’t actually, you know, take terrorists into custody and
beatencourage intel out of them.Reagan, The man is the reason I’m an Independent Conservative. Didn’t vote for him at the time didn’t understand him at the time. I don’t really trust political parties anymore after the Democrats so I don’t belong to a party now. How’s the song go “Oh, I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.”
Sometimes I am surprised by the stupidity of the argument. Times keep changing. So does electorate. We don’t have the luxury of spending money that we had say a decade before. We are on the verge of bankruptcy and the electorate is realizing that.
Reagan was special. So he made a mistake when he increased taxes because spending cuts never materialized. Similar for amnesty. So we learn from the lessons that democrats taught Reagan. Future cuts never happen. Remember the stupid argument – $1 in taxes for $10 in cuts. I actually feel like laughing those thugs out of the room.
I am not sure what happened to Jeb. He is kicking us in the teeth. Maybe he caught the Mavericky.
And oh – those videos are awesome. Make you wish you could turn the clock back.