Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Subscriber Services |

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Attytood

UPDATED: What happens when America worships a bronze idol

113 comments

UPDATED: What happens when America worships a bronze idol

POSTED: Thursday, February 3, 2011, 9:07 PM

If you're wondering why things have been so slow around here this week, there are several reasons. One has been lots o' stories for the new and improved Daily News (now with 100 percent more booty on the front page); I had actually announced that on days when I had assignments for the paper there'd be little or no posting, but then I announced that in 2005 so you're excused if you don't remember. The other reason has been this guy looking bronzed and ready at top of the post. With Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday looming on Sunday (I hear they're planning to have some kind of football game in his honor...good idea!), I've been in the blogging kitchen all week, whipping up some light and fluffy pieces that I can begin to share here.

The first one is up tonight on CNN.com, and it goes something like this:

This is not a harmless myth, but a political fairy tale that has brought disastrous real-world consequences for America and its citizens for more than a decade.

In the name of the Gipper, the nation has not only encouraged unbalanced budgets and corporate greed beyond anything that Reagan would have imagined or condoned, but waged a bloody war in Iraq that Reagan biographers such as Lou Cannon, who covered him for three decades, agree he would have never supported.

Instead of acknowledging that Reagan's 1980s presidency has been misrepresented to create disastrous policies in the 21st century, the body politic is doubling down on the Gipper -- on both sides. The Republican presidential sweepstakes for 2012 is shaping up as a competition for who can cite Reagan most often, while the Obama has been said to be engrossed in Cannon's exhaustive and balanced portrayal of Reagan's up-and-down presidency, "Role of a Lifetime."

In a recent op-ed for USA Today, Obama praised Reagan for "a spirit that transcended the most heated political arguments, and one that called each of us to believe that tomorrow will be better than today."

There's more. Pretty soon I should have a link to my Reagan op-ed in the Washington Post. For reals. So come back later this weekend for updates.

UPDATE: Here's an excerpt from my book, "Tear Down This Myth": How the media created the legend of Ronald Reagan.

“I was worried about that.” Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne said at week’s end on CNN. “I mean, I think what you’ve had is a sort of 30-year campaign on the conservative side to say the media is liberal, and now I think you’re having another reaction from liberals who are saying, wait a minute, when we look at a week like this, a week of praise for Ronald Reagan, it is very hard to say we have a liberal media anymore.”

Or you could just read the full monty -- "Tear Down This Myth: The Right-Wing Distortion of the Reagan Legacy."

Will Bunch @ 9:07 PM Permalink | 113 comments

113 comments

Comments (113)

Comment removed.
Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:18 AM, 02/06/2011

Yeah, god forbid we have a discussion on that opinion on his 100th birthday. Better to proceed with the Orwellian History lesson.

— BillHicksLives!

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:38 AM, 02/06/2011

Meanwhile I'm sure if we're all around for Clinton's 100th, I'm sure SBVFT will be a model of restraint and class. Yessiree bob.

— BillHicksLives!

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:37 PM, 02/03/2011

Guess we all could see Swifty's comment coming, eh? Surprised there was no mention of CNN and WaPost being leftist commie rags. Of course as usual, Swifty has reading comprehension problems. Nothing in that post disses Reagan (who was presided over one of America's most corrupt administrations but wouldn't even crack the "others receiving votes" in the Top 10 list of great presidents). If anybody disses that dimbulb it's folks like Swifty and other conservatives who distort his record in an effort to gin up support for their failed agenda.

— Mr. Baseball

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:57 PM, 02/03/2011

"who was presided over one of America's most corrupt administrations". Please provide a detailed list of those jailed/convicted.

— georgel

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:09 AM, 02/04/2011

Georgieboy -- The list of Reagan administration officials convicted, indicted or subject to official investigations for misconduct or crimes contains 138 names. As Yogi Berra would say, "You could look it up."

Want details, Google "Reagan Administration corruption" ... a warning though, you start actually looking into this and you will encounter facts, and we all know facts are like kryptonite to right wingnuts

— Mr. Baseball

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:42 AM, 02/04/2011

Daily Kook is not a source. Looks like you did a cut and paste (as Will does). And you didn't answer the question. I can see why. A short search turned up 16 convictions in the Reagan administration. I also did Clinton just for convictions-33. I didn't include witch hunts on either sides. Just sayin.

— georgel

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:08 AM, 02/04/2011

Actually, you need to look a little better. There were at least 26 convictions in the Reagan Administration, 2 were overturned on appeals, though. Your creative math no doubt fails to count all those pardoned by Bush I in relation to the Iran-Contra scandal (which reminds me we never did get an answer to where Bush was when some allege he flew to the Middle East to arrange the weapons for hostages deal. Amazing how nobody can account for where the VPOTUS was during those "mystery hours". Not saying he pardoned the others to keep them quiet, just pointing out the curiousness of the lack of any log or records showing where he was when he says he was not acting criminally. Maybe he was with his son serving in the Texas National Guard, who knows?)

That number of convictions also does not include a guy Bush I pardoned before he went to trial, or a guy whose case was dismissed after Thornburgh refused to declassify documents needed for his defense. Also does not include 2 indicted in in Inslaw matter who three Republican AG's refused to prosecute (2 of which were held in contempt of congress.)

I'd love for you to document your 33 Clinton convictions, because lists like that which I have seen include mostly people who were not a part of the administration for things that had nothing to do with Clinton other than him knowing them or having been a past associate, often in vague, distant ways. There were two Clinton administration officials convicted, including one for actions prior to being a part of the administration (Cisneros pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about how much he had given to his mistress when he was mayor of San Antonio)

Again, to quote your hero "Facts are stubborn things"

— Mr. Baseball

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:37 PM, 02/03/2011

— Mr. Baseball

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:19 PM, 02/03/2011

Mr.Baseball you are truly amazing. 70 plus words and not one rational thought out of the whole post. You must make your Philadelphia School District Middle School proud. Way to go.

— blackhawk90

Comment removed.
Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:20 AM, 02/04/2011

Amen! Bunch, since you “claim” to despise racism; and continually accused the Tea Party of racism even though completely unfounded and repudiated. We are waiting for your article condemning this Lilly White angry mob of liberals and progressives hating a black man!

— AuH20

Comment removed.

| View All Comments | View All By Latest

View comments: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | NEXT »

'Corbett Hood' takes from the poor ... again
Nutter's awful, terrible, not good appearance on national TV
It's past time for fast food workers to get a living wage
From Istanbul to Rio to Philly, this democracy thing is broken
UPDATED: One man against the world
Bad to the bone
Al Gore wants you to meet this author tomorrow (Wed.)
This 1 factoid will demolish your faith in Chris Christie
"Do something now"
"Tell me what is being done in my name"

About this blog

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

PLEASE COMMENT WITH PASSION...

...but not with racial slurs, potentially libelous allegations, obscenities or other juvenile noise. Such comments will, at our discretion, be deleted in their entirety, and repeat offenders will be blocked from commenting. ALSO: Any commenter advocating killing any government official will be immediately banned.

Reach Will at bunchw@phillynews.com.

Will Bunch

Get our top stories