obby Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 The Massachusetts senator is saying all the right things now, but what did he say about Reagan before? by Katherine Mangu-Ward 06/07/2004 5:45:00 PM SENATOR JOHN KERRY issued a respectful and respectable statement in response to the news of President Reagan's death on Saturday. "Ronald Reagan's love of country was infectious," he said. "Even when he was breaking Democrats' hearts, he did so with a smile and in the spirit of honest and open debate. Despite the disagreements, he lived by that noble ideal that at 5:00 p.m. we weren't Democrats or Republicans, we were Americans and friends." This was an appropriate, even deft, statement--followed by the announcement by Kerry that he was canceling campaign events this week.But it's worth taking a look back at what Kerry said about Reagan during and after his presidency. Reagan was president when Kerry was elected to the Senate, and their ideological clashes were colorful and frequent. That's to be expected. Occasionally, however, during Reagan's presidency and in subsequent years, Kerry crossed the line into strident invective:* 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."Kerry was right to say kind words about Reagan on the day of his death. But they shouldn't obscure what Kerry said about Reagan during his life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatas2277 Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 politics...nothing more...nothing less... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 Kerry had it right the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppanils Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 The Massachusetts senator is saying all the right things now, but what did he say about Reagan before? oh please. would you rather he rip on reagan in death? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywalker01 Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 it's obvious you are a staunch republican, but for you to drag this out is kinda moronic. one is a democrat, the other a republican....wtf...they are suppose to have differences Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris817 Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 it's obvious you are a staunch republican, but for you to drag this out is kinda moronic. one is a democrat, the other a republican....wtf...they are suppose to have differencesYeah but you have respect for the man's life. He was a president of the US. who is going to talk shit about a man who is not even in the ground yet.People should pay tribute to Ronald Reagan now, you have the rest of your lives to debate his presidency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obby Posted June 9 Author Report Share Posted June 9 Yeah but you have respect for the man's life. He was a president of the US. who is going to talk shit about a man who is not even in the ground yet. People should pay tribute to Ronald Reagan now, you have the rest of your lives to debate his presidency.Exactly.Skywalker mentioned about about Kerry being a dem and Reagan a Rep, so Kerry was supposed to question him.....The problem is Kerry's criticism was personal. He could not just debate Regans policies (which history has proven that Regan was right and Kerry and the dems where wrong), he had to make personal attacks against him claiming he was dumb, disconnected, a cowboy, a war monger, ect.ect.ect. Sound familiar??????? Bush is getting the same treatment.Funny how when they have no ground to stand on when debating issues how they get personal and attack the man character, intelligence, ect. This has become the norm for todays democratic party. They can not debate the issue because they are always on the wrong side, so they resort to personal attacks. Regardless of what some might claim, you can not say the same about republican politicians. Dems in Washington have zero class.......pity.For those who claim to think they know Reagan sucks and was never that popular, etc..etc..etc...Bottom line is,,,,Reagan won his second term as California Governor in a landslide. He won re-election in a landslide also, 49 of 50 states! That's INSANE! America loved the guy. Reagan was a LIFE LONG democrat. Born poor w/ an alcoholic father. Moved to HOLLYWOOD and became a so-so actor. Became a politician and soon after left the democratic party who at the time was embracing socialism and sympathizing w/ communist(especially in Hollywood). Liberals hated him, but they're not really America are they? Kind of like the little chiwawa w/ a loud bark. Obviously not if he took 49 of 50 states....For those who want to compare him to Clinton, Clinton never won 50% of the American vote. NEVER! He topped out at around 48% for his re-election against Dole. Reagan was truly loved. His legacy is huge. He inspired republicans around the country. Republicans eventually took control of congress, He brought down communism w/out a bullet even being fired, brought about one of the greatest and longest economic booms ever, etc..etc... Clinton's legacy is what? A blow job? What is he responsible for that makes him great? What policy did he implement that shines light on his legacy? "Don't ask, don't tell" for allowing gays in the military? Still struggling to find something great he did? EXACTLY! You won't have that problem when bringing up Reagan. Best part about him was, HE NEVER, EVER, EVER claimed credit for his successes! NEVER! It wasn't about him, it was about America. In fact, no president in U.S. history has ever gotten more votes than Reagan did in 1984, despite the fact that the nation's population has grown by more than 30 million in the last 20 years. Tough to find a democrat today in Washington who can claim the same. IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THEM! No vision, no courage and morally bankrupt,,,,AT BEST....PITY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobeton Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 politicians have discerning opinions, which is fairly obvious. IMO using a Presidents death to spread anti democratic rhetoric is pathetic. put the election year politics aside for a bit if you can, and honor President Reagan for his service to the american people. as has been mentioned already, "you have the rest of your lives to debate his presidency." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seximofo2k Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 If he spoke negatively about Reagan this post still would be here but attacking him in the opposite fashion. The angle taken in this article is a no win situation for the man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xpyrate Posted June 10 Report Share Posted June 10 i hate it when a great leader dies and then people like obby bring in all this politics ... talk about how good a leader reagan was ... and as a bush hater I believe he was the best president i've lived through (which isn't saying much BTW) ... not compare him to clinton or whoever(hell i'd rather have reagan with all his alzheimers than what we have today) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obby Posted June 10 Author Report Share Posted June 10 I hate it when a great leader dies and then people like obby bring in all this politicsI am not attacking. I am defending and I am surprised you didn't notice that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.