Posted on 07/13/2004 9:44:17 AM PDT by bimboeruption
Amid the spontaneous outpouring of respect and affection for Ronald Reagan after his death, a discordant note was sounded by his son. In a succession of television and newspaper interviews, Ron Reagan Jr. used the occasion to trash George W. Bush by drawing invidious comparisons between his father and the current president. Nobody knew how to respond in a time of national mourning. Nobody, that is, except William F. Buckley Jr.
The elder statesman of the conservative movement considered Ron Jr.'s remarks a public challenge that ought to be challenged publicly. Buckley wrote Reagan a letter that specifically addressed his claim in an interview with the New York Times that he, as a self-professed atheist, admired the Buddhist teachings of ''mindfulness and loving kindness and compassion.'' Buckley told him: ''You proceed in a single interview to profane/deride the faith of your parents, which is not very mindful.''
There was more than one interview. In his graveside eulogy, the son threw a dart at President Bush by saying his father never wore ''his faith on his sleeve.'' That was just the beginning of attempts to dispel any notion that Bush was another Reagan. ''My father did not know George W. Bush from Adam,'' he said on CNN, adding: ''My father was a man -- that's the difference between him and Bush.'' As far as Republicans using the Reagan heritage, he said on MSNBC, ''This is their war. If they can't stand on their own two feet, they're no Ronald Reagans.''
This fit the desperate effort by Bush-bashers to keep the president from politically benefitting as a result of national grief over Reagan's passing. With publication in the New York Times Magazine of Ron Jr.'s interview with Deborah Solomon, Buckley wrote the son with a point-by-point response.
RR Jr.: The nude picture of his sister Patti in Playboy was ''just something that is not too exciting.''
WFB: ''Why then was there so much excitement about it?''
RR Jr.: As for his father's reaction when he dropped out of Yale to join the ballet, ''That was fine with him.''
WFB: ''It wasn't fine with him and he enlisted my aid in trying to persuade you to stay in college.''
RR Jr.: Having three cats while being childless ''is like having children.''
WFB: ''No, it's not like having children.''
RR Jr.: As to whether his mother helps him out financially, ''Of course not. My father felt that children should make their own way.''
WFB: ''I know, and you know that I know, something about that question. But to say that 'of course' your mother does not help you out suggests she will not do so even if there were a need. Are you saying she would not acknowledge you in her will?''
RR Jr.: As to the Abu Ghraib prison abuses, ''How can Christians tolerate it?''
WFB: ''I don't know of any Christians who 'tolerate it.' The perpetrators are reviled.''
RR Jr.: In an answer to a question, he said he did not vote for Bush in the last election.
WFB: ''Odd that you should permit this invasion of privacy whose only purpose is to remark the political infidelity of the son of Ronald Reagan.''
RR Jr.: His father ''worked hard to impress upon his children the value of kindness.''
WFB: ''If he did, he was manifestly unsuccessful.''
This is more than a wayward son, at age 46 with a career seemingly going nowhere, seeking 15 minutes of fame. He has signed with MSNBC as a ''contributor'' for the 2004 campaign. It is a windfall for Democratic operatives to quote the son of Ronald Reagan saying of Republicans: ''I couldn't join a party that, frankly, tolerates members who are bigots for one thing, homophobes, racists.''
Buckley and his National Review magazine were in the forefront of early Reagan supporters. In his newly published Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography, he paints a picture of a Ronald Reagan who ''was zestfully concerned for the comfort of others.'' Nobody has better credentials than Bill Buckley to deliver a point-by-point rebuttal to the errant offspring. Those who know Nancy Reagan say she fully agrees with her old friend.
If memory serves, Commodus was the natural son of Marcus Aurelius. It didn't do him, or the Romans, any good.
You two are absolutely correct!
I only referred to the twerp as Jr., because Novak did.
However can you come up with something more appropriate than "Little Ron"?
I can't understand what's going in his mind; leaving aside the stem cells, which he has a perfect right to push, the uncalled for gratuitous swipes at Bush at "perceived" actions gives me pause; perhaps he has some issues with the way he treated his parents and is now trying to redeem himself in his own mind.
The one thing I hope is that nobody asks her to speak at the GOP convention.
>>However can you come up with something more appropriate than "Little Ron"?
How 'bout Liberal-atheist Ron P. Reagan...after all, the media likes to use labels like ultra-conservative in connection with Newt Gingrich all the time.
This says it all. Lil' Ron has no trouble using his father's death for his personal gain. Sad. Disgusting. Liberal. Sorry, didn't mean to be so redundant
Ron Twerp said he received a letter from Buckley and that he thought Buckley was going to keep it private.
"However can you come up with something more appropriate than 'Little Ron'?"
Actually I CAN come up with something more appropriate -- but definitely not nice or post-able.
Ron Jr. is crying for attention, just like his sister Patti did most of her life. As far as appearing at the convention, it will have little if any impact on voters. It just reveals again, that Ron Jr. ain't the brightest bulb on the tree.
According to The Corner, Mr. Buckley will be on Rush's show at 2:00 Eastern. Could be interesting...
I also read elsewhere that Buckley will be on HARDBALL today, one day after Ron announced on that show that Kerry promised him the first thing he'd do as President is overturn the ban on stem cell research. Again, could be interesting.
oops, sorry about the jr. thing.
Oh, of course. He sang in the key of "Wah."
I really, really should have known.
Dan
/c8
Novak should know better than to call RPR "Ron, Jr."
Yep. Rush just said Bill Buckley will be on, after THIS commercial break.
STAY TUNED!!!
Different mothers, different environments.....Nancy, being a very needy woman, siphoned off most of the care that young children need. The children finally gave up and the only way to get their father's attention was to be in opposition to him in every aspect of their lives.
Yea .. But Bush is on FNC NOW!!
The Crowd is in a GOOG MOOD!
"Michael is more Reagan than Reagan's own flesh and blood..."
All the Reagan children filled my eyes with tears. Michael because of the admiration for his father that came through his talk. I was so touched by Michael's thankfulness that Ronald Reagan shared his faith with Michael. I'm sure that the Gipper was so proud. Ronald and Patti filled my eyes with tears because I'm sure that the Gipper was so ashamed of them. Sad that such a great man could have such losers as children.
Probably was going to keep it private until he realized Ron wasn't going to shut his mouth.
Can MSNBC be any less transparent? The only time they hire a "Reagan" and he's the liberal black sheep.
Is MSNBC going to go out of it's way to hire the most Conservative member in the Kennedy family? (assuming one exists)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.