Don’t Call Bill O’Reilly a Libertarian

MND ^ | Tuesday, January 03, 2006 | by James Atticus Bowden

[mugs99]

That's what I posted! It's one in the same. Ronald Reagan wasn't endorsing marijuana use or its legalization either.

You edited out the last sentence of the Reagan quote you gave. "If adults want to take such chances using marijuana, that is their choice". He was talking of the health risks, not the legal ramifications of marijuana use.

Reagan wasn't endorsing marijuana use or its legalization either.

"Of course dad was for legalization"...Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan sounds like he's been hitting the bong once too often himself. LOL

I think I'll join him...
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[Reagan Man]

>>>>You edited out the last sentence of the Reagan quote you gave.

I did not. And it wasn't the last sentence. If you had the book, you'd see it was the first sentence of the last paragraph of that radio show, other then Reagan's thankyou closing line. I agree with Reagan. If adults want to take chances of contracting "bronchitis & emphaysema", that's their business. But like Reagan, I don't advocate illicit drug use or support its legalization.

99% of that radio show had to do with the health hazards of smoking marijuana and the implications of teenagers smoking marijuana. Here's what Reagan said in the rest of that closing paragraph:

But surely the communications media and public figurs whose words get some attention should let 4 mil. youngsters know what they are risking when they light up a "joint" and pass it around because they think it's the in thing to do.

This is R.R. Thanks for listening.

Remember what you said:

>>>>Reagan addressed libertarianism many times on his radio shows in the seventies. He even endorsed the legalization of marijuana on his radio show in August of 1979.

I'm still waiting to see the evidence to back up your wildeyed accusations. And Michael Reagan is not a valid source.

[mugs99]

I'm still waiting to see the evidence to back up your wildeyed accusations. And Michael Reagan is not a valid source.

ROFL!
Wildeyed accusations? I made no accusations. I'm just an old man who stumped for Ronnie back then. I'm sorry if the facts don't fit your idolized version of the Reagans, but I think Michael Reagan is a better source than some book you read.
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[Mr Cobol]

BOR is a repeatist.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>I made no accusations.

Right, you're just an old man with short term memory loss. LOL

>>>>Reagan addressed libertarianism many times on his radio shows in the seventies. He even endorsed the legalization of marijuana on his radio show in August of 1979.

Lets have the proof. The evidence. The facts.

>>>>I'm sorry if the facts don't fit your idolized version of the Reagans, but I think Michael Reagan is a better source than some book you read.

What facts? You haven't posted any facts. And Mike Reagan's words don't trump his Fathers words on the subject.

Ronald Reagan is my political hero. I see nothing wrong with that. For the most part, he did a good job for America.

[rasblue]

Bill Mahr is NOT a libertarian. He's for gun control and that automatically disqualifys him from any libertarian circle.

[68 grunt]

... Ronald Reagan is my political hero ...

As he is to many of us. That is why I really wish you'd quit embarrassing his name.

[Reagan Man]

My hero is Ronald Reagan.

Your hero is Bozo the Clown.

[freedumb2003]

Can we call him a blowhard?

He did, when he said:

Bill O’Reilly is just O’Reilly.

;)

[x]

Bill O'Reilly is an Irish-American guy born in New York in 1941, raised on Long Island, and educated at least in part in Catholic schools. That means that his parents were probably Democrats at least in their youth (his grandparents almost certainly were) and that he's voted Republican more often than not. It's likely that he was turned off by the Democrats in the 70s and 80s in a major way, but isn't so happy about today's Republican Party. He's in the media, so that's influenced his development, probably in some pretty unseemly ways, but he's not so different from thousands of other guys in the New York area.

"Populist" probably does characterize O'Reilly, or at least his public persona, more than other political labels. He's been more conservative on social issues, but still has a bit of the old "lunch box" Democrat in his make up. Populism does tend to involve responding to buzz words rather than forming a coherent philosophy of life or politics, but looking back, I don't know if we'll find that populists were that much more inconsistent or illogical in their positions than people with other ideologies.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>Bill O'Reilly is an Irish-American guy born in New York in 1941, raised on Long Island, and educated at least in part in Catholic schools.

1949, not 1941.

>>>>That means that his parents were probably Democrats at least in their youth ...

O'Reilly's basic bio is similiar to mine, but you shouldn't presume he was raised early on in life, in a Democratic household. I was born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn. Brooklyn was a pretty conservative suburb in then 1950`s and 1960`s. My parents were very conservative and voted Republican. Although my Mom was originally from Johnstown PA and her siblings loved JFK!

If you paint with a broad brush, you could get burned.

[x]

Well, I did type the date wrong. I guess we're all more or less painting with broad brushes, but I was trying to get away from catch-all labels like "libertarian" or "populist," and look at what I took to be O'Reilly's actual background. To be sure, some New York Irish were pulling away from the Democrats already in the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps the O'Reilly family fit in to that group.

What I was getting at was that someone with O'Reilly's background is less likely than a younger person from the Sunbelt to be an enthusiastic libertarian or a wholehearted fan of President Bush. Other things being equal, if your parents came of age in New York during the Depression, you'll have more ambivalence about libertarianism than if they grew up after the war in suburbia.

[Reagan Man]

I didn't mean to jump on you about his date of birth.

My point was to let people know that outside of Manhatten Island, NYCity and specifically Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn were fairly conservative during the 50`s, 60`s and 70`s.

[mugs99]

Ronald Reagan is my political hero. I see nothing wrong with that. For the most part, he did a good job for America.

I can see that he is and there is nothing wrong with that. He was once my hero too. He tried to put the brakes on the Nanny State. He did do a good job for America, but he could have done great. He chose not to.

You haven't posted any facts

You flamed libertarians. I replied with a quote from Ronald Reagan about libertarianism. You tried to spin that quote to fit your idolized perception of the man. His words stand on their own. Why do you want more "facts"? You can't handle the truth of his own words that I previously posted. You are just a little too defensive.

Mike Reagan's words don't trump his Fathers words on the subject

No, they verify exactly what his fathers words meant.

Right, you're just an old man with short term memory loss. LOL

You could be right...must be that damn bong!
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[Reagan Man]

>>>>You flamed libertarians. I replied with a quote from Ronald Reagan about libertarianism. You tried to spin that quote to fit your idolized perception of the man. His words stand on their own. Why do you want more "facts"? You can't handle the truth of his own words that I previously posted. You are just a little too defensive.

Maybe certain libertarians thought they were being flamed, but in book, it was just telling the truth. No spin bucko. You still haven't supplied one iota of evidence that indicates Ronald Reagan ever advocated drug use or supported drug legalization.

One more time.

The Reagan adminsitration policy on illicit drugs was to enforce the Controlled Substance Act of 1970. That meant intervention and incarceration for drug dealers and drug users. Nancy Reagan advanced an anti-drug campaign with her "just say no" policy for America's children and teenagers.

Ronald Reagan's rhetoric is well known. Michael Reagan is no authority on his Father.

Back to bong for you, old man.

[mugs99]

Michael Reagan is no authority on his Father

ROFL!!!
And you are?

Nancy Reagan advanced an anti-drug campaign with her "just say no" policy for America's children and teenagers

"Just say no" is libertarian.
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[Reagan Man]

Ronald Reagan's words stand on their own.

>>>>"Just say no" is libertarian.

LMBO!!!

[68 grunt]

... You could be right...must be that damn bong!

You mustn't pay to much attention to that pretender, his only purpose is to embarrass the image and memory of Reagan.

[B Knotts]

O'Reilly is the exact opposite of a libertarian. He is an authoritarian.

[mugs99]

You mustn't pay to much attention to that pretender, his only purpose is to embarrass the image and memory of Reagan

Yeah, he does makes it difficult for those of us who do admire Reagan to respond without besmirching the guy we like.
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