Presidential Mourning Reading Assignment - Hunter S. Thompson

[VolcanoJen]

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT A REAGAN THREAD, DAMMIT. Seriously.

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Thought I'd go hunting for this again, because I actually enjoy reading it every few years. Nixon had been buried for a few months (he died on April 22, 1994) when Rolling Stone published this classic Hunter S. Thompson piece, in its June 16, 1994 issue. Enough time had passed that columnists felt comfortable bringing up the less savory aspects of the former President.

Thompson usually gets it, and for me, this essay really summed up the feelings of so many at that time, and it provides some nostalgia, and perspective, into the last time, just over 10 years ago, that so many felt this divided about a presidential death, and the way best to respond to that death.

He Was A Crook, by Hunter S. Thompson

Excerpt, but be sure to read the entire piece:

Richard Nixon is gone now, and I am poorer for it. He was the real thing -- a political monster straight out of Grendel and a very dangerous enemy. He could shake your hand and stab you in the back at the same time. He lied to his friends and betrayed the trust of his family. Not even Gerald Ford, the unhappy ex-president who pardoned Nixon and kept him out of prison, was immune to the evil fallout. Ford, who believes strongly in Heaven and Hell, has told more than one of his celebrity golf partners that "I know I will go to hell, because I pardoned Richard Nixon."

I have had my own bloody relationship with Nixon for many years, but I am not worried about it landing me in hell with him. I have already been there with that bastard, and I am a better person for it. Nixon had the unique ability to make his enemies seem honorable, and we developed a keen sense of fraternity. Some of my best friends have hated Nixon all their lives. My mother hates Nixon, my son hates Nixon, I hate Nixon, and this hatred has brought us together.

[playahata1]

1. I cannot wait for Thompson to weigh in on Reagan.

I hope he gives it to him the way he gave it to Nixon.

I've got a copy of "Better Than Sex," in which Thompson's essay also appears.

[wtmusic]

2. Ford said that?

Hmm. I have more respect for the guy.

[VolcanoJen]

3. I wonder what Ford-Luv will look like?

Not to jack my own thread, but how old is Jerry, anyhoo...?

[playahata1]

5. Ford was born in 1913, same year as Nixon.

He will be 91 this year, if he hasn't already had his birthday.

[Zomby Woof]

6. 91 this year

He was born in 1913, although I forget the month and day.

Those old repubs live too damn long... must be the best health care their dirty money can buy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. A lot of politicians seem to live long

Here's the list of 20th century British Prime Ministers:
Blair: 51, alive
Major: 61, alive
Thatcher: 78, undead
Callaghan: 92, alive
Heath: 87, alive
Wilson: 79
Douglas-Home: 92
Macmillan: 92
Eden: 79
Attlee: 84
Churchill: 90
Chamberlain: 71
MacDonald: 71
Baldwin: 80
Bonar Law: 65
Lloyd George: 82
Asquith: 75
Campbell-Bannerman: 71
Balfour: 81

So the post war Prime Ministers are averaging 86, with a couple above that and still alive.

Speaking of which, they both appear on this British site I just found - http://www.deathlist.net . Slightly macabre, but a 'hit rate' of 14 out of 50 for 2003 shows they know their stuff. Definitely tongue in cheek - the youngest on this year's list is General Musharraf, "Pakistani President/Moving Target".

[Zomby Woof]

19. perhaps you've heard the expression

"Only the good die young".

[Zomby Woof]

4. I channel HST

I base my life on his teachings. ;-) Great piece, and worth, um, 'resurrecting'... :evilgrin:

[Vickers]

7. I remember reading this, excellent "recovery" VolcanoJen

HST seemed to have some kind of grudging admiration, or at least fascination with Nixon, and that made for an interesting dynamic.

Can you imagine a journalist/author of HST's stature having the same relationship with Georgie?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. HST

>Can you imagine a journalist/author of HST's stature having the same
>relationship with Georgie?

I do believe he refers to W as the "child president" or some such.

[ContinentalOp]

8. Great article.

Thanks for the link. I thought this line was particularly appropriate...

"Some people will say that words like scum and rotten are wrong for Objective Journalism -- which is true, but they miss the point. It was the built-in blind spots of the Objective rules and dogma that allowed Nixon to slither into the White House in the first place."

[VolcanoJen]

11. This passage blows my mind.

My God... what will history say of King Bush II? You would think in these paragraphs that HST was speaking of Cheney, Ashcroft and Rumsfeld (even though Kissinger was SoS):

Agnew was the Joey Buttafuoco of the Nixon administration, and Hoover was its Caligula. They were brutal, brain-damaged degenerates worse than any hit man out of The Godfather, yet they were the men Richard Nixon trusted most. Together they defined his Presidency.

It would be easy to forget and forgive Henry Kissinger of his crimes, just as he forgave Nixon. Yes, we could do that -- but it would be wrong. Kissinger is a slippery little devil, a world-class hustler with a thick German accent and a very keen eye for weak spots at the top of the power structure. Nixon was one of those, and Super K exploited him mercilessly, all the way to the end.

Kissinger made the Gang of Four complete: Agnew, Hoover, Kissinger and Nixon. A group photo of these perverts would say all we need to know about the Age of Nixon.

[MikeG]

10. HST on Drugs - "They seemd to have worked for me"

[whistle]

12. Ahaaaa, that's better! Let's do it now for the Gipper.

...If Bush II becomes the last republican to occupy the White House, will that mean that God will call Hunter Thompson to his kingdom? Maybe Hunter can do both Bush's eulogies in absentia.

[Blue_Tires]

13. IN-'FREAKIN'-CREDIBLE!

As a journalist, i can only wish i could develop a style like his...jaded, irreverent, cynical, and incredibly funny. I just love the way he gets his point across.

Man..where are our Hunter Thompsons of today? I know they're out there, but they will never have the insider access the original did.
Nowadays, politicians won't let a Thompson within 100 miles of their office...

[VolcanoJen]

15. So true, so true!

I'm so glad you enjoyed that article, Blue_Tires. It's one of my favorite essays by anyone, ever. It's biting, it takes no prisoners, and it's so HST.

He is an accident of nature which will never be repeated. He's an American original, one classic son-of-a-bitch. I adore him.

Keep reading HST, and keep writing!

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

25. Is he that orginal? But, yes, VERY American.

I think hes working in a tradition.

Think Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Mencken.

Sort of in that cynical & bitter wise-guy style. Also the outrage.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

24. The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.

I think that was the first piece where he sort of perfected that style.

He had written other things earlier, like :"The Tropic of Henry Miller" and "Hells Angels".

In some ways he is a updated Mark Twain or Mencken or Ambrose Bierce. There is a tradition in US journalism for what HST is doing....though HST does it "modern".

[Forkboy]

14. I love that you post this every now and then

When I first read this I was brought to tears...of laughter.Without a doubt a masterpiece,and HST had many.

His Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 is THE definitive book on politics in my mind.

[thebigidea]

16. agreed - I've reread it twice over the past year or two...

it holds up well...

[VolcanoJen]

18. Sorry, you two... I'm well-known for repetitive ramblings.

It just seemed to me to be the most appropriate essay, given the current situation. Sorry to have posted my beloved HST article again. :-)

[thebigidea]

20. oh gosh, not talking about that at all - talking about his great 72 book..

the Nixon piece deserves perpetual kicking - (like this)

its one of his finest pieces!

I only hope someone can match it for Reagan.

[indigobusiness]

23. He's sharpening his knives for this campaign

as we speak.

[indigobusiness]

21. Gonzo Obit Sure to Come---for Reagan...and maybe an early on for *

I keep this Nixon Obit linked on my blog, with a few other choice nuggets from 'The Good Doctor'. Hunter Thompson has a way of cutting through the grease like no other. We would be a far poorer nation without him. Long may he wave.
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http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/
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---(prescient words from HST (espn page 2, after the Super Bowl)---

<snip>
Was he drunk? Does he fear the sight of an uncovered nipple? Was he lying? Does he believe in his heart that there are more evangelical Christians in this country than football fans and sex-crazed yoyos with unstable minds? Is he really as dumb as he looks and acts?

These are all unsatisfactory questions at a time like this. Is it possible that he has already abandoned all hope of getting re-elected? Or does he plan to cancel the Election altogether by declaring a national military emergency with terrorists closing in from all sides, leaving him with no choice but to launch a huge bomb immediately?

All these things are possible, unfortunately, in a White House that is drowning in it's own failures. Desperate men do desperate things, and stupid men do stupid things. We are in for a desperately stupid summer.



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=thompson/040218

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

22. A HST obit on Reagan would be interesting, yes.

HST sort of has this macho thing going which puts me off a bit, but he does a pretty good job of cutting through the political BS.

[indigobusiness]

26. He promised to come out swinging soon...

said it wouldn't be pretty.