|
6/16/81
At his third press conference, President Reagan responds to the following:
· The Israeli attack on Iraq - "I can't answer that"
· Israels' refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty - "Well, I haven't given very much thought to that particular question there"
· Pakistan's refusal to sign the treaty - "I won't answer the last part of that question"
· Israeli threats against Lebanon - "Well, this is going to be one, I'm afraid, that I can't answer now"
· The tactics of political action committees - "I don't really know how to answer that."
When faced with skepticism about his administration's grasp of foreign affairs, the President declares "I'm satisfied that we do have a foreign policy."
1/19/82
At his seventh press conference, President Reagan:
· Claims there are "a million more working than there were in 1980," though statistics show that 100,000 fewer people are employed. (see 2/24/82)
· Contends his attempt to grant tax-exempt status to segregated schools was to correct "a procedure that we thought had no basis in law," though the Supreme Court had clearly upheld a ruling barring such exemptions a decade earlier.
· Claims he has received a letter from Pope John Paul II in which he "approves what we've done so far" regarding U.S. Sanctions against the USSR, though the sanctions were not mentioned in the papal message.
· Responds to a question about the 17% black unemployment rate by pointing out that "in this time of great unemployment," Sunday's paper had "24 full pages of ... employers looking for employees," though most of the jobs available - computer operator, or cellular immunologist - require special training, for which his administration has cut funds by over 30%.
· Misstates facts about California's abortion law and an Arizona program to aid the elderly (see 2/24/82)
· Responds to a question about private charity by observing, "I also happen to be someone who believes in tithing - the giving of a tenth," though his latest tax returns show charitable contributions amounting to 1.4%. (see 2/24/82)
3/1/82
Sen Bob Packwood (R-OR) claims President Reagan frequently offers up transparent fictional anecdotes as if they were real. "We've got a $120 billion deficit coming," says Packwood, "and the President says, 'You know, a young man went into a grocery store and he had an orange in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other, and he paid for the orange with food stamps and he took the change and paid for the vodka. That's what's wrong.' And we just shake our heads." (see 3/24/82)
10/9/82
Jobless Rate Is Up To 10.1% In Month. Worst In 42 Years. 11 Million Are Idle - The New York Times
10/19/82
During a White House meeting with Arab leaders, President Reagan turns to the Lebanese foreign minister. "You know", he says, "your nose looks just like Danny Thomas's." The Arabs exchange nervous glances.
10/3/84
A House Intelligence Committee report finds "no logical explanation" for the lapse in security at the embassy in Beirut, since State Department and embassy officials had plenty of reason to suspect that a bombing attempt was not only possible but probable.
10/5/84
"I don't think he's read the report in detail. It's five and a half pages, double-spaced." - Larry Speakes responding to the question of whether President Reagan has read the House report on the latest Beirut truck bombing.
10/7/84
President Reagan engages in his first debate with Walter Mondale. He does so badly his wife confronts aides afterwards, demanding "What have you done to Ronnie?" Some "special moments":
· Talks about a law he signed in California as if it had been signed by his Democratic predecessor
· Reprises his "hit" line, "There you go again", only to have it thrown back at him with a sharp rejoinder by Mondale, whose handlers knew the President would use it.
· Blanks out completely in the middle of an answer, bringing up subsequent questions about his mental fitness
· Claims that the increase in poverty "is a lower rate of increase than it was in the preceding years before we got here," though in fact it is higher
· Explains that a good bit of the defense budget goes for "food and wardrobe", becoming the first US President to so refer to military uniforms
· Says "I'm all confused now." as he prepares to deliver his closing statement.
4/11/85
The White House announces that President Reagan will lay a wreath at the Bitburg, West Germany, military cemetery housing the graves of both American and Nazi soldiers. It is quickly noted that there are, in fact, no Americans buried there.
4/16/85
As the contra aid vote approaches, President Reagan claims he "just had a verbal message delivered to me from Pope John Paul, urging us to continue our efforts in Central America." The Vatican quickly issues a denial.
4/18/85
While Michael Deaver is in West Germany searching for an "appropriate" concentration camp for the President to visit, President Reagan defends his visit to Bitburg by claiming the German soldiers "were victims, just as surely as the victims in the concentration camps."
4/29/85
President Reagan defends the Bitburg visit as "morally right," adding, "I know all the bad things that happened in that war. I was in uniform for four years myself." President Reagan spent his time during World War Two in Hollywood, making training films.
5/5/85
After having visited the Bergen-Gelsen death camp, President Reagan makes an eight minute stop at Bitburg. During the ceremony, he cites a letter from 13-year-old Beth Flom who, he claims, "urged me to lay the wreath at Bitburg cemetery in honor of the future of Germany." In fact, she urged him not to go at all.
6/11/86
During his 37th press conference, President Reagan:
· Responds to a question about abortion with an answer about an unrelated case
· Displays confusion about whether or not the SALT II treaty exists and about whether or not he plans to order construction of another space shuttle
· Claims that the government is providing 93 million meals a day to hungry Americans. That would amount to one in three people.
He later explains he spent too much time concentrating on which reporters to call on. "Next time, I'm going to concentrate not on who I'm calling on, but what I'm going to say."
4/1/87
A White House official admits that President Reagan has never discussed AIDS with Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and has yet to read Koop's six-month--old report, which predicted 180,000 deaths from the disease by 1991.
8/31/88
Sen. Orrin Hatch calls the Democrats "the party of homosexuals," then denies he said it. A radio station produces the comment on tape.
9/4/88
"Perestroika is nothing more than refined Stalinism." - Dan Quayle
12/22/88
President Reagan - whose tenure has coincided with a huge increase in the homeless population - uses his last interview with David Brinkley to again claim that many of these unfortunates are homeless by "their own choice," as must be many of the jobless, since he again points out that the Sunday papers are full of want ads.
1/5/89
The Reagans return to the White House for the last time, with the President having spent a total of 458 of his terms in office in California. This equals a little over 8 weeks per year.
1/17/89
"We found that the independent counsel's report far from vindicates Mr. Meese; rather, it details conduct which should not be tolerated by any government employee, especially not the attorney general of the United States." - Justice Department report on the ethics of Ed Meese.
1/20/89
President George Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle are sworn into office. As the Reagans depart, the backwash of their helicopter blows the small blue "sailor" hat off Marilyn Quayle's head.
This information was originally collected and printed as part of the book "The Clothes Have No Emperor" by Paul Slansky, Fireside Books, published by Simon & Schuster. ISBN # is 0-671-67339-4. There are many more incidents in the book, but it may be out of print. Mr. Slansky deserves the praise of every American for keeping a fastidious record of the events of the 80's, a difficult task given the slanted coverage that seemed the standard at that time.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(867 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
