Peggy Noonan To Sarah Palin "...He (Reagan) Was A Great Man And You Are A Nimcompoop."

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Conservatives talked a lot about Ronald Reagan this year, but they have to take him more to heart, because his example here is a guide. All this seemed lost last week on Sarah Palin, who called him, on Fox, "an actor." She was defending her form of political celebrity—reality show, "Dancing With the Stars," etc. This is how she did it: "Wasn't Ronald Reagan an actor? Wasn't he in 'Bedtime for Bonzo,' Bozo, something? Ronald Reagan was an actor."

Excuse me, but this was ignorant even for Mrs. Palin. Reagan people quietly flipped their lids, but I'll voice their consternation to make a larger point. Ronald Reagan was an artist who willed himself into leadership as president of a major American labor union (Screen Actors Guild, seven terms, 1947-59.) He led that union successfully through major upheavals (the Hollywood communist wars, labor-management struggles); discovered and honed his ability to speak persuasively by talking to workers on the line at General Electric for eight years; was elected to and completed two full terms as governor of California; challenged and almost unseated an incumbent president of his own party; and went on to popularize modern conservative political philosophy without the help of a conservative infrastructure. Then he was elected president.

The point is not "He was a great man and you are a nincompoop," though that is true. The point is that Reagan's career is a guide, not only for the tea party but for all in politics. He brought his fully mature, fully seasoned self into politics with him. He wasn't in search of a life when he ran for office, and he wasn't in search of fame; he'd already lived a life, he was already well known, he'd accomplished things in the world.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/06/peggy-noonan-sarah-palin_n_779624.html



:rofl:

[LeftishBrit]

1. Well, she's half right!

[Old Codger]

8. LOL

Exactly what I was thinking while a waited for op to come up here...

[livetohike]

2. Good one Peggy Noonan

"He wasn't in search of a life when he ran for office...." Nice smack down of Palin :toast:.

[bluestateguy]

3. She doesn't like it when anyone compares themselves to her Hero

I've seen her get mad when others do so as well.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. Crucify Me But Reagan Cut A Much More Serious Figure Than Palin

Could you imagine her managing a union? writing a weekly newspaper column?

[emulatorloo]

9. Honestly there is no comparison.

Certainly no Reagan fan, but Reagan definitely put the time in to get where he got, and had a gravitas she will never have.

[Cosmocat]

24. Fin A ...

The man is a plague on this country for being the fulcum that offers legitimacy to the disaster that is modern conservatism ...

BUT, he was a SERIOUS political figure ... As illustrated in the text in the OP - DECADES, literally DECADES as a VERY serious political figure ...

This friggen TWIT quit her job as governor halfway through her FIRST flippin term ...

[WinkyDink]

19. Yeah, he was once a good Democrat. Then he became an evil, cold-hearted SOB Republican.

Let's not go overboard with the silver lining.

[Davis_X_Machina]

6. I am still surprised that she didn't leap into the grave...

...in Simi Valley, so as to be able serve her lord in the Otherworld.

[emulatorloo]

5. It was a pretty stupid thing to say. For one thing Reagan finished his governorship.

Palin quit.

As to Palin's political prospects, I don't see how she can get past the "Quitter" part. How can you run for President if you have QUIT before?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. Plus He Was Governor Of The Most Populous State In The Union

~

[emulatorloo]

10. True, Alaska has the population of the typical city - and he didn't have a "Word Salad" problem.

[otohara]

11. I Still Don't The Reagan Was A Great Man

part?

What on earth did he do to deserve this devotion from the right?

[handmade34]

16. hype and good marketing

Reagan did nothing to deserve the "praise" he gets from the right

[progressoid]

25. Are you kidding?

He won the cold war. He cut taxes. He...umm...he...he invaded Grenada!

[otohara]

29. If Only

People were doing way too much cocaine in the 80's, many have forgotten what really happened.

[pretzel4gore]

28. the pigmedia....got slopped, bigtime and alot!

why does the media lean to reactionary rightwing? and lie like a bushevik to keep rightwing in power? slopping the hogs is what the rightwing do, to have pigmedia mislead voters and coverup or outright lie for them year in/out. They win when their stooges win.
In Jimmy Carter's last budget, a $58 billion deficit was planned- and the PIGMEDIA WENT NUTS! For 2 months the outrage was on every channel, in every paper! Carter was destroying the economy! But after reagan elected, he began run up of natdebt from the $1 trillion at end of Carter 1979 to $2.6 trillion when reagan left (it was over $6 trillion end of Bush one- clinton kept it there- junyer bush ran it up to $13 trillion- today the natdebt is a fantasy item as US no longer keep public track of printed money ie the 'M3' which junyer stopped publishing in '03 when 'war' against iraq was illegally waged.
iow, yall bin had ;)

[polichick]

12. Peggy is as much of a nitwit as either her crush or her nemesis. nt

[Sirveri]

13. Apparently gunning down hippies makes a person a great man...

I'll have to remember that next time I'm in Berkeley.

[WinkyDink]

20. Iran-Contra; James Watt; Ed Meese; Bitburg; etc.

[Clyde39]

14. People forget that Reagon fired Volker because he wouldn't de-regulate

Paul Volcker, the previous Fed Chairman known for keeping inflation under control, was fired because the Reagan administration didn't believe he was an adequate de-regulator. That was the beginning of all this mess---thank you Mr. Reagan!

[Catshrink]

15. Hell has frozen over

I'm thinking much of what Nooner said is correct (I can't buy the mighty St. Ronnie crap) but he did have "standing" and a history of "seasoned leadership." He wasn't a half-term upstart former governor.

Then, Bill Kristol said "bring back Keith." http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9491232

I've agree with two RW pundits today. I'm skeered. :think:

[denem]

17. 'Bedtime for Bonzo,' Bozo, something?

That it to heart you Bozo.

[WinkyDink]

18. Reagan was the ORIGINAL nincompoop! The Ur-Nincompoop!

[sabrina 1]

21. I thought Reagan was a nincompoop also

But at least she got Sarah right.

'Ronald Reagan was an artist'??

I never saw any of his movies, but I did see some outtakes somewhere from a movie called 'Bedtime for Bonzo'. It was about a chimp. In the outtakeds someone was telling Reagan to 'drop his pants'. I guess it was a slapstick scene or something. Anyhow, I don't know how many takes it took to get it right, but watching him dropping his pants over and over again, did not conjure up artistry.

And I always wondered why Dems didn't use that footage when he was running for office.

[The Second Stone]

22. Reagan was a Nimcompoop too

if that is how it is spelled. He was a simpleton asshole of Palinesque proportions.

[Dr.Phool]

23. He was an FBI informant when he was with the union.

Bonzo got 30 years!

[Pisces]

26. KKK Rove also had belittling comments for Palin this week. The implosion

begins.

[HelenWheels]

27. Reagan was an asshole and so is Palin nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

30. yes