My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the new movie, “Reagan.” (She set a night and said I’m going whether you go or not.) The movie took us back to the 1980s to be sure, but also to today because of the courageous Reagan’s international impact—“General Secretary Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!”
Sadly, no such courage exists in the White House today and it has cost American lives and financial involvement in two wars, not to mention investment of billions of federal dollars! Another attractive and defining aspect of Reagan’s life was his love for his wife Nancy that shined through in the movie. Several other compelling aspects came out too, so go and see a really good movie about one of our greatest Presidents.
Accordingly, I put zero stock in the MSM and eastern establishment’s Top five presidents list because Reagan is not on it. (Imagine, I heard some of them actually say Joe Biden should be on it—actually Biden and Carter should be in top five worst presidents in history!). But MSM main criterion for ranking is how generous a “Santa Claus” a president was in doling out money to everyone. And there’s always some people who find a way to pipeline a lot of it into their bank “stockings!”
It’s usually a cluster of Democrats that figure into MSM top five starting with FDR but it does include Teddy Roosevelt. It also includes the Man from Camelot JFK who had been president for only three years and what was he notable for—civil rights, failure of Bay of Pigs invasion, the original “trickle down” economic approach, and not much else. If you read Democrat and distinguished historian Robert Dallek’s “An Unfinished Life,” a biography of his life, you will conclude that actually JFK’s greatest interests were woman affairs and foreign affairs!
A week ago, I heard a well known public figure say it—“I am no longer a member of the Democrat Party.” It was Alan Dershowitz, respected Constitutional law distinguished emeritus professor at Harvard Law School. I thought, it’s about time! His first of three key reasons was Joe Biden’s using as motivation for running for president—Biden’s misquoting Trump as saying good people were on both sides of the controversy, one of which was Nazis in the Charlottesville killing. Second reason he said was the Democrat National Convention’s putting its imprimatur on antiSemitic people as speakers. A third was VP Harris’ boycotting of a joint address by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s now an Independent.
Additionally, a month ago U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, former governor of WV, earlier made his move in his now Red state. It’s about time! He’s been voting with the Republicans for sometime. Now another Republican WV Governor has decided to run for US Senate. Could have spelled trouble for the future, so Manchin has declared for Independency. How foolish the Democrats were in passing on this moderate candidate Manchin for president when he probably could have delivered the White House in January! No, they opted for the extreme candidate they were ready to dump three months ago.
Similarly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now a rogue candidate turned Republican and Trump advocate, has moved away from the second “religion” of his family, the Democrat Party. His family denounced him and nearly excommunicated him—that’s how serious his departure was! Now he has endorsed Trump. If Trump fails again Kennedy Will likely embrace Independency.
Unless you want to elect a Santa Claus, look at what Trump accomplished in the real world: 6.5% growth rate; 1.4 % inflation; $2.39 gas price; 2.65 % mortgage rate (January 2020: Department of Labor, BLS, AAA, Fannie Mae; Fox News). Miss those days? I do too.
President Biden has been a generous Santa Claus; now look at where we are. Funny how compassion in that area works—giving all that federal money makes dollars cheaper—that’s inflation! And who does it hurt the most? Sadly, the objects of that compassion. Yes, but I’ll give even more, contends Harris—the rest is ancient history, she now announces. Want another round?
Another historic and relevant scene in the Reagan movie took place when a group of influential-looking California Republicans sat down around Reagan and discussed the upcoming race for a state Governor. When they quizzed him about his leanings at that stage of his life, he was compelled to reply, “I haven’t left the Democrat Party, they have left me!”
Sounds like the above three influencers, disaffected Democrats, were just like Reagan. Maybe you as a Democrat in the real world feel the same way. Then you know what to do and how to vote in November.
Robert Penny is a Northsider.
