Another “Amiable dunce”
By Brian Kirwin | Thursday, November 19th, 2009 | PolicyClark Clifford coined the phrase by calling Ronald Reagan an “amiable dunce.”
Clifford, a former Secretary of Defense for LBJ during the Vietnam era, helped Jimmy Carter deal with Iran’s taking of 52 American hostages while America stood by helpless, and left this world under indictment for fraud, conspiracy and taking bribes.
If that’s the choice, we could use a few more amiable dunces.
Reagan caused the left to go looney. They attacked his stance against environmental extremism, his views against nuclear freezes and capitulation to Communism, and his theories on tax policies, but not on the substance of them, per se.
The left (the media, side 2 of the two-headed coin) called Reagan stupid for even thinking that way.
Hollywood had no shortage of resentment either, especially after this “amiable dunce” won re-election by winning 49 states in 1984. Classic scene from Back to the Future set in 1955, talking about what the 80s are like:
“So tell me, Future Boy, who’s President of the United States in 1985?”
“Ronald Reagan.”
“Ronald Reagan? The ACTOR?!”
The amiable dunce???? How silly! How stupid? Certainly, there are smart liberals who could never lose to….to…an actor!
In fact, I have not seen a Republican since Reagan do two very important things, both of which I think are related.
I’ve never seen a national Republican since him beloved enough to draw huge crowds that break traditional political molds. And I’ve never seen a national Republican so viciously attacked not as evil or wrong on issues, but as…well, as a dunce.
What is it about Sarah Palin that scares the left so?
How different is “I can see Russian from my house” to “trees cause pollution“???
Same playbook. Same attacks. Same fear.
You think Democrats want to campaign against a Republican who creates this?
That’s the line at 6 AM in Michigan for Sarah Palin’s book signing that was scheduled for over 12 hours later that night.
Read this except from Christopher Hitchens about Ronald Reagan:
“The fox, as has been pointed out by more than one philosopher, knows many small things, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. Ronald Reagan was neither a fox nor a hedgehog. He was as dumb as a stump. He could have had anyone in the world to dinner, any night of the week, but took most of his meals on a White House TV tray. He had no friends, only cronies. His children didn’t like him all that much. He met his second wife—the one that you remember—because she needed to get off a Hollywood blacklist and he was the man to see. Year in and year out in Washington, I could not believe that such a man had even been a poor governor of California in a bad year, let alone that such a smart country would put up with such an obvious phony and loon.” (Slate, of course)
Is that different from the media shellacking of Sarah Palin over the past 2 years?
Reagan had a way to go beyond the media elites and touched something very American that no one has been able to replicate since. Seriously, Reagan’s electoral victory in ’84 was 538 to 13. In ’80, he won 489 to 49. Obama’s 365 to 173 victory looks absolutely puny by comparison.
There’s an old saying that Republicans’ biggest failing is that they don’t know what they’re doing, and the Democrats’ biggest failing is that they do. That holds true in the typical attacks each side launches.
But I’ve never seen the repeated, sustained and personal attacks to demean a political figure since Reagan like I have seen with Palin.
The stuffed shirts at Newsweek plant a leggy photo of Sarah on the cover, and it’s not just to sell magazines. It’s a vicious sexist attack that the left pretends to abhor, but easily excuses when they are the predators. Someone in Congress should add Newsweek’s recent shot to the latest hate crime legislation.
If Sarah Palin was so unqualified and so lacking in Presidential gravitas, why would anyone on the left attack her? They should be loving her, praising her, and easing her way to the national ticket where they can coast to some easy victory.
The fact that they aren’t tells me all I need to know.
The left is scared to death of Sarah Palin.
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The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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Comments
13 Responses to "Another “Amiable dunce”"
You are right Brian they are scared of her.
Once people read her book, and a potential campaign begins in earnest, it will be difficult for the liberal Democrats to claim that Palin is unqualified. The woman has served as a mayor, oil regulator, and as the governor of the largest energy producing state in the nation. She has been in public life since 1992, President Obama did not enter public life until 1996.
I would challenge the readers to read some of the exerts from her policy speech in Hong Kong. She was very thoughtful in her foreign policy positions. She has also been Bob McDonnell-esque in her latest interviews. That scares the snot out of the liberal monarchists in Washington.
Brian,
I would assume that you are a fan of Reagan. You do him no favors by making this comparison.
The best thing about Obama is that no matter how “unprepared” for the Presidency Palin turns out to be, she CAN’T do worse. At least she won’t be trying to “fundamentally change” America. But, if her history is any example, she might try to change Washington.
And THAT scares both parties.
And that is reason enough for me, at this moment, to consider her as a candidate.
or the media likes using her as the typical example of a dumb conservative making all the rest of us look stupid. Same reason why they love fixating on Carrie Prejean, making all of us look like we’re dumb and these two women are just sex objects with nothing under the hood. The media will keep up the meme of liberals are the smart ones and conservatives are all dumb brainless hicks for as long as they can do it.
Don’t insult reagan by comparing these two. Reagan had thousands of radio and tv appearances prior to running and was deep in thought about policy with a grounded explaination of why he had the philosphy he did. Im not sure Palin really understands why she dbeieves what she does. Youtube his 1964 time for chosing speech and compare that to anything Palin has ever given. Palin is going nowhere – nominating her would yield results like McGovern or Mondale.
EJ,
Are you honestly going to suggest that the former Governor of a state, who upended an establishment known for its ruthless political thuggery, and negotiated an energy pipeline that other governors had not been able to attain, is unintelligent. You cannot deny that she accomplished these things and yet you consider her to be unintelligent. It would seem to me that logic is not you ally.
Those who criticize her for being unintelligent are simply playing into the kind of stereotypes that liberal politicians tend to attach to conservatives, it is obvious that a certain element of the GOP would rather see those stereotypes encoded onto the GOP’s rising leaders, rather than defending the fresh faces.
Steven
Whether she is actually intelligent or not doesn’t matter. What I am claiming is that she has been unable to articulate things, has not shown a level of policy debth and does not seem to make coherant arguments for political philosophy. Therefore, she gives the impression of airheadedness and being unintelligent so the media plays into this — they like doing that making conservatives seem stupid. Once again compare reagan’s 1964 speech to anything shes said. And when you do read that book compare it to Goldwater’s conscience of a conservative… a policy or political philosphy heavyweight palin is not. Her popularity is bases on being a populous celeberty with chrarism and a certain seagment of the population relates to her in identity politics. But once she blew it starting with the curick interview, her appeal was killed outside of this devout core. The reality is that as long as the right continues to make her its champaion, the GOP is in trouble.
Couldn’t be in more trouble than Goldwater’s Presidential run. Goldwater carried 6 states amassing a mere 52 electoral votes, while the winner earned 486.
Brian’s use of the liberal straw man is ridiculous. Don’t worry about liberals; look over your shoulder at republicans who think she is an idiot.
Sarah Palin has been on message and her book delves into her policy actions as governor. I was impressed when she went into those details about how she worked with Democrats in Alaska to secure that pipeline deal.
Reports are that she has several of the former White House operatives now working for her. She seems to have surrounded herself with competent people.
Staying on message and having a competent team; these kind of things bode well for a Presidential run.
“Couldn’t be in more trouble than Goldwater’s Presidential run. Goldwater carried 6 states amassing a mere 52 electoral votes, while the winner earned 486.”
And did goldwater win the presidency at a later date? But what does this have to do with the point of being intelligent or not or policy oriented? Goldwater put out a clear policy proposal rooted in a consistant politcal philosphy that he was able to articulate. Has Palin done this? My point is any comparison of palin to reagan or goldwater is misplaced.
History repeats itself?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/126071
as long as SNL has Tina Fey they can call on, Palin will never be taken seriously.
Amit,
I am not sure that is entirely the case. Reagan was mercilessly parodied as being too old and senile and it did not effect his appeal.
I had a longtime Republican activist tell me once that the GOP is notorious for killing our young. Contrast that with the Democrats who have circled the wagons around Rep. Perriello in the 5th District. Perhaps we should learn the art of protecting the rising GOP leaders, instead of resigning them to oblivion.
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