[Author's note: Moved from "Politics" to "Blogging"]
I have felt a need to get this off of my chest.
Reagan as a human being, not a politician or a Republican.
I graduated from high school in 1981. Before that time, I was merely on the periphery of global events. It was not until I attended college that I became submerged in world events. I mean really, from a peer pressure standpoint, I was forced to become knowledgable in world events to carry a half-way decent conversation with others.
Enter Ronald W. Reagan. Frankly, I've always admired the guy. Sure, he was born "middle class". He didn't have to pull himself up by his bootstraps to make a living like my father did. But like my dad, he always had the "take no prisoners", "damn the torpeados" attitiude. Both my dad and Reagan always rode tall in the saddle, yet at the same time the had the ability to laugh at themselves for the times that they were bumbling idiots. A quality that seems to be sadly lacking these days. No one is humble anymore. No one seems to want to take the blame that they were wrong or "bumbling idiots". Hey, we're all human. There should be no shame in admitting to it. Today it's all about "posturing" and jockeying for a postion.
Stripping away all of the politcal rhetoric, the "middle class" and the public status, the quintessential Reagan that will always remain strong in my mind are his first words to Nancy after his assasination attempt: (paraphrasing) "Honey, I forgot to duck". That is the attitude that I wish I had. That is the attitude I wish more people in the public eye would have....the attitude that yes, I made this decision and I messed up....so be it.
In 1997, my dad died of Alzheimers. Actually, he died of pneumonia, as an indirect result from the Alzheimers. Not all that different from the circumstances leading up to Reagan's passing. Yet Reagan was 20 years older than my dad, and out lived him by another 7 years.
For all of Reagan's charisma, his fortitude, his humility, his grace, and his beliefs - we should be so lucky.
LLS