More from the man that replaced Kinsley and restored The New Republic just as Kinsley was sinking Slate:
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Anyway, I can't think of any better way to celebrate Reagan's 90th birthday than to reprint here some of the emails I received. They all form different perspectives on the greatest president of my lifetime. Their very diversity is a tribute to his extraordinary reach. Here they are.
NEW YORK CITY: "My family came to the U.S. from a communist country, and I will be eternally grateful to President Reagan for what he did. He changed the world. I'm not a sentimental person, but reading your piece made me cry. How does one thank President Reagan for understanding what it was like for the millions behind the Iron Curtain, and for saying it out loud, for decades, firmly and with resolve, to a cadre of mocking politicians and media."
NORTH CAROLINA: "I served in the US Navy in the last year of Reagan's presidency. In that year, our sense of optimism was so very high, and the world, in spite of (or perhaps due to) the Cold War, was a fairly predictable place. In my heart of hearts, I believe that it was the steady hand of Reagan on the national throttle that held the situation in check. After his departure, things were never the same. President Bush tried to keep it going, but with the notable exception of Desert Storm, the enthusiasm just wasn't there."
RUSSIA: "Hello, again from Russia. I just wanted to drop you a quick note on your ode to Ronald Reagan. I am freezing my ass off here, but the warmth of your tribute was as if I was reading it, seated in front of a cozy fire in a man and dog chair, covered in an afghan and sipping a hot beverage."
ADDRESS UNKNOWN: "I saw on TV a few years ago an interview with the Secret Service agent who was with Reagan when he was shot. At first, Reagan didn't appear to be hurt, and they started back to the White House. But then he complained to the agent (wish I could remember his name!) that, "When you jumped on me, I think you broke a rib." The agent then decided maybe a trip to the hospital instead of going to the White House might be wise. Obviously, it was. The agent told the TV interviewer that when he was a boy, he had seen a movie about the Secret Service. He was so impressed, he saw it a few more times, and made up his mind to become an agent someday. Obviously, he did. Who starred in that movie? The subject of your marvelous Times' piece, Ronald Reagan."
ADDRESS UNKNOWN: "Reagan's writing not only reflects humor but a pithy quality that evinces the care of his thought. The great problem today is that most so-called experts and pundits prefer the use of jargon which obfuscates thought to the uninitiated, but says little to anyone else. The sad fact of modern life is that very few writers are willing to put in the hard work of thought distillation required to write clearly. The most successful people are capable of explaining the basics of any idea to anyone without regard to the educational attainment of the listener or reader. Therein lay Reagan's genius. Anyone can use jargon."
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: "There is one thing you forgot to mention about him. There was something else he did for us, something I've always thought was very special. I've never known a time in my short 47 years that I've seen the American people doubt themselves, but in the mid- to late-1970s they came close. I can remember the insane, 10-year debacle of Vietnam, dissolution with America's institutions (that had as much to do with the arrogant, wicked Vietnam war as it did with arrogant wicked Nixon), and the rusting of America's industries (This last one seems incredible now, but I can remember Donald Peterson of Ford taking a question from a reporter, asking what would happen if Ford had to stop making automobiles. He answered the question seriously.). Everything we knew was wrong, everything we did was in question, and it seemed for all the world that after 200 years of spectacular success, there wasn't a thing in the world that we could do right. Ronald Reagan's gift to us was that, while we may have doubted America, he never did. Even better, he was there for us at just the time that we needed him. On his watch, we exported American culture: our music, our way of life, and our form of democracy. America was exporting the light of Liberty and that meant that Communism didn't stand a chance. We were back. We became the world's "shining city on a hill," or whatever term he used. In short, Ronald Reagan did nothing less than restore us as a nation. The restoration was so complete that not even the last eight years of abuse could diminish its luster. The only other political figures I can name from the last century that can compare with Reagan are Roosevelt and Churchill. I think that's pretty damn heady company for somebody who co-starred in a lousy movie with a chimpanzee."
ADDRESS UNKNOWN: "I didn't really like Reagan until 1980 - his portrayal in the media was that of a washed up right wing actor dunce. I remember in boarding school in 1976 a teacher asked everyone at lunch who they wanted for president. One brave soul said "Ronald Reagan" and the teacher (a boob) led others in derisive and riotous laughter. The very notion!"
ADDRESS UNKNOWN: "I first saw Ronald Reagan and shook his hand when I was in Junior High School, but I had no idea how he would shape the lives of everybody in this country. How would anyone have known? He seemed to always bring an air of formality and strength to the presidency. I don't think anyone after him has been able to match it. When Ronald Reagan spoke it seemed like everybody wanted to see what he had to say, unlike the Clinton crowd. I think meeting him was one of my fondest memories of growing up and when I think back that is usually one of the first things that pops into my mind. I can remember today just as clearly as the day it happened."
- 2/6/2001 04:40:03 PM
andrewsullivan.com
No wonder Kinsley is so bitter. |
