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James Brown Says Ronald Reagan Was the Smartest President Ever In Unearthed Interview
News One ^ | Jun 4, 2013 | Ruth Manuel-Logan

Posted on 06/06/2013 1:18:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway

The late “Godfather of Soul” James Brown (pictured) thought Ronald Reagan, who served as the this country’s 40th President from 1981 to 1989, was the nation’s smartest leader and a man of conviction.

This surprising commentary was part of a vintage interview with the entertainer that was just dusted off and is airing via YouTube as part of a PBS series entitled “Blank On Blank,” reports The Inquisitr.

The “Blank on Blank” series, which began in 2010, is a compilation of vintage tapes, segments on public and satellite radio, and podcasts with icons from every walk of life. The program brings journalists’ unheard interviews back to life. Brown’s impromptu 1984 interview was conducted by former ABC reporter, Rocci Fisch. The singer was in a dressing room at the Washington Convention Center getting his hair blown dry by his wife. Most of the interview has captions, since Brown was a fast talker and oftentimes difficult to understand.

The Grammy-winning artist can clearly be heard telling Fisch that Reagan “is the most intelligent, most well-coordinated President we’ve ever had.” The soul man continued showering praise on the then-controversial president: “I just know he’s the most well-organized President we’ve ever had in history … His acting ability taught him the whole structure of the country … He knows what everybody wants. You see, every American man is still a cowboy. See, you’ve got to remember that. Because of the frontiersmen …He knew he was going to be president. See, that’s what you call a man of conviction.”

Many Blacks would disagree.

Reagan was highly criticized by African-Americans for being insensitive to their needs at the time. There are many examples of his utter disrespect towards Blacks but the most polarizing one was his use of “Welfare Queen.”

“There’s a woman in Chicago,” Reagan said in 1976 during a campaign stop for the Republican nomination for President, according to an article in the now-defunct Washington Star. “She has 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards. … She’s got Medicaid, getting food stamps and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income alone is over $150,000.”

The story was wildly over-exaggerated, but that didn’t stop Reagan from repeating it.

Given that Brown was alive and well at the time, his praise of Reagan is odd. Yet he said during the interview that he did not make political endorsements and was not attached to a Party, saying he was simply a “humanitarian.”

To watch and animated version of the voice-recorded interview, listen to the video below.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: greatestpresident; jamesbrown; reagan; smartestpresident
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1 posted on 06/06/2013 1:18:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

“There’s a woman in Chicago,” Reagan said in 1976 during a campaign stop for the Republican nomination for President, according to an article in the now-defunct Washington Star. “She has 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards. … She’s got Medicaid, getting food stamps and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income alone is over $150,000.”

...that was 1976. Today there are thousands in Chicago doing this and Reagan never referred to her as black, white or blue. Of course the racist writer assumes as much.


2 posted on 06/06/2013 1:22:24 PM PDT by albie (t)
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To: nickcarraway
James Brown photo: JAMES BROWN james-brown.gif
3 posted on 06/06/2013 1:26:13 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: nickcarraway

Kind of a creepy headline.


4 posted on 06/06/2013 1:27:04 PM PDT by william clark (Ecclesiastes 10:2)
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To: nickcarraway

Yes, James Brown had MONEY, Money Transcends skin color, and a lot of other things.

When you obtain money like he did, through his own earned talent, SUDDENLY you understand!


5 posted on 06/06/2013 1:30:46 PM PDT by chicagolady (Mexican Elite say: EXPORT Poverty Let the American Taxpayer foot the bill !)
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To: nickcarraway

The godfather of soul...
The hardest working man in show business...
James Brown...!!!!
“I feel Good.”


6 posted on 06/06/2013 1:31:21 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
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To: nickcarraway

I wonder if his former tour manager Al Sharpton would agree.


7 posted on 06/06/2013 1:31:35 PM PDT by Fair Paul
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To: nickcarraway
Maybe The Godfather was aware that under Reagan blacks as a demographic did better in almost any economic indicator (outside of public assistance) you'd care to name than they had previously - or since.

The idiot who wrote this piece obviously isn't.

8 posted on 06/06/2013 1:32:44 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: chicagolady

Then why are most rich people die hard Democrats?


9 posted on 06/06/2013 1:32:57 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

People of real talent respect other people of real talent. Comparing today’s crotch-grabbing profanity spewing rappers to a real musician like James Brown is like comparing today’s president to a real president like Ronald Reagan.


10 posted on 06/06/2013 1:33:15 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: william clark
James Brown photo: James Brown lol James_Brown.jpg
11 posted on 06/06/2013 1:33:15 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: tumblindice

James would tell everyone looking for a hand out.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ROzGihgCj8


12 posted on 06/06/2013 1:33:18 PM PDT by chicagolady (Mexican Elite say: EXPORT Poverty Let the American Taxpayer foot the bill !)
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To: nickcarraway
There are many examples of his utter disrespect towards Blacks but the most polarizing one was his use of “Welfare Queen.”

No, Reagan was critical of welfare queens. Black had nothing to do with it. That the author seems to think the two are the same thing shows utter disrespect towards Blacks. dhimmicrats are such racists.

13 posted on 06/06/2013 1:34:53 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (All that is required for evil to advance is for government to do "something")
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To: nickcarraway

James Brown Openly endorsed Richard Nixon in the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections and named Strom Thurmond as one of his heroes during a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone.

SEE HERE:

http://rightinaleftworld.blogspot.com/2006/12/james-brown-godfather-of-soul-and.html

This news comes as no surpirse.


14 posted on 06/06/2013 1:41:47 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: nickcarraway

Let’s see if PBS broadcasts that.


15 posted on 06/06/2013 1:51:28 PM PDT by popdonnelly (The right to self-defense is older than the Constitution.)
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To: nickcarraway

The Reverend Cleophus!


16 posted on 06/06/2013 1:54:08 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: SeekAndFind

From what I know of James Brown’s background I think it was not unlike Clarence Thomas’


17 posted on 06/06/2013 1:55:23 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: nickcarraway; All

Brown still had not forgotten that the Dems were the party of slavery, Jim Crow, KKK, miscengation laws, lynching, segregation, poll tax, and every other bad ism. This is also from a man who did some stints in prison...


18 posted on 06/06/2013 2:04:05 PM PDT by SeminoleCounty (GOP - Greenlighting Obama's Programs)
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To: nickcarraway

James Brown always liked Ronald Reagan. I remember reading interviews of James Brown during the early eighties in which he always had good things to say about Reagan.

In the book about Brown’s life titled “On The One” the author states that James Brown liked Ronald Reagan and that he hated Jimmy Carter.

This comes as no surprise from the man who made “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothin’, Open Up The Door And I’ll Get It Myself.”

James Brown was truly the King of Soul, the originator of Funk and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. He was also a self made man and a proud American patriot.


19 posted on 06/06/2013 2:41:05 PM PDT by CrosscutSaw
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To: nickcarraway

“...his utter disrespect towards Blacks but the most polarizing one was his use of “Welfare Queen.” ...”

Maybe the ones who are “disagreeing” the loudest need to look in the mirror.

Nobody makes you who or what you are; in a country where you can rise or fall on your merits, you do that yourself.

James Brown is proof of that. He rose on his own talent and his own merits. He was an amazing artist and performer.

And when someone or something comes along that points out a character trait, flaw, or inconvenient fact that another finds “offensive”, it’s usually because it’s true.

That’s just the way life is.


20 posted on 06/06/2013 2:43:07 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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