Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Liberals Cheered When Reagan Was Shot
Newsbusters and Others ^ | March 30, 2013 | Tom Blumer

Posted on 01/14/2018 4:54:52 PM PST by tom h

[Vanity] Freepers, please provide your own story of what happened during March 1981 when you first heard the news that President Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr.

I was an Ivy League graduate student at the time, in a technical field, and I was shocked to hear faculty in my engineering department say they were glad that Reagan was shot.

Wayne Allyn Root relays a story from Columbia, where all his classmates leaped into the air, cheering wildly, as if the Columbia football team had finally scored a touchdown. [http://rootforamerica.com/the-real-obama-agenda-direct-from-his-columbia-university-classmate/]

The Newbuster article referenced above relays some AP and UPI stories about schoolchildren cheering as well.

What are your stories? If you are age 60 or older you will no doubt have some recollection.

Thanks.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History; Local News; Society
KEYWORDS: 1980election; 1984election; assassination; election1980; election1984; liberals; reagan
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-54 next last
I was an engineering graduate student at Princeton U on March 30, 1981 when Reagan was shot. A couple days later, I went to the weekly "wine and cheese" reception with faculty and saw my advisor. I remarked, seriously, "Isn't it terrible about the President?" Now I was still a Democrat back then, I hadn't voted for Reagan, but as a starry-eyed 22-year old I most certainly didn't want to wish him, or anyone, dead.

Not so my advisor and his staff. One of them, a Jewish woman whose family had survived the Holocaust, said, "Are you kidding? I'm sorry the gunman missed! Just look at what Reagan will do to the budget, to the environment."

All the other faculty members in that gathering just nodded. None of them said, "Now, now, you don't really mean that." They were all august members of an Ivy League faculty, wearing their tweed jackets with patches on the sleeves and knit ties. None of them displayed the essential humanity and decency which one might have expected of them.

That was the moment when my eyes opened. That was the moment I realized that Democrats are not nicer or more moral than Republicans. It took another year, but I registered as a Republican the following year and have never voted for a Democrat again.

1 posted on 01/14/2018 4:54:52 PM PST by tom h
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: tom h

Was stationed in Germany. We went on alert. News was very sketchy. Didn’t actually know at the time. The alert was at night time, which was odd. Only found out later about the President being shot.

I do have a vivd memeory of Lennon being shot as I was in PNOC listening to the radio at 4 am buffing the bedroom floor and getting ready for the day. Monday night football was on and it was announced then. heard later he died. Had SSGT Rock (his real name) saying it was good they got the bastard. I thought it must be pretty bad in the states of they are going around shooting musicans.


2 posted on 01/14/2018 5:01:26 PM PST by abigkahuna (How can you be at two places at once when you are nowhere at all?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

Here in Texas, far from progressive strongholds, there was thankfully none that I encountered?

Of course for the media it was a so over the top of a ratings grab that SNL mocked them with its “Buckwheat has been shot ... have you seen the footage?” skit.


3 posted on 01/14/2018 5:01:48 PM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I was in junior high. The news was announced in band class. One student expressed joy and the band instructor sternly rebuked him.


4 posted on 01/14/2018 5:02:59 PM PST by the_Watchman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h
I can't remember if I was at work when it happened or before I went to work, but I do remember at our 3 o'clock break the TV in the break room was on and of course all the stations were news "Special Reports" about the assassination attempt

. This one girl came in and said, "Oh, my God, are they STILL talking about that?"

Effing witch.

5 posted on 01/14/2018 5:03:02 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

At the time, I lived in an apartment building in Washington, DC Southwest. I was shocked that the nice Black lady at the receptionist desk who was always friendly to everyone could not control her glee that day.


6 posted on 01/14/2018 5:04:10 PM PST by Monterrosa-24 (...even more American than a Russian AK-47 and a French bikini.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

All I can say is Alexander Haig did great that day


7 posted on 01/14/2018 5:04:14 PM PST by al baby (May the Forceps be with you Hi Mom Its a Joke friends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I was living in Virginia Beach at the time and do not recall anyone celebrating. I worked with a couple of Black guys who seemed a bit happy but they did not wish him to die.

I do remember in 1963, I was a sophomore in high school. When news that Kennedy had been shot, just about everyone was happy. After maybe ten minutes or so the mood changed. Students were saying they did not want him to die tho they seemed perfectly happy for him to have been shot.

Kennedy was very unpopular at that time in the Florida Panhandle. When the principal came on the intercom to tell us he had died, the mood definitively changed. Everyone seemed sad.


8 posted on 01/14/2018 5:04:43 PM PST by yarddog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I was getting the oil changed in my car. Nobody laughed, except for when they heard on TV that Reagan joked that he hoped the surgeon was a republican.


9 posted on 01/14/2018 5:06:39 PM PST by virgil (The evil that men do lives after them)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I remember how the left and the media (but I repeat myself) hated Reagan.


10 posted on 01/14/2018 5:09:46 PM PST by Dalberg-Acton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abigkahuna

“Was stationed in Germany. We went on alert.”

Ditto - I was the Staff Duty Officer on the kaserne.


11 posted on 01/14/2018 5:09:52 PM PST by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I was in Macy’s store on 34th street in NYC when the announcement was made over the PA system. There were a bunch who cheered.


12 posted on 01/14/2018 5:11:08 PM PST by SauronOfMordor (Socialists want YOUR wealth redistributed, never THEIRS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dalberg-Acton

“Liberals Cheered When Reagan Was Shot”

Ain’t going to be nothing like the schadenboners when Obama,Hillary. BILL buy it.


13 posted on 01/14/2018 5:13:38 PM PST by Bonemaker (I seeMalia is sporting her usual “ happy face” ,what a miserable looking kid.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I remember leftist idiots celebrating someone trying to “cancel the ballot with a bullet”.


14 posted on 01/14/2018 5:14:18 PM PST by Brooklyn Attitude (The first step in ending the war on white people is to recognize it exists.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I had a college professor neighbor who was a self-described radical. Radical because he didn’t identify with squishy liberals. Occasionally he’d borrow my copies of The American Spectator, probably to keep an eye on what the wiseguy enemy camp was up to.

Anyway the day that Reagan was shot he made a point of seeking me out to tell me that he was very sorry to hear of the shooting, and I am sure that he was. Unlike so many of today’s Leftists he wasn’t a hater.


15 posted on 01/14/2018 5:15:47 PM PST by Pelham (all warfare is based on deception)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h
I too was a democrat back then...did not vote for Reagan the first time...

things happened and I've become a life long anti democrat since....

16 posted on 01/14/2018 5:19:35 PM PST by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

I was just leaving campus at University of New Orleans when I heard about it. I don’t remember anyone rejoicing. I remember things were pretty subdued. I went back to my apartment and watched the news on my black and white TV.


17 posted on 01/14/2018 5:21:14 PM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

Slightly off-topic but I remember cheers (and tears) at my high school when it was announced that JFK was shot (about 11AM PST). But as the day wore on things got much more sombre. But this was just high school kids.


18 posted on 01/14/2018 5:22:25 PM PST by hanamizu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dalberg-Acton
I remember how the left and the media (but I repeat myself) hated Reagan.

Now they praise Reagan and say why can't Trump be more like Reagan.

19 posted on 01/14/2018 5:25:40 PM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: T-Bird45

Was TDY (Temporary Duty) to RAF Mildenhall when one of our MSgts Boom Operators came out in the hallway of the quarters we were staying (kept all the TDY Boomers in the same building), and announced the President had been shot. About 12 of us were off duty at the time and we were all in his room watching the reports. As soon as we found out Reagan was going to be OK we hit the Base Package Store (Military Liquor Store), and the party started. Later that evening we all walked over to the NCO Club to celebrate the toughness of our Commander in Chief.


20 posted on 01/14/2018 5:32:17 PM PST by KC-10A BOOMER (Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-54 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson