Between Him and the Kids ( Passing up the perfect photo-op) Reagan

National Review ^ | February 06, 2004, 9:20 a.m | Peter Robinson

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

EDITOR'S NOTE: This vignette is excerpted from How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life.

The incident I always considered the best illustration of Reagan's regard for ordinary individuals took place in a North Carolina parking lot. "It was during the 1976 primary fight," says Dana Rohrabacher, who then worked on the Reagan campaign as an assistant press secretary. "We were getting ready for a rally in this gigantic parking lot at a shopping mall. I was in the staging area behind the podium, and a lady called me over to the side and said, 'I've got a group of blind kids here. Since they can't see him, I was wondering if you could have Governor Reagan come over and tell them hello.'"

Dana passed the request on to Mike Deaver, and Reagan, who was standing nearby, overheard. "He said he'd do it, but he didn't want any photographers," Dana explains. "Can you imagine that? He was in the middle of a presidential campaign, and the press would have gone wild for a photo of him with a group of blind kids. But Reagan wanted this to be between him and the kids."

Deaver came up with a plan. When the speech ended, Deaver told Dana, he'd begin walking Reagan back to the campaign bus. Concluding that the candidate was about to leave for the next event, all the reporters and photographers would hurry back to their own buses. And then, when the press had cleared out, Deaver would double back with Reagan, returning the candidate to the area behind the podium, where Reagan would meet the blind children.

"It worked," Dana says. "The press guys all went back to their buses, and I brought the lady with the blind kids back behind the podium. There were six or seven kids, real sweet little kids about eight or nine or ten years old. Since there was a lot of background noise — Reagan bent down, close to the kids, to talk to them. But somehow I could see him thinking that that wasn't enough. So after the kids had asked him a couple of questions, he said, 'Well, now I have a question for you. Would you like to touch my face so you can get a better understanding of how I look?' The kids all smiled and said yes, so Reagan just leaned over into them, and one by one these little kids began moving their fingers over his face to see what he looked like.

"The only picture of that scene is the picture in my mind," Dana says. "But I can still see those kids, touching Ronald Reagan's face and smiling these really big smiles."

"The Declaration of Independence," G. K. Chesterton writes, "dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; it is right [to do so].... There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man." Although in nearly every way you could ever imagine, in other words, we humans are not equal but unequal — some rich and some poor, some bright and some dull, some healthy and some sick — in one way we enjoy perfect equality all the same. Did the 40th chief executive ever read Chesterton? I can't say. Yet Ronald Reagan demonstrated an implicit belief in the sacred and equal importance of all men as children of God.

[Mudboy Slim]

Great vignette demonstrating the compassion of a great man...thanks fer sharing.

FReegards...MUD

[Treasa]

*Smile* I enjoyed reading about those kids touching the Presidents face...

[beelzepug]

For several years I had a nice color 8 x 10 of President Reagan on his horse framed and hanging in my cubicle, much to the consternation of some of my liberal coworkers. One morning about a year ago, I came in to find a beautiful B&W glossy original movie handbill of Reagan in a flight suit from a 1941 film called "International Squadron" laying on my desk with a note that read, "I've noticed you seem to be a fan of Ronald Reagan and thought you might enjoy this." It was signed, "The janitor". Of course, I was delighted and it has had a place of honor on the wall ever since.
I never did have a chance to meet the person who left the picture, though I did leave a thank you note on my desk which was gone the next day so I guess they found it, and we have since changed cleaning services so I doubt I ever will. I don't know if this person was also a Reagan fan or not but the gift of this rather rare photo (I haven't even found one on the internet) was very special to me. I sincerely hope the janitor realizes that the giving of a gift to a total stranger was a very Reagan-like gesture.
To the greatest President of my lifetime, "Thank you, sir, and may you have a most blessed birthday."

[4CJ]

To the greatest President of my lifetime, "Thank you, sir, and may you have a most blessed birthday."

I just wrote almost that exact statement to another Freeper. I hope you enjoy that handbill, and thanks to the "angel" that gave it to you.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Bump for the honor of a good man.

It saddens me that he is not able to understand how much he did for our country and that he is loved. Alzheimer's has robbed him of a retirement of reflection.

[mikeb704]

Happy to have helped him get elected bump.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

You posted the photo, so fess up, which one is you?

[mikeb704]

I respectfully refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer . . .

[beelzepug]

"Alzheimer's has robbed him of a retirement of reflection."

It also robbed the rest of us of the distinguished senior statesman we could have had. Instead, we get Jimmah....

[cmsgop]

JUST WOW! You are one lucky guy......

[Twinkie]

No. The memory that comes to mind about Clinton is when
the little girl who was piloting her airplane on some
sort of a record-breaking flight was rushed to get to a
"photo-op" with Clinton and flew in bad weather so as not
to miss it. That's how I remember Clinton and kids. He
may not have urged her to come on in the bad weather anyway.
I wonder, though. I wonder. He just LOVED those photo-ops.
I wonder at the star struck effect he had on so many people.

[mikeb704]

JUST WOW! You are one lucky guy......

Maybe. Then again, like Vic Tayback, I've never won an Oscar either.

[Flora McDonald]

Happy Birthday, President Reagan May the rest of your days be peaceful ones.

[nolu chan]

[4CJ]

I watched much of the broadcasts yesterday of "The Great Communicator" - it pains me to know that the President is debilitated. Due to their ages, my children don't understand just how great a President he was. God bless you Mr. President.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I wrote this little tribute to a Great Man who influenced me all my life. I was too busy to post it around. Sorry it's late. Hope you like it.

Happy Birthday

I liked you in the movies,
All made so long ago.
On TV in my youthful years,
You'd host that western show.
Later on I'd catch your talks,
On late night radio.
Your great talks on the U S A,
Helped keep me in the know.
Then when you ran for President,
I was the first in line.
I cast my vote and felt so good,
My vote I knew was fine.
You led us through some tough times,
With such class through it all.
You stood and faced the Soviets,
That caused the wall to fall.
So Happy Birthday to you Ron,
You're still high on my chart.
I pray for you and Nancy too,
You both have won my heart.

Conspiracy Guy 2/6/04