Just a reminder that not all famous fathers produce worthless sons...
Posted on 07/26/2004 6:23:10 AM PDT by presidio9
BOSTON - "I was here when your father came here," a middle-aged beer-drinker told MSNBC correspondent and featured Democratic convention speaker Ron Reagan. "Your father was a good man - a great man," another patron declared.
A different drinker offered: "A lot of politicians are trying to lay claim to the legacy of your father. But around here, that's not a good legacy to lay claim to."
Whatever. The late President Ronald Reagan's 46-year-old son - these days the archenemy of another President's son - smiled and nodded agreeably. He long ago accommodated himself to the out-of-body weirdness of such encounters.
It was after midnight Saturday, and Reagan had just arrived to conduct on-camera interviews about voter apathy at the working-class Democrat Eire Pub in Dorchester.
A bronze plaque on the wall and framed newspaper stories commemorate The Gipper's famed "surprise visit" 21 years ago for a pint of ale.
Son of Gipper gamely posed for snapshots in front of the plaque.
Earlier, he and his crew had visited The Rack, a trendy but eardrum-crushing bar at Faneuil Hall, and bravely tried to squeeze wisdom out of inebriated twentysomethings who (one young woman told me) had been drinking steadily since their chartered bus ride that afternoon from Rhode Island.
This week, Reagan will be a panelist on "Hardball," but tomorrow night is the main event of his visit to Boston: From the podium in the Fleet Center, he will deliver a stemwinder against President Bush's restrictions on stem cell research.
Why is Reagan so passionate about the issue?
"It's all good," Reagan told me after a raucous dinner hosted by "Hardball" executive producer Tammy Haddad (and attended by the likes of Clinton loyalist Capricia Marshall) at the posh restaurant Grill 23.
"It's not sucking fetuses out of wombs," Reagan said. "Did you know you can harvest stem cells from your arm? And it's not because my father had Alzheimer's disease. That's not something that seems very amenable to a cure from stem cell research, in any case.
"But this is something that will revolutionize medicine."
The dinner was off the record, and Reagan didn't want me to quote his tart remarks about the current President.
Suffice it to say that his views haven't changed since he told me four years ago at the Republican convention: "The big elephant sitting in the corner is that George W. Bush is simply unqualified for the job. ... What is his accomplishment? That he's no longer an obnoxious drunk?"
Boston mayor and Kerry a cod couple
John Kerry and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino recently buried the hatchet. But relations still seem less than warm.
Don't count on their spending any quality time together this week.
"He's too busy," Menino told Lowdown at the media shindig on Saturday night. "And I'm too busy running the convention."
The trouble started back in May, when Menino scolded the Kerry campaign for toying with the idea of accepting the nomination after the convention - for fund-raising purposes.
Then, last month, Menino lashed out at the Kerry camp after the senator snubbed Menino's U.S. Conference of Mayors.
But the argument "wasn't with John Kerry, it was his staff," Menino told Lowdown.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago, Hizzoner refused to honor convention organizers' earnest pleas to extend the city's bar hours for the 35,000 Democratic revelers.
When Lowdown asked Hizzoner what, exactly, it is about Kerry's personality that makes him a compelling candidate for President of the United States, he didn't exactly fall all over himself to praise the hometown hero.
"When you stand one-on-one in a small crowd," Menino ventured faintly, "he knows how to relate to you."
Not that the presidency has much to do with one-on-one relational skills in a small crowd. One of Menino's handlers jumped in to save his boss: "Thanks very much, we'll see you later."
But Lowdown couldn't help but sneak back to Menino later in the evening with a final question: Why wouldn't he make Kerry and the Dems happy by temporarily extending bar hours?
"We're a city that operates well on a 2 a.m. curfew," Menino insisted.
The Briefing
TALK ABOUT A NEW PARADIGM! New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler learned the hard way not to jump the taxi line in front of Republican pundit Jim Pinkerton, former opposition research director and political theorist for President Bush's father. The tall, skinny Pinkerton - who coined the term "new paradigm" for Bush-the-elder's domestic policy - told me he was waiting his turn for a cab at Logan Airport Saturday night when the short, squat New York Democrat cut to the front. Invoking George Orwell's "Animal Farm," Pinkerton commented: "All animals are created equal - but some animals are more equal than others." Yesterday Nadler spokeswoman Jennie McCue wisely declined to debate the erudite Pinkerton. "The congressman is very sorry if he stepped in front of people in line," she said, explaining that Nadler was just following a valet, "and he extends his sincere apologies to Mr. Pinkerton. The congressman, too, believes that all animals are created equal." REPARATIONS? Forget that whole coronate-the-candidate thing. The real reason some folks come to the convention is to stock up on freebies. Illinois attendee Charles Horn, in Boston to support U.S. Senate candidate and convention keynote speaker Barack Obama, emerged from Saturday's media party groaning under the burden of not one, not two, but eight heavy New Balance canvas tote bags given away as party favors. Being a tad piggy? "No, no; we're making up for lost time," Horn explained earnestly. "There's a lot that is owed to us."
WHERE NEVER IS HEARD A DISCOURAGING WORD: Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe was being his irrepressible, over-the-top self yesterday morning during a visit to the FleetCenter, loudly promising a John Kerry victory in the general election. "I can feel it - we're going to beat them!" McAuliffe boomed when I said hello. But that, I pointed out, is exactly what he said four years ago about Al Gore. "We sent him out of the convention in great shape!" McAuliffe parried. "I did my job."
Ron, you are a disgrace to your father's name and legacy. Go back to ballet!
Alas, the limits of genetics.
Hey Ronnie, you failed as a ballet dancer, a dog show MC, and a radio DJ. However, I think you have found the perfect station in life. You are such a total idiot, with not a single redeeming quality, you make a perfect Democratic poster boy. By the way, nice to NOT have you at the Republican convention.
Thank God for Michael.
I know this is off-subject (but I know Rush and EIB are regular freepers)
Michael Reagan is an awesome speaker and thinker. I can get his show in the winter at night from a radio station that is states away.
I think if Rush is willing and the arrangements can be made, it would be great to have Mike sit in for Rush on his vacation. Would also love it if Glenn Beck sat in, but maybe I'm pushing too much.
The best thing I can think to say about this little know-it-all is that at least he waited until his father was dead to put the knife in him.
Just a reminder that not all famous fathers produce worthless sons...
This week, Reagan will be a panelist on "Hardball,"Gee, Ron, start using chapstick now 'cause it's going to be wall-to-wall smoochy-face with Chrissy-boy.
So why is Ron Reagan suddenly important to ANYONE? Because he's stabbing his father in the back, pure and simple-- there's no other reason that a Democratic Convention would be interested in Ron Reagan unless he was going to be the father's son campaigning against the candidate of his father's own party.
He can say it's not anti-Daddy, he can say it's not anti-Bush, but Ron, they only want you 'cause you're a willing traitor to your father and his party. You're nothing without your father, STILL.
He's just a limpdick wannabe. With any luck, he's STERILE and natural selection will have removed his weakling genes from the gene pool.
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