Posted on 07/28/2004 5:41:03 AM PDT by Area Freeper
BOSTON - Much to the dismay of the Bush campaign, Nancy Reagan has just said no to appearing at the Republican National Convention next month. GOP strategists had hoped the former First Lady and Hollywood actress would make a cameo appearance onstage after a video tribute to her late husband, particularly after her Bush-bashing son, Ron, agreed to speak at the Democratic convention last night.
In an impassioned defense of stem-cell research, Ron Reagan toned down his rhetoric but still delivered one unmistakable shot that all but invited Americans to vote against President Bush.
"In a few months, we will face a choice," Reagan told delegates in an otherwise apolitical speech with mannerisms and rhetorical flourishes that brought to mind his famous father. "We can choose between the future and the past, between reason and ignorance, between true compassion and mere ideology."
GOP sources, meanwhile, confirmed his mother will not be at their Aug. 30-Sept. 2 convention - and some speculated her son might be behind the snub.
"I do not expect her at our convention but she knows she is welcome," Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie told reporters here yesterday.
"If all of you might just keep in mind for a moment the year that Mrs. Reagan has had and be a little understanding of that, I think that would be appreciated by the public and, I suspect, by Mrs. Reagan," Gillespie added.
Republican officials refrained from publicly criticizing Nancy Reagan for the no-show. Privately, however, some were upset as well as disappointed by the decision, which has been known to the White House for some time.
"I don't think she could have missed the symbolic significance of her son going to their convention and her not going to ours," a senior GOP official told the Daily News.
Friends of the 83-year-old former First Lady said she is understandably still grieving for her husband, who died June 5 after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.
"My guess is that she reached the point of emotional exhaustion in dealing with the old man's final goodbye," a prominent California Republican source told the Daily News. "But I was a little surprised she's not going to be there."
A downcast senior GOP official confirmed Nancy Reagan had never committed to appearing at the convention, but was nevertheless dubious of the official explanation.
"The 'not feeling up to it' line is bull----," the official said. "Something happened in the last month, and whatever it was was real."
Aides to the former President did not return calls seeking comment. In recent years, Nancy Reagan has curtailed her public schedule, but last week greeted the new aircraft carrier named for her husband when it arrived at its San Diego homeport.
Long before her husband's death, Bush-Cheney and GOP campaign strategists were eager to have her appear at the convention, even though her support for expanding stem-cell medical research using fetal tissue implicitly criticizes Bush's more restrictive approach.
I SECOND THE MOTION THAT MICHAEL REAGAN SHOULD BE A PRIME TIME, NYC G.O.P. CONVENTION RESPONSE TO THOSE IDIOTS.
I THIRD THAT ..... OR WHATEVER. GREAT IDEA!!!!!
Michael is a wonderful speaker with his experience on the radio.
Michael Reagan has always been a troublemaker (not unlike his son Cameron) and opportunist of the first order to prostitute his adopted surname for his own profit. People go on about Ron being nothing more than a dancer or dog show commentator but at least he has a career based on something other than who his daddy was unlike Mr. C-grade Talk Show Host.
IMHO, she should NOT go to the '04 convention just to be used as a religious relic by the GOP. She should be allowed to rest and finally mourn the love of her life.
I'm gobsmacked at so many of the ignorant, arrogant and TASTELESS comments on this thread who see Nancy as their personal pawn to be used for politic advantage, not a feeling, dignified human being.
Leave NANCY out of this.
simple solution: have Michael Reagan speak
Totally agree!
Ron has no talent, and he's annoying. Any accomplishments he can speak of were bestowed on him because of his last name. Up to and including the part-time gig on Animal Planet.
And Michael has at least as much claim to the Reagan last name as his step-brother.
That's a scandal monger rumor based on when they were married (Mar 4, '52) and when Patti was born (Oct 21, '52). That's very nearly eight months. He and then wife Jane Wyman had a daughter born FOUR months premature in 1947. She died a day later.
If it was up to me people wouldn't try to demand that every relative of Reagan's fulfil their fantasy of the second coming of Ronaldus Maximus himself.
It actually is not their place, in the aftermath of Mr. Reagan's passing, to do a reenactment of the Wellstone "Memorial Service." Ron P. has actually come perilously close to doing that, and on behalf of the party which gave us the original Memorial Service political rally.
That does not mean that Mr. Reagan's political party, in convention, should shrink from pointing out both that Ronald Reagan completely obviated most of the problems left by the pathetic Mr. Carter, and that he did so over the strenuous objections of the Democratic Party in general and of Senator Kerry in particular.
But that is not for Nancy Reagan to do. Not now, if ever.
How is not allowing tax payers to fund companies to end up raking in millions of dollars 'restricting' it? Private companies can spend and do basically all they want to.
There are some researchers who claim that embryonic stem cells are somehow 'superior' to other stem cells. And there are those who say a stem cell is a stem cell.
Unfortunately for the former, the publicized successes have not been achieved by using embryonic stem cells, but rather stem cells from one of the other two sources.
The 'ignorance' comment was directed at those who are not researchers who simply do not know there are three sources of stem cells. (It is amazing how many people think embryos are the only source.)
Ignorance if fixable with education. Twisted agendas (not saying you have such a thing but others do) are not so easily remedied.
All I know is that numerous researchers, with nothing to gain except what looks to be the self-satisfaction of helping their fellow man the best they can, have stated that embryo cells show promise that the other two types of cells don't.
Since I'm basically clueless on the subject, I trust them and at least would like to find-out if they're right.
I don't trust those with personal religious agendas which may, or may not be, the real "Truth". Well-intentioned, and from the heart and soul, yes...Of course. But I prefer science over religion in cases such as these.
But that's just IMHO.
Do a find in forum on Mister Blond and see if you think his interest is honest.
Too bad.
It appears that Michael alone is left to carry on the conservative tradition of his Dad … and that wouldn’t be so bad. He’s not his Dad, but he’s a more than adequate torch-bearer.
IMO, the circumstances surrounding Nancy’s refusal to attend the Republican National Convention and Ron’s speaking at the Democrat Display of Diabolism exhibit two entirely different leanings.
Although I am convinced that fetal tissue stem cell research must not be condoned under any circumstances, and neither does it offer significant hope in the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s (many other avenues of research are far more promising), I do not fault Nancy for her defense of it.
I have never believed that Nancy Reagan completely embraced her husband’s political conservatism (as a matter of fact, the extent that she did so was most likely out of love and respect for him). But I do believe she will attempt to honor him in death by toning down her own liberal leanings – except perhaps where Alzheimers research is concerned. And I, for one, can forgive her that.
When one experiences the kind of extended trauma that Nancy did in serving as the primary care-giver, while intimately watching her beloved husband succumb to the ravages of Alzheimers, I would imagine the resulting view of the world becomes somewhat ‘distorted’ by that experience. Surely few of us can identify with the pain she endured. Speaking for myself, any hardships or burdens I have ever carried pale in comparison with what this woman endured for the last ten years. Although I will never agree with them, and will speak out against their realization, I don’t fault Nancy for her views on stem cell research, which are surely the result of her deep personal tragedy.
Ron Reagan is another story. For the past two decades, the man has made a career out of embarrassing and hurting his father, making a fool out of himself, and now is allowing himself to be cast as a useful idiot by his father’s (and America’s) political enemies.
My husband purchased a set of three C-Span DVDs for me, which arrived a couple of days ago. They contain dozens of President Reagan’s most historic speeches and a ‘commemoration video’ of all of the week’s funeral and memorial services. I don’t intend to re-live the memorial/funeral week anytime soon (but, years from now, surely will feel up to watching those moving images again), but I spent the last two evenings watching the speeches -- which span the years leading up to his presidency, and the glorious eight years themselves … I also watched part of Ron Jr.’s speech last night.
That will most likely be the last time I ever listen to Junior speak. He is a glaring example of the fact that the apple can occasionally fall light-years from the tree. And the fact that either (1) his political leanings more closely mirror his mother’s than his father’s, or (2) as an infant, he was dropped on his head from a height of some significance.
~ joanie
I prefer to look at it from a different perspective - there never was a mold. When God created RR it was a divinely inspired one-of-a-kind free-hand sculpture.
Thank you. When ever I want common sense and reason I always know where to look. :-)
You liked Joanies common sense as I did also.
So what is your take on my tinfoil?
My childrens grandmother on the other side has alzheimers now. I have heard both of my children discussing the fact that they are in line to inherit this disease.
It could be that Ron R. is obsessed with the thought of inheriting this disease. Also, Nancy could be afraid that her children may inherit alzheimers. To me this is the reason for them to be for fetal stem cell research knowing that adult stem cell does not hold a cure for alzheimers.
Bush MUST separate himself “publicly” from the knuckle dragging redneck extremist bible fanatic born again nutcases. Clinton did just that when he rebuked Sister Soldier, he immediately let the White population know that extremism is not acceptable in his administration. That is probably the only positive thing that I have ever said about Clinton. Bush can oppose late term abortion as the majority of the country do, but even if his own crazy theology tells him that stem cell embryo is a human being, he still has to look at the greater good for the human race. Every month, most women waste an egg down the toilet, and every day lots of guys waste thousands of sperms down the toilet too. These biological cells can be used to cure major diseases like children diabetes, and other incurable ailments. For these knuckle dragging born again idiots to deny the human race a good research out of materials that are systematically flushed down the toilet is the definition of insanity.
There are some nutcases that interpret the holy books to prevent fishing in the Jordan river with bread that has yeast. Ok, if a few nutcases want to believe in such nonsense, let them believe; we have freedom of religion. However, would you insist on having the army guard the river against fishermen, and examining every bait? The concept of separation of church and state helps us not becoming like the Moslem fanatics. Bush advisors appear to be pushing him to lose this election.
>According to Bush, and to you, England, our best ally and >fiend is going to hell for allowing stem cell research, >heh?
According to me? When did I say anyone was going to hell? You are stereotyping me. Bush has never limited ADULT stem cell research because it isn't WORKING using EMBRYONIC. If you can do a little damn research on the subject, you will find this out. The only thing embryonic stem cell research has done is give some mice tumors.
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.