Ronald Reagan: Dead at 93

I won't pretend to forget how much I objected to Ronald Reagan's presidency.
It's sad an old man died of a terrible disease, but to all those who have sanctified him in death, get real.
Reagan was an actor of moderate abilities who managed to capture the votes of the Screen Actors Guild and lead that union as a liberal democrat.
Then he snuck behind many of their backs and ratted them out as communists to the FBI.
This paragon of family values dumped his first wife Jane Wyman after he knocked up a starlet named Nancy Davis.
At some point he became a republican.
His first act as California's GOP governor was to stick them with a state income tax.
As our nation's president, he mastered the glib line, the sound byte, and the art of talking the talk without walking the walk. He racked up a $325 trillion deficit and ransacked far too many social programs. He was notoriously racist and sexist. He never even uttered the word AIDS during either term in office.
He was a role model for George W. Bush, who still manages to use patriotic platitudes and glib soundbytes to mollify the brain dead of the electorate. His economic policies are even worse than Ronnie's, but Reagan showed him it could be gotten away with.
Reagan started all this conservative bullshit in America, and look where it's dragged us now.

I'm sorry for Nancy Reagan, who seemed to adore the guy.
I'm sorry for the Reagan kids, whose daddy seemed to have little time for them.
Mostly, I'm sorry that millions will die from the same disease he did, when stem cell research could find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.
The Bush Christian Fundamentalists think any form of stem cell research is baby killing.
Even Nancy Reagan thinks he's wrong. That's one of two places we agree.
Dubya will be trying to milk Reagan's death for votes. He'll try to liken his presidency to Reagan's.
Feh.
The Reagans have hated the Bush family ever since they found out Dubya's brother Neil Bush and John F. Hinckley's brother, Scott, were chummy. John Hinckley tried to kill Reagan to impress Jodie Foster. The Hinckley's have contributed a wad to various Bush campaigns.
So, when you head Dubya liken himself to Reagan, call Nancy and ask her what she thinks.
She'll say Dubya is an asshole.
That's the other place we agree.