Ronald Reagan to address Democratic Convention

[qwerty]

Ronald P. Reagan, that is...

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/special_packages/election2004/9132302.htm?ERIGHTS=-8864011928320329900philly::email@address.com&KRD_RM=7pnvwtpuopwtvuwqpwnnnnnnnn|password|Y

[Kodratos]

I hate that guy

[CARLHAYDEN]

He, like Patti, opposed their father on just about everything.

[ijohn57s]

Michael, President Reagan's adopted son, is the one carrying on President Reagan's legacy.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Michael and the late Maureen are/were good folks.

Patti and Jr. are loonies.

Jr.'s appearance at the DNC is a spit in the legacy of his father.

The DNC sponsoring this is another example of their hatred and contempt for the late and great Preisdent Reagan, who alas had two failings, Patti and Jr.

[English]

They're loonies just because they don't blindly follow their father into Republicanism? Nice.

[Wakie]

Michael, President Reagan's adopted son, is the one carrying on President Reagan's legacy.

Actually ... if anyone is carrying his legacy I'd say it is Nancy.  After she passes no one can really lay claim to it.

[ijohn57s]

Michael, President Reagan's adopted son, is the one carrying on President Reagan's legacy.

Actually ... if anyone is carrying his legacy I'd say it is Nancy.  After she passes no one can really lay claim to it.

I disagree. Sure, Nancy carries the legacy. She is the woman that President Reagan absolutely adored. But, Michael, as his son, is carrying the legacy forward by promoting the values his father believed in.

[Wakie]

Michael, President Reagan's adopted son, is the one carrying on President Reagan's legacy.

Actually ... if anyone is carrying his legacy I'd say it is Nancy.  After she passes no one can really lay claim to it.

I disagree. Sure, Nancy carries the legacy. She is the woman that President Reagan absolutely adored. But, Michael, as his son, is carrying the legacy forward by promoting the values his father believed in.

If Michael has the right to his legacy, so does Ron.  Frankly I don't think either one does.

[Akno21]

Ron Jr. has every right to address the convention. He is his own man. Yes, he is the son of a conservative, so what?

[CARLHAYDEN]

They're loonies just because they don't blindly follow their father into Republicanism? Nice.

Wrong!

Apparently you have never met any of the Reagans.

Nancy adored her husband and would go after anyone she saw as a liability or opponent to her husband.  Her judgment was more than a little flawed.  She supported the incompet John Sears and was very rude to Lyn.  I never liked nor trusted her.  Her judgement was very flawed.

I really liked Maureen.  She was a little biting, but otherwise a great person to share a few drinks with.  She remembered her friends, and treated them well.

Mike takes after his adopted father.  He is kind, thoughful and loved and adored his adopted father.

Patti always wanted to be Jane Fonda.  She took delight in as a reflex action opposing everything her father supported.

Jr. is patti without the big mouth.  

Its quite apparent you have never met any on them, and have chosen to post in ignorance.

[migrendel]

It's possible that Ron Reagan, Jr. is just very concerned about the future of stem cell research, and he wants to back the party that is willing to fund and support it to a greater degree. I'm willing to believe that his intentions are really altruistic, and that his comments (which I agree were probably misplaced considering that he was delivering a eulogy) were the product of his frustration in seeing this very promising field unexplored.

[Wakie]

When I hear Ron or Patti  talk about their father, I don't get any feeling of emotion out of them - they are faking it. When I hear Michael talk about his father - you can feel it in his voice - he truely loved and looked up to his father.

Apparently you didn't see Ron Jr's eulogy.

Ron Reagan has every right to address the DNC convention, but he shouldn't do it as Ronald Reagan's son. He shouldn't mention his father in his speech. He shouldn't use his father's death to push for stem cell reseach, because it is known that the President did not believe in it.

Oh really?  Did his father ever make a statement about stem cell research?  No.

Did he support in vitro fertilization (a procedure which also results in thousands of blastocysts collections being discarded)?  Yes.

Does Nancy (who knew Ronald Reagan better than anyone) think President Reagan would have supported stem cell research?  Yes.

You are right he shouldn't use his father's death to push for anything.  Just as Michael Reagan shouldn't use it to push against anything.

[CARLHAYDEN]

First, Jr. did inherit some acting talent from his parents.  However, I think you overstate the eulogy he gave.

Second, while limited stem cell research is generally acceptable, what is really at issue here (and which is being carefully avoided) is the Reagan (no, not Jr.) opposed abortion.

Third, what Jr. is advocating is abortion on the pretext of stem cell research, not stem cell research where abortion was not the cause.

Fourth, Mike was doing his talk show years before his father died, and yes, even before he was diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Fifth, Jr. is abusing his father's good name to support abortion, which he knew his father opposed now that his father is unable to speak for himself.

[Wakie]

Carl,

1) Why do you believe Ron Jr is acting but Mike isn't?

2) Stem cell research and abortion are not the same thing no matter how hard much you want to spin it.  Ron Jr. isn't talking about abortion, he's talking about stem cell research.

3) Where is someone advocating abortion?  All stem cell research proposals I have seen have usually advocated acquiring frozen embryos from fertility clinics where the embryo would otherwise be discarded.

4) I have no problem with Mike Reagan's show.  But I don't think he should use his father's death to promote it.

5) Ron Reagan Jr is going to talk about stem cell research.  Not abortion.

[acsenray]

So anyone with a famous name is obligated to hew to the political views of his or her deceased ancestor?

I don't think so.