What About His Family?

One emailer asks:

Mr. Rall, you have the right to say anything that you want. Mr. Reagan is dead. But Mrs. Reagan is alive and can be hurt by what you say. She is suffering right now and having to go through the funeral of her husband. I know, I’ve been there, done that. Couldn’t you wait until after the funeral before beginning your rant?

First of all, everyone has family. When Fidel Castro dies, his relatives will be sad, but I doubt that’ll cause Republican commentators to lay off. (And yes, I’m comparing Reagan to Fidel–even though Castro isn’t quite as bad as Reagan.) Nor should it.

Second, the only time America will talk about Reagan’s legacy is now. In two weeks, no one’ll care. That’s why we’re talking about this now. On the other hand, if editors opened their pages to old topics, that would change.

Finally, liberals would lay off Reagan if conservatives weren’t laying it on so thick. Suggesting that RR belongs on Mt. Rushmore, trying to evict Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill for Ronnie, calling him one of the best presidents ever, giving him credit for ending the Cold War–it’s all so over the top, so absurd, so exagerrated that someone has to point out the obvious: it ain’t so.