Junto Boys

Oh Captain, My Captain

I was twelve years old when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. I went to the music room to watch the swearing in during recess, but recess had ended and the ceremony hadn't. I figured the teacher would come and get me, but she didn't. When thirty minutes had passed I realized that I was going to be in pretty big trouble. The teacher did feign some sort of anger toward me when I returned to class, but later she took me aside and asked me about the event. Looking back, I think she was pretty impressed that this normally behaved student would play hooky to watch American history.

I was a freshman in High School when he told Walter Mondale during the debate that he wasn't going to exploit his opponent's youth and inexperience. Our school was mostly Republican, but I remember a Democrat trying to make the best of Reagan's landslide re-election. He said that at least they picked up some seats in Congress. I was a junior in High school heading to lunch when news spread about the Challenger explosion. It seemed impossible. But Reagan's speech about slipping the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God and I was deeply moved even as a self-centered teenager.

I was in college when he went to Berlin and demanded the Russians tear down the wall and make people free. By then I had left the high schools that shared my thoughts and joined the quirky academics that would criticize his policies and manner. I didn't know that the elite element in the country looked down upon him until then. They loved the Iran-Contra affair. Our Western civilization class would become a discussion about the awful things that Reagan was doing in Central America. When I spoke up that he was fighting communism the TA pointed to a guy from Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan had nothing nice to say. Reagan was subverting the people's will because he was in the pocket of greedy businessmen.

"How could making a people free be a negative?" I asked.

"Because," he said, "The people are poor and they need the communists in order to eat."

Reagan's tenacity resulted in free elections in that country and the people who needed the communists so bad ran them out on a rail. They weren't ready to trade their freedom for bread. It's not a subject the left likes bringing up much. They will still talk about Iran-Contra, but you never hear them acknowledge that Reagan was really helping those people make their own choices.

It was Ronald Reagan that made me appreciate Rush Limbaugh. When I first heard Rush, I was surprised at how politically Incorrect he was. I had spent the last 3 years being shamed by college professors. Rush was very entertaining, but when I heard him speak about Reagan for the first time I realized that other people still felt the way I did.

I went to the Reagan library in 2002 by myself on a Sunday. It was pretty quiet and I was able to wander around and see things uninterrupted. The museum does a good job of reminding you of his life and especially his presidency. They show video from the assassination attempt and the budget victory after his recovery. Tip O'Neill calls him after the vote and says something like I just want to congratulate you, Mr. President. You beat us old buddy and you beat us good. There's a replica of the oval office with the Original Reagan oval office furniture including some interesting Remington statues. Another room has his cabinet meeting table. There's a great section about the cold war and the arms agreements he made with Gorby.

This week brought much of that back to me. I was surprised at how many of his critics spoke so well of him. On Sunday's This Week show, Sam Donaldson said that he didn't agree with those who thought Reagan lied about the Iran Contra scandal. This was from the man who asked the President if he thought that scandal would taint his presidency. Sam was the loudest voice in those Reagan press conferences. He even wrote a book called "hold on Mr. President." Sunday, Sam showed nothing but true affection for the man.

The funeral at the National Cathedral was a great example of politics yesterday and today. Bill Clinton was upset that he wasn't asked to speak and then he and Hillary fought sleep during the service. Margaret Thatcher was told by her doctors not to travel or speak and yet she was wide awake at the early service and made the long journey to California for the dusk burial.

George Bush the elder was maybe the most surprising. He gave an impromptu press conference shortly after the death announcement last Saturday. He seemed very composed. His speech at the funeral was much different. Bob Dole is known for breaking down at any mention of sentiment, but I was not prepared for Bush's cracking voice as he said Ronald Reagan taught him more than anyone in public life. These political foes that became allies always showed the united front, but Bush wanted a kinder gentler nation which many took to be a criticism of Reagan. His speech yesterday was Bush telling us that he had joined the club.

My southern mother was for Carter in 1980. She said Reagan was a war monger. Dad was a business owner and liked Reagan's economic policies. Neither ever voted because the one time that Dad registered he got jury duty and had to sit around a court room when he had a business to run. Four years later mom admitted that she was wrong about Reagan and she joined the crowd in the tradition of many southern Democrats then and now.

My father is not very political. He doesn't pay much attention to politics. I remember in 1992 when Reagan was introduced at the Republican convention. He got a bigger and longer applause than anyone before or after. Dad simply said, "Americans love Reagan." That expressed it better than anyone has all week.

After Oliver North testified before Congress an older man (probably a veteran) who worked at McDonald’s put a “Col. North for President” bumper sticker on his car. I asked dad if he thought Oliver North would make a good president. Dad had already expressed that he liked North’s tenacity facing Congress. “No,” dad said. “He isn’t smart enough.”

“But so many people think that Reagan isn’t smart enough.” I said.

“He’s smart in a way they don’t understand. He turned the economy around and he made other countries respect us.”

National and world events helped to show Reagan’s greatness, but there was something else that made him important to me. He was like a grandfather to the country. He had wisdom that could be expressed in levity or gravitas. He made me feel safe and proud to be an American. It was like my parents were working and I was going to school and grandfather was running the country.

I don't expect that another President in my lifetime will ever mean as much to me as Ronald Reagan. I was spoiled growing up and thinking that his skills and optimism to be expected. I was 11 when he was elected and 19 when he left office. Those were formidable years and he’ll forever be an influence in my life.