Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2003 | 9:03 a.m.
WHAT'S ALL THE fuss about?
I couldn't help thinking that most of the free world and, certainly, the world within the Republican National Committee and CBS Television had made too much to do about something close to nothing as I watched "The Reagans" on Showtime Sunday night. What was everybody thinking, I asked myself or, conversely, what was I missing?
For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, CBS originally scheduled the Reagan drama to air a few weeks ago. But, much to the chagrin or, at least, surprise of CBS officials, a significant part of the world went nuts and claimed the drama was so distorted that it bore no resemblance to reality as it picked apart and poked some fun at Ronald Wilson Reagan, a former and still revered president of the United States and the man the GOP credits with saving that party from eternal damnation -- read that irrelevance.
Those who complained, for the record, consisted mostly of the self-appointed guardians of political thought in this country, those who lead and who are led by the Republican National Committee. Since many of those people are in very powerful positions of authority over the advertising dollars and the licenses of CBS, the powers that be at the once unshakeable television network caved in to the pressure and moved "The Reagans" to a sister cable network, Showtime. The audience dropped by the millions.
Naturally, I tuned in to see what all the fuss was about. What I saw was a dramatization of the life of the Reagans -- to be fair, just a few snippets from their lives in the White House -- that was no better and no worse than dramas about other well-known luminaries that grace the big and small screens from time to time. It was edited to remove an offending line or two but, all in all, it was tame and told a reasonably good story about the man who changed for the better the Republican Party's fortunes in America and who, far more importantly, took the former Soviet Union to the brink of the arms race and broke them.
If there is one thing for which President Reagan will be long remembered it is his single-mindedness in defeating the 'Evil Empire' that threatened us for almost half a century following World War II.
Since I didn't see what the dust-up was all about in the first place, I asked some friends what they thought of the show. The reactions were mixed but generally benign, both in the characterization of the President and the way the characters around him were depicted. A pattern did emerge, however, and I think I have figured out why all the fuss. And it is not a pretty picture.
First, my bona fides. I am a registered Republican who voted in 1980 and 1984 for Ronald Wilson Reagan to be my president. I liked the job he did -- especially winning the Cold War -- but I recognize that there were some policy areas for which his decision-making left much to be desired. Trickle-down economics and pandering to the fundamentalist right wing come to mind when looking for mistakes of the Reagan years. But, all in all, I respected the man and was proud to call him President. In short, if there is something glaringly rotten about "The Reagans," I am one of the people who should complain. And I am not.
So who is? To answer the question one need only watch a portion of "The Reagans" to learn about a major change in the way politics is practiced in America from the way it was when Ronald Reagan lived in the White House. If you look at the relationship that existed between President Reagan and then Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, you would notice a friendship based on respect and trust. But, if you look at the relationship between high-ranking Republican and Democratic political leaders in 2003 you will find something very different. First, there is no relationship. Secondly, the game is played to win at all costs even if the public -- you know, the people these folks were elected to serve -- gets screwed in the process. And, since we have all become television lemmings, running this way and that depending upon which ratings hound has the television or ra dio talk show microphone, we are no longer concerned about what is right or wrong but, rather, which side wins or loses.
Ronald Wilson Reagan would never have countenanced this kind of behavior. He would never have stood silent while members of his own party browbeat business people who choose to hire representatives who have ties to Democrats, telling them they will get nothing in the House of Representatives or the Senate if they do business with the enemy. Yes, President Reagan was a Republican but he wasn't a zealot and he had little use for them.
Fast forward 20 years and the typical Republican views the world very different today. It is about "us or them" and not about making good policy. It is about gaining and holding power for the sake of power alone and not about seeking political goals to further the country's interests. And it is about punishing those who don't agree with you rather than talking with them in a civil and respectful manner.
Contrary to those who would control the airwaves and all that is said about a GOP icon, regardless of the truth or even in recognition of the dramatic license that has been a hallmark of American literary creativity, what President Reagan stood for was the greatness of this country, not the pettiness that has overtaken political life in the 21st century.
So, I have decided that whether or not you like "The Reagans" depends in large part what political party you belong to today. If you belong to the party of petty, that of Tom DeLay and Rick Santorum, just to name two, you will dislike it just because Hollywood created it.
But, if you belong to the party of Ronald Reagan, you will recognize that in this country people can disagree and still get along. That we can argue with one another over policy and still have a relationship based upon mutual trust and respect. That we can choose the direction we would like to see our country grow and find a way to accommodate those who see a different course toward the same end. And, yes, that we can watch a dramatization of a great man's life and realize that he, like the rest of us, was not perfect but that he was human.
That's the party I joined and that's the party President Reagan loved. Why can't these other Republicans do the same?
Brian Greenspun
is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
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