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In his 1988 book, "On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency," Mark Hertsgaard explained how Reagan became the "Teflon president." The scandals during his tenure never stuck because the media gave him a pass, going along with the "Mr. nice guy image," his first term deputy chief of staff, Michael Deaver, saying:
"Ronald Reagan enjoyed the most generous treatment by the press of any President in the postwar era. He knew it, and liked the distinction," though his record deserved condemnation, given no Republican leader since Nixon.
When he died, in fact, truth never exposed popular fantasies. Admirers gushed about his persona, popularity, and how he made Americans feel good about themselves again. They also praised his being right on big issues, and said the world is better off because of his presidency and leadership. CBS anchor Dan Rather called him a master at communicating greatness. Tim Russert on Meet the Press admired his tortured evasion of Iran/Contra culpability as "very believable," and on June 14, 2004, Time magazine wrote:
"the Reagan years were another of those hinges upon which history sometimes turns. On one side, a wounded but still vigorous liberalism with its faith in government as the answer to almost every question. On the other, a free market so triumphant - even after the tech bubble burst - that we look first to 'growth,' not government, to solve most problems."
Time, of course, ignored decades of massive government subsidies responsible for much of that "growth," what looks puny now compared to the trillions given Wall Street alone since 2008 with no end to them in sight. Big government is only bad for popular needs, not corporate ones, on the dole for them a way of life.
Ready or Not, Reagan Revisionism Is Coming
On March 17, 2010, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and GE announced their partnership in supporting a two-year centennial commemoration of his birth on February 6, 1911. On television, from 1954 - 1962, Reagan hosted the Sunday evening GE Theater and traveled the country as it's roving ambassador, a prelude to entering politics.
From 1947 - 1952 and in 1959, he also served as Screen Actors Guild (SAG) president, during which time he named members he suspected of "communist" sympathies, telling the FBI and House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) they threatened the film industry. As a result, hundreds of actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, musicians, songwriters and other artists were blacklisted for their progressive beliefs.
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