I was qualified in that less time and I did not infer necessarily a cost/tax cutting conservative, but a communicator who can bring a nation together. I recall those years vividly, Vietnam had closed badly, with shots of what appeared to be American soldiers fleeing the enemy with people clinging to helicopter rails, the resignation of a sitting president, a foul mouthed criminal as head of state, the Ford years, and...the cold era, with Jimmy huddled by a "faar" with a sweater on trying to convince Americans they weren't going to freeze in the dark and never mind the bodies of American soldiers rotting in a godforsaken desert.
Depressed and at sea, a nation divided and as now, blaming each other while appearing to be losing the arms race to Russia.
When Reagan surfaced my first thought was where is Sirhan Sirhan when we need him, recalling the weeks after Kent Stats and Reagan's gunslinger stance. Surprise, he won the nomination then, a clear 48 state victory; even admitting Jimmy was a clone, that was impressive. He eventually earned my respect, as I saw a nation coming together again, being great and a little annoying again. The un-settledness of my father and family was gone.
That's whats needed. What will bring unity - which should now be the first identified goal - is not rhetoric, but success. You guys need what we used to call in hockey an "ego shift", where finally everything goes right and you actually accomplish an objective, even if it was to block a shot by falling down. You need a win. There hasn't been a clear one in ages, not after the gleam came off the invasion of Iraq, and Obama has done nothing to even show the trend can be reversed, you're still playing in your own end and trailing by 3. You need a sniper, a guy who can either score a pair either himself or "teammates" in this case that would include elected people from the "other side" of the aisle.
Once again, it is war time no matter how they spin it. In war, a house divided cannot stand. The Art of War teaches that the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" and it is time to make friends of what Obama has made "enemies"
And, this time, hold the pricks to account. Whatever you have to do, do it. Out this evening I ran into a former provicial member who used to live here, a "convenient socialist" now married to a film exec....what do you know! I was reminded of a meeting where she spent two hours being grilled, almost harassed over some things she had said etc. And as that thought came to me now I had to wonder if that ever happens in the states anymore, whether when they speak in colleges whether it's staged and tame or whether **** can fly. "cause here? They learned a long time ago you either let us do that or real **** will fly. My first year in the Saskatchewan legislature farmers released a truck load of pigs in the Parliament.
You need that level of
"freedom of expression"...
.