Nancy Reagan declines to speak at GOP convention

[kskiska]

(snip)

Insiders say the widowed Nancy Reagan has already been asked to speak at the Republican Convention but will decline. And as for her slight breakdown at the final service in California, she tells friends, "I just couldn't bear to let him go."

http://nypost.com/gossip/liz.htm

[David Dunham]

1. Nancy has a lot more class than Bush.

[freetobegay]

2. Good for her!

[MissRegina]

3. My heart ached

as I watched that final ceremony on Friday night. I probably wouldn't be up for any speaking engagements, too, if I had gone through all that.

[Piperay]

8. My heart ached too

I was literally brought to tears when I saw her pain at the very end, that final good bye.

[LizW]

11. I felt for her, too

That was a very sad moment.

How crude of the Repugs to already be trying to use her at the convention. I guess 3000 corpses are not enough for them to haul into the convention, they want to drag Reagan in, too.

[ronnykmarshall]

16. Oh my god yes.

I watched it again and still cried.

What a touching moment. I wanna just give Nancy a :hug:.

[Burma Jones]

35. I saw that and had to turn off the TV

I felt like a voyeur.

[Piperay]

4. Three Cheers for Nancy...

you go girl! :toast: :toast: :toast:

[lancdem]

5. Good for her

The Repukes are horrible. Her beloved husband is barely in the ground and they're bugging her to speak at the convention?

BTW, did anyone else see that the Reagan family did not give permission for that Club for Growth to use his image in a pro-Bush ad?

[mom cat]

19. And they are pissed as hell.

[Hailtothechimp]

34. They should be pissed.

The best way to honor Nancy and what she went through would be to back off on stem cell research. Mount Rushmore and the $10 bill are cheap and phony, and of course that's all the wingers can think of. I hope she continues to fight on about this. Nancy has built up so much stature for what she's done--in the decade before Reagan passed and in that heartwrenching goodbye on Friday--that bu$h is a fool to go against her wishes.

[w13rd0]

6. My respect for Nancy just went up about four notches...

...and I'd like to add that as is the case with many political families, the woman of the household is often more left leaning than the man. This will be something to watch develop, one can be sure. So, how long do you think the "tribute to Ronnie" will be at the GOP convention? 30 minutes, an hour, a week? For partisan political purposes. Shamelss sons a bitches...

[calimary]

7. Aw, bless her heart. I'll say again - my heart went out to her last Friday

REALLY felt bad for her, knowing how much she loved him. I'm not at all surprised by that quote "I just couldn't bear to let him go." Truly. She loved him. Go figure. That's WAY more than I could EVER say I felt for him. I hope they leave her alone and quit dogging her. Let her catch her breath and gain back some of her strength. Give her some time to recover from a horrible final week that capped off a ten-year ordeal. Poor woman! She deserves some peace and quiet and PRIVACY above all. I wish her the best. She's apt to be a formidable voice for change and reform in scientific research, and they are loathe to mess with her about it. I do enjoy hearing how some of them have tried to hide behind their Bibles while stumbling through their excuses as to why they can't support her new pet cause.

Glad she said "thanks, but no thanks!" Perhaps we'll be hearing a mention of that during the coverage of the gop convention. Seems as though it'll be inevitable. What else can they say after all the Reagasms they expect to stage, and then no Nancy to go along with it? Gonna open that sore back up, for sure. GOOD. Bless your heart, Mrs. Reagan! You DO have good taste!

And so does her boy, Ron Junior. Did you catch this passage in that Liz Smith column - after quoting his "responsibility, not a mandate" speech?

"This is what Ron Reagan Jr. said in his funeral goodbye at the Reagan Library in California Friday. Now the GOP and everybody else in politics is talking about this as a direct slap to President George W. Bush. Newsweek even remarked on it in their Conventional Wisdom section. "Ron Jr. gives moving memorial to a 'gentle man,' knocks W for using religion for political advantage."


This is also some VERY VERY good news. EXCELLENT that this is being talked about all over Washington. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means that it escaped NOBODY's notice. Everybody who heard that speech "got" it. Everybody. Rest easy, georgie-poo...

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

9. I assume Ron Reagan Won't Either - Not after calling Bush a Turd

"...The big elephant sitting in the corner is that George W. Bush is simply unqualified for the job... What's his accomplishment? That he's no longer an obnoxious drunk?... - Ron Reagan, RNC Convention, 2000

"...The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now. Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the '80s. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's -- these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive, and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people. He didn't have to ask Dick Cheney what he thought... My father was a man -- that's the difference between him and Bush. To paraphrase Jack Palance, my father crapped bigger ones than George Bush." - Ron Reagan, Salon Interview, 2003

[Windy]

25. Ron Reagan would know

He "shared" Washington with the Bush family for eight years. He is the closest in age to shrub. I'm sure he's seen and heard a lot and knows from where he speaks!

[Leilani]

10. Good!

The Reagan family will not be used by this criminal cabal.

[ShaneGR]

12. As I knew she wouldn't, another reason I didn't bash Reagan

The Bush Empire started to turn the second he started showing signs of alzheimers. She knows it. Everybody knows it.

[LTR]

13. I expected this

And I applaud her for all that she and her family had to endure recently. One of the saddest parts was watching her break down at the burial with the sounds of hundreds of cameras going off. Sheesh! Haven't photojournalists heard of quieter digital cameras?

I'm sure the family is pretty disgusted with the Club For Growth ad as well (aren't we all?). None of them probably feel any need for the GOP, and especially Bush.

[KittyWampus]

20. Hearing About Those Cameras Gives The Impression Of Jackals Or Vultures

Didn't see it but have read DU'ers accounts.

[ronnykmarshall]

23. It was repulsive

Nancy is crying over her husband's coffin and the press is clicking their sorry asses away.

[Cheswick2.0]

14. Of course she just couldn't let him go

I was so disgusted with the response to her grief by some of the people here. I watched the final service and felt very sorry for her and for the children, yes even Michael.
Isn't dehumanizing the opposition (No matter how awful a president Reagan was, and that is pretty damn awful, he was still human and his family is too.)what the freepers do?

Anyway, good for her. I doubt speaking at the convention is what she needs to do right now.

[ronnykmarshall]

15. Go NANCY!!

Good for you!

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. Stick it too 'em, Nancy!

Great news! :bounce:

[Lisa]

18. I asked myself if I would still admire Nancy (and young Ron, and Patti)

... even if they hadn't been saying and doing things that I agree with. For example, suppose Ron were gushing about what a wonderful leader George W. was, and Nancy were up there saying she was behind a stem cell ban 100% because of her deep personal beliefs ...

And I have to say that I probably wouldn't be writing letters in support of them if things were that different, BUT I would certainly sympathize with what they've been through. Early on, Ronald Wilson Reagan said that his family would suffer a lot more than he would -- and he was right. He said and did many things during his life that upset me, but he made a dignified departure in a very bad situation. And dignity is something we've seen so little of lately that watching the way Nancy handles things gives me some hope. There's a lot more to it than how much someone cries at her husband's funeral -- as far as I'm concerned, she could have broken down sobbing and she would still have more dignity than an entire Bush State of the Union Address.

[DancingBear]

21. She will stand on her own now

I believe she will make her stand, and no one even remotely connected with the horror that is Bush II will get an ounce of her time.

She loved her husband - it truly is as simple as that - and will not allow him to be used in such a crass manner.

While I am at it, please allow me to thank everyone here who conducted themselves with dignity during the Reagan week. I took a (self-imposed) week off from posting, as the vitriol was not to be believed and I did not want to become what I so often rail against. Thanks to all who posted in my stead, and who said the things that needed to be said far better than I could have.

[ronnykmarshall]

24. Makes you think back to 1964

LBJ tried so hard to get Jackie to be part of his election and she wasn't having any of it.

I heard some of the tapes of LBJ talking to Jackie (it was PBS ... don't know the link) and you can tell how much we wanted to exploit her.

Nancy, like Jackie is not going to be a pawn.

[DancingBear]

27. I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it

The similarities are quite striking.

Is it a Texas thing? :)

[vickie]

33. I agree with you Dancing Bear.

What ever ill feelings I may have had for Reagan era policies have since gone away. I was never one to viciously trash people. Though I disagreed with Reagan, I always respected that he was a self-made man and no one ever gave him anything. (He won two landslide elections - fair and square, with the help of millions of Reagan Dems!)

I was never a fan of Nancy but did admire the loving and magnificent care and devotion she gave her husband throughout their lives, and particularly when he became ill.

After watching my own mother and uncles provide a similar environment (dignified, loving care) for my late grandmother - I know the strength and courage to required to battle 'the long goodbye'. It is excruciating beyond belief.

I say to the sanctimonious hacks at the GOP convention - leave the Reagan family alone. They just buried their beloved husband/father and don't need vultures preying on them for political advantage. God bless Ron, Patti and Nancy.

[kskiska]

22. When I think back, Nancy wasn't political at all.

Her concern was in protecting her husband and making him look good, even going so far as to arranging terminations such as Don Regan, because she didn't feel he was doing a good job for Ronnie. I can't think of a single instance where she expressed a political opinion. She may be a Liberal, for all we know.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. Is "Just Say No" a political message?

I think that you could make a case that it is, but I basically agree with the gist of your post. The big problem is that it was REAGAN that she was protecting. How can that be seen as benevolent?

:shrug:

[DWolper]

28. I don't think so

Nancy gets bashed a lot for her "Just Say No" program. If that's the worst thing a first Lady can do than it ain't too bad. That whole thing was aimed at young kids and telling them to "Just Say No" to illegal drugs, It's probably still a good idea. The alternative can't be any worse.

I think Nancy was protecting her HUSBAND before she was protecting the PRESIDENT.

One clue to Nancy's beliefs is that Peggy Noonan says that Nancy was the "mystery liberal" inside the Reagan administration who was encouraging Reagan to pursue deep arms reductions with Gorbachev. She also is quoted as saying that the religious right has become "dangerous." Nancy is simply not a far right woman. Anything but, actually.

There's worse than Nancy Reagan - that's for damn sure.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

31. OK.

I have a problem with "Just Say No" because it's not "Just Get Informed."

As for Nancy, I simply don't know. :shrug: It's probably best not to concern oneself too much with First Ladies.

[Kinkistyle]

37. I think of the Reagans as probably "OK" folks on the wrong team.

Like my parents... *sigh*

[Walt Starr]

29. DAMN GEORGE W. BUSH* TO HELL!!!!!!!!!

THAT LOWDOWN DUMBASS*, MOTHER FUCKING, COCKBITING, PIECE OF SHIT SET UP THE CONDITIONS BY WHICH I WOULD GAIN A RESPECT, AND DARE I SAY, A DOWNRIGHT ADMIRATION FOR NANCY REAGAN!!!!!

DAMN YOU, GEORGE W. BUSH, STRAIGHT TO HELL YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Unperson 309]

30. Uh... Walt, you REALLY need to let some of that anger out!

If you keep it all bottled up like that, you'll never really be at peace. Beneath that calm, quiet exterior you must have some more vigorous emotions seeking release.

It's OK, we're here for ya! :D You can vent if you need to!

:hi: :bounce: :hi: :bounce: :hi:

309

[PartyPooper]

32. The Republican party has become such a cesspool infested with neocons.

Why would Nancy participate? I'm sure Patti and Ron have an awful lot of influence on her, too.

Maybe, we can get them to speak in Boston for the Democrats, eh?

:kick:

[Burma Jones]

36. I'll bet Michael is chomping at the bit though

But no Nancy, and certainly no real blood-relation Reagan will be lending support to the sleazeballs. PS, Patti still looks pretty damn good.

[maggrwaggr]

38. she would say "man, I thought WE were corrupt!"

I mean what else could she say?