NEWSFLASH: Ronald Reagan Was (and still is - God rest his soul) A Republican!

You know, I am getting sick and tired of the left trying to co-opt my president, my Ronald Reagan, in their quest for power. It is absolutely amazing how these same people who at one time condemned anything and everything Reagan, are now exalting the man. I aver that the vitriol we see today from the left against GWB is no more vituperative and intense than the hatred and contempt that was shown towards Reagan in his day. The only difference is that in Reagan's time, we did not have access to the amount of information that we have today. Most of our information came through "gates" that were fiercely guarded by the mainstream media. Today, due in large part to the policies of Ronald Reagan, those gates have been nearly destroyed. Which is why it is so ironic that the left are now grasping at a piece of the Reagan legacy to advance their causes. (I'm sure, in private, they hold their noses.)

There are a whole multitude of examples of the left trying to use Reagan in this year's election campaign. But I find this one particularly amusing and/or irritating. At a recent Democrat get-out-the-vote training session held in Delaware County, Ohio, the special guests were none other than Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross. You know, the Keatons of Family Ties fame. They were the Birkenstock wearing, public television producing, bleeding heart good guy parents of the misguided and totally naive Reagan loving, bad guy business loving Republican son, Alex P. Keaton. The following is part of the talk given by the actor, Mr. Gross:

"A lot of people did not know this but Family Ties was one of Ronald Reagan's favorite television shows. It was in fact so let that be an answer to anyone who says that Hollywood is not about family values."

"I want to talk again about Ronald Reagan. Ronald, we, many people did not know that this was one of his favorite shows. And we came very close to having him as a guest on Family Ties, once upon a time. Our producer said '...oh, we came soooo close but there was a conflict in the schedule' and so forth and so on. Naturally, he wanted to come on and have a chat with Alex I'm sure. But at any rate, as a result of that closeness and that near miss, I consider Ronald Reagan to be a, you know, part of our Family Ties' family. You might say: I knew Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was a friend of mine. And George Bush, you are no Ronald Reagan. That much I know."

Mr. Gross, I have a few points that I would like to take up with you.

1) Family Ties was made in the 80's. Things have changed a bit since then. Some would actually say not for the better. The most risque things to appear on late night TV back in the 80's are now stock in trade on childrens' cartoons now broadcast on PBS during the day. Get a clue!

2) Yes, Family Ties was a sweet, feel good family sitcom. It portrayed a loving family dealing with the world around them. But, don't forget that the underlying theme of your show was the absurdity that ensued when a pair of good progressives unintentionally spawned an offspring who actually admired a Republican president in general and Ronald Reagan in particular. A large portion of the episodes throughout the seven year run of the show dealt with the bumbling, misguided Alex being set straight by his enlightened parents. Are you having memory problems?

3) Other than the fact that it would have been very good for the ratings, I find it hard to believe that you or any of your producers would have wanted to have anything to do with Pres. Reagan. Just listen to the snideness in your voice and the sarcasm in your statement when you say that Pres. Reagan would have wanted to talk to Alex. Sure, Reagan came from Hollywood, but the Hollywood of your day and today is a far different beast than the Hollywood of his day. Reagan lived in a Hollywood that was, for the most part, pro-American, pro-democratic (small "d") and very patriotic. Just take a look at the movies and shows that were de rigueur at that time. Just take a look at the star's stances and community work undertaken during those days. The contrast could not be more stark than with the Hollywood output of today! I dare you to compare "Sands of Iwo Jima" to "Platoon," I dare you to compare the "Movietone" newsreels to Fahrenheit 9/11, I dare you to compare Bob Hope to Bruce Springsteen. Get a clue!

4) Ronald Reagan was always the optimist and he genuinely liked people. Yes, he would have wanted to "chat" with Alex. But he would have also enjoyed talking with the entire family. He would have actually "condescended" to talk with people of the progressive persuasion. You see, conservatives can actually separate the political from the personal. Grow up!

5) And finally, having someone "almost" be on your show does not qualify as knowing that person! Having someone "almost" be on your show does not make that person your friend! And if the hatred for GWB is any indication, then Pres. Bush is a lot more like Pres. Reagan than you would ever care to admit. So just shut up!


Now to Mom Keaton. Meredith Baxter had this to say in reference to stem cell research:

"...These are not things that will become viable human beings in any way unless the woman would choose to come back and use them again. But as soon as she writes off and says she is not using them, they are for no other purpose than to be thrown away, frozen, or potentially used to save someone that actually is alive. Not to preserve something that is never going to be alive. Use it for someone who may, who is alive, who needs the research that can possibly address Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes and spinal cord injury. So don't let people emotionalize this. It needs some clarity there."

Miss Baxter, I have this one point to make to you. You ma'am, are a hypocrite. You just told these people to not let other people "emotionalize" the stem cell research issue. However, you just did so. What else do you call it when you play on the misfortune of people with debilitating diseases? What else do you call it when you cash in on your relationship with a famous person who suffers from a debilitating disease to further your ideological agenda? You ma'am, are a tartuffe and this is just another display of the depths that you and your fellow travelers will sink to in order to advance your utopian view of the world!