The Reagans - General Discussion

[Growsonwalls]

Anyone watching this on Showtime? What do you guys think of the first episode?

[Growsonwalls]

Some thoughts on Episode 1:

I thought it was a disappointingly shallow account of Reagan's early years. I know they wanted to emphasize the mythmaking part of Reagan's personality but I would have liked a more in-depth look at both Ronald and Nancy's childhoods. Like Jack Reagan was by all accounts a charming layabout father. 

Thought his political evolution was covered better. Obviously that's going to be the focus going forward.

Interesting that Patti was not interviewed, neither was Michael Reagan.

 

[Caseysgirl]

I finally watched the entire series and I found it exceptional. The coverage of the response to the AIDS virus was astounding.  When watched from our current vantage point, he seems incredibly insensitive  and definitely uninformed. He now sounds incredibly stupid about so many things. The fact that his own family was assisted by the New Deal which he began to dismantle seems hypocritical at best. I found Ron Reagan Jr. to be an extremely impartial narrator and seemed to be able to put his parents in perspective without idealizing them.

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, Caseysgirl said:

When watched from our current vantage point, he seems incredibly insensitive  and definitely uninformed.

He came off this way back then as well, from the vantage point back then. Unless they were going to totally wash white it, there was no way he wouldn't have looked indifferent, insensitive and uninformed.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I’m watching this and and thinking how much of a Stepford wife Nancy Reagan’s public persona was.

I’ve always liked Ron Reagan, Jr. and my respect for him just catapulted with the frank honesty about his father.

I could say so much more, but it would be off topic.

I will venture into the shallow pool and admit my heart went 💓💞💓💞💓 when I saw Steven Ford at the end of part 2.  And I got the warm fuzzies, while seeing Walter Cronkite laugh! He’s always been so professional when I watched him, when he was the anchor for the evening news.

Oh that press briefing in 1982 that was showed in stills instead of the actual briefing had me 🤯🤯🤯🤯with the press secretary asking the press core reporter if he had AIDS, after saying he, the press secretary, did not. Which wasn’t even the question!

OOH! A very young Dr. Fauci!!

But yup, Reagan was that ignorant and insensitive in that press conference. The tone deafness and hypocrisy is astounding and mind boggling.

I LOATHE Halwell and his bigoted ass so much.

Edited December 21, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[Growsonwalls]

On 12/18/2020 at 4:23 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

He came off this way back then as well, from the vantage point back then. Unless they were going to totally wash white it, there was no way he wouldn't have looked indifferent, insensitive and uninformed.

I was going to say -- his lack of response to AIDS and the total lack of empathy he showed his own friends in Hollywood who were dying of AIDS was heavily criticized back then too. So no, people didn't give him a pass back then because he was charming and outwardly warm.

[Ashforth]

4 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I was going to say -- his lack of response to AIDS and the total lack of empathy he showed his own friends in Hollywood who were dying of AIDS was heavily criticized back then too. So no, people didn't give him a pass back then because he was charming and outwardly warm.

I never found him to be charming or a great communicator. I was a young woman when he was elected after vilifying poor people (remember the "Welfare Queen" rant) and I remember the "tent cities" in Houston while he was President. I have never understood why so many people revered him.

The fact that it was later revealed that he had Alzheimer's explained a LOT about his presidency (at least the later years, if not the early ones).  

[Growsonwalls]

I was also horrified by Reagan's use of dog whistle racist terms like "jungle path." I would have liked the doc to go into more detail about the Reagans' frosty relationships with their kids. There are hints here and there but that was one of the areas I thought was interesting about the Reagans that wasn't mentioned.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, their relationship with the two sets of kids was appalling.     

Ron and Nancy had zero time for anyone except their own relationship.   Ron Jr, and Patty were totally neglected.     I suspect that Nancy wasn't all that interested in another woman's kids either, so the oldest two probably weren't anyone she even thought about either.     

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Growsonwalls]

On 12/22/2020 at 2:45 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Yes, their relationship with the two sets of kids was appalling.     

Ron and Nancy had zero time for anyone except their own relationship.   Ron Jr, and Patty were totally neglected.     I suspect that Nancy wasn't all that interested in another woman's kids either, so the oldest two probably weren't anyone she even thought about either.     

 

One thing I thought was believable was Ron Reagan expressing disbelief that his father called black people "monkeys" saying that no one in his family talked like that.

I think Ronald Reagan was so distant from his kids that they didn't get to see the less guarded side of him. I think he oddly felt more comfortable talking around Richard Nixon than his own kids.