–“At certain periods a nation may be oppressed by such insupportable evils as to conceive the design of effecting a total change in its political constitution; at other times, the mischief lies still deeper and the existence of society itself is endangered. Such are the times of great revolutions and of great parties. But between these epochs of misery and confusion there are periods during which human society seems to rest and mankind to take breath. This pause is, indeed, only apparent; for time does not stop its course for nations any more than for men; they are all advancing every day towards a goal with which they are unacquainted. We imagine them to be stationary only when their progress escapes our observation, as men who are walking seem to be standing still to those who run.”
from Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
The note pictured above is a love letter from Ronald Reagan to his wife, Nancy.
He had many pet names for her, one of which was: Mommie Poo Pants.
Calm down, no one is saying Reagan wasn’t a great man.
He may have been great. He may have been evil.
Depends on where you are standing.
This is not a political conversation. Not really.
So relax.
Nancy and Ronnie.
Say what you like, it was one of the great love stories of the century.
But don’t forget . . .they were actors. Both of them.
She made eight pictures for MGM.
Oh come on, so what if they were actors?
I’m just glad I’m not married to an actor.
Or a President.
The line was that Nancy pushed Ronnie into politics. He would have been happy riding horses and painting fences. Nancy denied any part in it. She said that Ronnie entered politics by popular demand. The people of California, they begged him to run for governor. And from there, it all just fell into place. One thing led to another . . .
Those kind of statements make you think it’s already figured out, somehow, for all of us. Before we even get started. We just show up and push the broom.
Of course, Nancy Reagan didn’t push too many brooms.
Anyway, there’s a funny story about Ronnie in his Hollywood days. He had a small part in an Errol Flynn picture. They shoved Ronnie to the back behind a bunch of tall cowboy types. So what did he do? Did he argue with the director? Did he demand a better place in the shot? No sir. He reached down and scratched around in the dirt, made himself a pile of it, a little hill. When he stepped up onto his pile, he was tall enough to be visible in the shot.
There he stood.