Charles Krauthammer, the Washington Post’s best columnist, takes on the media folks who are eulogizing Ronald Reagan. They “dwell endlessly on the man’s smile, his sunny personality, his good manners. Above all, his optimism….’Optimism’ is the perfect way to trivialize everything that Reagan was or did.”
Eric’s Prediction of the Day: when the Holy Father dies, look for the media to follow the same pattern. They’ll say John Paul helped destroy communism, that he attracted some of the largest crowds in human history, and left an influential legacy of words. The way they’ll trivialize his achievements is by pointing to smartypants Western theologians who think they’re more Catholic than the pope (literally), and the “widespread dissent” from Church teachings among secularized Catholics.
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This was an excellent column. But I think the media’s attempt to trivialize Reagan works against them in a way Krauthammer doesn’t realize.
As you and I know, Reagan’s optimism, sunny disposition, and manners were signs of the deeper convictions and courage that he acted out. He believed in the power of good to defeat evil, which resulted in a very un-Panglossian optimism. His sunny disposition and manners reflected a genuine goodness and generosity of spirit, not simply a shallow desire for pleasantness.
Because history’s verdict vindicating Reagan’s anticommunism and economic policies is so visibly uncontrovertible, attempts to trivialize Reagan by highlighting his delightful personality qualities only wind up illustrating his good character and the value of his legacy even more.
So let the networks play up “Morning in America.” Because, Reagan’s presidency meant precisely that it was, and is.
I don’t think Krauthammer is succeeding. There was substance behind the smile.
I think Krauthammer might just be suffering from a severe case of sour grapes.