Ronald W. Reagan's kids - Democratic Underground

Bucky

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Tue Jan-27-04 11:37 PM
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Ronald W. Reagan's kids

Isn't it ironic how Democrat Jane Wyman's kids turn out to be superconservatives (Mike Reagan and the late Maureen Reagan), while Republican Nancy Wilson Reagan's kids (Patti Davis and Ron Reagan, Jr) turn out to be such liberals?

What does this tell you about families? What does this tell you about the Gipper's choice in life partners?

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TennesseeWalker

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Tue Jan-27-04 11:40 PM
Response to Original message

1. Ron Jr. is the best anti-Bush spokesman there is, I think.

Scarborough was beside himself, and acted pouty. I don't think they can hit Ron Jr. because Nancy just might speak her mind about the Bushes.

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TennesseeWalker

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Tue Jan-27-04 11:47 PM
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2. By the way, MSNBC's coverage tonight interested me most.

I flipped channels all night. I liked the banter on Hardball, and I couldn't believe Scarborough even had some insightful, non-asshole comments about Democrats. Pat Buchanan was good as well, in his cranky, cantakerous way. :)Ron Reagan blew my mind with some of the things he was saying....

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Cleita

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Tue Jan-27-04 11:56 PM
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3. From what I understand it was Maureen

who went over to the darkside first. She converted Daddy Ronnie, who was a Democrat up until then. Hollywood scuttlebutt has it that Jane and Ronald drew apart because of his new political leanings. I don't know where Nancy fit in here, if she was a Republican because Ronnie was or if it was her own choice. I think she probably was pretty liberal, which makes it understandable why her kids would have leaned in that direction.

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punpirate

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Wed Jan-28-04 12:15 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. Maureen was a little young...

... to be spouting right-wing rhetoric. Wyman and Reagan split around 1950.

If you want the background story on Ronnie's conversion to right-wing craziness, it's in Garry Will's book, Reagan's America. Reagan was asked by a producer to check out Nancy Davis because her name showed up on an FBI list of associations with radical groups.

Turned out that Nancy's winger father was a member of the John Birch Society, and had given his daughter a membership. Reagan checked it out, and after one evening with Nancy and her father, he was turned out by them. The rest is history.

Cheers.

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Cleita

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Wed Jan-28-04 12:21 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. That's fine except that I remember seeing an interview

with Maureen where she states she was the first to become a Pug and converted Dad. So go figure. I really don't remember Ronald becoming political until the first part of the sixties when he started doing public fund raisers for the Pugs. How do I know? My dad was a Pug and made a point of attending as many as he could.

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RapidCreek

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Wed Jan-28-04 12:41 AM
Response to Reply #3

7. Not Really

http://216.132.160.230/KoTrain/Courses/RR/RR_Life_Before_The_Presidency.htm

RC

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kskiska

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Wed Jan-28-04 12:30 AM
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6. Michael was adopted

so it wasn't anything in the Reagan genes in his case. He didn't seem to be much interested in politics when Ronnie was in the White House. He was a speedboat racer trying to make a buck off the old man's name.

Read his book: On the Outside Looking In
http://20th-century-history-books.com/0821723928.html

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