A vintage Ronald Reagan clip wherein he don't take no crap from anyone.
The backstory:
TPTB wanted to make the Republican race a two-man deal between Reagan and Bush. (They really, really wanted Bush to win) Reagan wanted the other candidates to be included in this Nashua debate and argues for it forcefully in the clip.
From the Youtubed description:
Initially, both Reagan and Bush had seen advantages in a two-person debate sponsored by a local newspaper. When the FEC ruled that newspaper sponsorship of the debate amounted to an illegal campaign contribution and when Bush refused to pay half of the debate's cost, Reagan agreed to underwrite it himself.Dug up by DPer White Rose.
Reagan then moved to include the other five contenders - a move that identified him both as a candidate and a unifier. When the other candidates showed up on stage, Bush froze.
As Reagan made his case for inclusion of the other candidates, the moderator ordered Reagan's mike turned off. Reagan responded, "I'm paying for this microphone, Mr. Green." The fact that the moderator's name was Breen seemed to matter little. The crowd cheered. When neither newspaper hosting the debate nor Bush would accede to the inclusion of the others, the other candidates left the stage. Reagan's prospects had been boosted, Bush's buried. Reagan carried New Hampshire 50% to Bush's 23%.
Do I have any implications/applications from this? Not really. I do love someone who doesn't back down, though. Everyone can tell when its real.
Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours RM and a Great New Year!
Just waiting for some kids to show up here and poking around the blogs in the meantime.