Reagan’s presidency highlights a void in today’s White House
I have a strong admiration for Ronald Reagan, the individual.
Therefore, my anticipation was high for “Reagan,” the recent biopic that premiered last Friday.
In his portrayal of the 40th president, Dennis Quaid is charismatic and amiable. However, the film, spanning 2 hours and 15 minutes, did not provide the nuanced depiction I was hoping for; instead, it presented a glorifying compilation of highlights.
The film painted Reagan as a saint, offering only a superficial exploration of his remarkable life, circumventing the controversial aspects of his administration, such as the Iran Contra scandal, neglecting the AIDS crisis, and notably missing a cameo of Mr T. alongside Nancy Reagan (played by Penelope Ann Miller).
The story unfolds through the narrative of a fictitious former KGB agent (Jon Voight) recounting Reagan’s lifelong battle against communism and his pivotal role in the downfall of the Soviet Union.
I anticipated moments in the film that would stir within me even a fraction of the patriotism and motivation instilled by the “Rocky IV” training montage. Unfortunately, that emotional impact was absent.
Despite this, the film had some redeeming qualities as it revisited themes from the Reagan era, such as optimism and bipartisanship—values that have seemingly faded in current times.
One particularly moving scene in the film was Reagan preparing for his iconic 1987 speech in Berlin, where he famously urged, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Prior to this moment, then-Secretary of State George Shultz (Xander Berkeley) is seen advising Reagan to remove the bold line from the speech out of concern for damaging America’s delicate relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev (Aleksander Krupa).
Reagan stands firm, refusing to eliminate the line and asserting, “There’s power in clarity.” The Great Communicator recognized the necessity of retaining those words and delivering them plainly and effectively. No room for ambiguity.
This scene led me to contemplate the elusive clarity lacking in our current political landscape, especially amidst the Biden-Harris administration and the approaching 2024 election. Everything seems obscured and uncertain.
We are left questioning who is truly steering the country. Biden chose to relax at the beach for the latter part of August, almost as if he were the president of Del Boca Vista rather than the United States of America. It wasn’t until yesterday that he and Kamala Harris finally convened at the White House following the tragic deaths of six Israeli hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg Polin, at the hands of Hamas.
Harris epitomizes ambiguity. During the 2019 Democratic primaries, she expressed clear support for far-left policies, advocating for banning fracking, abolishing ICE, and ending private health insurance.
However, since becoming the Vice President nominee (through a convoluted nomination process), she struggles to articulate her policy positions, resorting to spokespersons to relay her policy shifts to journalists.
In a recent interview, Harris failed to provide clarity when questioned about her reversal on banning fracking, a critical issue in Pennsylvania: “My values haven’t changed,” she vaguely stated.
It’s puzzling.
On her campaign trail, Harris has even adopted different accents. Recently, she delivered the same pro-union speech in Detroit and Pittsburgh, employing a theatrical, preacher-like tone in Detroit and her usual nasal voice in Pennsylvania.
Who is the real Kamala?
Her speeches are verbose, laden with redundancies that create a convoluted mess of words.
Even Trump, revered by his base for his unfiltered manner of speaking, has lost the sharpness of his 2016 rhetoric, meandering and losing focus.
All of this makes me yearn for the sagacity and charm of a leader like Reagan. A figure who captivated friends and foes alike with his moral clarity and adept communication.
