I watched very little of the various Reagan memorial events…and oddly enough, the fact that I didn't think much of the man or his administration was not the main reason. I have never liked the various trappings of elected office that make our public servants seem more like public monarchs. Inaugural galas feel that way to me, too. The other day on the phone, a friend mentioned — I don't know for sure this is so — that presidents are asked to specify, well in advance, if they want a simple burial or a fancy state funeral. The Reagans, he said, chose the latter. If this is all so, then huzzah for whichever presidents have selected the cheaper option.
One of the many sad things about it all was that so much talk this last week has been devoted not to whatever Reagan may or may not have actually done, but to how Republicans and Democrats were using the death to bolster current presidential campaigns. It's gotten so bad in this country that even when folks claim to be laying that aside for the mourning period, we then discuss how laying that aside might impact the election, and to what extent George Bush's visibility at the services will help or harm his re-election bid.
It was odd watching Reagan detractors stumble through an awkward mine field. A few made what seemed to me like deliberately-rude, attention-getting statements. A few others said some substantive, non-celebratory things…and got blasted as if they'd said they were delighted about Reagan's death. I caught one bizarre exchange on (I think) MSNBC where a gentleman was saying — quite respectfully, I thought — that it's sometimes a blessing when someone who is already "gone" in a mental sense dies and is no longer a burden to his family. He was immediately attacked by some Ann Coulter wanna-be as if he'd taken a dump on the Reagan gravesite. Generally speaking, I was bothered by those who took the occasion of Reagan's death to attack the man's record. I think when someone dies, their loved ones should be granted a window of consideration and not put on the defensive or assaulted at an emotional time. On the other hand, I think it's just as bad for (in this case) Reagan's partisans to think they now have a free pass to spread questionable history…and to think they have a window of opportunity to do so without opposition.