President Reagan’s Daughter Speaks …

Posted on by under Global Issues, Political commentary

This morning I came across this OpEd by Patti Davis, daughter of former President Ronald Reagan.  Her words ring true, her thoughts are those most of us have been having for the past two years.  I thought the piece worth sharing with you …

A child occupies the White House — and the world knows it

Patti-DavisBy Patti Davis
December 17 at 3:34 PM
Patti Davis is the author, most recently, of the novel “The Earth Breaks in Colors” and the daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

Lately, I’ve been looking at home movies and photographs of my childhood years; I’m working on a documentary about my family’s life before politics claimed us. A time before the world moved in. There is something transformative about looking back at your parents when they were younger than you are now and seeing yourself as a small child gazing up at them, reaching for their hands. It resonates in some deep part of us — they were the first adults we knew, and we relied on them to lead us into a big unfamiliar world. We didn’t know that generations whispered behind us. We didn’t know the pull of ancestry or the fears and doubts that may have trailed our parents throughout their lives. We only knew we were supposed to hold their hands and trust them to keep us from falling.Patty Davis, Ronald ReaganThere is an inherently parental role to being president of the United States. The person holding that office is supposed to know more than we do about dangers facing the country and the world, and is entrusted with making the appropriate decisions to keep us safe and secure. The president is supposed to keep us from falling. What happens when the president is the biggest child in the room — any room? It upends the natural order of things as surely as if a child’s parents started throwing tantrums and talking like a second-grader.

I’m not sure the country has fully comprehended the damage being done by a president who misbehaves so frequently, it’s a news story when he doesn’t. Globally, the United States has lost its power, its aura of seriousness and decisiveness that once made autocrats hesitate before crossing us. Now we are a country that can’t seem to stand up to a ruler who orders the murder and dismemberment of a dissident who was a legal U.S. resident or call out Russia’s intrusion into America’s democratic process. Children know how to scream and sulk; they don’t know how to take control and restore order. They don’t know how to plot out a responsible position and then act on it. A child occupies the White House, and the world knows it.

A friend’s young son thought it was really funny when the president called someone “Horseface.” He giggled when he saw the president on TV telling a reporter that her question was “stupid” and that all her questions are stupid. Nine-year-olds should be able to look up to the president of the United States, not feel that the president is one of them.

Immaturity in adults has serious consequences. My friend, the author Marianne Williamson, once said, “Adults who behave like children do adult damage.” We’re starting to see some of that damage, most recently at the southern border. This president has slammed shut America’s door as loudly as a petulant child slams his bedroom door and shouts, “Go away.” The result is that thousands of migrants are living in squalid conditions just beyond the U.S. border, trying to keep babies from getting sick. This is adult damage, and there will be more.JFKWhat will happen if the country faces serious danger? I was 10 years old in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy addressed the nation about the Cuban missile crisis. I remember sitting on the floor in my parents’ bedroom watching him on television. I remember asking my father if we would go to war. He replied, “I hope not. But the president is doing the right thing.” Kennedy’s somber confidence did make me a little less afraid. At the end of the speech, he said: “The cost of freedom is always high — but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose is the path of surrender or submission. Our goal is not the victory of might but the vindication of right.”

Who would speak to the nation like that if global turmoil turned into a crisis that threatens America’s future?

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22 thoughts on “President Reagan’s Daughter Speaks …”

  1. Patti Davis thoughtfully chooses her words to write a stirring look at America through her lens. Our country needs politicians with the courage to navigate the American republic in a better way. Her father would be distressed to see what is happening.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Who knew the most forgetful man in the world could have a brilliant and caring daughter? Very insightful, though in this day and age one needs to be insightful to survive. The alternative is to be a MAGA idiot.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Some days I think those who can tune it all out are the lucky ones. Tune it out and focus on posting pictures of their lunch on Facebook, cheering their kid at soccer practice, and wishing themselves a Happy Birthday. Never mind me … tonight, I discovered that my middle name is ‘Cynicism’.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Jill, this is well done and accurately reflects the temperament of the White House occupant. She, of course, will be vilified by the man-child through some form of personal attack. But, that will prove her point.

    I would love to see her father debate the current President, especially when it comes to Russia and our ideals. “There, you go again Donnie, misstating the facts.” Keith

    Liked by 2 people

    • It must be a conundrum for republicans who claim that Reagan is their hero of yore, and yet to see his daughter speak out against their current hero.

      I would love to see that debate too! I wasn’t a huge Reagan fan, but today, in comparison, he was … he was a leader, a man of conscience, a man who understood that his allegiance was to the people of this nation … ALL the people, not just those who agreed with him.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Thank you for sharing this.

    One of her comments: Nine-year-olds should be able to look up to the president of the United States, not feel that the president is one of them. really stood out to me. I don’t think I need to explain wsy.

    Liked by 3 people

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