Tuesday, February 27, 2007

PRESIDENT REAGAN'S 11th COMMANDMENT

Much has been said about the great President Ronald Wilson Reagan's 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt speak no ill of a fellow Republican."
This has been used frequently during debate between members of our great party. Sometimes it's used to stifle debate. Here in the Great County of Monmouth, our GOP County Chairman has invoked the 11th Commandment and then gone and spoken ill of his fellow Republicans!
So thye vast editorial staff here at the Monmouth County Republican Blog decided to research the 11th Commandment and find out just exactly what The Gipper's intent was. What was its context?
It didn't take long to find a timely (Feb. 2, 2007) Opinion Journal article by Peggy Noonan, President Reagan's former speechwriter, who has a unique insight into our 40th President. We strongly recommend following the link to read her full article (Click her name.), but in a nutshell Ms. Noonan explains:

"The 11th commandment meant the fight should never be mean, low or unnecessarily injurious to the person, or the party. But a fight could be waged--should be waged--over big, big things."

Well. That doesn't mean stifling debate at all. Far from it. I guess difference of opinion isn't out of order after all.
Our County Chairman should read Ms. Noonan's article. More than once. Memorize it. Learn from it. For all of his invocations of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, the way he is running our party, what with squashing debate and pursuing those who don't follow in lockstep with him, is more akin to Richard Milhous Nixon or William Jefferson Clinton than Ronald Wilson Reagan.

2 comments:

Art Gallagher said...

That's a great article.

Downtowner said...

So that phrase wasn't supposed to excuse all things at all time about all Republicans, creating a virtual lack of debate in favor of mindless following? Good to know.