Neanderpundit

Many of us look back on the Reagan era with a great deal of nostalgia, and we long for a man who can fill his shoes. Not an easy task.

Here’s a conundrum for you, pursuant to a conversation Pascal and I had last night.
We want a leader. We want a man capable of leadership, a man who can lead the most powerful nation on earth with the acuman of the captains of industry. We want someone who will lead as effectively as the presidents of GM, Boeing, caterpillar, Deere, Standard Oil. We want them to expose themselves to the abuse of the liberal media. To the derision of their detractors. We want them to allow their private lives and the private lives of their families to the most damaging scrutiny. We want them to accept this abuse without ever losing the dew from the rose, their charm must be immutable. And we expect them to do this for less than a mid level Chevy manager makes, les than a good real estate broker makes. And we expect them to put up with derision and abuse even within their own party, not only from the leaders but from the unwashed masses (YOU AND ME).

Sure, why isn’t there a HUGE line of people anxious to serve?

Watching TCM (turner classic movies is one of my few regular TV haunts) and they’re playing a commercial for some ole Esther Williams/Busby Berkely movies. And I IMDB the movie (Easy to Wed) and discover that Van Johnson AND esther williams are still both alive. Who knew?

Mr Porretto is kind enough to mention me here; and mentions my yearning for simpler times.
He’s right, I often make that comment, to many people. And I’m certainly not the first to feel this way. I have mentioned here before how much I enjoy Alone in the Wilderness– and I’m going to have to break down and buy the damned disk someday. Also, anyone who has read the Foxfire Books may have read the story of Ben Ward. These are men I admire greatly, and if I could, I would follow their example. No, I’m not a luddite, nor do I want to be Amish, but I have a longing for that lifestyle. To drive a 1949 Ford pickup. And have a Tudor sedan in the garage And wear Bill’s Khakis and canvas coats, and listen to the radio.

Now, I’m not beyond making my life easier, so modern lubrticants, bearing steels, etc. will all be part of my repertoire, but the basics will be basic. Not because things were better then, because in many ways they weren’t. But they were simpler.