The Reagan "I hope you're all Republicans" story is bullshit...

[Kid_A]

My parents lived in DC when Reagan was shot, and my mother was good friends with an anesthesiologist at the hospital Reagan was taken to. My mother's friend was working on the President when he came in, and was paying extremely close attention to Reagan when the alleged joke was made. Apparently the joke never happened. He said that Reagan was in a lot of pain and was very scared, and was definitely not saying anything, let alone joking with the doctors. He was sitting very close to Reagan's head, as an anesthesiologist is supposed to do, so he would definitely have heard even the faintest words from him mouth. After the media picked up the fabricated joke story, the doctor considered coming out with the truth, but decided against it. I've heard the story parroted back by numerous talking heads this weekend, and it makes me sick every time to know that one of the Right's favorite stories about their favorite President is an outright lie. Spread the word...

[Walt Starr]

Spreading the word won't help

but maybe if we said something like, "the Reagan joke story is the cherry tree of the Reagan presidency" it will work.

[mhr]

1. There Is Not Much That Republicans Don't Lie About!

eom

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. Apparently, the entire hospital episode was fictionalized and sanitized.

Reagan had a bacterial infection that did far more damage to him than the bullet did. The first I heard of that was yesterday.

[ronnykmarshall]

3. I always though he was worse off than we were told.

He was probably closer to death than what was reported.

[Vickers]

4. I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!

Accusing the RW of myth-making?

NEVER!

/sarcasm

[leftyandproud]

5. I thought his quote was..

didn't he say that he told nancy "I hope they're all republicans."?

not addressing them, but talking to someone else...that is how I remember him mentioning it in the clip.

[UTUSN]

6. It's on the Way to My Local Radio Talkshow Wingnut

as we speak. He's doing his own homage. The local prof, who is also a wingnut, surprisingly said that RAYGUN was probably "not so bad as his detractors say and not so great as his" idolaters claim.

Also sent him the PALAST article and the link to "On Bended Knee".

[BurtWorm]

7. The myth is too important to be intruded upon by mere truth.

:eyes:

[cybildisobedience]

8. the worst aspect of that story is that it implies

that Democratic doctors would have allowed him to die!

[LTR]

9. I saw a movie about it

It's called "The Day Reagan Was Shot". It's on Showtime occasionally, but I noticed it was pre-empted yesterday on one of their channels.

The line is in the movie.

Fun to watch for Richard Dreyfus' protrayal of an absolutely insane Al Haig.

[LTR]

10. In addition

Bush is protrayed as a complete wimp.

(sorry, DU glitch wouldn't let me edit)