One of the iconic moments of the 80's (you know the ones that make up every montage on VH1 or E! decade-in-review shows) happened twenty years ago today. Ronald Reagan stood in front of the Berlin Wall and almost scolded Mikhail Gorbachev, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." (If that sounds familiar, it's also part of our own little montage that we play every Wednesday leading into the Political Junkie segment). And as tends to happen with history, things get a little simplified. Plenty of people will tell you that Reagan ended the Cold War right there at the Brandenburg Gate. Others argue that the speech was pure showmanship, and didn't really mean or accomplish anything. The truth may lie somewhere in between. If anyone would know, it's Peter Robinson. He wrote the speech Reagan gave that day, and will be on our show today. What memories do you have of Reagan's famous line, and what do you think it accomplished?
Blog Of The Nation
I had a friend in kindergarten who, whenever the wind blew, would throw out her arms and yell, "I'm Queen of the Wind! Blow, wind, blow!"
I think of her every time I hear the "Tear down this wall" clip.
A truly nauseating story that perpetuates the myth that Reagan had some sort of thoughtful and ethical agenda. What is it about the word "clueless" that you do not understand? Not only was Reagan not instrumental in ending the cold war, his miserable administration most surely perpetuated the conflict--not to mention numerous human rights violations and breaches of international law in this hemisphere. You even give credence to this man's character dating back to his supposed outrage at the infiltration of Hollywood by the communists. I can remember a time when NPR was a good deal more critical and would have never aired such a thoroughly stupid story.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.