My Top 10 Personal Favorites In Order
1. "A hippie is someone who looks like Tarzan, walks like Jane and smells like Cheetah."
2. "I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself."
3. "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency -- even if I'm in a Cabinet meeting."
4. "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
5."Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."
5."Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."
6. "Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying."
7. "My fellow Americans. I'm pleased to announce that I've signed legislation outlawing the Soviet Union. We begin bombing in five minutes." (joking during a mike check before his Saturday radio broadcast).
8. "Well, I learned a lot....I went down to (Latin America) to find out from them and (learn) their views. You'd be surprised. They're all individual countries."9. "Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards. If you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book."
10. "If you're explaining, you're losing."
Thanks for sharing, Olivia! I would just like to note that the popularity he gained with his hilarious one-liners were made possible by the advent of TV. His successes also stemmed from the fact that he could present himself over a screen to the general American public (probably from his previous career as an actor). This can be seen in the debates between Carter and Reagan, Reagan can clearly be seen as more alluring to the voters and more charismatic in comparison to Carter who was notorious for his speeches (Crisis of Confidence and Malaise), which were not very moving at all.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite of Reagan's jokes is "Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other".
Thanks for the post OJ! I legitimately laughed out loud at some of these... I particularly liked your numbers 2, 3, and 6. I think what made Reagan so accessible to people was really his ability to poke fun at himself. He became somebody that was very easy to understand (as shown by his name the Great Communicator) and one that would make you laugh as well to diffuse some of the pains of the time. He was able to not only poke fun at himself but also at government. Instead of putting the blame on the people like Carter seemed to in his Crisis of Confidence speech, Reagan was able to take the side of the people and make fun of what they saw was wrong in the government.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Audrey's point, it is very clear that Reagan's humor came at the exactly appropriate time. If there wasn't the same media, this humor would not have had the same effect. The presidential debates also clearly made a huge difference between Reagan and Carter which would not have happened without the TV. It might not have also been as welcome at a time during a World War where War was the main focus, not the diffusion of tension which Reagan specialized in.
Thanks again for the post! I found it cool that a president had such a great sense of humor, and I liked how you were able to rank your favorites there!
Thanks for posting these Olivia! I was so captivated by the jokes that Mr. Stewart showed us in class that I was very excited to watch more of them. Reagan's personality was so relatable to the common public, that the people could not help but trust him to do what was best for the country. After watching/hearing all these jokes, I began to feel like I was on a personal level with Reagan, which is probably how every American at the time felt. Reagan just presents himself as an all around friendly and lovable guy!
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