Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Two Politicians

Tim Pawlenty (H/T: Claire Berlinski of Ricochet):



Ronald Reagan:



Notice a difference?

2 comments:

Dean said...

Yeah, Pawlenty's video gave me a freaking headache.

But aside from that...

There was an obvious foreign policy/Cold War backdrop to Reagan's speech that talked about an enemy whose policies were informed by collectivism.

Pawlenty's video also talked about a struggle but more of a domestic, existential struggle against a self-imposed enemy that was informed by statism/collectivism.

I wonder if people who heard Reagan speak for the first time thought he had beamed down from outer space. Remember, this speech was not even a decade after Lionel Trilling declared liberalism not just the dominant political philosophy but the only politcal philosopy among respectable people and nations.

Awaiting my grade, Prof. KT.

K T Cat said...

Reagan had something to say. He took a solid position that was guaranteed to make some people substantively angry. He believed in what he had to say. The underlying philosophy was clearly stated and unequivocal.

Pawlenty has a pretty video. In it, he says we need to work hard and we're Americans. Yay! Americans!